In the 1980s, Leven released two singles - Love Is Shining Down On Me and Uptown - under his own name. Unfortunately, this failed to turn into a career as he was the victim of an unprovoked attack in 1983. Strangled and nearly killed, Jackie lost his voice for a year and became addicted to heroin. Conquering his addiction, he set up the CORE Trust, a charity aiming for a holistic approach to drug addiction whose patrons included Princess Diana.
Jackie returned to music in the early 1990s with a series of live shows, before the release of his first new solo album, The Mystery of Love is Greater Than the Mystery of Death, in 1994. Since then, Jackie's songs have followed a dark, gloomy theme - Jackie describes his songs as "saying shit happens" and then helping people to deal with it.
Leven also read poems and stories set to music on his albums; examples include the poem "A Blessing" by James Wright on the Forbidden Songs of the Dying West and the short story "Faces" by Rainer Maria Rilke on Shining Brother Shining Sister. During his career he collaborated with many poets and authors, including Robert Bly (on more than one occasion) and Ian Rankin, as well as avant-garde musician David Thomas of cult band Pere Ubu.
Jackie Leven died on Monday, 14 November 2011. He had been suffering from prostate cancer.
Extremely Violent Man
Jackie Leven Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and scars on my right hand
remind me
I am an extremely violent man
undone now
and dying in a foreign land
have no pity
for an extremely violent man
Fear in others
is something I understand
at least it enters me
and takes the violent man
Now I'm coming
to the end of my energy
extremely violent man
is frightened of the sea
I have no photos
of people I have loved
I have loved no-one
The violence was enough
the violence warmed me
and yes, it was extreme
I saw no warnings
in sleep that has no dreams
except one dream
of a bush when I was young
it lived alone by a bridge
if you touched it you got stung
and I held it
till I nearly cried
but in the dream
the stinging bush had died
how I got here
you don't need to know
but I can tell you
I've dealt my final blow
people feared my
because I loved to slay
even my mother
had to turn away
small children
and scars on my right hand
remind me
I am an extremely violent man
The song "Extremely Violent Man" by Jackie Leven is a haunting and introspective look at a man who has lived a violent life and is now facing the consequences of his actions. The opening lines set the stage for the self-reflection that follows, as the singer is reminded of his violent tendencies by the scars on his right hand and the innocence of small children. He acknowledges that his violent behavior has made him an outcast in society and that he is dying alone in a foreign land.
The chorus of the song reveals the inner turmoil of the man, as he expresses his understanding of the fear he has caused in others and his own fear of the sea. The violence, which he describes as extreme, has been a source of warmth and comfort for him, but it has also left him isolated and alone. The lack of photos of people he has loved and the admission that he has never loved anyone except for the violence itself is a poignant look at how destructive and self-destructive this behavior can be.
The dream that is recounted in the latter half of the song is a symbol of hope and redemption, as the stinging bush that once represented pain and violence has died, and the singer is left with a sense of loss and regret. The ending of the song is bleak, as the man admits that he has dealt his final blow and that even his mother could not bear to witness his violence.
Overall, "Extremely Violent Man" is a powerful and emotional song that explores the destructive nature of violence and its lasting impact on those who engage in it.
Line by Line Meaning
Small children
Infants and toddlers, who possess a kinship to innocence and purity
and scars on my right hand
And the series of wounds and markings on my right hand
remind me
Bring me to the realization
I am an extremely violent man
That I am a man who exudes great brutality in my behavior and actions
undone now
Defeated and helpless at present
and dying in a foreign land
Approaching death in a distant, unfamiliar place
have no pity
Exhibit no compassion or sympathy
for an extremely violent man
Towards a man who has displayed extreme savagery
Fear in others
The feeling of distress and tension in others
is something I understand
Is an emotion that I familiarize with
at least it enters me
At the very least it inserts itself into my psyche
and takes the violent man
And overcomes my inherent violent nature
Now I'm coming
I am approaching
to the end of my energy
To the exhaustion of my physical and emotional strength
extremely violent man
The aforementioned violent self
is frightened of the sea
Is afraid of the vast blue waters
I have no photos
I do not possess any pictures
of people I have loved
Of individuals whom I have felt an emotional attachment to
I have loved no-one
I have not experienced love towards anyone
The violence was enough
The levels of violence were ample
the violence warmed me
The violence provided me warmth or comfort
and yes, it was extreme
And indeed, it was radical or severe
I saw no warnings
I did not witness any cautionary indications
in sleep that has no dreams
In a state of unconsciousness that has no illusions
except one dream
With the exception of a solitary dream
of a bush when I was young
About a shrub during my childhood
it lived alone by a bridge
It grew in solitude by a bridge
if you touched it you got stung
If contact was made with it, one would get pricked
and I held it
And I grasped onto it
till I nearly cried
Until I felt intense emotion and was close to shedding tears
but in the dream
However, in the aforementioned dream
the stinging bush had died
The aforementioned thorny shrub had perished
how I got here
The manner in which I have reached this position
you don't need to know
You do not require knowledge of it
but I can tell you
However, I can divulge it to you
I've dealt my final blow
I have executed my ultimate attack
people feared my
Individuals were scared of me
because I loved to slay
Due to my passion for executing individuals
even my mother
Even my own mother
had to turn away
Had to avert her gaze
Small children
Infants and toddlers, who possess a kinship to innocence and purity
and scars on my right hand
And a series of wounds and markings on my right hand
remind me
Bring me to the realization
I am an extremely violent man
That I am a man who exudes great brutality in my behavior and actions
Contributed by Jordan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.