By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Life of a thousand crimes
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
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Is there a price that I can pay?
Just tell me all I have to say is save me
Just tell me it'll be okay
That tomorrow won't be like today
Don't make me have to kneel and pray
For maybes, just save me
I heard it a thousand times
I heard it a thousand times
I heard it a thousand times
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Don't want to know what I've become
I want the wrongs I've done undone
I need more that just the crumbs you gave me
I want a place where I can run
I want a race that can be won
I want a face and a golden sun to bathe me, bathe me
I heard it a thousand times
I heard it a thousand times
I heard it a thousand times
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Do you want to know?
Do you want to know?
Do you want to know?
What I know?
Do you want to go?
Really want to go?
Do you want to go where I go?
If I changed along the way
Is there a price that I can pay?
Just tell me all I have to say is save me
Just tell me it'll be okay
That tomorrow won't be like today
Don't make me have to kneel and pray
For maybes, maybes
I heard it a thousand times
I heard it a thousand times
I heard it a thousand times
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
Life of a thousand crimes
In "Life of a Thousand Crimes," Echo & The Bunnymen explores themes of regret, redemption, and the weight of past mistakes. The opening lines of the song suggest that the singer has undergone some sort of personal transformation or has made mistakes in their life, and is now questioning whether there is a way to atone for them. The repeated chorus "I heard it a thousand times, life of a thousand crimes" reinforces this idea that the singer is haunted by their past.
Throughout the song, the singer is searching for a way to escape their past mistakes and the pain they have caused. They plead for someone to save them from their current circumstances and offer a vision of a better future where they can run and win races. However, they are aware that the past cannot be undone and that they might have to pay a price for their actions.
The use of repetition in "Life of a Thousand Crimes" highlights the cyclical nature of the singer's struggle with their past. The repetition of the chorus and the phrase "just save me" emphasize the feeling of being trapped and unable to escape the consequences of their actions.
Overall, "Life of a Thousand Crimes" is a powerful and introspective song that explores themes of redemption and the weight of past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
If I changed along the way
Questioning the consequences of a possible change in oneself
Is there a price that I can pay?
Wondering the cost of changing oneself
Just tell me all I have to say is save me
Seeking reassurance and safety
Just tell me it'll be okay
Asking for a promise of a better future
That tomorrow won't be like today
Desire for a brighter future
Don't make me have to kneel and pray
Avoiding desperation and faith in the unknown
For maybes, just save me
Desperate for a clear answer
I heard it a thousand times
Repetitive failure or reminder of a problem
Life of a thousand crimes
Lamenting a life filled with mistakes and regrets
Don't want to know what I've become
Denial of one's current state
I want the wrongs I've done undone
Seeking redemption and forgiveness
I need more than just the crumbs you gave me
Unsatisfied with what has been given or accomplished
I want a place where I can run
Desire for freedom and escape
I want a race that can be won
Desiring a chance to succeed
I want a face and a golden sun to bathe me, bathe me
Desire for physical and emotional comfort
Do you want to know?
Pose a question to another
What I know?
Challenge the knowledge of another
Do you want to go? Really want to go?
Questioning if another is truly committed or desires something
Do you want to go where I go?
Inviting another to join on a journey
For maybes, maybes
Acknowledgement of uncertainty and possibility of failure
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: WILLIAM SERGEANT, IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind