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.
Sad Go Round
Current 93 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the sad go round
In the twilight zone
Hear the mournful sounds
Of the carousel
An the calliope
Where you lose your will
And abandon hope
An the sad go round
And the world is a blur
Of confusing sound
You forget your troubles
You forget your fun
Now you're just a world
Moving round the sun
The song "Sad Go Round" by Current 93 is a hauntingly beautiful and mysterious track that explores the sensations of traversing through a carousel ride. The lyrics invite listeners to join in and experience the journey, describing the feeling of being lost in the twilight zone while hearing the mournful sounds of the carousel and calliope. The frequent mentioning of losing will and abandoning hope paints a rather grim picture, as if suggesting the carousel represents a kind of purgatory where individuals can escape their reality but also lose themselves.
This interpretation is further emphasized in the later lines where the world becomes a blur of confusing sound and eventually leading to the rider forgetting their troubles and becoming just a world moving around the sun. The combination of the music, lyrics, and artist David Tibet's haunting vocals and atmospheric soundscapes all coalesce to create a sense of disorienting but captivating tension.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on escapism and the desire to escape from the harsh realities of life. While there may be moments where it feels necessary to take a step back or hide away from the world, indulging in these impulses too much can lead to complacency and forgetting the important aspects of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me take you
Allow me to guide you
On the sad go round
On this melancholic journey
In the twilight zone
In a surreal and eerie place
Hear the mournful sounds
Listen to the sorrowful noises
Of the carousel
The sounds of the merry-go-round
An the calliope
And the steam organ
Where you lose your will
Where you surrender your control
And abandon hope
And give up your aspirations
As you spin
As you go round and round
An the sad go round
On this gloomy ride
And the world is a blur
As the surroundings become indistinct
Of confusing sound
Filled with disorienting noise
You forget your troubles
Your worries dissipate
You forget your fun
Your joys become distant
Now you're just a world
Now you are simply a being
Moving round the sun
Spinning in endless circles
Contributed by Chloe N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.