By the time of their debut album, 1980's Crocodiles - a moderate UK hit - the drum machine had been replaced by Pete de Freitas.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.
Too Young to Kneel
Echo & the Bunnymen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're too scared to feel
Who's gonna cure you
When the pain won't heal
Who's gonna be there
When the world goes wrong
Who's gonna tell you
[Chorus]
In my blood
In my soul
In this mind of mine
Can your touch
Turn me cold
Make my glitter shine
Who's gonna reach you
When you can't be caught
Who's gonna teach you
What you can't be taught
Who's gonna beat you
When you won't be fought
Who's gonna buy you
When you can't be bought
[Chorus]
Who's gonna pray for you
When you're too young to kneel
Who's gonna fake it
When it gets too real
One more question answered
In the falling star
I heard they found
Death on mars
[Chorus: x 2]
The lyrics to Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Too Young to Kneel" are reflective of the uncertainties and insecurities that come along with navigating life's ups and downs. The song's opening lines express the fear of being alone when we're faced with emotional pain that we can't handle. The lines "Who's gonna hold you / When you're too scared to feel / Who's gonna cure you / When the pain won't heal" speaks to the need for comfort and support, but also the sense of isolation that we can feel when we don't have that support.
The song goes on to ask who will be there to guide us when everything goes wrong and who will remind us of our worth. The chorus suggests that the person the singer is addressing is someone who makes them feel alive and loved, but also has the power to hurt them deeply. The lines "Can your touch / Turn me cold / Make my glitter shine" speak to the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of relationships.
The final stanza of the song takes on a more contemplative tone, asking existential questions about faith and the mysteries of the universe. The lines "Who's gonna pray for you / When you're too young to kneel / Who's gonna fake it / When it gets too real" suggest a sense of doubt and disillusionment, but also a desire for comfort and reassurance in the face of life's uncertainties.
Line by Line Meaning
Who's gonna hold you
Who will provide emotional support when you are too scared to face the world?
When you're too scared to feel
When you feel overwhelmed or powerless to deal with your feelings?
Who's gonna cure you
Who will heal your emotional pain when you feel hurt?
When the pain won't heal
When your emotional wounds refuse to heal?
Who's gonna be there
Who will stand by your side through thick and thin?
When the world goes wrong
When everything goes awry?
Who's gonna tell you
Who will give you reassurance and encouragement when you feel alone?
You're the only one
That you are unique, special and valuable as a person?
In my blood
Feeling deeply ingrained or instinctual?
In my soul
Existing at a fundamental level of one's being?
In this mind of mine
Existing as a deep thought, idea or memory within the psyche?
Can your touch
Will the touch of another person have an effect on you?
Turn me cold
Have a negative effect on you or cause you to lose passion or interest?
Make my glitter shine
Help you to shine or become more lively and cheerful?
Who's gonna reach you
Who will make the effort to connect with you even when you are distant?
When you can't be caught
When you are evasive or not willing to be found or caught?
Who's gonna teach you
Who will provide instruction and guidance when you need it?
What you can't be taught
Skills or abilities that cannot be learned from formal education or experience?
Who's gonna beat you
Who will challenge you or push you to exceed your limits?
When you won't be fought
When you are unresponsive or do not seem to have the energy to put up a fight?
Who's gonna buy you
Who will show you love and affection through accepting and valuing you?
When you can't be bought
When you cannot be won over with material possessions or surface level gestures?
Who's gonna pray for you
Who will make an effort to pray for your wellbeing even when you are not religious or spiritual?
When you're too young to kneel
When you are too inexperienced or vulnerable to understand the complexities of life?
Who's gonna fake it
Who will pretend to be okay or hide what they are really feeling for the sake of pleasing others or maintaining appearances?
When it gets too real
When the intensity or reality of a situation becomes too much to bear?
One more question answered
Having one more understanding or insight into a complex problem or situation?
In the falling star
In a moment of fleeting opportunity or inspiration?
I heard they found
There is information to suggest?
Death on mars
The end of something that was once vibrant or alive, signifying hopelessness or despair?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN STEPHEN MCCULLOCH, LESLIE THOMAS PATTINSON, WILLIAM ALFRED SERGEANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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