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.
Locust
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
if we have to go out in the dark
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summer
what fires we lit
in the locust years
black thousands
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summers
what fires we lit
in the locust years
black hundreds
black thousands
rivers that run
rippled with red
ravaged and raped
with our roar roar roaring
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summer
what fire we lit
in the locust years
for only the strong survive
all of the weak are trampled under
all of the weak are trampled under
lalalalalala
this is only here in this place
and with these parting tears pour of the flesh
a freaking and falling
a crying and calling
foreign words crawling rivers
beaches moment's ebbing
broken watches
launch cathar
mama in my room
you left me burning
you left me burning
you left me burning
lalalalalala
animals melting servants screaming
crouched in corners coughing crying
renting scalding masts of walls
chanting scalding baby dying
and life force ebbing
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summers
what fires we lit
in the locust years
bloody tower of hysteria
a bloody vase of rape
he calls the living
he calls the dying
he breaks the thunder
and then it seemed as if
the whole world was burning
for only the strong survive
all of the week get trampled under
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summers
what fires we lit
in the locust years
black hundreds
black thousands
rivers that run run rippled with red
ravaged and raped
with our roar roar roaring
what screaming joy
in the locust years
nick my life away
lick my life away
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summers
what fires we lit
in the locust years
The song "Locust" by Current 93 is a dark and haunting reflection on the nature of humanity and its capacity for destruction. The opening lines, "what is all this love for / if we have to go out in the dark," suggest a sense of hopelessness and disillusionment, as though the singer is questioning the value of life itself in the face of inevitable death. The repeated refrain of "what joy we had / in the locust summers" serves as a bitter contrast to the violent and destructive imagery that dominates the rest of the song.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a world on the brink of collapse, where rivers run red with blood and animals melt in the heat. The line "for only the strong survive / all of the weak are trampled under" reinforces the sense of a brutal, Darwinian struggle for survival, where compassion and kindness are seen as weaknesses to be exploited. The final stanza, with its references to rape and violence, underscores the ugliness and brutality of the world that the singer has painted.
Ultimately, "Locust" is a bleak and uncompromising work, offering little in the way of hope or redemption. It is a powerful and thought-provoking commentary on the human condition, and a testament to the enduring power of art to confront the darkness that lies within us all.
Line by Line Meaning
what is all this love for
if we have to go out in the dark
Questioning the purpose of love if ultimately we all must face darkness and decay.
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summer
what fires we lit
in the locust years
black hundreds
black thousands
Reflecting on times past, specifically the memories of power and destruction during a time of hardship ('locust years').
rivers that run
rippled with red
ravaged and raped
with our roar roar roaring
Describing the destruction caused by those in power, leaving even the rivers tinted with blood.
for only the strong survive
all of the weak are trampled under
all of the weak are trampled under
Asserting a belief in the survival of the fittest, with the weak being disregarded and oppressed.
lalalalalala
this is only here in this place
and with these parting tears pour of the flesh
a freaking and falling
a crying and calling
foreign words crawling rivers
beaches moment's ebbing
broken watches
launch cathar
mama in my room
you left me burning
you left me burning
you left me burning
A disjointed stream of consciousness, jumbled images and memories of pain, expressed through personification and symbolism.
animals melting servants screaming
crouched in corners coughing crying
renting scalding masts of walls
chanting scalding baby dying
and life force ebbing
Painting a vivid and horrifying picture of suffering, both physical and emotional, caused by those in power.
bloody tower of hysteria
a bloody vase of rape
he calls the living
he calls the dying
he breaks the thunder
and then it seemed as if
the whole world was burning
for only the strong survive
all of the weak get trampled under
Using violent imagery, the song condemns those who hold power and the destruction they cause, while asserting the dominance of the strong over the weak.
what screaming joy
in the locust years
Contrasting the joy and power felt during the locust years with the unspeakable horrors that came with it.
nick my life away
lick my life away
Expressing submission and a loss of control or agency, as well as a sense of pleasure or pain depending on interpretation.
lalalalalala
what joy we had
in the locust summers
what fires we lit
in the locust years
Closing the song with repetition of the positive memories of power and destruction during the locust years, suggesting a complex emotional response to the events being described.
Contributed by Joshua V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andrew Taylor
I loved the days when Douglas was in Current 93.
Corona Zenith
This literally sounds and reads like a DiJ song
T. N.
And the days when David was in Death in June.
They did their best material together, for both projects IMO.
dale rogersd rogers
...ANOTHER BEST PART OF THE LP...(but i suggest not to take all of this into one:divide Daves "depression" as one aswell has "The Great Work" )...
insectmind2k7
No need to divide observer from observed.
Jesse G
It's growing on me but it is still very creepy!
Hello Dolly
Genius
Karl Lux Lusitania
I fear there might be some censorship about the other tracks. Shame. Shame. Shame…. I don't like Tibet now and what he's doing now, but that's his thing, let it be, but this… this is one of the best of the 80s. This is edited because of some typos and not because of second thoughts or cold feet. . Have a nice day, David, even though I think you've lost it…
T. N.
What the fuck are you talking about 'censorship' for?