Frenetically creative, and playing only by his own rules, Thirlwell has never stopped experimenting and evolving his sound. While his music is most often outside of any genre, it is most frequently described as Industrial or No-Wave. His earlier music is usually quite harsh and distorted, although since Love, his music has become increasingly orchestral and symphonic, sometime sounding like a full orchestra, but is actually only J.G Thirlwell himself, though sometimes assisted by guest musicians on select tracks. His latest album, Hide, goes even further in this direction than Love did, beginning with an operatic piece sung by Abigail Fischer.
He has inspired many following industrial artists; like Nine Inch Nails, Pig and Cop Shoot Cop, among others, with his sonic assault and innovative use of studio technology, and was a key contributor on Coil's groundbreaking debut album Scatology as well as appearing on a few early Nurse With Wound recordings.
Thirlwell has also worked on collaborations under the names of Steroid Maximus (multiple collaborators), Stinkfist (with Lydia Lunch), Flesh Volcano (with Marc Almond), Baby Zizanie (with Jim Coleman) and Wiseblood (with Roli Mosimann of Swans); and does remix work as well, often under the name of Foetus. He also lent his voice to the introduction of album Misguided by Argyle Park.
Thirlwell is currently the Composer In Residence for Adult Swim's "The Venture Brothers".
For the video release of Season 3, a soundtrack album was also released, titled "The Venture Bros.: The Music of JG Thirlwell". This is the same audio CD included as a bonus with the Blu-ray version of Season 3. While the CD release was originally made available at Adult Swim's website, it was given a wide release on May 12, 2009;[15] the vinyl LP release came out a month earlier. It can also be downloaded from most major digital retailers. The CD features 20 tracks, while the vinyl LP release is 16 tracks.[16]
In the episode "The Trial of the Monarch," The Monarch mentions a picture of Dr. Girlfriend "skinny dipping with Jim Foetus," a reference to Thirlwell.
Street Of Shame
Foetus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I worship the earth that I walk on, I seldom eat anything but sacred cow
I work in the church of my SOUL
My head holds a temple and a THORNY CROWN
I am pure of heart but salvation ain't enough
I am destined to live on the STREET OF SHAME
I'm on a death knell - in a heavenly hell
Yeah, I know, they got me again
Gambled for my rags, smoked my fags, carved up my back, hack hack hack
Carved up my back, hack hack hack, CARVED UP MY BACK, HACK HACK HACK
Hammered a screwdriver into my ear to my brain
I'm watchin' my life swirl down the drain and I feel about as Abel as Cain
But I guess that that's the price of fame when you're destined to live on a
STREET OF SHAME
I can't shut off my ears to that infernal internal refrain...
"YOU ARE DESTINED TO LIVE, DESTINED TO LIVE ON THE STREET OF SHAME"
I can't shut off my ears to that infernal internal refrain...
"YOU ARE DESTINED, DESTINED TO LIVE, DESTINED TO LIVE ON THE STREET OF
SHAME"
I'm an angel who'se had his wings clipped - an angel in devil's boots
AN ANGEL IN DEVIL's BOOTS?
Sling-back pumps for a cloven hoof
Someone's tied TIN CANS TO MY TAIL
Someone's always driving in ONE LAST NAIL
I'm trying to use my halo as a life preserver but it's sprung a leak
THIS IS HOLY MURDER
I'm watching my life swirl DOWN THE DRAIN
And I feel about as ABEL AS CAIN
But I guess that that's the PRICE OF FAME
When you're destined to live in a STREED OF SHAME
"YOU ARE DESTINED TO LIVE, DESTINED TO LIVE, DESTINED TO LIVE ON THE
STREET
OF SHAME"
I'M ON A DEATH KNELL... IN A HEAVENLY HELL
I can't shut off my ears to that infernal internal refrain...
"YOU ARE DESTINED, DESTINED TO LIVE ON THE STREET OF SHAME...
STREET OF SHAME!"
The lyrics of Foetus's song Street of Shame describe a person who feels like they are living a life of contradiction. They speak of their love for holy places and their pure heart but also of their destiny to live on the street of shame. They express their frustration towards the constant injustice and pain inflicted upon them, being nailed to a crucifix, whipped, gambled on, and even having a screwdriver hammered into their brain. They feel like they are an angel who has had their wings clipped, but who wears devil's boots and someone has even tied tin cans to their tail. They try to hold on to their halo, to use it as a life preserver, but it's useless, and they feel like they are watching their life swirl down the drain.
The song's meaning is open to interpretation, but it seems to be about the struggle between good and evil, the contradiction of pain and happiness, and the challenges of achieving fame. It's a song that speaks about the harsh reality of being a public figure, with its burdens and unfairness, and how it can feel like living on the street of shame. So, in a way, the lyrics can be seen as a critique of the entertainment industry and how it can chew you up and spit you out.
Line by Line Meaning
I like to stay in holy places, I'm happiest on consecrated ground
I feel most content in pure and holy spaces, and prefer to stay away from the impurities of the outside world.
I worship the earth that I walk on, I seldom eat anything but sacred cow
I hold the earth in high regard and reverence, and choose to consume only the purest of foods, like sacred cows.
I work in the church of my SOUL
My soul is my place of worship and I am dedicated to its cultivation above all else.
My head holds a temple and a THORNY CROWN
My mind is both a place of worship and a source of pain, as I bear the burden of my thoughts like a crown of thorns.
I am pure of heart but salvation ain't enough
Despite my pure intentions, simply seeking salvation is not sufficient to ensure my redemption.
I am destined to live on the STREET OF SHAME
I am fated to dwell in a place of dishonor and disgrace, a world that is a far cry from the purity that I seek.
I'm on a death knell - in a heavenly hell
I am trapped in a divine purgatory that is simultaneously a living death and a kind of paradise.
Yeah, I know, they got me again
Despite my best efforts to escape my fate, I have once again fallen victim to my destiny and my own weaknesses.
Nailed me to a crucifix, whipped my chest
I have suffered greatly and been subjected to extreme pain and humiliation, much like the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Gambled for my rags, smoked my fags, carved up my back, hack hack hack
I have been mercilessly exploited, gambled upon like a worthless object, robbed of my possessions, and physically abused to the point of mutilation.
Carved up my back, hack hack hack, CARVED UP MY BACK, HACK HACK HACK
The pain and humiliation inflicted upon me has been so intense and relentless that it has left me scarred for life, both physically and emotionally.
Hammered a screwdriver into my ear to my brain
I have been subjected to unspeakable torture and brutality, including the mutilation of my own body and soul.
I'm watchin' my life swirl down the drain and I feel about as Abel as Cain
I am witnessing the downward spiral of my own life and feel like both a victim of circumstance and a perpetrator of my own misdeeds, like both the innocent Abel and the guilty Cain from the Bible.
But I guess that that's the price of fame when you're destined to live on a STREET OF SHAME
I realize that the price of my pursuit of fame and excellence has been a life of dishonor and degradation, a life on the street of shame that was predestined from the start.
I can't shut off my ears to that infernal internal refrain...
"YOU ARE DESTINED TO LIVE, DESTINED TO LIVE ON THE STREET OF SHAME"
I am haunted by the constant reminder of my fate, a voice that echoes inside my head and refuses to be silenced, relentlessly driving me towards my destiny.
I'm an angel who'se had his wings clipped - an angel in devil's boots
I am like a fallen angel, stripped of my divine power and beauty, and forced to trudge through the filth and mud of the world.
AN ANGEL IN DEVIL's BOOTS?
Sling-back pumps for a cloven hoof
I am a paradox, a divine creature dressed in human garb that is both angelic and demonic, a hybrid of light and darkness, beauty and ugliness.
Someone's tied TIN CANS TO MY TAIL
Someone's always driving in ONE LAST NAIL
I am endlessly tormented and abused by some mysterious force or entity, who finds satisfaction in my pain and suffering, and who constantly inflicts new wounds upon me.
I'm trying to use my halo as a life preserver but it's sprung a leak
I am trying to cling to the last vestiges of my divinity and purity, but even these are now failing me, like a life preserver that is leaking and can no longer keep me afloat.
THIS IS HOLY MURDER
The violence and degradation that I am subjected to are not just physical or emotional, but also spiritual in nature, a sacrilege that murders my very soul and being.
I'm watching my life swirl DOWN THE DRAIN
And I feel about as ABEL AS CAIN
I am trapped in a downward spiral from which there seems to be no escape, like both the innocent Abel and the guilty Cain from the Bible, caught between the forces of good and evil.
But I guess that that's the PRICE OF FAME
When you're destined to live in a STREED OF SHAME
"YOU ARE DESTINED TO LIVE, DESTINED TO LIVE, DESTINED TO LIVE ON THE
STREET
OF SHAME"
The price of fame is often a life of dishonor and degradation, especially when one is predestined to live on the street of shame, forever haunted by the voice that echoes in one's head and reminds one of one's fate.
I'M ON A DEATH KNELL... IN A HEAVENLY HELL
I am caught between life and death, heaven and hell, in a state of purgatory that is both divine and infernal, a living death that is both torture and paradise.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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