After playing piano in Cuby + Blizzards and several other bands since 1964, Brood started his own group, Herman Brood & His Wild Romance, in 1977. The band had their first hit single, Saturday Night, in 1978. It was taken from their best known and most succesful studio album, 1978's Shpritsz. A a live band, the leather-clad Wild Romance took The Netherlands (and Germany) by storm.
But even more than his music, it was his outspoken statements in the press about sex and drug use that brought Herman Brood into the public arena in The Netherlands. In the early 1980s he was romantically involved with the German artist, Nina Hagen, with whom he appeared in the film Cha Cha. Brood relished the media attention and became the most famous hard drug user in the Netherlands. In the 1990s he took up painting and soon became more successful as a painter athan he was as a musician (for a rock musician as legendary as Herman Brood, his studio LPs after 1980 sold remarkably poorly).
Brood swore off most drugs, reducing his drug use to alcohol and a daily shot of speed. Sadly (and ironically), this healthier lifestyle turned him into a vulnerable man almost overnight. He decided to take matters into his own hands and committed suicide: on 11 July 2001 he jumped off the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton hotel, at aged of 54.
Close friend, Bart Chabot, wrote about Brood's life in a string of biographies: "Broodje gezond", "Broodje halfom", "Brood en spelen" and "Broodje springlevend". Admirer, Black Francis, recorded a studio album (Bluefinger) as a tribute to Herman Brood.
Lies
Herman Brood & His Wild Romance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Most people deserve it
You can't bottle up your desire
Inside all the time
You want those jewels for your baby
Buy a castle a pool full of wine
Next minute why're facin' the judge
Cause why'are fantastic setup didn't work out fine
Right now
I'm runnin' out of lies
Can't you see
I'm runnin' out of lies
I'm runnin' out
I'm runnin' out of lies
People try & drag you down
Soon as you say it loud
Lock you up in schools & jails
While you feel like freakin' out
Stop this motor in my head
Let my mind go blank
No more action in vain
No more tappin' that old refrain
Runnin' out of lies
Runnin' out of lies
Burnin' with desire
Livin' on the velvet side of hell
Shuffle & jab clinch & holler
Hot blow draw blood ringin' the bell
Runnin' out of lies
Brain like a walnut
Memory safe as a strainer
Backbone straight as a banana
Let me be why'are entertainer
I'm runnin' out
I'm runnin' out of lies
The song "Lies" by Herman Brood & His Wild Romance talks about the desire for wealth, fame and success, but ultimately the lies people tell to get there. This is indicated by the words "Most people deserve it / You can't bottle up your desire / Inside all the time / You want those jewels for your baby / Buy a castle a pool full of wine." The song talks about how people want to achieve a certain level of status, but the cost of the lies and deceit to get there eventually catches up to them when they have to face the judge.
The lyrics also talk about the struggles of being different, and how society tries to bring people down when they don't fit in. This is shown by the lines "People try & drag you down / Soon as you say it loud / Lock you up in schools & jails." The singer of the song wants to break free from this struggle and live life on their own terms. They want their mind to be blank and free of the constant desire for more, and for their actions to be genuine and not based on lies.
Overall, "Lies" is a song that comments on the lies people tell to get ahead in life, and how it ultimately catches up to them. It also acknowledges the difficulties of being different and the societal pressures that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody's hungry for more
Most people are never satisfied with what they have.
Most people deserve it
However, there are a few people who deserve more than what they get.
You can't bottle up your desire
It's impossible to suppress your desires.
Inside all the time
These desires are always present within you.
You want those jewels for your baby
You want the finer things in life for your loved ones.
Buy a castle a pool full of wine
You're willing to spend extravagantly to achieve this goal.
Next minute why're facin' the judge
However, your actions might land you in trouble.
Cause why'are fantastic setup didn't work out fine
Your grand plans might not come to fruition.
Right now
At this moment.
I'm runnin' out of lies
I'm at a loss for words to cover up my mistakes.
Can't you see
Don't you understand?
People try & drag you down
Others might try to bring you down.
Soon as you say it loud
As soon as you start speaking your mind.
Lock you up in schools & jails
The system might try to repress your true self.
While you feel like freakin' out
While you're struggling to keep it together.
Stop this motor in my head
To calm my racing thoughts.
Let my mind go blank
To quiet the noise inside my head.
No more action in vain
No more fruitless efforts.
No more tappin' that old refrain
No more repeating the same old mistakes.
Burnin' with desire
Consumed with ambition.
Livin' on the velvet side of hell
Living in luxury, but at what cost?
Shuffle & jab clinch & holler
Fighting to hold onto what you have.
Hot blow draw blood ringin' the bell
There will be casualties in this struggle.
Brain like a walnut
Not the sharpest mind out there.
Memory safe as a strainer
Memory recall is poor.
Backbone straight as a banana
Lacking conviction and strength.
Let me be why'are entertainer
Despite it all, I still want to be a source of entertainment.
I'm runnin' out
I'm almost at the end of my rope.
I'm runnin' out of lies
I've exhausted all my excuses.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dewie Dunn
That's Rock 'n roll, smash your keyboard and play on!