Kuepper was awarded ARIAs in 1993 and 1994 for Best Independent Australian Release (and nominated for similar awards in 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998). He was probably Australia's most prolific recording artist in the early nineties.
In recent years, Kuepper has been involved in soundtracking radio drama and experimental films. He toured Australia and Europe performing semi-improvised music to some of these films under the banner of MFLL. Venues included The Institute of Modern Art (Brisbane), Sydney Opera House, The Austrian Film Museum (Vienna) and The Cartier Foundation (Paris), where Kuepper has the distinction of being the only rock musician to be invited to play apart from the Velvet Underground.
A new album is slated for release in 2007. The album is titled Jean Lee and the Yellow Dog, and is loosely based on the story of Jean Lee who was the last woman hanged in Australia, and features amongst others, performances by Jeffrey Wegener (Laughing Clowns), Peter Oxley (Sunnyboys), Warren Ellis (Dirty Three), and Chris Bailey (The Saints).
I Wish You Were Here
Ed Kuepper Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Heaven from Hell,
Blue skys from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?
Your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
What have we found?
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.
The lyrics of "I Wish You Were Here" by Ed Kuepper convey a deep sense of nostalgia, longing, and regret. The song starts with a series of rhetorical questions that challenge the listener's ability to differentiate between different states of being and emotions. The singer asks if the listener can distinguish between heaven and hell, blue skies and pain, a green field and a cold steel rail, or a smile and a veil. These questions are reminiscent of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," and they suggest that the singer is grappling with profound questions of identity and purpose.
The second verse of the song seems to explore the theme of loss and sacrifice. The singer asks if the listener has given up their heroes for ghosts, or traded hot ashes for trees and hot air for cool breezes. These lines evoke a sense of disillusionment with the world and a yearning for something more powerful and authentic. The final lines of the verse, "And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?" are particularly poignant as they hint at the idea that sometimes we give up our freedom and sense of agency in exchange for safety or comfort.
The chorus of the song underscores the sense of loneliness and isolation conveyed by the verses. The singer longs for someone to share his feelings with, someone who understands him on a deep level. The image of two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl suggests a sense of suffocation or claustrophobia, and the repetition of the same old ground emphasizes the idea that life can be monotonous and unfulfilling. The final lines of the chorus, "what have we found, the same old fears, wish you were here," encapsulate the sense of nostalgia and regret that permeates the entire song.
Line by Line Meaning
So, so you think you can tell
How confident are you in your ability to discern between different experiences?
Heaven from Hell,
Can you distinguish good from bad, joy from pain?
Blue skies from pain.
Are you able to differentiate between positive and negative emotions?
Can you tell a green field
Can you identify nature and its beauty from the urban environment?
From a cold steel rail?
Distinguishing man-made objects that signify industrialization and progress from natural ones.
A smile from a veil?
Are you able to recognize genuine versus false expressions or intentions?
Do you think you can tell?
Questioning the listener's conviction in their own perceptual skills.
And did they get you to trade
Were you persuaded to exchange something valuable for something of lower value?
Your heroes for ghosts?
Have you replaced your admired and respected individuals with something that is not as real or tangible?
Hot ashes for trees?
Have you received something that is a poor substitute for what you have lost?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Have you exchanged something real and refreshing for something intangible?
Cold comfort for change?
Have you accepted something that is somewhat satisfying but not as good as it should be?
And did you exchange
Have you made a similar bargain in your life, and if so, what did you give/receive?
A walk on part in the war
Did you give up an insignificant role in a significant matter?
For a lead role in a cage?
Did you trade a higher position that had unbearably limiting constraints?
How I wish, how I wish you were here.
Expressing the powerful desire to have someone special beside them.
We're just two lost souls
Characterizing themselves as people who are aimless and devoid of direction.
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Describing their lives as limited and observed by others due to their circumstances.
Year after year,
Repetition of the same experience for an extended period; life in a monotonous order.
Running over the same old ground.
Nothing has changed in their life despite many attempts, only finding the same unproductive patterns.
What have we found?
Reflecting on their life, and the lack of positive results that resulted from their efforts and experiences.
The same old fears.
Repetitive anxieties and worries that they have been facing and failing to overcome.
Wish you were here.
The desire for someone to be by their side, that one person they feel could make a difference.
Contributed by Kayla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
YouWhat?
Most under-rated Australian talent ever
Mothra temporal radio
exactly <3
Deep Dive Gaming
Yep
YouWhat?
I've been seeing you
In a million places
Seen your face
On the other faces
That walked by me
Sometimes sent to try me
That talk to me
Or that look right through me
Though I know that you're not really there
It might sound dumb
but I really don't care
I wish you were here
It seems like a year
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Hear the songs
That I know would move you
See the books
That I know would bore you
Hear the voices
Sometimes soft as whispers
Sometimes loud enough
To drain and drown you
Though I know that you're not really there
It might sound dumb
but I really don't care
I wish you were here
It seems like a year
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here