By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Antelope
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On her mind
He'll take anything
He can find
Small horizons
Fill her life
Got his eyes on
Her in the sky
Going down
Underground
On the ground
Charlie clown
Wore a crown
In my town
In my town
She's an antelope
In her mind
He's a waste of hope
In her time
Ultrasound
Going down
Underground
On the ground
Charlie clown
Wore a crown
In my town
In my town
She's got everything
On her mind
He'll take anything
He can find
The lyrics of "Antelope" by Echo & the Bunnymen are open to interpretation, but one possible interpretation is that the song is about a woman who has a lot of potential and dreams that go beyond her immediate surroundings, while the man in her life is content with a small-scale existence and lacks ambition. She is compared to an antelope, a creature that embodies grace and agility, but also a vulnerability that can be exploited by predators. The man, on the other hand, is described as a "waste of hope," indicating that he may have had potential at some point, but has let it go to waste.
The lyrics suggest a sense of restlessness and a desire to escape from mundane reality. The repeated refrain of "ultrasound going down, underground, on the ground" may evoke a sense of descending into a subconscious or alternative realm, away from the surface level of everyday life. The mention of a "Charlie clown" who once wore a crown in the singer's town adds to the sense of a shifting, unstable world where symbols of power and hierarchy can be fleeting and arbitrary.
Overall, the lyrics of "Antelope" convey a mood of discontent, longing, and tentative rebellion against the status quo. The woman is aware of her own potential and dreams of a wider horizon, but is held back by the limited options and people around her.
Line by Line Meaning
She's got everything
The subject is content with her life and possesses all she needs.
On her mind
The subject is in deep contemplation about something and is mentally preoccupied.
He'll take anything
The object is opportunistic and will accept any offer or opportunity presented to it.
He can find
The object has a limited scope of vision and can only perceive that which is within easy reach.
Small horizons
The subject has a limited view of the world and lacks ambition to expand their horizons.
Fill her life
The subject is content with the mundane aspects of life and does not seek adventure or stimulation.
Got his eyes on
The object is fixated on something, likely with the intent of taking it for themselves.
Her in the sky
The object is attracted to grandeur and the sublime, particularly in the subject.
Ultrasound
The object is exploring a realm beyond the visible range but is still within the realm of plausibility.
Going down
The object is descending, physically or metaphorically.
Underground
The object has retreated to a hidden and/or subterranean environment away from public view.
On the ground
The object is present in the natural environment, with its physical form in touch with the earth.
Charlie clown
A personification of a jovial, yet duplicitous figure who weaves in and out of the narrative.
Wore a crown
The character is imbued with a sense of power, likely self-appointed or achieved through dubious means.
In my town
The location in which the action is taking place is a personal or localized space for the subject.
She's an antelope
The subject is graceful and free-spirited, yet easily startled and vulnerable.
In her mind
The subject's thoughts and beliefs are escaping her and taking on a life of their own.
He's a waste of hope
The object is considered a lost cause by the subject and is no longer deserving of optimistic thought.
In her time
Time is a valuable commodity to the subject and they are not willing to waste it on the object.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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