Henry Cow was among the founding members of the movement dubbed Rock in Opposition (RIO).
A number of people passed through Henry Cow over the years:
* Georgie Born - Cello, Bass (1976-1978)
* Lindsay Cooper - Bassoon, Reeds (1974, 1975-1978)
* Chris Cutler - Drums, Percussion (1971-1978)
* Fred Frith - Guitar, Violin, Bass, Piano, Xylophone (1968-1978)
* John Greaves - Bass, Piano (1970-1976)
* Tim Hodgkinson - Keyboards, Reeds (1968 - 1978)
* Dagmar Krause - Vocals (1975 - 1978)
* Geoff Leigh - Flute, Reeds (1972 - 1973)
Henry Cow's repertoire included elaborately scored pieces (often with complex time signatures), tape manipulations, free improvisation and songs. It incorporated elements of jazz, rock, classical music and the avant-garde. Dagmar Krause's vocals added another dimension to their sound, giving it a dramatic, almost Brechtian flair.
Their music was often experimental, making classification all but impossible. However, the following styles (amongst others) are often associated with Henry Cow:
* rock (too general and therefore inadequate)
* progressive rock
* art rock
* avant-progressive rock
* avant-rock
* chamber rock
* experimental rock
* free improvisation
Some of these styles may come closer to describing their music than others, and often it contained elements of all of the above, but in reality, Henry Cow simply remains one of those unclassifiable groups.
Henry Cow's music was challenging, not only to the listener, but also to the band themselves. They often composed pieces to challenge their own capabilities. Some of their music was scored beyond the conventional ranges of their music instruments necessitating that they "reinvent their instruments", learn how to play them in completely new ways. And yet their music may not have been as good as it could have been. Henry Cow conducted their affairs as a committee, having regular, minuted meetings with no decisions being made unless approved by the group. This included their music. Band members brought their ideas to the table but often they ended up being watered down as a result of the collective process, rather than strengthened, and many of their best ideas may not have been fully realised. Who knows what Henry Cow might have produced had individual members been given more free reign.
While their music is a decided "acquired taste", there is much to recommend in it, for as it is often dissonant and challenging, it is also rich and exciting, and yields more insights upon repeated listening.
Henry Cow reunited in November 2014 to celebrate the music of the late Lindsay Cooper for shows in the UK and Italy.
Nine Funerals Of The Citizen King
Henry Cow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one ever let you see
The Citizen King
Ruling the fantastic architecture of the burning cities
Where we buy and sell
La la la la la la la la la la la la
That the Snark was a Boojum all can tell
But a rose is a rose is a rose
You make arrangements with the guard
Halfway round the exercise yard
To sugar the pill
Disguising the enormous double-time the king pays to Wordsworth
More than you or I could reasonably forfeit to buy...
Double-time the king pays to Wordsworth
More than you or I could reasonably buy...
If we live (we live) to tread on dead kings
Or else we'll work to live to buy the things we multiply
Until they fill the ordered universe
Down beneath the spectacle of free
No one ever let you see
The Citizen King
Ruling the fantastic architecture of the burning cities
Where we buy and sell
La la la la la la la la la la la la
That the Snark was a Boojum all can tell
But a rose is a rose is a rose
Said the Mama of Dada as long ago as 1919...
The lyrics of Henry Cow's "Nine Funerals of the Citizen King" have a deep and layered meaning. The song opens with the line "Down beneath the spectacle of free, no one ever let you see the Citizen King." This refers to the hidden power structures that exist in society, which are not visible to the common people. The Citizen King represents these structures that rule over the fantastic architecture of the burning cities, where everything is bought and sold.
The following lines "That the Snark was a Boojum all can tell, but a rose is a rose, said the Mama of Dada as long ago as 1919" are a reference to Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark," in which the Snark (a fictional creature) is described as a Boojum. This line is also a nod to the Dada movement, which the singer refers to as "Mama of Dada." The point being made here is that some things are open to interpretation, but others are clear and unambiguous.
In the second stanza, the lyrics describe how people make arrangements with the guard to sugar the pill or disguise the truth about the Citizen King. The King pays double-time to Wordsworth, more than anyone could reasonably forfeit to buy. This line is a reference to the English poet William Wordsworth, suggesting that the Citizen King values poetry over the lives of the common people. In the final lines, the lyrics contemplate the idea of living to tread on dead kings or working to buy things until they fill the ordered universe. This is a bleak reflection on the state of society where everything is commodified, and people are reduced to nothing more than buyers and sellers.
Line by Line Meaning
Down beneath the spectacle of free
Beneath the illusion of freedom that's presented to us
No one ever let you see
No one wants you to see the truth
The Citizen King
The person in power, the ruler
Ruling the fantastic architecture of the burning cities
Controlling the magnificent buildings in the cities, which may also be on fire due to chaos
Where we buy and sell
Where we participate in capitalism
La la la la la la la la la la la la
Repetitive, meaningless words to represent apathy or indifference
That the Snark was a Boojum all can tell
Everyone knows that the Snark was a Boojum, referring to Lewis Carroll's poem 'The Hunting of the Snark,' where the Snark symbolizes something elusive and dangerous
But a rose is a rose is a rose
A rose is simply what it is, no more or less
Said the Mama of Dada as long ago as 1919
Reference to Gertrude Stein, who made this statement in 1913 about the concept of language and its meaning
You make arrangements with the guard
Making deals or compromises with those in power
Halfway round the exercise yard
In a confined space, limited in movement
To sugar the pill
To make something unpleasant more palatable
Disguising the enormous double-time the king pays to Wordsworth
Concealing the huge amount of money the ruler is offering to poets like Wordsworth
More than you or I could reasonably forfeit to buy...
An amount of money that is unrealistic for most people to spend
Double-time the king pays to Wordsworth
The ruler is paying Wordsworth twice what is typical for poets
If we live (we live) to tread on dead kings
If our purpose in life is to overthrow those in power
Or else we'll work to live to buy the things we multiply
Otherwise, we will continue to work just to accumulate more possessions
Until they fill the ordered universe
Until our possessions become the defining characteristic of our existence and the world around us
Contributed by Elliot L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.