By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Gods Will Be Gods
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
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When there's so much at stake?
That it's a different world
And your hands don't shake?
At the end of the room
And the foot of the bar
We knew that soon
Why do you defend
The part you have to take?
With your fingers on the world
Hoping your hands don't shake?
When you get the time
Why not think about
Connecting yours and mine
And turning into ours?
Back to the bar
I was feelin' it
The hole in the floor
Was where I would sit
Positions will be lost
And things will fall in place
The falling will not stop
Till we have found our face
Oh, will you mention?
Oh, will you mention my name to all?
Oh, will you mention my name to me?
Gods will be Gods
But my Lord forgot
I was made out of skin
Bones will be bones
But when I came home
There was no one in
So where were you stayin'
While I was out playin'?
Was nobody laying the foundation
The fulfilling of our killing?
How can you pretend
That there's so much at stake?
And it's a different world
And everything shakes?
You're the [Incomprehensible]
You're the aftertaste
I am total love
I am total hate
Let's face facts
We won't mind
Stripped of us
We will
still shine
The lyrics to Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Gods Will Be Gods" explores the idea of power and control, and how it can corrupt and fracture relationships. The opening lines challenge the notion of pretending that everything is different and that one's hands are steady when there is so much at stake. The next verse speaks about making one's mark even though positions will be lost and things will fall in place. The lines "positions will be lost, and things will fall in place, the falling will not stop until we have found our face," suggest that there is a struggle for control and stability.
The chorus, "Gods will be Gods, but my Lord forgot, I was made out of skin," speaks about the idea of a divine power or deity, and how those in control forget that they are also human and made of flesh and blood. The song then delves into a personal interaction between two people, asking where one was while the other was out playing, and discussing the idea of trust and foundation. The lyrics then return to the idea of pretending and the shades of love and hate before concluding that even though we may be stripped of everything, we will still shine.
Line by Line Meaning
How can you pretend
Questioning how anyone could possibly pretend that there isn't much at stake in life
When there's so much at stake?
Emphasizing the gravity of the situation at hand
That it's a different world
Acknowledging that the situation has changed and things are no longer the same
And your hands don't shake?
Wondering why someone would try to act calm in the midst of such upheaval
At the end of the room
Describing a physical location
And the foot of the bar
Further describing a physical location
We knew that soon
Acknowledging the inevitability of the future
We'd be makin' our mark
Having confidence in one's ability to make an impact
Why do you defend
Asking someone why they feel the need to defend their position
The part you have to take?
Asking why someone feels obligated to take a certain position
With your fingers on the world
Describing a very literal image of someone trying to control the world around them
Hoping your hands don't shake?
Expressing the fear and anxiety that comes with trying to control things beyond our reach
When you get the time
Suggesting that someone should take a moment to reflect
Why not think about
Asking someone to consider a new perspective
Connecting yours and mine
Proposing the idea of working together
And turning into ours?
Asking if the two individuals can combine their efforts to make something bigger
Back to the bar
Returning to the physical location mentioned earlier
I was feelin' it
Acknowledging a particular feeling in that moment
The hole in the floor
Describing a physical feature in the location
Was where I would sit
Describing a specific place the artist would occupy
Positions will be lost
Predicting a change in the status quo
And things will fall in place
Expecting that once things change, they will fall into a new order
The falling will not stop
Implying that change is constant
Till we have found our face
Suggesting that once we have found our identity, things will stabilize
Oh, will you mention?
Asking someone to mention something specific
Oh, will you mention my name to all?
Asking for someone to spread the word about the singer
Oh, will you mention my name to me?
Asking for someone to acknowledge the singer directly
Gods will be Gods
Acknowledging the power of higher beings
But my Lord forgot
Suggesting that the artist feels forgotten or abandoned by a higher power
I was made out of skin
Acknowledging the biological makeup of the singer
Bones will be bones
Stating the importance of the physical body
But when I came home
Making a transition from general thoughts to personal experience
There was no one in
Expressing loneliness or a lack of companionship
So where were you stayin'
Directly asking someone where they were
While I was out playin'?
Describing the singer's own actions while the other person was absent
Was nobody laying the foundation
Questioning why something wasn't being accomplished
The fulfilling of our killing?
Using a metaphorical phrase to describe the fulfillment of some objective
You're the [Incomprehensible]
Using an unclear phrase to describe someone or something
You're the aftertaste
Suggesting that someone is the remnants of something else
I am total love
Describing oneself in terms of love
I am total hate
Describing oneself in terms of hate
Let's face facts
Urging someone to confront something difficult
We won't mind
Suggesting that the consequences of the situation won't matter to them
Stripped of us
Suggesting that something has been taken away from them
We will
Stating that something will happen regardless
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind