By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Everything Kills You
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Always too late
You put the future behind you
Then when it's gone
Always too soon
You put the past in front of you
In front of you
Everything takes you
Everything aches you
Everything breaks you
Everything spills you
Everything ills you
Everything kills you
And when the world
Is never enough
Nothing at all is too much for you
And when what's real
Is always too tough
Nothing at all can touch you
Touch you
Everything takes you
Everything fakes you
Everything breaks you
Everything wills you
Everything chills you
Everything kills you
And when your heart's in pieces
And when your heart's in pieces
It's when the world's in pieces now
Te world's in pieces now
Te world's in pieces now
And when it comes
Always too late
You've got the future behind you
Then when it's gone
Always too soon
You've put the past in front of you
I front of you
Everything takes you
Everything aches you
Everything breaks you
Everything spills you
Everything ills you
Everything kills you
Everything takes you
Everything makes you
Everything fakes you
Everything wills you
Everything chills you
Everything kills you
Everything kills you
Everyone kills you
Everything kills you
The lyrics of "Everything Kills You" by Echo & the Bunnymen may seem bleak at first glance, but they hold a deeper meaning about the cyclical nature of life and the effect that everything has on us. The song begins with the idea that when something comes, it's always too late, and we've already missed our chance. We put the future behind us and live in the moment, but when that moment is gone, it feels like it was too soon. We try to hold onto the past, but it only keeps us from moving forward.
The chorus reinforces this idea that everything in life takes, aches, breaks, spills, ills, and eventually kills us. No matter what we do or how we try to live, everything has an effect on us, and eventually, it catches up. The second verse explores the idea that when we try to fill our lives with things, it's never enough, and we're always searching for more. And when we face reality, it's too tough to handle, and nothing can touch us because we're so numb.
The final lines of the song bring it full circle, with the realization that when our hearts are in pieces, the world is in pieces too. It's a reminder that we are all connected, and everything has an impact on us and the world around us.
Overall, "Everything Kills You" is a haunting but thought-provoking song about the complexities of life and the impact of everything around us.
Line by Line Meaning
And when it comes
Whenever something happens,
Always too late
It's always after the fact,
You put the future behind you
You've left any prospects behind,
Then when it's gone
After it's vanished,
Always too soon
Before you could catch it,
You put the past in front of you
You ruminate about what's already happened,
Everything takes you
Everything steals your energy,
Everything aches you
Everything hurts you,
Everything breaks you
Everything shatters you,
Everything spills you
Everything exhausts you,
Everything ills you
Everything injures you,
Everything kills you
Everything harms you incrementally,
And when the world
In a situation where everything gets stressful,
Is never enough
It's never satisfactory,
Nothing at all is too much for you
You can bear anything,
And when what's real
When the real world gets harsh,
Is always too tough
It's always challenging,
Nothing at all can touch you
It won't get close to you,
Everything takes you
Everything steals your energy,
Everything fakes you
Everything deceives you,
Everything breaks you
Everything shatters you,
Everything wills you
Everything commands you,
Everything chills you
It gives you chills,
Everything kills you
It harms you incrementally,
And when your heart's in pieces
In a heartbreak situation,
It's when the world's in pieces now
The whole world seems to be falling apart,
And when it comes
Whenever something happens,
Always too late
It's always after the fact,
You've got the future behind you
You've lost hope about what could be ahead,
Then when it's gone
After it's vanished,
Always too soon
Before you could catch it,
You've put the past in front of you
You keep dwelling on what's already happened,
Everything takes you
Everything steals your energy,
Everything aches you
Everything hurts you,
Everything breaks you
Everything shatters you,
Everything spills you
Everything exhausts you,
Everything ills you
Everything injures you,
Everything kills you
Everything harms you incrementally,
Everything takes you
Everything steals your energy,
Everything makes you
Everything causes you to do things,
Everything fakes you
Everything deceives you,
Everything wills you
Everything commands you,
Everything chills you
It gives you chills,
Everything kills you
It harms you incrementally,
Everything kills you
Everything harms you incrementally,
Everyone kills you
Everyone harms you incrementally,
Everything kills you
Everything harms you incrementally,
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind