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.
Happy Birthday
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When red is black
And Christus crawls
From Mary's crack
Wrapped in tatters
And flailing in mud
Child defiled
With tears and blood
Pigface Christus is born
In menstrual night
When red is black
And darkness crawls
Out of the crack
Some were born
In fields of mourning
Some were ripped
In fields of rape
Some bowed down
In echoed splendour
All were torn
In fields of tears
Crushed by church
And raped by father
Bled by mother
Torn and tearing
In scarlet playgrounds
On iron railways
Christ's pale body
Crucified
Time was
Time is
Time shall be no more
Some with tears
And some with laughter
Some in sadness
All in vain
In fields fresh crippled
The glint of sickles
The scars of sunset
The sund of reaping
You and I
On threshing floors
Lost and losing
Parched and preying
All have numbers
None have names
Here open the gates of heaven
Here open the gates of hell
Time was
Time is
Time shall be no more
The lyrics of Current 93's song Happy Birthday are, in many ways, an anthem of the human experience – one that speaks of the pain, suffering, and loss that are common to all people, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. The song is a mournful meditation on the fragility of life and the inevitability of death, set against a backdrop of ritualistic and religious imagery that is both haunting and beautiful.
The song begins with an image of Christus emerging from Mary's "crack," covered in tattered rags and mud, defiled with tears and blood. This visceral and almost primitive depiction of the birth of Jesus is meant to underscore the violence and suffering that is inherent to human existence, as well as the paradoxical nature of the Christian faith, which simultaneously celebrates and mourns Christ's crucifixion.
The rest of the song continues in this vein, painting a picture of a world in which pain and loss are constant, and joy and happiness are fleeting at best. The imagery is often dark and disturbing, invoking images of rape, abuse, and violence. But there is also a sense of hope and redemption running throughout the lyrics, a sense that even in the midst of all this suffering, there is still beauty and goodness to be found.
Overall, Happy Birthday is a powerful and haunting testament to the human experience, a meditation on the fragility and beauty of life, and a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is still hope.
Line by Line Meaning
In menstrual night
During a dark, bloody and mystical night
When red is black
When blood becomes symbolic of darkness and mystery
And Christus crawls
The figure of Christ is creeping, crawling and approaching the world
From Mary's crack
From Mary's womb, where Christ is born amidst traditional imagery of childbirth, which becomes a symbol of visceral and painful birth of the unknown
Wrapped in tatters
Born in poor, scant and ragged clothes
And flailing in mud
And struggling in mud, as a metaphor of life's challenges and difficulties
Child defiled
The baby is dirty and scarred, tainting the purity of birth
With tears and blood
With visible signs of pain, suffering and vulnerability
Pigface Christus is born
But despite its defiled state, the arrival of Christ is celebrated, even if it departs from traditional iconography and presents a subject rarely seen in art.
In darkness crawls out of the crack
Out of darkness and obscurity, emerges an unknown, uncomfortable and strange new world
Some were born in fields of mourning
Some are born into the cruelty and sadness of life
Some were ripped in fields of rape
Others are taken advantage of and exploited at the hands of abusers
Some bowed down in echoed splendour
Some suffer in silence and are crushed under the weight of societal expectations and norms
All were torn in fields of tears
All endure suffering, pain and conflicted emotions from living in an unsympathetic world
Crushed by church and raped by Father
The religious institution can be both a refuge and a tormentor, while the figure of the Father can be both protector and violator
Bled by mother, torn and tearing
Maternal figures can also cause pain and be victim to torment
In scarlet playgrounds on iron railways
In places of violence such as battlefields and railway stations,
Christ's pale body crucified
The figure of Christ is being represented in a particularly gruesome, violent and unsettling way
Some with tears and some with laughter
There are people who experience joy and sorrow
Some in sadness, all in vain
Most experiences of sadness feel useless and futile
In fields fresh crippled
In fresh fields, there is no escape from harm, pain or death
The glint of sickles, the scars of sunset
The end of the cycle of life, depicted as a harvest in a field of wheat, also brings blood and violence
The sound of reaping
The reaping brings physical violence, but also a metaphorical end
You and I on threshing floors
People are enduring and influenced by the same fate, regardless of individual differences
Lost and losing, parched and preying
People are lost, marginalised, hungry and vulnerable
All have numbers, none have names
People are not individuals, occupying the same roles as anonymous others in seemingly endless cycles of suffering
Here open the gates of heaven
The song suggests that even in the midst of darkness and suffering, that there is a path to transcendent happiness and achievement
Here open the gates of hell
However, the path to transcendent transcendence may be precarious and fraught with danger
Time was, time is, time shall be no more
The song ends with a final warning that we are all ultimately subject to the transience of time and inevitable endings, and must navigate our existence within the framework of this awareness.
Contributed by Mackenzie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
peterabelard
In the booklet of "SixSixSix:SickSickSick", where the studio material from Looney Runes is featured, David wrote: "I have removed the live material recorded in Tokyo in 1988 as I do not wish to listen to it ever again". That's sad, because this track is awesome.
Andrew Taylor
it's too bad this was never more widely or album released, i believe it's easily one of c93's best songs ever. much better than their more recent xtian drivel.
armeurh
Tony Wakeford on drums ? Rose and David are great !
Andrea Fiori
Simply the best esoteric dark wave band of all time.
Rob
I'm still mesmerized as to how David managed to join Doug and Tony in his band. :D
AntiMusick
this song was only released on a 12" record and never released on an album but a live version on 'Looney Runes', and the 12" made it on to a 1993 retrospective release called 'Emblems: The Menstrual Years'
Jhane Doe
rose mcdowell is a goddess and she does sing her lungs up t0 the moon!
Engel Lenoir Frederic
time was ! time is ! time shall be no more ! fabuleux !
Hexe Frau
my favorite c93 song!
Iñigo Angulo
I JUST LOVE THAT GIRL.