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.
Calling For Vanished Faces I
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where the laurel trees surround us on every side
If then, in a small place, I stand alone
And turn my head, and You smile there
If then, I reach out and touch Your Form
Where all Your silences and Your chaos meets
Where everything joins and parts
If I may once clutch Your Heart
(There the bloodfall falls, redrivecracks)
Behind me lies blackmothermountain
The goats wheel round: great sign of lust
How much I wanted you
And oh Christ, how much more I want You now
The great pain, the great misery
To look and look
To look and look and look
And look And find
Nihil
The song "Calling For Vanished Faces I" by Current 93 is an exploration of a yearning for spiritual connection and understanding. The singer seems to be addressing a divine presence, perhaps Jesus Christ, and expressing a desire to encounter this entity in a physical form. The first stanza sets the scene: the singer imagines meeting this being in a place surrounded by laurel trees, and if this were to happen, they would be overjoyed to see the entity smile at them. The second stanza describes a desire to touch the physical form of the entity, to experience the meeting of both silence and chaos, and to grasp its heart and beauty. However, there is a sense of pain and misery attached to this yearning, as though the singer has been searching for this connection for a long time and is continually frustrated in the attempt. The final line of the song, "Nihil", suggests a recognition of the potential for meaninglessness in the quest for transcendence.
The lyrics of "Calling For Vanished Faces I" are highly metaphorical, which is typical of Current 93's lyrics. The use of laurel trees may symbolize victory or achievement, as these were often given as crowns to victorious soldiers in ancient Greece. The goats mentioned in the last stanza may represent lust or sin, as goats have been associated with these concepts in various traditions. The use of phrases like "redrivecracks" and "blackmothermountain" may be inventions of David Tibet, the primary songwriter for Current 93, or they may hold personal meanings that were not intended to be deciphered by listeners. Overall, the song captures the feeling of a longing for something beyond oneself, and the pain that often comes with such a quest for spiritual enlightenment.
Line by Line Meaning
If then, I meet You along the way
If I come across you while travelling
Where the laurel trees surround us on every side
In a place with a lot of greenery
If then, in a small place, I stand alone
If I'm alone in a small area
And turn my head, and You smile there
If I see you and you smile at me
If then, I reach out and touch Your Form
If I touch you
Where all Your silences and Your chaos meets
In a place where your silence and chaos coexist
Where everything joins and parts
In a place where everything comes together and separates
If I may once clutch Your Heart
If I can hold your heart
And pull its beauty to my face
And bring its beauty to my face
(There the bloodfall falls, redrivecracks)
(There is blood falling and red cracks are visible)
Behind me lies blackmothermountain
A black mountain is behind me
The goats wheel round: great sign of lust
A display of sexual desire from the goats circling around
How much I wanted you
How much I desired you
And oh Christ, how much more I want You now
How much more I desire you now
The great pain, the great misery
The intense pain and suffering
To look and look
To keep searching
To look and look and look
To keep searching repeatedly
And look And find
And finally find
Nihil
A reference to nihilism, or the belief in the absence of objective meaning and value in life
Lyrics © TUNECORE INC, TuneCore Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: H JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@-vero-
One of the deepest and best songs that were ever made
@vantakoshka
my favorite current 93 song
@CantoNotturno
The grass sleeps and waits to rise again...
@sanguiss
This is the greatest song ever
@sanguiss
This is the greatest song ever
@sanguiss
This is the greatest song ever
@YNguyen-ke5xd
I love it, really love it.
@utqiagvik1991
Oh, we meet again, Paysage man
@neon-qx1qs
If only I could take all of you at once, I’ll take you forever and ever…
@ShinraXSoldier
The Gods I've loved