Dull… Read Full Bio ↴Greg Dulli (born May 11, 1965) is a singer and instrumentalist.
Dulli was born and brought up in a working-class suburb of Hamilton, Ohio. He is of Greek (father) and Irish (mother) descent. He first came to public attention in Cincinnati in the late 1980s with The Afghan Whigs, when Dulli joined D.C. transplant bassist John Curley and Louisville, Kentucky, guitarist Rick McCollum. Dulli's half-hour-long on-stage cigarette breaks, complete with running commentary on sexual politics and attempts at matchmaking at first enraged, but later fascinated the clientele.
Dulli's budding career in the rock and roll production business was halted as The Afghan Whigs began playing more and better gigs, drawing bigger and bigger crowds. The band was soon brought to the attention of Sub Pop Records in Seattle. Sub Pop's signing of The Afghan Whigs created quite a stir; they were the first non-Northwestern U.S. band to record for the label. The Whigs split in 2001.
In 1994, Dulli was a lead vocalist in the Backbeat Band, an alternative-rock supergroup that recorded the soundtrack to The Beatles biopic, Backbeat. Other members of the Backbeat Band were Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Don Fleming (Gumball), Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Dave Grohl (Nirvana, later Foo Fighters), and Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum).
In 1997, Dulli (with Ted Demme and director Mark Pellington) bought the movie rights to a book by Ann Imbrie called Spoken in Darkness but the film was never made. He is now the lead singer and main songwriter of the band The Twilight Singers who released their fourth album titled Powder Burns in May 2006.
Dulli is working with Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Mark Lanegan Band) in the project, The Gutter Twins. Lanegan also appears on The Twilight Singers new EP, A Stitch In Time. He released his first CD under his own name in 2005, Amber Headlights, and followed it with a live recording in 2008, Live At Triple Door.
The Killer
Greg Dulli Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lyrics to The Killer
I think we're lost, don't worry
I've been here before
I'm sure I thought I knew the way
Out of here yesterday
Dove cuesto, mi dolce?
Your driver's waiting for you-
And I caught a fever
A holy fire-
Til I was crawling on the ceiling
Come out of your hole
I know you know-
You know I know-
I wanna go-
Such a pretty thing, i've never seen
Someone so perfectly deceive-
I loved her smile-
And her beguiling way with me
She smelled exciting, I wanted some-
Your drivers' gone-
Like everybody-
And that's why I need ya-
To catch on fire-
I want you to burn me til I feel it-
I know you know which way to go-
I wantcha to show me
So I can steal it-
Where should we go?
Where should we go?
I knwo you know that I'm
Gonna need it
I know you know which way to go-
I know you know-
I wanna go
The opening lines of Greg Dulli's song "The Killer" are indicative of the confusion and disorientation that the singer of the song is experiencing. He admits that he is lost, but there is a sense of familiarity with the situation. He has been here before and believes he knows the way out, but this confidence is shaken by the fact that he is still here. The repeated questioning of "Dove cuesto, mi dolce?" adds to the sense of dislocation, as if he is seeking direction or guidance from someone who may not be present.
The shifts in mood and tone in the song are marked by the sudden eruption of the line, "And I caught a fever, a holy fire." This fever could be a manifestation of desire or longing, or perhaps it is a symptom of something more sinister. The line "til I was crawling on the ceiling" could suggest an experience of ecstasy or delirium, but it could also hint at a descent into madness or despair. The figure of the killer is never explicitly identified in the song, but it seems to represent a force of destruction or transformation that the singer seeks or fears. The repeated questioning of "Where should we go?" suggests that the singer is willing to follow the killer wherever he may lead, even if it means a journey into the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
I think we're lost, don't worry
We seem to be in an unfamiliar place, but I remain optimistic
I've been here before
Despite my optimism, I've been in similar, uncertain situations
I'm sure I thought I knew the way Out of here yesterday
I recall thinking I had a plan to leave this place yesterday, but it didn't work out
Dove cuesto, mi dolce?
This Italian phrase translates to 'Where have you been, my sweet?' and is likely meant as an existential question about the purpose of life
Your driver called, it's time to go- Your driver's waiting for you-
Someone is calling for the listener to leave this place, possibly reflecting on the inevitability of change
And I caught a fever A holy fire- Til I was crawling on the ceiling
The singer has been consumed by an intense passion, causing them to act irrationally
Come out of your hole I know you know- You know I know- I wanna go-
The singer is trying to coax someone out of hiding, knowing that they both share a desire to leave this place
Such a pretty thing, i've never seen Someone so perfectly deceive- I loved her smile- And her beguiling way with me
The artist recalls a deceptive person from their past who was alluring despite their dishonesty
She smelled exciting, I wanted some- Your drivers' gone- Like everybody-
The artist was attracted to the woman's intoxicating scent, but acknowledges that everyone eventually leaves
And that's why I need ya- To catch on fire- I want you to burn me til I feel it- I know you know which way to go- I wantcha to show me So I can steal it-
The artist is looking for someone else to ignite their passion and show them a way out of this place so that they can take it for themselves
Where should we go? Where should we go? I knwo you know that I'm Gonna need it I know you know which way to go- I know you know- I wanna go
The singer is desperate for direction and guidance, and believes the person they are addressing can provide it
Writer(s): Gregory E. Dulli Copyright: Kali Nichta Music
Contributed by Stella G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.