He had emerged in New York City's avant-garde club scene in the 1990s as one of the most remarkable musical artists of his generation, acclaimed by audiences, critics, and fellow musicians alike. His first commercial recording, the four-song EP Live At Sin-é, was released in December 1993 on Columbia Records. The EP captured Buckley, accompanying himself on electric guitar, in a tiny coffeehouse in New York's East Village, the neighbourhood he'd made his home.
Buckley made his public singing début at a tribute concert for his father called "Greetings from Tim Buckley". The event, produced by show business veteran Hal Willner, was held at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn on 26 April 1991.
By the time of the EP's release during the fall of 1993, Buckley had already entered the studio with Mick Grondahl (bass), Matt Johnson (drummer), and producer Andy Wallace and recorded seven original songs (including "Grace" and "Last Goodbye") and three covers (among them Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Benjamin Britten's "Corpus Christi Carol") that comprised his debut album Grace. Guitarist Michael Tighe became a permanent member of Jeff Buckley's ensemble and went on to co-write and perform on Grace's "So Real" just prior to the release of the album.
In early 1994, not long after Live At Sin-é appeared in stores, Jeff Buckley toured clubs, lounges, and coffeehouses in North America as a solo artist from January 15th to March 5th as well as in Europe from March 11th to 22th. Following extensive rehearsals in April to May of 1994, Buckley's "Peyote Radio Theatre Tour" found him on the road with his band from June 2nd to August 16th. His full-length full-band album, Grace, was released in the United States on August 23rd, 1994, the same day Buckley and band kicked off a European tour in Dublin, Ireland; the 1994 European Tour ran through September 22nd, with Buckley and band performing at the CMJ convention at New York's Supper Club on September 24. The group headed back into America's clublands for a Fall Tour lasting from October 19th until December 18th.
On New Year's Eve 1994-95, Buckley returned to Sin-é to perform a solo set; on New Year's Day, he read an original poem at the annual St. Mark's Church Marathon Poetry Reading. Two weeks later, he and his band were back in Europe for gigs in Dublin, Bristol, and London before launching an extensive tour of Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and the United Kingdom which lasted from January 29th to March 5th. On April 13th 1995, it was announced that Jeff Buckley's Grace had earned him France's prestigious "Gran Prix International Du Disque -- Academie Charles CROS -- 1995"; an award given by a jury of producers, journalists, the president of France Culture, and music industry professionals, it had previously been given to Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Yves Montand, Georges Brassens, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell, among other musical luminaries. France also awarded Buckley a gold record certification for Grace.
From March 5th through April 20th, Buckley and his band rehearsed for an American spring tour with gigs running from April 22th until June 2nd. From June through August, Jeff and company toured the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland. The band took off for Down Under to play six Australian shows between August 28th and September 6th, 1995. In November 1995, Buckley played two unannounced solo shows at Sin-é. He performed songs including the new "Woke Up In A Strange Place" on Vin Scelsa's "Idiot's Delight" show on WXRK-FM on December 17 and celebrated New Year's Eve 1995-96 with performances at New York's Mercury Lounge and Sin-é.
Jeff Buckley and his touring ensemble went back to Australia, where Grace had earned a gold record certification, for the "Hard Luck Tour," which ran from February 9th to March 1st of 1996. Drummer Matt Johnson left the group after the final Australian show. The posthumous album Mystery White Boy brings together some of the high points from Jeff's 1995-1996 live performances. The DVD/home video release Live In Chicago documents, in its entirety, Jeff's concert at The Cabaret Metro in Chicago on May 13th, 1995.
In May of '96, Jeff played four gigs as a bass player with Mind Science of the Mind, a side-project of Buckley's friend, Nathan Larson of Shudder To Think. In September Buckley played another unannounced solo gig at his old favorite haunt Sin-é. December of 1996 found Jeff Buckley embarking on his "phantom solo tour"; designed to experiment with new songs in a live setting (as in his Sin-é days), these unannounced solo gigs throughout the Northeast U.S. were played under a succession of aliases: the Crackrobats, Possessed By Elves, Father Demo, Smackrobiotic, the Halfspeeds, Crit Club, Topless America, Martha & the Nicotines, and A Puppet Show Named Julio.
At midnight on February 9th, 1997, Jeff Buckley debuted his new drummer, Parker Kindred, in a show at Arlene Grocery on New York's Lower East Side. He also played a couple of solo gigs in New York during the first months of 1997: a gig at the Daydream Cafe (featuring band members Mick Grondahl and Michael Tighe as "special guests") and a solo performance February 4th as part of the Knitting Factory's 10-Year Birthday Party.
Buckley and his band had recorded intermittently — with Tom Verlaine as producer — during Summer/Fall 1996 and early winter 1997 in New York and in February 1997 in Memphis. After the conclusion of those sessions, Jeff sent the band back to New York while, during March and April 1997, he remained in Memphis and continued to craft his work-in-progress, making various four-track home recordings of songs to present to his bandmates. Some of these were revisions of the songs recorded with Verlaine, some were brand new compositions, and some were surprising cover versions. The new lineup debuted Buckley's new songs at Barrister's in Memphis on February 12th and 13th. Beginning March 31st, Jeff began a series of regularly scheduled Monday night solo performances at Barrister's. His last show there was on Monday, May 26th, 1997.
Buckley passed away in a drowning accident in the Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, on May 29th, 1997. The night Buckley died, he was on his way to meet his band to begin three weeks of rehearsals for My Sweetheart, the Drunk; producer Andy Wallace, who'd helmed the boards on Grace, was to join them in Memphis in late June to record his new album.
In addition to his Columbia Records releases, Live At Sin-é and Grace, Jeff Buckley has appeared as a guest artist on several other recordings. He can be heard singing "Jolly Street," a track on the Jazz Passengers 1994 album In Love. He contributed tenor vocals to "Taipan" and "D. Popylepis," two recordings on John Zorn's Cobra Live At The Knitting Factory (1995). On Rebecca Moore's Admiral Charcoal's Song, Buckley plays electric six-string bass on "If You Please Me," "Outdoor Elevator," and "Needle Men" (on which he also plays drums). He both plays guitar and sings backup vocals on Brenda Kahn's "Faith Salons," a key track on her Destination Anywhere album (released 1996). Patti Smith's critically acclaimed Gone Again album features Buckley adding "voice" to the song "Beneath the Southern Cross" and "essrage" (a small fretless Indian stringed instrument) to "Fireflies." On Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness, a various artists' spoken word tribute to beat poet Jack Kerouac, Jeff Buckley performed on "Angel Mine"; Jeff plays guitar, sitar, and mouth sax (adding words at the poem's conclusion) on the track. Buckley can be heard reading Edgar Allan Poe's "Ulallume - A Ballad," on Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe (disc 2: The Devil's Brew) (Poems & Tales by Edgar Allan Poe) on Mouth Almighty/Mercury Records. He sang "I Want Someone Badly" (Epic) for Shudder To Think's soundtrack to First Love, Last Rites. Sandy Bell, a friend of Buckley's during his L.A. days, released the resurrected track "Hollywould" in 2000, which she co-wrote and recorded with Buckley.
An ardent enthusiast for a myriad of musical forms, Jeff Buckley was an early champion among young American musicians for the work of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the world's foremost Qawwali (the music of the Sufis) singer. Buckley conducted an extensive interview with Nusrat in Interview magazine (January 1996) and wrote the liner notes Nusrat's The Supreme Collection album, released on Mercator/Caroline records in August 1997. On May 9th, 2000, Columbia Records released Mystery White Boy, an album of live performances, and Live In Chicago, a full-length concert (available on DVD or VHS) recorded live at The Cabaret Metro in Chicago on May 13, 1995, in the middle of Jeff's "Mystery White Boy" tour.
Following the release of Grace on August 23rd, 1994, Jeff and his group spent much of 1994-1996 performing around the world on the Unknown, Mystery White Boy, and Hard Luck tours. Mystery White Boy brings together, for the first time, some of the high points of those shows. Produced by Michael Tighe (guitarist for Jeff's band throughout their international touring and the recording of Grace) and Mary Guibert (Jeff's mother) and Mystery White Boy provides an evocative cross-section of Jeff's repertoire: previously-unreleased Buckley compositions, electrifying live interpretations of songs from Grace, and obscure and marvelous cover choices. The recordings heard on Mystery White Boy have been hand-picked from scores of concert tapes by Mary Guibert and the members of Jeff's band who played such a large role in helping Jeff realize his musical vision.
According to Mary, the tracks on Mystery White Boy are "the individual performances that represented transcendent moments from each of the concerts we'd identified as being in the 'overall outstanding' category."
"It was obvious which performances were contenders for the record," concurs Michael Tighe, "and in some cases a performance would be so supreme and unpredictable that I knew it had to be brought to the public."
The posthumous album Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk was released in 1998 and included songs Buckley was working on while in Memphis for his upcoming release.
Tribute songs:
PJ Harvey - Memphis
Rufus Wainwright- Memphis Skyline
Mark Eitzel - To the Sea
Zita Swoon - Song for a Dead Singer
Amy Correia - Blind River Boy
Duncan Sheik - A Body Goes Down
Chris Cornell - Wave Goodbye
Katatonia - Nightmares by the Sea
Willie Nile - On the Road to Calvary
Rachael Sage - Grace
Aimee Mann - Just Like Anyone
Cocteau Twins - Rilkean Heart
Jim Major - Angels Fall (Song for Jeff Buckley)
A film about Buckley's life, a biopic called "Mystery White Boy", is currently in pre-production. Actors have not yet been cast, according to IMDB.
Eternal Life
Jeff Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal,
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel yeah
Angel, unh, angel, unh
The lyrics to Jeff Buckley's "Eternal Life" are rich with metaphor and allusion, but at their core express the artist's frustration with the societal structures and belief systems that he sees as holding people back from living fully in the present moment. The opening lines depict death as a constant companion, represented by a glittering coffin waiting only for its final nail. Against this backdrop, the "ugly gentlemen" of society engage in a fool's game while the horizon burns with the promise of something more. In the second verse, Buckley turns his attention to issues of prejudice and hatred, portraying those who cling to these beliefs as dooming themselves and their descendants. Despite this bleak assessment, the artist ultimately holds out hope for a better way of living, advocating for a more loving and accepting approach to life.
The refrain, "You better turn around and blow your kiss hello/goodbye to life eternal, angel," is both a plea and a warning. It acknowledges the inevitability of death but urges the listener to embrace life while they still can, rather than being held back by fear or rigid beliefs. At the same time, it suggests that those who fail to do so will miss out on something eternal, whether that be some kind of afterlife or simply the potential for a deeper experience of the present.
Line by Line Meaning
Eternal life is now on my trail
The desire for eternal life is now something that has taken over my life and is a constant presence.
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
I am ready to die, my coffin is prepared, and all that is missing is the final death blow.
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
As I watch society go on with their superficial and meaningless pursuits, I am disillusioned with life and its values.
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
There is a sense of danger and catastrophe that is looming in the future and it is calling out to us.
And as your fantasies are broken in two
As you come to accept the reality of life and give up your dreams and ideals,
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
Did you really believe that life would be easy and that you would achieve everything that you wanted to without going through hardships?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal, Angel
The only way to find peace and happiness is to accept the inevitability of death and embrace it as a transition to eternal life.
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Society is filled with individuals who perpetuate racism and hate, causing harm and destruction in the world.
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
By perpetuating racism, hatred and violence, society is effectively killing off the goodness and beauty of the world before it even has a chance to be born.
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
The fear that exists within us is often exacerbated by the violent and oppressive systems of power that we are forced to exist under.
All I want to do is love everyone
Despite all of the negativity in the world, my desire is to spread love and compassion to everyone I encounter.
There's no time for hatred, only questions
Hatred is a waste of time and energy, and instead we should use our time to ask important questions about life and the world.
What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace?
These are fundamental questions that guide our existence and our search for purpose and fulfillment.
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
In the face of overwhelming pain and suffering, we must find the inner strength to let go and find release.
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Religious and political leaders often promote ideas that are lacking in love and compassion, and we must question their motives and messages.
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
These systems of power and oppression confine us to a life that is soulless, lacking in meaning and purpose.
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
I have a message for those who perpetuate hate and violence in the world.
You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Those who perpetuate hate and violence should prepare to say goodbye to their chances of finding eternal life.
Angel yeah
The idea of an angel represents hope and the possibility of transcendence beyond our physical existence.
Angel, unh, angel, unh
This repetition of the word 'angel' creates a sense of urgency and reinforces the underlying theme of hope and transcendence that runs throughout the song.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JEFF BUCKLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brianna Bush
Lyrics
Eternal life is now on my trail
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal,
Angel
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel yeah
Angel, unh, angel, unh
Bryter Layter
Eternal life is now on my trail
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
There's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal,
Angel
Racist everyman, what have you done?
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son
Oh crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
All I want to do is love everyone
And as your fantasies are broken in two
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
There's no time for hatred, only questions
What is love, where is happiness, what is life, where is peace?
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
Tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
Man, it sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal
Angel yeah
Angel, unh, angel, unh
Pedro Pedro
"During the day generally, if Jeff was there, we’d do instrumental OD’s….fixes, layered guitar parts, solos, harmonium, tabla, cymbal screeches, key rattles, stuff…etc….(Jeff mostly only sang at nite after dinner).
We were working on Eternal Life, the solo stabs and a complete solo. It was just the three of us. We were in a little half circle. Andy was turned away from the console, facing Jeff handling tape-op/punching, I was just sitting on the coffee table across from him with a birds-eye view, Jeff was in the middle, to my left. The amp was in the record booth, a JCM 800 w/ 4x12, and on this day he was touting the Frehley Les Paul. So of course, Jeff being Jeff, between takes, he’d break into a KISS tune, mocking it or himself mocking it, he even did the little "Shock Me" solo pull-off thing with the pick..
Anyway, all of sudden he was like….”I have an idea!”. Stood up, grabbed a bass, went into the record booth with the amp. Unplugged the guitar from the JCM and plugged in the bass. Started mucking with the sound, got it all distorted and REAL heavy. Asked for some headphones (which he never used while tracking vox), told Andy to go to the top. So basically, the hole setup is still for gtr...421 mic into the API, with only Andy having time to tweak the level.
He cued Andy to roll and off he went. He was wailing on that thing, jumping around like he was on stage, I mean all over the place, head banging, posing. Andy and I just thought he was guffawing, cause he’d do that from time to time…
So he does this take and at the end is jamming the bass into the speakers getting all this feedback…and…done.
He comes out and was like….”that was fun!”. Andy sorta had a dazed look on his face and said “yea, that was pretty cool!” I don’t think he expected it to make the cut….but it did. I was surprised too when I heard it on the finished album. It really made the song heavy, I think there is an outtake of EL on yt without it. I mean, that's how I knew the song until the album dropped.
So, there you go, an impromptu Jeff Buckley on distorted bass, one take. That’s where he was coming from most of the time…..holistic, left field and in the moment.
Oh, and the Nag Champa was always burning"
- Bryant W. Jackson (assistant engineer on Grace)
mabovithz elthz
Eternal Life is now on my trail
僕に与えられる『永遠の命』
Got my red glitter coffin, man, just need one last nail
紅色に光る棺を担いで、君よ、もう一度釘を打ってくれ
While all these ugly gentlemen play out their foolish games
腐った気取り屋達が馬鹿げた遊びをしている間に
there's a flaming red horizon that screams our names
赤く燃える地平線は僕達の名前を叫び求めている
And as your fantasies are broken in two
君の夢物語が二つに割れて壊れるよう
Did you really think this bloody road would pave the way for you?
君は本当にこの血塗られた道が君の人生を導くんだと思っていたのか
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal, angel
天使よ、君は『永遠の命』に背を向けて、別れの口付けをした方が良さそうだ
Racist everyman, what have you done?
人種差別者達よ、君らは何をしているんだ
Man, you've made a killer of your unborn son...
君らはやがて産まれる自分の子供を殺しているんだ
Crown my fear your king at the point of a gun
僕の恐れは、君らの王に銃口の前で王冠を授ける
All I want to do is love everyone
僕はただ皆を愛したいだけなんだ
And as your fantasies are broken in two
君の夢物語が二つに割れて壊れるよう
did you really think this bloody road
would pave the way for you?
君は本当にこの血塗られた道が君の人生を導くんだと思っていたのか
You better turn around and blow your kiss hello to life eternal
『永遠の命』に背を向けて、別れの口付けをした方が良さそうだな
Oh...
There's no time for hatred, only questions
憎しみに割く時間はなく、そこには疑問が残るだけ
Where is love, where is happiness, what is Life,
愛は何処に、幸せは何処に、人生は何処に
where is peace?
平和は何処にあるんだ
When will I find the strength to bring me release?
いつになれば僕は自分を解放できるだけ強くなれるのだろう
And tell me where is the love in what your prophet has said?
だから教えてくれ、愛の居場所と、君の預言者が言った言葉を
Man, It sounds to me just like a prison for the walking dead
僕には歩く屍のための牢獄のようにしか思えない
And I've got a message for you and your twisted hell
君と君の歪んだ地獄のために、僕は預言を授かった
You better turn around and blow your kiss goodbye to life eternal angel...
君は『永遠の命』を告げる天使に背を向け、お別れの口付けをするべきだ
Angel…
天使よ…
Tony Bates
A lot of musicians die after their creative peak, and of course it's sad, BUT:
You get the feeling this guy was just getting started.
Sandy Moran
Tony Bates 😭
Laura
You get the feeling?? Of course he was just starting out. What we've all missed out on I just can't even think about .
Simon0
@Laura yeah he could have been one of the best musicians around today! we'll never know though. But i kind of believe people die when they are supposed to die. Hope that doesnt upset anyone its just my belief.
Laura
@Simon0 whatever our thoughts are it's our musical loss x
Hall Park
Why’d you have to ruin my day with this truth?
Logan Randall
Can we take a moment to appreciate the bass
ChumleyChumchizer
Yes, that jazz drummer is no slouch either.
Carmie
All his band members were fabulous musicians...
HoodooThatVoodoo
Let's take two.