By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Thick Skinned World
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
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Unworthy soul
To have to hold
To terrorize
Unsightly love
Unchecked unchanged
In thin disquise
All in a good cause
I suppose
'come as you like
As a lifetime goes
A thick skinned world
Will feign concern
For reasons we
Have still to learn
Preserve the world
For baby's sake
For baby must
Accumulate
All in a good cause
I suppose
'come as you like
As a lifetime goes
Chances have been wasted
Thrown to the wind
Grist to the mill
Gall is all I've tasted
Come away, come away
Come away, come away
Come away, come away
All in a good cause
I suppose
'come as you like
As a lifetime goes
All in a good cause
I suppose
'come as you like
As a lifetime goes
As a lifetime goes
As a lifetime goes
As a lifetime goes
The lyrics to Echo & The Bunnymen's song "Thick Skinned World" are complex and tackle deep issues of love, relationships, and society as a whole. The song describes an unattractive and unworthy individual who is in a relationship with an equally unsightly and deranged lover. The chorus suggests that this behavior is all part of a good cause, and the thick-skinned world feigns concern for reasons unknown. The song ends with the singer lamenting the chances that have been wasted and the bitterness he has tasted, while urging the listener to come away.
The lyrics appear to be describing a codependent and dysfunctional relationship. Although both parties are unappealing to each other, they are clinging to each other out of a sense of obligation or familiarity. The chorus suggests that there is some sort of societal expectation for them to stay together in service of a greater good, although it is unclear what that good is. The line "preserve the world for baby's sake" suggests that the couple may be staying together for the sake of a child, although this is left vague.
The song's title and lyrics may also be interpreted as a commentary on society as a whole. The thick-skinned world feigns concern, suggesting that people may prioritize their own image and reputation over actual good deeds. The chorus also suggests that people are willing to overlook dysfunction or flaws in relationships or society for the sake of the greater good or stability.
Line by Line Meaning
Ungainly thing
An awkward and clumsy object
Unworthy soul
A person with no value or worthiness
To have to hold
To be forced to keep something unwanted
To terrorize
To inflict fear and intimidation on someone
Unsightly love
An unattractive and unpleasant form of love
Unchecked unchanged
A love that is not controlled and remains the same
A love deranged
A love that is mentally disturbed and irrational
In thin disguise
Hidden behind a flimsy cover
All in a good cause
All done with the intention of benefiting someone or something
I suppose
I assume or expect
'Come as you like
Be yourself and act freely
As a lifetime goes
Over the course of one's entire existence
A thick skinned world
A world that is insensitive to the suffering of others
Will feign concern
Will pretend to care
For reasons we
For motives that we
Have still to learn
Have yet to discover
Preserve the world
Protect the planet from destruction
For baby's sake
For the benefit of future generations
For baby must
Because it is imperative that the younger generations have a livable world
Accumulate
To gain more and more possessions
Chances have been wasted
Opportunities have been squandered or lost
Thrown to the wind
Discarded, without any regard
Grist to the mill
Something that can be used or manipulated to one's advantage
Gall is all I've tasted
All I have experienced is bitterness and resentment
Come away, come away
Escape from or leave a difficult situation
All in a good cause
All done for the greater good
'Come as you like
Act however you please
As a lifetime goes
Over the course of a long existence
As a lifetime goes
Throughout the duration of one's life
As a lifetime goes
In the grand scheme of existence
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., BMG Rights Management
Written by: LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT, NOEL ANDREW BURKE, JAKE BROCKMAN, JOHN REECE DAMON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind