By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Porcupine
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between things about to have been
Missing the point of our mission
Will we become misshapen?
A change of heart
Will force the nail
Nailed to the door
To all avail
Between things about to collide
Hitting the floor with our vision
A focus at some point arrives
A change of mind
Will force the nail
To hit the head
And set the sail
A change of skin
Will shed the tail
Hung on the wall
For use again
A change of heart
Will force the nail...
(There is no comparison
Between things about to have been)
Smash the pig
This pork is mine
I'm pining for the pork
Of the porcupine
I'd best be on my best behavior
Best behave yourself you hear
There are silent ways of wishing now
Wish I had what's turning round
Round the corridor
There are people there
Through the peephole I can see me down
Very nice
Some pressure feelings
You know how you hope
For something to hope for
There
What is that paper there
Paper is a colander
Colander's picking holes in me
He's ____ the holy water there
Water's paper like an impure____
A strange moment as your ________
__________
Paper is a colander
Colander is picking holes in me
Suck the pig this pork is mine
'Pining for the pork of the porcupine
________ find out
I'm beginning to see the light
The lyrics of Echo & the Bunnymen's song Porcupine are abstract and open to multiple interpretations. The song is characterized by a series of paradoxical images and metaphorical language. The song's opening lines state that there is no comparison between things about to have been, which is a way of saying that the present is unique and nothing like the past or the future. The lyrics then suggest that missing the point of our mission will cause us to become misshapen, implying that we must maintain our focus and purpose to avoid losing our sense of identity or purpose.
The subsequent stanzas use the repeated phrase "A change of," which suggests that the song is advocating for transformation or growth. A change of heart will force the nail, meaning that a shift in one's emotional state can have a tangible effect on their surroundings. A change of mind will hit the head and set the sail, suggesting that a change in one's perceptions or beliefs can help guide them toward a productive future. The final stanza introduces the image of a porcupine, implying that the song is using the animal's quills as a symbol of protection or defensiveness. The final lines of the song communicate the idea that the singer is coming to a clearer understanding of their situation, perhaps suggesting that they are overcoming a previous state of confusion or uncertainty.
Line by Line Meaning
There is no comparison
Nothing can be compared
Between things about to have been
Between things that haven't yet happened
Missing the point of our mission
Not understanding the reason for our mission
Will we become misshapen?
Will we become deformed or lose our way?
A change of heart
A change of feelings or opinions
Will force the nail
Will make a decisive action
Nailed to the door
Figuratively stuck or trapped somewhere
To all avail
Even though it seems pointless
There are no divisions
There are no separations
Between things about to collide
Between things that are going to crash together
Hitting the floor with our vision
Falling apart with our ideas
A focus at some point arrives
A clear goal or purpose eventually comes
A change of mind
A change of thoughts or ideas
Will force the nail
Will make a decisive action
To hit the head
To make a decision that will impact oneself
And set the sail
And move forward
A change of skin
A complete transformation
Will shed the tail
Will leave behind the remnants of the past
Hung on the wall
Displayed or remembered
For use again
To be revisited or utilized again
Smash the pig
Destroy the piggy bank
This pork is mine
This money is mine
I'm pining for the pork
I'm yearning for more money
Of the porcupine
In reference to something unattainable
I'd best be on my best behavior
I should behave well
Best behave yourself you hear
Make sure you behave too
There are silent ways of wishing now
There are unspoken dreams
Wish I had what's turning round
Wish I had what's happening around me
Round the corridor
Around the hallway or path
There are people there
There are others around
Through the peephole I can see me down
Looking at oneself through a distorted lens
Very nice
Sarcastically speaking
Some pressure feelings
Feeling the stress
You know how you hope
You know how you wish for something
For something to hope for
For something to look forward to
What is that paper there
What is that thing there
Paper is a colander
Paper is full of holes or has many weaknesses
Colander's picking holes in me
Those weaknesses are affecting me
He's ____ the holy water there
He's doing something with the sacred water
Water's paper like an impure _____
The water is not pure like it should be
A strange moment as your ________
An inexplicable feeling as you...
________
Can't be determined
Suck the pig this pork is mine
Consume that which is mine
'Pining for the pork of the porcupine
Longing for unattainable things
________ find out
Figure out what this missing piece is
I'm beginning to see the light
I'm starting to understand
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, PETE DE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind