Current 93 is an eclectic British music group, working since the early 1980… Read Full Bio ↴Current 93 is an eclectic British music group, working since the early 1980s in experimental-based musical forms. The band was founded in London, UK in 1982 by David Tibet (né David Michael Bunting, renamed 'Tibet' by Genesis P-Orridge sometime prior to forming the group).

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.

Riverdeadbank
Current 93 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Like dust
I'm lost in the world
I thought that I had
A particular place
Between the earths
Between the scarred sky

I feel the crunch of dirt

I smell the scent of flowers
My aimless feet
To be in the world
And not a part of it
That's the aim of the pain
I'm sorry that there seems
No happiness in life
I'm sorry that there seems
No one
Passing streams
Dying dreams
There seems to be no joy

You cannot see the ships sailing
You cannot see the sails sailing
Amassing as Christ on the horizon

Outstretched
Outstretched

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Current 93's "Riverdeadbank" seem to evoke feelings of loneliness and solitude. The singer feels like they are lost in the world, drifting like dust with no clear purpose or place to belong. They describe their aimless feet as they move through the world, not quite feeling like they are a part of it. The pain they feel is their attempt to find their place, to be in the world and yet separate from it.

The lyrics also touch on a feeling of sorrow and despair. The singer apologizes for the seeming lack of happiness and joy in life, for the absence of anyone to share in their experiences or ease their loneliness. The passing streams and dying dreams seem to represent the fleeting moments of happiness and aspirations that are slowly slipping away. The final lines, "You cannot see the ships sailing, you cannot see the sails sailing, amassing as Christ on the horizon, outstretched, outstretched," suggest a glimmer of hope on the horizon - perhaps a sense that there is something beyond the current sense of isolation and despair.

Overall, the song seems to capture the struggle of existing in a world that can feel overwhelming and indifferent, and the search for connection and meaning amidst that sense of disconnection.

Line by Line Meaning

Like dust
Feeling worthless and insignificant

I'm lost in the world
Feeling directionless and disconnected from the world

I thought that I had
Believing that there was a specific place or role for me in the world

A particular place
A sense of purpose and belonging

Between the earths
Existing on the level of the physical world

Between the scarred sky
Between heaven and earth, in between two opposing forces

I feel the crunch of dirt
Feeling the harsh reality of the physical world

I smell the scent of flowers
Experiencing brief moments of beauty and wonder

My aimless feet
Feeling directionless and wandering aimlessly

To be in the world
Simply existing and experiencing life

And not a part of it
Feeling disconnected and separate from the world