By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Colour Me In
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here it comes
Is it nearly over?
Flames
Up in smoke
That's the way it burns
Every mother's son
Knows he's going nowhere
That's the way it turns
Lost
In the tide
Into the ocean
Dust turns to dust
And surf to surf
Trying to slip my life
Into slow motion
Me to earth
Colour me in
Red ________
For all of that sin
And all of that _______
Hey, who am I
Hey, who am I
Lost in the mirrors
That ______________
Can't bear to look
Look into my own eyes
I don't want to see
That I want to be
Colour me in
Red ________
For all of that sin
And all of that ________
Crash
Here it comes
Is it nearly over?
Flames
Up in smoke
That's the way it burns
Every mother's son
Knows he's going nowhere
Brave and then broken
That's the way it turns
Lost
In the tide
Into the ocean
Dust turns to dust
And surf to surf
Trying to slip my life
Into slow motion
Me to earth
Colour me in
Red ________
For all of that sin
And all of that ________
Colour me in
Red ________
For all of that sin
And all of that ________
The lyrics of Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Colour Me In" portray a sense of despair and hopelessness in the face of the inevitable passing of time and mortality. The opening lines of the song, "Here it comes/Is it nearly over?" suggest a sense of urgency and a feeling of being overwhelmed. The subsequent lines about flames burning suggest the chaos and unpredictability of life. The lyrics then turn to the idea of every mother's son knowing he's going nowhere, which emphasizes the universal nature of this kind of existential angst.
The repetition of the phrase "colour me in" throughout the song suggests a desire to be seen, to be recognized, and to be understood. The singer seems to want to be colored in with red, which in this context could represent the pain, suffering, and guilt associated with living a life full of sin and missed opportunities. The repetition of the phrase "for all of that sin" further emphasizes this idea of guilt and regret.
The song portrays a sense of both resignation and resistance to the inevitability of life's hardships. The closing lyrics about trying to slip one's life into slow motion suggest a desire to slow down time and savor the moments of life before they inevitably slip away. The repeated line "me to earth" seems to suggest a final acceptance of mortality and the return to the earth upon death.
Line by Line Meaning
Crash
Something is about to happen
Here it comes
An event that was foreshadowed is now imminent
Is it nearly over?
Questioning if the end is near
Flames
The intensity of the situation is increasing
Up in smoke
Everything is disappearing and turning to ashes
That's the way it burns
The situation is painful and destructive
Every mother's son
Everyone is affected
Knows he's going nowhere
There is a sense of hopelessness and not being able to escape the situation
Brave and then broken
Courage was shown initially, but then it crumbled
That's the way it turns
This is the result and the path it must take
Lost
Feeling unmoored and without direction
In the tide
Being swept away by forces outside of oneself
Into the ocean
Being consumed by something much larger and more powerful
Dust turns to dust
Everything is fleeting and impermanent
And surf to surf
Life is constantly in motion, one wave crashing into another
Trying to slip my life
Attempting to find a way to live and survive
Into slow motion
Wanting time to stand still or at least to slow down to process everything
Me to earth
Feeling grounded and connected to the physical world
Colour me in
Paint me with the color of the following emotions
Red ________
Anger and fury
For all of that sin
For all of the wrongs that have been done
And all of that _______
For all of the pain and suffering
Hey, who am I
Questioning one's identity and place in the world
Lost in the mirrors
Feeling trapped and confused by one's own reflection and self-image
That ______________
Seems to be all that's left
Can't bear to look
Feeling ashamed or disgusted by what is seen
Look into my own eyes
Confronting oneself and one's own flaws and mistakes
I don't want to see
Preferring to ignore or deny the truth
That I want to be
Desiring to be something else or to change who one is
Colour me in
Paint me with the color of the following emotions
Red ________
Anger and fury
For all of that sin
For all of the wrongs that have been done
And all of that _______
For all of the pain and suffering
Colour me in
Paint me with the color of the following emotions
Red ________
Anger and fury
For all of that sin
For all of the wrongs that have been done
And all of that _______
For all of the pain and suffering
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jabsluna
Flying
And I know I'm not coming down
You're trying
But you know you must soon go down
All my colors turn to clouds
All my colors turn to clouds
Zimbo
What d'you say
When your heart's in pieces?
How d'you play
Those cards in sequence?
That box you gave me burned nicely
That box you gave me burned nicely
Zimbo
Flying down
Flying down
All my colors turn to clouds
Hey, I've flown away
Hey, I'm blown away
@chequito6258
One of the most beautiful songs ever
@user-bn4vh9wz7b
Agree!
@mikidimitrijevic2702
This and "Jinx" (Tuxedo Moon) are timeless!!
@johnosgraveyardjaunts2235
Awesome 😊
@jaimeoliveros2741
My favorite Bunnymen album with one of my favorite songs from these lads.
@jabsluna
Flying
And I know I'm not coming down
You're trying
But you know you must soon go down
All my colors turn to clouds
All my colors turn to clouds
Zimbo
What d'you say
When your heart's in pieces?
How d'you play
Those cards in sequence?
That box you gave me burned nicely
That box you gave me burned nicely
Zimbo
Flying down
Flying down
All my colors turn to clouds
Hey, I've flown away
Hey, I'm blown away
@scottwb2296
Much love
@scottwb2296
2 yrs
@viviane6473
Música linda, linda, linda!
@omersoda5
Gracias a Cerati descubrí hermosas canciones 🤗