By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
I Want To Be There (When You C
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want to fly, fly, fly
Want you to take me to
All of your sky
Why don't you kneel me down
Why don't we try, try, try
'cause when we come around
'cause i don't want to go under
It's only just begun
I want to be there when you come
I want to be there when you come
I want to be like you
I want to laugh and cry
About the things we do
Never ask why
'cause i don't want to go under
It's only just begun
I want to be there when you come
I want to be there when you come
I want to be like you
I want to fly, fly, fly
Want you to take me to
All of your sky
I want to paint the town
And drink it dry, dry, dry
And when the lights go down
I'll say goodbye
Through the rain and the thunder
I'm heading into the sun
I want to be there when you come
I want to be there when you come
(i want to be there)
I want to be there when you come
(i want to be there)
La la la la la la la la
La la la la la
The lyrics to Echo & the Bunnymen's song I Want To Be There suggest a desire to emulate someone, to fly in their "sky" and experience what they do without questioning why. The singer wants to be lifted up by this person and taken to new heights, to experience life and the world in ways they wouldn't be able to without them. They ask their subject to kneel them down, presumably in supplication or reverence, and implore them to come around so they can fly.
The repeated line "I don't want to go under, it's only just begun" suggests a fear of falling, of not being able to keep up with or losing touch with this person. The desire to be there when they come suggests a longing to be reunited or connected with them in some way. The line about painting the town red and drinking it dry is a common phrase indicating a desire to celebrate and live life to the fullest.
Overall, the lyrics paint a picture of someone who is searching for something more, someone who sees potential and possibilities in another person and wants to experience life to the fullest with them.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to be like you
I aspire to become like you
I want to fly, fly, fly
I desire to fly just like you
Want you to take me to
I request you to take me along with you
All of your sky
I want to explore the vast skies with you
Why don't you kneel me down
Why don't you put me in my rightful place as your follower
Why don't we try, try, try
Let's experiment our partnership and see where it takes us
'cause when we come around
Because only when I am with you
That's when i fly
Can I really soar high
'cause i don't want to go under
I don't want to fail and lose everything
It's only just begun
Our journey has just started
I want to be there when you come
I want to be there to greet you when you arrive
I want to laugh and cry
I want to experience a range of emotions with you
About the things we do
Regarding the things we accomplish together
Never ask why
We don't need to question our partnership
I want to paint the town
I want to celebrate life with you
And drink it dry, dry, dry
I want to indulge in life's pleasures without any inhibition
And when the lights go down
When the day comes to an end
I'll say goodbye
It is time to bid farewell
Through the rain and the thunder
Despite the challenges and obstacles we may encounter
I'm heading into the sun
I am optimistic and forging ahead towards the positive side of life
La la la la la la la la
Background music for the chorus
La la la la la
Background music for the bridge
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind