By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
15_-_Heaven_Up_Here
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm over here
We've got those empty pockets
And we can't afford the beer
We're smoking holes and we've got only dreams
And we're so damn drunk we can't see the stairs
The apple cart upset my head's little brain
I saw it yippee, I did, I swear
Walking through the hallway
Crawling up the stairs
Abebe baby baby baby Bekila
Given up on whisky
Taken up with tequila
I'm on my own in my blind alley
I turn myself around
So it's swallowing me
Watch the guitar
Watch the guitar
Groovy groovy people
We're all groovy groovy people
Groovy groovy people
We're all groovy groovy people
Groovy groovy people
Groovy groovy people
I wonder why
Me and the wall
We're okay, we're okay
F-F-Faustus you've got nothing to fear
It may be hell down there
'Cause it's heaven up here
I'd have given forever for a few good years
But too much of a muchness is to much you hear
The hammer on my chest was an abominable pain
the anvil on my belly was an abdominal strain
We've got the bottle
Go take the bottle
Go take a sip
The lyrics to "Heaven Up Here" by Echo & the Bunnymen speak of the struggle and frustration of trying to make a life for oneself, while being held back by financial struggles and the weight of one's own dreams. The opening lines, "Where are you now? I'm over here. We've got those empty pockets, And we can't afford the beer" set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is joined by others in the same predicament, all of them trying to get by on their dreams, and too much alcohol, evidenced in the line "And we're so damn drunk we can't see the stairs". The lyric "I turn myself around, so it's swallowing me" also speaks to the singer's sense of being overwhelmed and swallowed up by their own dreams and struggles.
The middle portion of the song goes on to reference Ethiopian marathon runner Abebe Bikila, who famously won the Olympic race in 1960 running barefoot. The line "Abebe baby baby baby Bekila/Given up on whisky, Taken up with tequila" seems to celebrate his triumph over adversity and the ability to overcome difficult circumstances. The singer seems to be searching for some sort of inspiration in this imagery. At the same time, the line "I'm on my own in my blind alley" conveys a sense of isolation and desperation. The song ends with the hopeful refrain "It may be hell down there/‘Cause it's heaven up here", suggesting that despite the struggles of trying to make a life and pursue one's dreams, the ultimate reward is worth the effort.
Line by Line Meaning
Ohh...Where are you now
Addressing someone and asking about their current location
I'm over here
Responding to the previous line by stating one's own location
We've got those empty pockets
And we can't afford the beer
Acknowledging that they are broke and cannot afford to buy beer
We're smoking holes and we've got only dreams
And we're so damn drunk we can't see the stairs
Describing their current state of mind and how they are too drunk to properly navigate their surroundings
The apple cart upset my head's little brain
This little moon in the sky upset my head with a brain
Expressing confusion and feeling disoriented, perhaps due to the effects of drugs or alcohol
I saw it yippee, I did, I swear
Walking through the hallway
Crawling up the stairs
Abebe baby baby baby Bekila
Given up on whisky
Taken up with tequila
Describing a wild and crazy night with hallucinations and drinking
I'm on my own in my blind alley
I turn myself around
So it's swallowing me
Feeling lost and trapped in an uncertain situation
Watch the guitar
Watch the guitar
Admiring a guitar performance and acknowledging its importance in the song
Groovy groovy people
We're all groovy groovy people
Groovy groovy people
We're all groovy groovy people
Groovy groovy people
Groovy groovy people
Celebrating the cool and hip people who are part of their group
I wonder why
Expressing curiosity or puzzlement about something
Me and the wall
We're okay, we're okay
Feeling a sense of safety and comfort being alone against a wall
F-F-Faustus you've got nothing to fear
It may be hell down there
'Cause it's heaven up here
Telling someone not to worry because things might be worse elsewhere, but where they are now is actually great
I'd have given forever for a few good years
But too much of a muchness is to much you hear
Reflecting on a sense of nostalgia and longing for better times, but also recognizing the limitations of that kind of thinking
The hammer on my chest was an abominable pain
the anvil on my belly was an abdominal strain
Describing feelings of physical discomfort and pain
We've got the bottle
Go take the bottle
Go take a sip
Encouraging someone to drink from a bottle that they have
Contributed by Oliver A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.