By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Clay
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or am I the half that's whole?
I've got to be one with all my halves
It's my worthy earthly goal
It's my worthy earthly goal
It's my worthy earthly goal
Of the lighter me
Are you the ready part
Of the lighter me
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
Long way a life load
Statues and haloes
Am I the half of half-and-half
Or am I the half that's whole
Am I the half that's whole
Am I the half that's whole
Are you the wrongful half
Of the rightful me
Are you the mongol half
Of the cerebral me
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
If we exercise just some control
When we exercise our sum control
Oh isn't it nice
When your heart is made out of ice
Oh isn't it nice
When your heart is made out of ice
Are you the heavy half
Of the lighter me
Are you the ready part
That has entered me
Am I the "shall" in po-ten-tial
Or am I the "suck" in "cess"
Pools of delusion
Deluge me
Am I the more or less
Am I the more or less
Am I the more or less
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When you fell apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
When I came apart
I wasn't made of sand
When I was the cain
You were the abel
When I came apart
Clay crumbled in my hands
In Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Clay," the lyrics address themes of self-discovery and understanding one's place in the world. The first stanza reflects on the singer's identity, questioning whether they are the incompleteness of "half-and-half" or the wholeness of "the half that's whole." This introspection serves as the motivation to become "one with all my halves" as the singer's "worthy earthly goal." The next stanza poses a similar question to another person: "Are you the heavy half of the lighter me?" – reflecting the idea that we are all interconnected and our relationships are integral to our sense of self.
The third stanza uses imagery of clay and sand to suggest the fragility of life and our existence. When "I came apart," the singer was "not made of sand," while when "you fell apart," "clay crumbled in my hands." This contrast highlights the importance of understanding how we relate to others, as well as our own strength and resilience. The rest of the lyrics continue with this theme of inner conflict and searching for a sense of identity, culminating in the final line where the singer questions if they are the "cain" or the "abel" – again reflecting the interconnectedness of humanity and the struggle for self-knowledge.
Overall, the song is a meditation on the journey to discover one's true self and how our relationships with others play a significant role in this process.
Line by Line Meaning
Am I the half of half-and-half
Am I only a part of something, incomplete and lacking the fullness?
Or am I the half that's whole?
Or am I the part that makes up the entirety, complete and whole?
I've got to be one with all my halves
I must come to accept and integrate all parts of myself to become complete.
It's my worthy earthly goal
This is the worthy purpose of my time on earth.
Are you the heavy half
Are you the part of me that weighs me down and holds me back?
Of the lighter me
Are you the opposite of my lighter, happier side?
Are you the rightful half
Are you the part of me that is in the right, just and moral?
Of the wrongful me
Are you the opposite of my rightful, just and moral self?
When I came apart, I wasn't made of sand
When I suffered my own personal breakdown, I didn't just crumble and disappear.
When you fell apart, clay crumbled in my hands
When you broke down, it was as if you were made of fragile clay that crumbled in my grasp.
Long way a life load
Life is a long and heavy burden to bear.
Statues and haloes
We create idols and heroes to worship and admire.
If we exercise just some control, when we exercise our sum control
If we can begin to exercise some control over ourselves, then eventually we can gain complete control.
Oh isn't it nice when your heart is made out of ice
Isn't it nice to feel nothing and be numb to the world around you?
Are you the heavy half of the lighter me
Are you the part of me that drags me down, contrasted with my lighter, more carefree side?
Are you the ready part that has entered me
Are you the part of me that is eager and willing to participate in life?
Am I the "shall" in po-ten-tial
Am I the powerful and full potential waiting to be realized?
Or am I the "suck" in "cess"
Or am I the part that is dragging me down and causing my failure?
Pools of delusion deluge me
My own unrealistic and distorted beliefs flood and overwhelm me.
Am I the more or less
Am I more or less complete, valuable or worthy?
When I was the Cain, you were the Abel
When I acted out of violence and jealousy, you were the one who was wronged.
Clay crumbled in my hands
You were fragile and vulnerable, and I couldn't contain or fix you when you broke down.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind