By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Senseless
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The things you crave are lost on me
You took some earth. gave it a name
You plant a cross and trade the blame
Dyed in the wool and dead of mind
You took your stand. left sense behind
And lose your head to save your face
You've had your say
Close your mouth
If you know the way
Then point it out
Point it out
The ways and means as yet unclear
I only know where not to steer
I have no plan, but this I know
You're said your peace in god's main goal
You've had your say
Close your mouth
If you know the way
Then point it out
Point it out
All our voices out of tune
All our graveyards full too soon
What's the matter, let it drop
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
All our voices out of tune
(I will not wait)
All our graveyards full too soon
(I will not see)
All your money in the bank
(the things you crave)
How it festered, how it stank
(are lost on me)
Lose a thing you hold dear
(you took some earth)
All our freedoms disappear
(gave it a name)
What's the matter, let it drop
(you plant a cross)
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
(and trade the blame)
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
The lyrics of Senseless by Echo & the Bunnymen seem to be a commentary on religious fanaticism and the dangers of blindly following beliefs without questioning them. The first two lines "I will not wait, I will not see, the things you crave are lost on me" suggest a refusal to participate in a lifestyle or belief system that is questionable. The next line "you took some earth, gave it a name, you plant a cross and trade the blame" seems to be a reference to colonialism and the way in which Europeans went to new lands, named them as they saw fit, and then used religion to justify their actions.
The next lines "Dyed in the wool and dead of mind, you took your stand, left sense behind, you stake it all on a sense of place, and lose your head to save your face" continue the idea that religious beliefs can lead to irrational behavior. The final lines "All our voices out of tune, all our graveyards full too soon, stupid, senseless, make it stop" suggest a desire to end the cycle of violence that can result from these beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
I will not wait, I will not see
I won't stick around or entertain your ideas
The things you crave are lost on me
I don't understand or appreciate what you desire
You took some earth. gave it a name
You claimed something as your own and gave it a label
You plant a cross and trade the blame
You try to assign blame by using a religious symbol
Dyed in the wool and dead of mind
Completely entrenched in your beliefs, regardless of their validity
You took your stand. left sense behind
You've taken a position without using logic or reason
You stake it all on a sense of place
You attach meaning to a particular location
And lose your head to save your face
You're becoming irrational to avoid shame
You've had your say
You've expressed your opinion
Close your mouth
Stop talking now
If you know the way
If you can show me the right path
Then point it out
Then guide me
Point it out
Show me the way
The ways and means as yet unclear
It's still not clear how to approach this situation
I only know where not to steer
I only know which direction to avoid
I have no plan, but this I know
I don't have a strategy, but I have this one understanding
You're said your peace in god's main goal
You've expressed your religious views and believe them to be the most important
All our voices out of tune
All of us are not in agreement
All our graveyards full too soon
People are dying too young
What's the matter, let it drop
Why are we still discussing this? Let's move on
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
This is pointless and needs to end
All your money in the bank
Your wealth is not important to me
How it festered, how it stank
Your obsession with money is repulsive
Lose a thing you hold dear
Sacrifice something you value
All our freedoms disappear
We are losing our liberties
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
This situation must end
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
This situation must end
Stupid, senseless, make it stop
This situation must end
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT, NOEL ANDREW BURKE, JAKE BROCKMAN, JOHN REECE DAMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind