Echo & the Bunnymen is a British Post-punk band formed in Liverpool in 1978… Read Full Bio ↴Echo & the Bunnymen is a British Post-punk band formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of Ian McCulloch (of The Crucial Three), Will Sergeant and Les Pattinson. There are many stories, probably apocryphal, that the quartet was completed by a drum machine known as "Echo".

By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas. Their next, the critically-acclaimed Heaven Up Here, reached the Top Ten in 1981, as did 1983's Porcupine and '84's Ocean Rain. Singles like "The Killing Moon" (later used in the soundtrack to Donnie Darko, a film whose imagery owed much to the artwork of the band's early records.), "Silver," "Bring on the Dancing Horses," and "The Cutter" helped keep the group in the public eye as they took a brief hiatus in the late 1980s. Their 1987 self-titled LP was a small American hit, their only LP to have significant sales there.

McCulloch quit the band in 1988. De Freitas was killed in a motorcycle accident one year later. The others decided to continue, recruiting Noel Burke to replace McCulloch on vocals in Reverberation (1990), which did not generate much excitement among fans or critics. Burke, Sargeant and Pattinson split after that, but the surviving three fourths of the original band reformed in 1997 and released Evergreen (1997), What are You Going to Do with Your Life? (1999), Flowers (2001) , Siberia (2005), and the latest addition, The Fountain (2009). The group's old audience liked the return to their classic sound, and they also managed to gain a number of new, younger listeners.

Echo and the Bunnymen were managed early on by Bill Drummond, who went on to be a founder member of The KLF.

08-Everybody Knows
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics

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Everybody knows, how your garden grows
Everybody knows, how your garden grows
Everyone can see, I'm blind as I can be
The woods look just like trees

Look like trees to me
And I don't even get it
I don't know what you're trying to say

You're never gonna let me forget it

It's always gonna get in the way
It's moving much too fast
You know it ain't gonna last
I think we're heading for a crash

Heading for a crash
It's coming to a natural end
I'm going round my last bend
There's something you just can't mend

Things you just can't mend
I can't even remember
I don't know what the day is today
You're putting the no in November

And taking all the be's out of may
Everybody knows, how your garden grows
Everybody knows, how your garden grows
Everyone can see, I'm blind as I can be

The woods look just like trees
Look like trees to me
And I don't even get it
I don't know what you're trying to say

You're never gonna let me forget it
It's always gonna get in the way

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Everybody Knows" reflect the complexity of relationships, where the singer feels like he is blind and unable to comprehend the emotional complications of his partner. The opening lines, "Everybody knows, how your garden grows," suggest that other people understand the partner's behavior whereas the singer feels like he can't see things clearly. The following lines, "Everyone can see, I'm blind as I can be / The woods look just like trees / Look like trees to me," reinforce the idea that the singer can't see the truth of the situation, and the visual metaphor of "woods" and "trees" emphasizes his sense of confusion and disorientation.

The chorus, "And I don't even get it / I don't know what you're trying to say / You're never gonna let me forget it / It's always gonna get in the way," underscores the singer's frustration and sense of inadequacy. He feels like he can't understand his partner's motives, and there's an underlying sense of resentment towards her. The following lines, "It's moving much too fast / You know it ain't gonna last / I think we're heading for a crash / Heading for a crash," suggest that the relationship is hurtling towards its end, and the singer feels powerless to stop it.

The final verse, "I can't even remember / I don't know what the day is today / You're putting the no in November / And taking all the be's out of may," adds to the sense of confusion and disorientation. The partner seems to be causing the singer to lose track of time and language, and there's a sense that she's exerting a negative influence on his life.

Overall, the lyrics of "Everybody Knows" portray a relationship in which the singer feels helpless and confused, unable to understand his partner's behavior and powerless to prevent the collapse of their relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody knows, how your garden grows
It's widely known how you cultivate and tend to your garden

Everyone can see, I'm blind as I can be
Even though it's obvious to everyone else, I am unable to comprehend or see clearly

The woods look just like trees
Everything looks the same to me, there's no distinguishing features

Look like trees to me
I cannot perceive any details or differences

And I don't even get it
I don't understand what you mean or why it's important

I don't know what you're trying to say
I am unaware of your intentions or message

You're never gonna let me forget it
You will constantly remind me of my shortcomings or inadequacies

It's always gonna get in the way
This issue will continually obstruct or hinder us

It's moving much too fast
Everything is progressing too quickly to keep up

You know it ain't gonna last
This situation is not sustainable, it will eventually end

I think we're heading for a crash
I believe we are headed towards a disastrous ending

Heading for a crash
We are headed towards a collision or calamity

It's coming to a natural end
This situation is reaching its inevitable conclusion

I'm going round my last bend
I am losing my sanity or nearing the end of my life

There's something you just can't mend
There are some things that cannot be fixed or resolved

Things you just can't mend
There are some problems or situations that are beyond repair

I can't even remember
I am unable to recall or recollect important information

I don't know what the day is today
I am unsure of the current day or time

You're putting the no in November
You are turning a typically positive or exciting month into a negative one

And taking all the be's out of may
You are removing all of the potential and possibilities from May