Death in June emerged in 1981, reuniting singer/multi-instrumentalist Douglas P. and bassist Tony Wakeford; drummer Patrick Leagas completed the original lineup, which made its live debut late the following year with an opening slot for the Birthday Party.
The 12-inch Heaven Street soon followed, and in 1983 Death in June issued their first full-length effort, The Guilty Have No Pride. From the outset, the group was criticized for its adoption of fascist imagery, and charges of Nazism dogged Pearce throughout his career. However, Pearce is openly homosexual and has also collaborated with various ethnic Jews throughout his discography; the official Death in June web site used to sport an Israeli flag, and Death in June played live in Israel on June 18, 2004 for a predominantly Jewish audience.
Upon completing the Burial LP, Wakeford left the lineup to form Sol Invictus. Following the release of 1985’s Nada!, only Pearce remained, with Leagas exiting to form his own project, Sixth Comm.
Beginning with the 1986 double album The World That Summer, Pearce continued Death in June primarily as a solo concern, aided by a revolving group of collaborators including Current 93’s David Tibet, Boyd Rice and Coil’s John Balance. The abrasive electronics and martial rhythms of early efforts gave way to an increasingly expansive sonic approach over the course of subsequent outings including 1987’s Brown Book, 1989’s The Wall of Sacrifice and 1992’s But, What Ends When the Symbols Shatter?, the latter evoking Pearce’s longstanding interest in traditional European folk music.
The first British act to perform in Croatia following the outbreak of Yugoslavia’s civil war, Death in June documented their experiences on 1993’s Something Is Coming. Subsequent efforts include 1995’s Rose Clouds of Holocaust, 1998’s Take Care and Control, 2000’s Operation Hummingbird, and 2001’s All Pigs Must Die.
The official web site of Death in June is maintained at http://www.deathinjune.net.
Official Death In June merchandise can be bought here http://www.plastichead.com/catalogue.asp?ex=backlist&category=merch&target=DEATH+IN+JUNE.
Red Dog
Death in June Lyrics
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the dark of night. A voice shouts his name! His mother has seen him loitering in the darkness.
She stares down from an upstairs window. Quickly, the figure of a woman leaves the home. She
possesses no features. It is understood that she is a friend of his mother.
The woman walks up the street towards the bus stop and he and his mother decide to
accompany her.
that the sky at the top of the road is already showing the grey of dawn. It is already getting light.
The man and his mother return to the house where he finds his younger sister waiting. The
women have been devining-foretelling the future. He sees that for their devination they have used
a square wooden block, marked out with nails or pegs. He cannot quite see but he thinks they are
three down and three across. A piece of red cotton is tied between the nails. The position determines the
outcome.
He asks the women if they could also do it for him. They are very hesitant.
But, give in to just one question-one that isn't asked! This is done and vehemently they will
continue no further.
He stares at the board and the string runs diagonally from left to right. He looks again-the red
string runs diagonally from right to left.
His sister speaks; “You must be careful! There is a Red Dog. And, there is a Black Dog.”
The song "Red Dog" by Death in June tells a story of a young man who returns to his birthplace and is encountered by his mother who finds him loitering in the dark. They then meet a friend of the mother on the street who tells them the time and they notice that the sun is already rising. They return to the house where they find the women had been divining, and they used a square wooden block with nails or pegs, and a piece of red cotton was tied between the nails for the outcome. The young man asks if they could do it for him, and they give in to one question but refuse to go any further. The result of the divination is that he must be careful because there is a Red Dog and Black Dog.
The song is quite cryptic and open to interpretation. The Red Dog could represent danger while the Black Dog could represent depression, anxiety or death. There may be a possibility that the divination is a warning for him to watch out for these two hazards in his life journey, which had been seen as a prediction of his future with these two threats.
Overall, The song "Red Dog" by Death in June seems to be a cautionary tale about being careful in life and paying attention to warnings. It highlights the need for us to be mindful of both the visible and hidden dangers of life.
Line by Line Meaning
A young man. He has returned to his place of birth and stands staring at the house wrapped in the dark of night.
A young man has come back to his hometown and looks at his house in darkness.
A voice shouts his name! His mother has seen him loitering in the darkness. She stares down from an upstairs window.
His mother calls out his name as she sees him standing in the dark outside the house.
Quickly, the figure of a woman leaves the home. She possesses no features. It is understood that she is a friend of his mother.
A woman leaves the house, with no distinct features, who is assumed to be his mother's friend.
The woman walks up the street towards the bus stop and he and his mother decide to accompany her.
The man and his mother follow the woman as she walks towards the bus stop.
The man asks her what time it is and she reveals her watch-showing it is midnight. He notices that the sky at the top of the road is already showing the grey of dawn. It is already getting light.
He asks the woman for the time and she tells him it's midnight. He observes that the sky is getting light at the top of the road.
The man and his mother return to the house where he finds his younger sister waiting. The women have been devining-foretelling the future. He sees that for their devination they have used a square wooden block, marked out with nails or pegs. He cannot quite see but he thinks they are three down and three across. A piece of red cotton is tied between the nails. The position determines the outcome.
When the man and his mother return home, they find his younger sister waiting with wooden board used for divination. He sees that there are nails marking a grid, with a red string tied between them, and the position of the string determines the outcome.
He asks the women if they could also do it for him. They are very hesitant.
The man asks the women to perform the divination for him but they are reluctant.
But, give in to just one question-one that isn't asked! This is done and vehemently they will continue no further.
The women finally agree to answer one unasked question but refuse to go further.
He stares at the board and the string runs diagonally from left to right. He looks again-the red string runs diagonally from right to left.
He observes the red string on the board running in opposite directions each time he looks.
His sister speaks; “You must be careful! There is a Red Dog. And, there is a Black Dog.”
His sister warns him to be careful and tells him about the existence of a red dog and a black dog.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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