Born on 9th March 1942 in Garnant, Wales, Cale spoke only Welsh until the age of seven, when he began to learn English at school. He went on to study viola at Goldsmiths College, University of London, where he became involved in avant garde music. He traveled to the U.S. to continue his studies, thanks to the help and influence of Aaron Copland, and met and worked with various avant-garde composers, including John Cage, while becoming fascinated with the new Anglo-American art movements.
In 1965, he co-founded the Velvet Underground with Lou Reed. Though best known for his work with the band, Cale has produced a massive body of work that ranges from tastefully arranged strings and piano over Dylan Thomas poetry to barely-suppressed, nigh-psychotic aggression set to high-energy avant-garde rock. Cale's style is almost impossible to pin down, as almost every album contains new experiments and influences. He is also well known as the producer of such works as the debuts of The Stooges, The Modern Lovers, and Patti Smith (the critically acclaimed 'Horses'). He also played a major role in Nico's 'The Marble Index'.
He's released some compilation works such as 'Seducing Down the Door: A Collection 1970-1990' that attempt to show the range and depth of his music. Cale was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as member of the Velvet Underground in 1996, and he was also appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2010. As the years have gone by, he's had a wide variety of tours, additionally dealing with his own personal demons.
Barracuda
John Cale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sinking in a funny way
Black footing full of faces floating
Mimicking our final days
The ocean will have us all
The ocean will have us all
Oh, what have they done
Dark woman like a feather breathing
Oh, what can be done
The ocean will have us all
Cold cost is the death of nothing
Slipping just like nothing did
Prince and the one was joking
Smoking in the summer mis
Barracuda, barracuda
Won't you lay down your life to me?
Won't you love me barracuda?
If you always need to bring out the worst in me
Ten mourners with their whiskers blowing
Howling like a winter gale
Dark woman like a crawler growing
Growing for the carry meat
The ocean will have us all
Dead forest with the moon arising
Smiling at you out of reach
Cracked window in a chapel dreaming
Hoping while they drain 'em each
The lyrics to John Cale's Barracuda are evocative and atmospheric, painting vivid images of a dark, foreboding world. The song seems to be about the inevitability of death and how it is something that will finally claim us all. The first verse describes a woman drowning in the water in a "funny" way, as though there is something sinister or unexpected about her demise. There are "faces floating" around her, suggesting that there are others who have already met a similar fate. The chorus, "The ocean will have us all" reinforces the idea that death is like the ocean, something vast and unstoppable that will eventually claim us all.
The second verse is even more powerful, with the image of a woman trapped in a cupboard that is on fire. The repetition of "Oh, what have they done" and "Oh, what can be done" suggests that there is a sense of powerlessness in the face of death, that no matter how much we may want to fight it, there is ultimately nothing we can do. The final lines of each verse seem to contrast with the grim imagery that comes before, with the mention of a "summer mis" and a "crawling" woman growing "for the carry meat". These lines seem to suggest that, even amidst death and decay, life continues in its own way, and there is still beauty and wonder to be found in the world.
Overall, John Cale's Barracuda is a haunting and evocative song that captures the sense of inevitability that comes with death. Its vivid imagery and sense of foreboding create a sense of unease, but there is also a sense of beauty and wonder that runs through the song, reminding us that even in the face of death, life still finds a way to continue.
Line by Line Meaning
Dark woman in the water drowning
A woman is sinking in the water in a strange position.
Sinking in a funny way
She is sinking in the water in an unusual manner.
Black footing full of faces floating
The water is murky, with many things floating in it.
Mimicking our final days
The things in the water resemble what we might see in our last moments.
The ocean will have us all
We will all eventually be consumed by the sea.
Dark woman in a cupboard burning
A woman is trapped in a fiery cupboard.
Oh, what have they done
The singer is questioning who is responsible for this tragedy.
Dark woman like a feather breathing
The woman's breaths are light and faint like a feather.
Oh, what can be done
The singer is desperate to find a solution to the problem.
Cold cost is the death of nothing
Death is inevitable, and there is no point in avoiding it.
Slipping just like nothing did
The idea of slipping away into death is terrifyingly fast.
Prince and the one was joking
A prince and their companion are levitating in the air and laughing.
Smoking in the summer mis
They are smoking and enjoying themselves in the misty summer.
Barracuda, barracuda
The singer is calling out to a dangerous predator fish, the barracuda.
Won't you lay down your life to me?
The singer is asking the barracuda to sacrifice itself for them.
Won't you love me barracuda?
The singer is asking the barracuda to love them.
If you always need to bring out the worst in me
The singer is acknowledging that the barracuda brings out their dark side.
Ten mourners with their whiskers blowing
Ten mourners are present, and their long beards are swaying with the wind.
Howling like a winter gale
The mourners are crying out loudly like a strong winter wind.
Dark woman like a crawler growing
The woman is growing like a worm or insect.
Growing for the carry meat
She is growing to be carried and consumed as meat.
Dead forest with the moon arising
The forest is lifeless, and the moon is rising in the sky.
Smiling at you out of reach
The moon appears to be taunting you with a distant smile.
Cracked window in a chapel dreaming
The window in a church is broken and dreaming.
Hoping while they drain 'em each
People are being drained of their hopes and desires one by one.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN DAVIES CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind