Gods and Monsters was founded by ex-Captain Beefheart guitarist, Gary Lucas, and was named after a quotation from the 1935 horror film Bride of Frankenstein: "To a new world of gods and monsters!". Gods and Monsters has performed at Manhattan music venues such as the Knitting Factory and CBGB. Other members of the loosely-knit band have included Jerry Harrison, Billy Ficca, and Modern Lovers member Ernie Brooks.
Cruel
Gods and Monsters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been on the back, I've been hypnotized a while
Troubled by the stack of un-traveled miles
I found out too little.
I found out too late
Cruel Fate
Memories of what went wrong,
Kinda steals away your life, away your song,
I'll sing mine anyway
Sing it.
So called destiny
But you won't let it go
Until you win Miss Universe
And then you won't reap what you sow,
There must be someone to blame, yeah
Cruel fate
If promises could punish you,
If thoughts could do damage to you
You can run but they'll follow you
But you won't let it go
Until you win Miss Universe
And then you won't reap what you sow,
There must be someone to blame,
We all suffer the same,
I found out too late. yeah
Cruel fate
The song "Cruel" by Gods and Monsters is a contemplative piece that delves into the painful realization of missed opportunities and unfulfilled potential. The first verse paints a picture of the artist's regretful past, where they were hypnotized and overwhelmed by life's challenges. They were too late to realize their fate, which was cruel to them. The second verse touches on the idea of one's life being stolen away from them due to the mistakes they made in the past. The artist accepts their mistakes and decides to sing their own song anyway despite their past failures.
The chorus is a keen observation of how some people constantly pursue external validation, such as winning Miss Universe, without realizing that they won't be truly satisfied even if they achieve their goal. It's a cruel fate to always be chasing after something that can't offer lasting happiness or contentment. The bridge emphasizes the idea that the past can't be undone, and running away from it won't make it go away. Promises and thoughts can't change the past or its consequences.
Overall, the song "Cruel" by Gods and Monsters is a poignant reminder that we all have our struggles and regrets. It's important to accept our past mistakes while also striving for better in the present and future. External validation shouldn't be our main source of happiness or fulfillment, and we should be careful not to let our pursuit of it consume us.
Line by Line Meaning
It's painful to realize
Acknowledging the unpleasant truth is a hard experience
I've been on the back, I've been hypnotized a while
I've been oblivious to my current situation for a while
Troubled by the stack of un-traveled miles
I feel uneasy about the distance I haven't covered yet
I found out too little.
My knowledge about the situation is insufficient
I found out too late
I realized it too late, when the damage had already been done
Cruel Fate
Fate can be unkind and unfair
Memories of what went wrong,
Recalling past mistakes and regrets
Like a meteor returns to home,
Memories keep coming back no matter what
Kinda steals away your life, away your song,
Memories can negatively impact one's life and creativity
I'll sing mine anyway
I'll still express myself despite the pain and hardship
Sing it.
Encouragement to continue singing and expressing oneself
So called destiny
The concept of destiny is questionable and subjective
But you won't let it go
You refuse to let go of something, despite it being harmful or unobtainable
Until you win Miss Universe
You have unrealistic and unreachable aspirations
And then you won't reap what you sow,
You believe that once you reach your goal, you won't have to face the consequences of your actions or choices
There must be someone to blame, yeah
The desire to find someone to blame for one's misfortunes
If promises could punish you,
If people could face consequences for not keeping their promises
If thoughts could do damage to you
If negative thoughts could harm someone physically or emotionally
You can run but they'll follow you
You can try to escape from negative thoughts or consequences, but they will still affect you
We all suffer the same,
Everyone experiences pain and hardship in life
I found out too late. yeah
I realized the truth too late
Cruel fate
Fate can be harsh and unjust
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TODD PARK MOHR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MojoPin1983
Jeff Buckley performing with Gary Lucas' Band, Gods and Monsters at the Knitting Factory in New York City on 22 March 1992.
Full show: https://youtu.be/w4IsHo9Tsdk
Gods And Monsters - Cruel | St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, NY, 3/13/1992: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoKwC_ZCPLI&feature=youtu.be
Notes: With Gods & Monsters, Live from The Knitting Factory. This show was broadcast on WFMU radio and hosted by Nick Hill from inside the venue - you can see him during the video with his headphones and broadcast mic. It was also videotaped from a tripod inside the Knitting Factory.
Gary Lucas and Jeff play the first two songs as a duo, and then there is a break for a performance by another artist. When they take the stage again, it is as a full band. Until the encores, that is. Jeff stays on alone to sing 'Satisfied Mind' in a very public break from his collaboration with Gary Lucas. Video contains all the additional unbroadcast content.
"About a year after the Tim Buckley tribute, on March 13, 1992, Gods & Monsters had a big showcase concert at St. Ann's during which the sound was bad and each fine musician onstage seemed to be listening only to himself. After that performance Jeff told Lucas he was quitting; he would play the rest of the gigs they had booked that week and that was it.
Jeff Buckley's final show with Gods & Monsters, to a small audience at the Knitting Factory the following weekend, was filled with tension and barely contained recriminations. One song into the set Buckley told the soundman, "Let's hear Jeff's guitar," and proceeded to hijack Lucas' band for the remainder of the night. As Jeff led the group, Lucas filled in piercing guitar leads and counterpoint. Jeff let loose howling, primal vocals that were, ironically, like the young Robert Plant while Lucas-
relieved of leading the group-played with disciplined abandon, raising the stakes at every hand. It was an amazing set, everything that the St. Ann's showcase had failed to be. It took the grim relief of failure and the anger of a breakup to show what the musical prototype for Lucas to Buckley should have been--not Page to Plant, but James Honeyman-Scott to Chrissie Hynde.One scene-maker leaned over duing the set and said, "If all the A&R people who'd been at St. Ann's were here tonight, these guys would be going home with a record deal." When the last Gods & Monsters song ended, Maimone, Fier and Lucas walked offstage but Buckley hesitated. He then surprised everyone--including himself--by staying onstage and continuing to sing alone. It was a bravura, egotistical move, a violation of all band etiquette, and exactly the right thing to do to establish that he had the guts and the ambition to build his own vision, and that he was not going to be tied to anyone else on his way.
When he finished singing, Jeff walked off the stage and across the room to his girlfriend Rebecca. They locked into an embrace in the middle of the club, his head buried in her shoulder, not speaking and oblivious to the people who came up to tell him what a great finale it had been.
"It was after that night," Jeff says of quitting Gods & Monsters, "that I knew I needed to invoke the real essence of my voice. I didn't know what it tasted like at all. I knew I had to get down to work and that anything else would be a distraction. In that band there were conflicts. It was really crazy, a desperate situation. I just didn't need things to be desperate. I needed them to be natural." " -- (from the article 'The Arrival of Jeff Buckley: A Talented Young Musician Learns to Navigate the Record Business While Protecting His Music', Bill Flanagan, Musician, February 1994, p97-101).
KrisJM1234
Alright! I love seeing the old footage before he started his cafe days. I believe it was this concert where at the end of the band's show jeff went back out and played satisfied mind alone and made his first stand as a solo artist. Is this a cover or an original by the band?
MojoPin1983
You're welcome. I'm not sure who wrote the music (probably Gary), but the lyrics are Jeff's.
KrisJM1234
Wow, I thought I knew all of his original songs, but I love being wrong in this case. Thanks for the link.
MojoPin1983
KrisJM1234, This is indeed the same show. I can't upload said video, however, due to copyright, yet, somehow, this video was accepted.
Cruel is an original song. The lyrics seem to reflect Jeff's upbringing: constantly moving around from one home to another, never settling in one place for long.
Here is the full concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4IsHo9Tsdk
Bryan Lizana
Great!
ACS ONE
Woah shit, the studio recording was pulled from this performance wasn’t it
ACS ONE
@MojoPin1983 awesome stuff. Thanks for helping preserve Jeff’s legacy. I tried to make a pilgrimage to the Sin’é while in NYC this year but was saddened to learn it had been destroyed.
MojoPin1983
Yes.