By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
The Yo Yo Man
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
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Counting the days 'til the ice turns green
You know when heaven and hell collide
There are no in-betweens
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Collecting the bones of my friends tonight
Sowing the seeds in a fruitless land
You know when prayers all hit the ground
There is no higher hand
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone
I'm the yo-yo man, always up and down
So take me to the end of your tether
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through my
(I'm the yo-yo man)
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
(Always up and down)
Cold is the wind that blows through our headstones
The lyrics of "The Yo Yo Man" by Echo & the Bunnymen speak of isolation, hopelessness, and uncertainty. The tone of the song is melancholic and reflects the emotional state of the singer, who is living in an igloo home, cut off from the world outside. The lyrics evoke images of desolation and despair, with phrases such as "counting the days 'til the ice turns green" and "cold is the wind that blows through my headstone." The central message of the song is conveyed through the line "you know when heaven and hell collide, there are no in-betweens," which suggests that life is a constant struggle between good and evil, and that there are no easy answers.
The imagery of the flames on the skin of snow turning cold is a metaphor that represents the fragile nature of hope and possibility in the face of overwhelming hardship. The chorus of the song, "I'm the yo-yo man, always up and down," conveys the sense of emotional turbulence that the singer is going through. The repetition of the phrase "flames on your skin of snow turn cold" emphasizes the theme of hopelessness and the transience of happiness. Ultimately, the song is a meditation on the fragility of hope and the struggle to find meaning in a world that appears devoid of it.
Line by Line Meaning
Froze to the bone in my igloo home
I am severely cold and in my isolated igloo home
Counting the days 'til the ice turns green
I am waiting for the snowy environment to change, but it will take a long time
You know when heaven and hell collide
When opposing forces confront each other, it is extremely intense
There are no in-betweens
There is no middle ground or compromise
(I'm the yo-yo man)
I am the one who experiences sudden shifts and changes
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
Your passions or excitement cool off swiftly
(Always up and down)
My emotions are always fluctuating
Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone
The grave is cold and bleak
Collecting the bones of my friends tonight
I am gathering the remains of my deceased companions
Sowing the seeds in a fruitless land
I am planting in an area that cannot produce, wasting my efforts
You know when prayers all hit the ground
When all hopes or requests fail
There is no higher hand
There is no divine intervention
So take me to the end of your tether
Bring me to the point of complete exhaustion
(I'm the yo-yo man)
I am the one who experiences sudden shifts and changes
Cold is the wind that blows through my
My life feels desolate and devoid of warmth and cheer
Flames on your skin of snow turn cold
Your passions or excitement cool off swiftly
(Always up and down)
My emotions are always fluctuating
Cold is the wind that blows through our headstones
The graves are cold and bleak, even for all of us
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE PATTINSON, PETE FREITAS, WILLIAM SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind