Tibet has been the only constant in the group, though Steven Stapleton (of Nurse With Wound) has appeared on nearly every Current 93 release. Michael Cashmore has also been a constant contributor since Thunder Perfect Mind. Douglas P. of Death In June has played on well over a dozen Current 93 releases, and Steve Ignorant of Crass (using the name Stephen Intelligent), Boyd Rice, runologist Freya Aswynn , Nick Cave, Björk, Andrew W.K., Will Oldham, Ben Chasny, Rose McDowall, Tiny Tim, Tony Wakeford of Sol Invictus, Marc Almond, John Balance of Coil, Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons, Baby Dee and Ian Read of Fire + Ice have also lent their talents over the years. Tibet is fond of the works of American writer Thomas Ligotti, and invited him to collaborate with Current 93.
Current 93 have released over twenty albums and many singles as well as having been a guest on many of the above listed artists' records. Tibet has also collaborated with Nature and Organisation and The Hafler Trio.
Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorted, excoriating vocals. This early work became influential with the goth scene. Later works found Tibet mostly casting off such trappings in favor of a more organic sound, labeled by some as "apocalyptic folk" music, occasionally featuring his sinister nursery rhyme-influenced singing and primarily acoustic folk-styled music.
Tibet's lyrics have been fairly consistent, regardless of delivery: The earlier recordings reflect his preoccupation with death, Christ, mysticism, Aleister Crowley (Tibet borrowed the term "93 Current" from Crowley - the 93 Current being the current of Thelema or Agape), Tibetan Buddhism, Gnosticism, runes, swastikas, Noddy, The Wicker Man, and a variety of occult notions. The later to present-day period of Current 93's recordings increasingly reflect Tibet's interest in Christian mysticism. Tibet has stated that he identifies as a Christian.
Literary influences include Lautreamont's Les Chants de Maldoror, the Bible, The Poetic Edda, Hildegard von Bingen, John Dee, Heptarchia Mystica, The Thunder, Perfect Mind, William Blake, Louis Wain, writer Thomas Ligotti, occult British author Arthur Machen (originator of the title "The Inmost Light"), M.R. James's various ghost stories, The Cloud of Unknowing, Count Eric Stenbock, and Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker.
Musical influences include religious chants, traditional folk music, The Tam Lin ballad, The Incredible String Band, Sand, Comus, Blue Öyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Love, Shirley Collins, some progressive bands such as Yes, King Crimson, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and the British composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji.
David Keenan's book England's Hidden Reverse - A Secret History of the Esoteric Underground (SAF Publishing 2003) extensively covers Tibet's musical evolution along with that of Coil, Stephen Stapleton, and others.
A Silence Song
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stretching above me
Around me too
Has it deafened me?
Has it closed my ears?
Has the silence itself
Brought about this rapture?
Between silence and sound
If man raises one voice
I'll raise two then
One for loss
One for losing
One for death
And one for birth
He may hang bloody torn
On this tree of moss
Though my grimace
Will cut my grin
I'll rise triumphant
I'll rise triumphing
You won't catch me
I fly unseen
Through the wind of the worlds
Missiles cut space
Spearing the starlight
Masking the moon
Wide of the march
Give me two reasons to stay here
Lost light, lost love
Smudge the tracks
And smother the traces
Of the fires of your fear
Near the
Under the
Beside the
Beyond the flowers
Then further still
The children lie
In silent space
The wind shivers through
Their corn burnt hair
Silence immaculate
If they move
From silence to sound
Will the world shudder
Will my heart stop
In a cave
In a maze
The spring slides
Through my sadness
And my winter
(The stars have frozen into space)
(The stars have molten into space)
The children wait
Flowers around
Burnish their hair
With brazen gold
And heartred rose
If I move
Then I shall stop
(How have the sightless fallen)
I'll take a knife to your heart
I'll take a knife to your
I'll take a knife to your
(London Bridge no longer remains,
Christ's face refracted through
The sky then breaks up into
Different shapes)
Current 93's song "A Silence Song" is a haunting and introspective exploration of the power of silence and the emotions it can evoke within us. The first verse sets the scene with the singer enveloped by silence that seems to be all-encompassing. They question whether this silence has led to a kind of spiritual transformation or if it has merely closed off their ability to hear. The next lines describe the delicate balance between silence and sound, life and death, and the beauty of raising one's voice in response to loss and birth.
As the song progresses, the focus shifts to a more ominous tone. The singer describes a "tree of moss" upon which someone "bloody torn" may hang, while they themselves grin in triumph. There is a sense of violence and darkness creeping in as they speak of flying unseen and smudging the tracks of fear. The images become more surreal and abstract, with mentions of children lying in silent space and winds shivering through burnt hair. The song concludes with a feeling of finality as the singer threatens to take a knife to someone's heart and references the destruction of London Bridge and a fracturing of the sky.
Line by Line Meaning
So much silence
There is an overwhelming amount of silence present.
Stretching above me
The silence is all-encompassing.
Around me too
The silence is present everywhere around the person.
Has it deafened me?
The person wonders if the silence has caused them to lose their hearing.
Has it closed my ears?
The person wonders if the silence has caused their ears to close up.
Has the silence itself
The person wonders if the silence is responsible for something.
Brought about this rapture?
The person is questioning if the silence has brought upon them a state of ecstasy.
Between silence and sound
The person is considering the contrast between silence and sound.
Between the cry and the cull
The person is considering the contrast between crying and dying.
If man raises one voice
If one person speaks up,
I'll raise two then
The person wants to raise more than one voice if someone else speaks up.
One for loss
One voice for the loss of something.
One for losing
One voice for the act of losing.
One for death
One voice for the concept of death.
And one for birth
One voice for the concept of birth.
He may hang bloody torn
A person may be in a state of pain.
On this tree of moss
This person's pain may be displayed on a tree made of moss.
Though my grimace
Despite the person's discomfort.
Will cut my grin
They will keep their smile regardless.
I'll rise triumphant
The person will rise victorious.
I'll rise triumphing
The person will rise in success.
You won't catch me
No one will catch this person.
I fly unseen
The person moves invisibly.
Through the wind of the worlds
The person is traveling through many places.
Missiles cut space
Projectiles are moving through space.
Spearing the starlight
These projectiles pierce through the light of the stars.
Masking the moon
The moon is hidden from view.
Wide of the march
Far from the movement of other people.
Give me two reasons to stay here
The person is requesting reasons to remain in their current location.
Lost light, lost love
The person has lost both light and love.
Smudge the tracks
The person wants to cover up where they have been.
And smother the traces
The person wants to eliminate any evidence of their presence.
Of the fires of your fear
The person is trying to eliminate the remnants of someone else's fear.
Near the
Close to.
Under the
Beneath.
Beside the
Next to.
Beyond the flowers
Further than the flowers.
Then further still
Even further beyond that point.
The children lie
The children are lying down.
In silent space
In a space absent of noise.
The wind shivers through
The wind makes a shivering movement through the space.
Their corn burnt hair
The hair on their heads is the color of burnt corn.
Silence immaculate
An incredibly pure and complete silence.
If they move
If the children make a move.
From silence to sound
From the state of silence to the state of sound.
Will the world shudder
Will the world tremble or react unpleasantly.
Will my heart stop
Will the person experience a heart-stopping moment.
In a cave
Inside a cave-like structure.
In a maze
Inside a confusing and complex structure.
The spring slides
Water is moving through the area.
Through my sadness
The water is flowing through the person's sadness.
And my winter
And the person's state of winter or melancholy.
(The stars have frozen into space)
The person is noting the stillness of the stars.
(The stars have molten into space)
The person notes how the stars seem to melt into the space around them.
The children wait
The children are waiting for something.
Flowers around
There are flowers surrounding the children.
Burnish their hair
The flowers are shining the light on their hair.
With brazen gold
The light on their hair is a bold, golden color.
And heartred rose
And the light on their hair is also a deep shade of red like a rose.
If I move
If the person moves.
Then I shall stop
Then the person will cease their movement.
(How have the sightless fallen)
This line is likely metaphorical and may be referencing how those who are blind are susceptible to falling.
I'll take a knife to your heart
The person is threatening to stab someone's heart with a knife.
I'll take a knife to your
The person may have been cut off mid-sentence or intentionally left part of the line unfinished, leaving the listener to wonder what they will take a knife to.
I'll take a knife to your
The person appears to have repeated the previous line for emphasis.
(London Bridge no longer remains,
This line is a reference to the nursery rhyme 'London Bridge Is Falling Down,' which suggests that the bridge is no longer standing.
Christ's face refracted through
The person is envisioning the fragmented image of Jesus Christ's face.
The sky then breaks up into
The sky is then fractured or fragmented in a way that suggests it is breaking apart.
Different shapes)
The different fragments of the sky create different shapes or patterns.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
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