Happy Birthday
Current 93 / Death In June Lyrics
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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 "Happy Birthday Pigface Christus" by Current 93, are poetic and deeply symbolic. The song is a commentary on the human experience, weaving together images of birth, death, and suffering to create a powerful meditation on the nature of existence.
The opening lines of the song introduce us to the idea of a "menstrual night," a time of darkness and chaos, when all is not as it seems. The birth of Christ, represented by the figure of "Pigface Christus," is described as a violent and painful event, with the child "defiled" by tears and blood.
Throughout the rest of the song, we are presented with a series of images that depict the various ways in which humanity is subjected to suffering and injustice. Some are "born in fields of mourning," while others are "ripped in fields of rape." All are "torn in fields of tears," crushed by the church, raped by their fathers, and bled by their mothers.
At the same time, the song suggests that there is a kind of unity in this suffering, as all people are "lost and losing" on the "threshing floors" of life. Despite the darkness of the imagery, there is a sense of hope and transcendence in the final lines of the song, which suggest that time itself will come to an end, and that the gates of both heaven and hell will open.
Overall, the song is a powerful exploration of the human condition, one that refuses easy answers and instead delves deeply into the complexity and ambiguity of our experience of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
In menstrual night
Referring to a dark and bloody time
When red is black
The color of blood symbolizing darkness and negativity
And Christus crawls
Jesus' metaphorical rebirth
From Mary's crack
Reference to Mary's virginity giving birth to Jesus
Wrapped in tatters
Jesus' rebirth full of sorrow and despair
And flailing in mud
Jesus' rebirth in very poor and unpleasant conditions
Child defiled
Jesus being born into a sinful world
With tears and blood
The pain and sacrifice that Jesus went through while being born again
Pigface Christus is born
The new evil that arises from the rebirth of Jesus
In menstrual night
A repeat of the first stanza
When red is black
A repeat of the second stanza
And darkness crawls
Referring to a time of evil and wickedness
Out of the crack
The darkness is coming from a symbolic opening
Some were born
Different experiences of people born into the same world
In fields of mourning
Some were born in sad situations
Some were ripped
Others were born as a result of rape or forced sex
In fields of rape
Description of the sorrowful and violent conditions of some people's birth
Some bowed down
Some people had a good start in life but life's pressures pulled them down
In echoed splendour
People who had much respect in society and lost it all
All were torn
Regardless of the situation, everyone went through pain
In fields of tears
All humans come into this world crying
Crushed by church
People who were hurt by the hypocritical and oppressive behavior of the church
And raped by father
Children who were victims of sexual assault by their fathers
Bled by mother
Mothers who made sacrifices for their children
Torn and tearing
A life full of struggles and pain both for the mother and child
In scarlet playgrounds
Places of youthful joy and happiness degraded by sin and evil
On iron railways
Symbolic of life's journey and it's struggles
Christ's pale body
The suffering of Jesus
Crucified
Jesus' suffering on the cross
Time was
Referring to the past
Time is
Referring to the present
Time shall be no more
The end of time, the end of existence
Some with tears
People who experience emotional pain
And some with laughter
People who experience joy and happy moments
Some in sadness
People who experience painful and upsetting circumstances
All in vain
Despite the different experiences, life is meaningless and has no substantial purpose
In fields fresh crippled
People who are struggling through life due to physical weakness and disabilities
The glint of sickles
Refers to the sharpness of death
The scars of sunset
Reminders of difficult memories
The sund of reaping
The aftermath of the storms of life
You and I
The unity of all humans
On threshing floors
The stages of life when one is broken, separated and examined
Lost and losing
The feelings of hopelessness and despair
Parched and preying
A life of survival
All have numbers
Humans are identifiable by numbers such as birth certificates and other identification forms
None have names
People are easily forgotten or ignored
Here open the gates of heaven
The anticipation of what comes after life, hope for a good existence after death
Here open the gates of hell
The possibility of a bad existence after death, the fear of hell
Time was
Referring to the past, repeat of earlier usage
Time is
Referring to the present, repeat of earlier usage
Time shall be no more
The end of time, repeat of earlier usage
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind