By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Crocodiles
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't wanna see it again
I threw away the magazine
And looked for someone to explain
I don't wanna look back
I can't look 'round
I don't wanna see it coming 'round
Listen to the ups and downs
Listen to the sound they make
Don't be scared when it gets loud
When your skin begins to shake
'Cause you don't wanna look back
You gotta look tall
Gotta see those creeps crawl
I know you know
I know you know
Well I can see you've got the blues
In your alligator shoes
Me I'm all smiles
I've got my crocodiles
I don't wanna look back
I can't turn 'round
I don't wanna see it coming down
Met someone just the other day
He said wait until tomorrow
I said hey, whatcha doing today?
He said I'm gonna do it tomorrow
The lyrics of Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Crocodiles" express a sense of desperation and trying to escape from a past that has been haunting the singer. The song opens with the lines "I read it in a magazine, I don't wanna see it again, I threw away the magazine and looked for someone to explain." This suggests that the singer has read something that has traumatized them in a magazine and they are now seeking comfort and understanding from someone else. The next lines "I don't wanna look back, I can't look 'round, I don't wanna see it coming 'round" indicate that the singer is afraid of facing whatever it is that is troubling them again.
The chorus "Listen to the ups and downs, Listen to the sound they make, Don't be scared when it gets loud, When your skin begins to shake" suggests that the singer is asking the listener to pay attention to what is going on around them and embrace it, even if it seems scary or overwhelming. The second verse "Well I can see you've got the blues, In your alligator shoes, Me I'm all smiles, I've got my crocodiles" contrasts the singer's optimism with the listener's pessimism. The phrase "alligator shoes" could be a metaphor for wealth or success, while "crocodiles" might represent a tenacity or resiliency that the singer has that the listener lacks. The third verse "Met someone just the other day, He said wait until tomorrow, I said hey, whatcha doing today? He said I'm gonna do it tomorrow" suggests that procrastination and delaying dealing with a problem could exacerbate it, emphasizing the importance of facing one's fears head-on.
Line by Line Meaning
I read it in a magazine
I saw something in a publication
I don't wanna see it again
I don't want to witness it for another time
I threw away the magazine
I discarded the source of information
And looked for someone to explain
And sought someone to clarify things
I don't wanna look back
I don't want to reminisce
I can't look 'round
I cannot glance around
I don't wanna see it coming 'round
I don't want to anticipate it behind me
Listen to the ups and downs
Hear the changes and variation
Listen to the sound they make
Hear the noise that is produced
Don't be scared when it gets loud
Do not be afraid when it becomes deafening
When your skin begins to shake
When you feel tremors in your skin
'Cause you don't wanna look back
Because you don't want to remember the past
You gotta look tall
You must look confident
Gotta see those creeps crawl
You need to observe those unpleasant people suffer
I know you know
I am aware that you are aware
I can see you've got the blues
I can notice you are feeling sad
In your alligator shoes
With your designer footwear made of reptile skin
Me I'm all smiles
I am very happy
I've got my crocodiles
I have my secrets and different sides of me
I can't turn 'round
I am not able to turn around
I don't wanna see it coming down
I don't want to witness the decline
Met someone just the other day
I encountered someone not long ago
He said wait until tomorrow
He suggested to hold off until the following day
I said hey, whatcha doing today?
I asked him what he had planned for the current day
He said I'm gonna do it tomorrow
He replied that he is going to accomplish the task in the future
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hol Horse
I read it in a magazine
I don't wanna see it again
I threw away the magazine
And looked for someone to explain
I don't wanna look back
I can't look around
I don't wanna see it coming round
Listen to the ups and downs
Listen to the sound they make
Don't be scared when it gets loud
When you're skin begins to shake
'Cause you don't wanna look back
You gotta look tall
You gotta see those creeps crawl
I know you know
I know you know
I can see you've got the blues
In your alligator shoes
Me, I'm all smiles
I got my crocodiles
I don't wanna look back
I can't turn around
I don't want to see it coming down
Met someone just the other day
Said wait until tomorrow
I said, hey what you doing today
He said, I'm going to do it tomorrow
Met someone just the other day
Said wait until tomorrow
I said, hey, what you doing today
I'm going to do it tomorrow
June Passingthroughthegate
Oh man, I love this band.
astral plane crash
Killer bass line!
Rob Jones
A great, great track by a fine group that seems to be overlooked now.
Saw EATB in the early 80s, and they were marvellous.
Will S was clearly influenced by Wilco Johnson of the Feelgoods.
Rental Snake
Never noticed the similarities in their styles before, but it's so obvious now lol.
lowdin969
brilliant, this is post-punk by definition
Crash Palace
One of the best of all damn time.
Nicholas Bradley
Forgot how brilliant this is. My brother introduced me too this at the age of 11. I'm 47 now. Tinnitis would appear to have been a result of to too much loud music. Don't do it kids. Only joking. I had the best time of my life listening to this stuff. F***k the tinnitis. It was worth it at the time. Rock on and peace to you all. X
theWARMJET
Nicholas Bradley like me
tobietera
My favourite album from them.
Micahb2
This rocks and the rocks some more.