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.
Black Flowers
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wild flowers dying in your hair
Child of harvest time coughing up must
Black flowers' dull perfume trailing in dust
Hoisting dark pennants at the spike of that hill
Your smile started bleeding and then the mill
Shearing and sharing your love and you rage
Whilst hawk's head descending
"It isn't very good
In the middle of the wood
In the dark dark night
Where there isn't any light
It isn't very good in the dark dark wood ..."
"There are four comers to the world" she said
"And everyone is manned with fire and ice"
Through black glass darkly I can see her truth
Arrayed and raised and raising walls of war
She points to squares of wax and writes backwards
I veil my face from her and from her light
The pointless games she plays out for want of power
To slake her bloodlust and for sake of pain
Her ugly shapes breeding in her secret mound
The Call of Aethyrs and the Dog Star Crawl
There's one cracked bottle with no label on
She nods and gestures limply with a broken smile
"Do you fear death?" she says to me
And shows me seven stars
The seven seals of her seven years of Rose Cross madness
"Well, Christus tells us that little children suffer -
It's only tight that we should learn to suffer too!"
The first seven are red as blood
The second seven are not so red
The third seven are like whitish smoke
And all the world seemed to be in darkness
And all the world seemed to be in brightness
"There are four corners to the world" she sighs
"There are four corners to the world" she cries
"There are four corners to the world" she lies
"There are four corners to the world" she dies
The lyrics of Current 93's song "Black Flowers Please" are full of powerful and enigmatic images that create a haunting atmosphere. The song seems to be about a mystical encounter with a strange woman who represents death, transformation, and the occult. The singer describes seeing the woman standing among dying wildflowers with black flowers in her hair that leave a "dull perfume trailing in dust." The woman is associated with a dark hill where dark pennants are hoisted, and where she smiles but then starts bleeding when the "mill" begins to shear and share her love and rage. The image of a hawk's head descending and spewing out a new age adds to the sense of ominous transformation.
The woman seems to have secret knowledge about the corners of the world, which are "manned with fire and ice," and she can see through "black glass darkly." She writes backwards with squares of wax, and her pointless games are fueled by her bloodlust and love of pain. She speaks of the seven seals of her seven years of Rose Cross madness and asks the singer if he fears death. The song ends with the repetition of the phrase "There are four corners to the world," emphasizing the mysterious and mystical aspects of the encounter.
Overall, "Black Flowers Please" is a deeply symbolic and enigmatic song that invites multiple interpretations. It explores themes of death, transformation, mysticism, and power, and creates a dark and unsettling atmosphere that reflects the song's somber subject matter.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh when I saw you standing there
Narrator recalls the moment when they saw the person.
Wild flowers dying in your hair
The person had dying wildflowers in their hair.
Child of harvest time coughing up must
The person is a child of the harvest season, coughing up some stale or moldy substance.
Black flowers' dull perfume trailing in dust
The black flowers the person carries had a dull scent that trailed in dust.
Hoisting dark pennants at the spike of that hill
Something ominous was happening at the top of the hill, as dark flag-like objects were raised.
Your smile started bleeding and then the mill
The person's bleeding smile transformed into something like a mill - either grinding something down or churning out something repetitive.
Shearing and sharing your love and you rage
The person was both cutting off and sharing their love and rage with others.
Whilst hawk's head descending
While a hawk's head is descending.
Spewed out a new age
The hawk's head was symbolic of a new era beginning.
"It isn't very good
A line from a spoken-word section that says something negative or ominous is happening.
In the middle of the wood
The negative or ominous thing is happening in the woods.
In the dark dark night
It is happening at night, in the dark.
Where there isn't any light
It's so dark that there is no light.
It isn't very good in the dark dark wood ..."
The singer repeats their previous line, emphasizing the negative situation.
"There are four comers to the world" she said
A woman talks about the four corners of the world.
"And everyone is manned with fire and ice"
Each corner of the world is guarded by a force with opposing qualities.
Through black glass darkly I can see her truth
The artist sees the woman's truth clearly but through a dark and distorted lens.
Arrayed and raised and raising walls of war
The woman is involved in a conflict and is both creating and facing walls of war.
She points to squares of wax and writes backwards
The woman points to a wax square and writes in reverse.
I veil my face from her and from her light
The artist shields themselves from the woman's light and avoids eye contact.
The pointless games she plays out for want of power
The woman indulges in games that are pointless but ultimately serve her thirst for power.
To slake her bloodlust and for sake of pain
The woman seeks to quench her thirst for blood and for the sake of causing pain.
Her ugly shapes breeding in her secret mound
The woman's ugly, distorted creations are growing in a hidden place.
The Call of Aethyrs and the Dog Star Crawl
A reference to two esoteric concepts or rituals, hinting at the woman's involvement in the occult.
There's one cracked bottle with no label on
A bottle with no label is present and damaged.
She nods and gestures limply with a broken smile
The woman nods and makes weak gestures with a smile that looks fake or broken.
"Do you fear death?" she says to me
The woman asks the singer if they are afraid of death.
And shows me seven stars
The woman then shows the artist seven stars.
The seven seals of her seven years of Rose Cross madness
The seven stars are symbolic of seven years of madness related to the Rosicrucian order.
"Well, Christus tells us that little children suffer -
Another line from the spoken-word section, commenting on the role of suffering in life.
It's only tight that we should learn to suffer too!"
The singer reflects that it's only right that they should experience suffering as well.
The first seven are red as blood
The first seven of something are red like blood.
The second seven are not so red
The next seven of something are not as red as the previous.
The third seven are like whitish smoke
The third seven of something resemble whitish smoke.
And all the world seemed to be in darkness
The world as a whole is full of darkness and negativity.
And all the world seemed to be in brightness
Alternatively, the world can be full of light and positivity.
"There are four corners to the world" she sighs
The woman repeats her line about the four corners of the world but this time with a note of sadness in her voice.
"There are four corners to the world" she cries
The woman repeats her line again with a note of crying or desperation in her voice.
"There are four corners to the world" she lies
The woman then lies or deceives the singer by repeating her previous line.
"There are four corners to the world" she dies
Finally, the woman dies but repeats her line one last time, either as an affirmation or a warning.
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: H JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jegfaller525
this song is perfect
@weebtrash
<3
@annapaulal.h.1393
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ... ♥
@johnyironmaiden
There's one black bottle with no label on...
@astronomianova
the album is from 1988, not 1998...
@horsey604
Thank you, it was a mistype :)
@horsey604