By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Disease
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That could always change
With comparative ease
Just given the chance
My life is the earth
Twixt muscle and spade
We wait for the worth
As prospects diminish
As nightmares swell
Some pray for Heaven while
We live in hell
My life's the disease
My life's the disease
If you get yours
From Heaven
Don't waste them
The lyrics to Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Disease" offer an insightful and somewhat bleak perspective on life. The first verse reflects on how life can change quickly and easily - it's a disease that we're all infected with, and it's always looming over us. The second verse uses a metaphor of digging in the earth to represent the struggle for worth and value in life. The singer seems to be saying that despite the hard work they put in, the prospects are diminishing and nightmares are growing. While some people may look to religion or a higher power for solace, the singer suggests that they're living in hell regardless - suggesting a nihilistic perspective on life.
Overall, the song seems to be about the difficulty of finding meaning and purpose in life, and the inevitability of change and decay. The repeated line "my life's the disease" drives home the point that life itself can feel like a burden or affliction, especially when faced with difficult circumstances. It's a dark yet compelling message that might resonate with anyone who's ever struggled to make sense of their own existence.
Line by Line Meaning
My life's the disease
My existence is the affliction
That could always change
That can be altered at any moment
With comparative ease
Through relatively simple adjustments
Just given the chance
If provided with a suitable opportunity
My life is the earth
My being is akin to the ground we walk on
Twixt muscle and spade
Caught between toil and tool
We wait for the worth
Anticipating the value of our efforts
Digging for just one chance
Working hard for a single opportunity
As prospects diminish
As possibilities become scarce
As nightmares swell
As fears grow larger
Some pray for Heaven while
Some hope for salvation while
We live in hell
We endure a difficult existence
My life's the disease
My existence is the affliction
My life's the disease
My existence is the affliction
If you get yours
If you receive what you desire
From Heaven
From a divine source
Don't waste them
Do not squander your blessings
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, PETE DE FREITAS, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind