Dead Man Ray is a Belgian rock band. Among its members are Daan Stuyven, Ru… Read Full Bio ↴Dead Man Ray is a Belgian rock band. Among its members are Daan Stuyven, Rudy Trouvé, Elko Blijweert, Wouter Van Belle and Herman Houbrechts, who was later replaced by drummer Karel De Backer. The band was best known for their experimental way of making rock music: cutting & pasting song fragments next to eachother to produce one song. This methodology was used throughout the first two cd's (Berchem and Trap). For their third LP Dead Man Ray chose to 'renew' their sound and play a song in its entirety without experimenting with it. Their biggest 'hits' were Chemical, Woods and Landslide.

Their last album (Cago) dates from 2002. This album was recorded in Chicago and produced by Steve Albini.

According to their site, they are holding an introspective break and will restart creativity throughout 2006.

Jahwe
Dead Man Ray Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I travelled far away
from worlds of pop and laughter
and there were songs I saved
for days so rainy after
and so I stranded here
a place to find my afterglow
and wether lines are bad
you're only made to laugh alone

but from where I stand
it's a boring place
if I only could
I would stop the flood
yeah the wind will change
all the goodies gone
if the songs will change
it's a well done job
and we'll wander on
in a soft parade
if the fun it goes
it'll all be paid all be paid for
I'll travell on some time
but they won't follow me

and saved as something good
another page I gotta turn

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Dead Man Ray's song "Jahwe" speak to the struggles of being a musician and a creative in a world that tends to prioritize pop music and shallow entertainment over deeper, more meaningful expressions of art. The singer describes traveling away from the world of pop and laughter in search of a deeper, more authentic musical experience. They have saved certain songs for rainy days, suggesting that their music is meant to provide comfort and solace in difficult times.

Despite their best efforts, however, the singer feels stranded in a place where their music is not appreciated or understood. They acknowledge that their lyrics may be considered "bad," but they are resigned to the fact that they will only be appreciated by a select few who understand the deeper meaning behind them. The singer longs to stop the flood of shallow, meaningless pop music and hopes that a change in the songs being produced will lead to a more meaningful music scene.

Throughout the song, the singer acknowledges the challenges of being a musician and the fact that they may not be fully appreciated until they are gone. They know that they will continue to travel and make music, despite the fact that their audience may not always follow them. In the end, they see their music as something good, another page in a larger story that they are constantly turning.

Line by Line Meaning

I travelled far away
I moved to a distant place, far from here

from worlds of pop and laughter
I left behind the carefree and joyful world of popular music

and there were songs I saved
I had some songs that I kept for a melancholic occasion

for days so rainy after
for the days when I needed to lift my spirits from feeling lonely

and so I stranded here
I ended up stuck in this place

a place to find my afterglow
a place to find peace and contentment after a turbulent time

and whether lines are bad
even if the lyrics are not great

you're only made to laugh alone
you'll find yourself laughing by yourself without people around to share it with

but from where I stand
from my perspective

it's a boring place
this place is dull and unexciting

if I only could
if it were in my power