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.
Pomegranate
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the Pomegranate Blues descended
Heard voices of Planets following
Satellites in death's purple paws
Mixed the drains by golden dragon fever
Shapur II Lord of Dust
In the battefields of precrescent rain
The putti rejoice and Julian is unhorsed
First and last just in dust
Smashed as Athena
As dead as Serapis misted in Babylon
The slaughter arose as Stars
Stars dragged blood and souls
Up to the Heavens
The skies filled with flies
The bird of locust flowers
Screams and wheels at the ape
Froth and fear in the nostrils of the steeds
Steering bloodhurds to the mountain fame
The hip killers are burning like devil
The trip of the light burned bright
The eyes of the blind open like whirlwinds
The breastplate of GraceFace
The lamp pours light into the children's mouths
Open the slit of the conspiracy
And go further into the perfect peace
Of the perfect world envisioned by
The Murderer
The First Dead
The First Killer
The First Framer
The Farmer in Sodom
Cattle Reaper
A thought to spear the care
Enough is too late
The sky took lies from me
Turned my head to smoke
Rising over the near East
With lips tasted of peace
And Kingdoms far within
The Queendom the bells
And grave faces hieratic
Under the Moon
Its waves and light
Lifting the dead from under dust
Choked unmore moved
Unquick and lithe
Lifting their hearts like the SunFlower
Drank HoneySuckle Æons
And toasted toys goodnight
But around the back
Of the bars of the City of God
The Night squeals and prays entrance
Attendance for the march
The Rainbow Children were trademarked
And branded on their skulls
The triple eating curve
Marked! Marked!
Hey hey horror hail hail
Grey bloody dawn down dawns
Get back black crack Moon
Slip back slide ded red Moon
The lyrics of "Pomegranate" by Current 93 are esoteric and complex, opening with the line "But meanwhile there was a ghost in my life" that sets the mood of musing on mortality and the passage of time. The eerie "Pomegranate Blues" are a symbol of decay and loss, as the singer hears the voices of Planets following satellites, surrounded by death's purple paws. The verse takes on a more specific tone as it references the ancient king Shapur II, Lord of Dust, and the battlefields of a crescent rain, invoking images of the slaughter that arose as stars dragged blood and souls up to the heavens. Throughout the rest of the lyrics, there are references to Athena, Serapis, locust flowers, and cattle reapers, all of which contribute to a surreal sense of weight and complexity.
As a whole, the song is both haunting and beautiful, with profound imagery that invites interpretation but also leaves much up to the listener's imagination. It is difficult to say precisely what "Pomegranate" means, as the lyrical content is highly metaphorical, but it seems to be grappling with themes of death and rebirth, timelessness and transience, grief, and some unknown level of spiritual enlightenment. The tension between the mundane and the ceremonious is present throughout the track, with references to perfect peace and perfect worlds alongside the gritty reality of slaughter, war, and decaying bodies.
Line by Line Meaning
But meanwhile there was a ghost in my life
At the same time, a lingering spirit from the past haunted my present.
And the Pomegranate Blues descended
A melancholic feeling gradually overtook me.
Heard voices of Planets following
I heard cosmic sounds that seemed to be following me.
Satellites in death's purple paws
Satellites were inescapably under the grip of death.
Mixed the drains by golden dragon fever
A feverish energy mixed with spiritual exhaustion drained me.
Shapur II Lord of Dust
A historical Persian king whose power has been reduced to dust.
In the battefields of precrescent rain
The rain was shaped like a crescent moon in the battleground.
The putti rejoice and Julian is unhorsed
Cherubic beings celebrate as a historical figure, Julian, gets humiliated.
Speared and smeared in the desert
Julian was violently attacked and left bloodied in the desert.
First and last just in dust
Julian, once both the first and the last, is now nothing but dust.
Smashed as Athena
Julian suffered a defeat as decisive as the goddess Athena's.
As dead as Serapis misted in Babylon
Julian is as dead as the Egyptian god Serapis who faded into obscurity in Babylon.
The slaughter arose as Stars
The massacre was as grand as the celestial bodies.
Stars dragged blood and souls
The stars themselves seemed to pull the blood and souls of the fallen.
Up to the Heavens
The bloody souls were lifted up to the heavens.
The skies filled with flies
The air was filled with insects that thrived on death.
The bird of locust flowers
A bird feeding on locust flowers, a symbol of destruction and renewal.
Screams and wheels at the ape
The creature screamed and moved like an ape, embodying fear and madness.
Froth and fear in the nostrils of the steeds
The horses were scared and frenzied, their nostrils foaming with anxiety.
Steering bloodhurds to the mountain fame
The riders led their murderous armies to glory and a mountain of corpses.
The hip killers are burning like devil
The assassins are so fervent that they seem to be on fire.
The trip of the light burned bright
The fiery passion of the assassins burned brilliantly like a bright light.
The eyes of the blind open like whirlwinds
The previously blind individuals now have their eyes opened, and their gaze seems fierce like a whirlwind.
The breastplate of GraceFace
A divine armor that confers grace upon the wearer.
The lamp pours light into the children's mouths
A radiant lamp that provides enlightenment and wisdom to the young.
Open the slit of the conspiracy
Reveal the hidden plans that have been made in secret.
And go further into the perfect peace
Enter a state of complete tranquility and harmony.
Of the perfect world envisioned by
A world that has been envisioned and aspired to by numerous individuals throughout history.
The Murderer
The individual who has committed an act of killing.
The First Dead
The very first person who ever died.
The First Killer
The first person in history who committed an act of killing.
The First Framer
The individual who first formulated a plan or a conspiracy.
The Farmer in Sodom
A character from the biblical story of Sodom who was the only righteous person in the city.
Cattle Reaper
A figure who symbolizes death and the end of life.
A thought to spear the care
An idea to pierce through the anxieties and worries of life.
Enough is too late
The realization comes too late that there has been enough suffering.
The sky took lies from me
The heavens stripped me of lies and exposed my truths.
Turned my head to smoke
The air around me became thick with smoke, as if enveloping my head.
Rising over the near East
A new dawn is rising over the lands of the Middle East.
With lips tasted of peace
The flavor of peace was tasted on our lips.
And Kingdoms far within
Other realms and kingdoms exist within oneself that are far and distant.
The Queendom the bells
The realm that is ruled by a queen, announced by bells ringing.
And grave faces hieratic
Faces devoid of emotion and expression, still and timeless.
Under the Moon
Beneath the moon's light and influence.
Its waves and light
The spectral qualities of the moon's light and sound waves.
Lifting the dead from under dust
The spirits of the deceased are raised from the ground, free from their earthly existence.
Choked unmore moved
They are no longer stuck or hindered, but liberated and able to move.
Unquick and lithe
Their movements are slow yet graceful and nimble.
Lifting their hearts like the SunFlower
Their spirits are uplifted and energized like a sunflower's that follows the sun's movement.
Drank HoneySuckle Æons
They savored in the flavor of honeysuckle, which seemed to last an eternity.
And toasted toys goodnight
They said farewell to their earthly possessions and amusements.
But around the back
Behind the scenes, in the shadows and out of sight.
Of the bars of the City of God
Beyond the gateways of Heaven.
The Night squeals and prays entrance
The darkness begs to be permitted entry into the light.
Attendance for the march
People gather to attend a grand procession.
The Rainbow Children were trademarked
The diversity and beauty of humanity has been commercialized and made into a commodity.
And branded on their skulls
This branding has been tattooed permanently on their bodies and souls.
The triple eating curve
The dominant culture's cycle of exploitation, consumption, and waste.
Marked! Marked!
Branded and identified as part of the cycle of exploitation.
Hey hey horror hail hail
A chant invoking a sinister force or evil entity.
Grey bloody dawn down dawns
A desolate and violent new day has arrived.
Get back black crack Moon
An exhortation to go away and disappear, addressed to the moon that has cracks in it.
Slip back slide ded red Moon
The stained and slippery moon retreats and fades away.
Contributed by Jacob T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@edwigeguilhem7485
David et ses comparses au sommet de leur art,une pure merveille,à écouter sans modération.
@ExcessiveSpareTime
If all the tracks were at least this awesome, I might consider buying this album.
@ryobibattery
As Perfect As Planets
@ddj423
just enjoy this
@BgAndrew100
of all c93 songs this is the closest to myrninerest