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.
Guts
John Cale Lyrics
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Did it quick and split
Back home, fresh as a daisy to Maisy, oh Maisy
And the twelve-bore it stood in the corner
Quite operatic in its self-disgust
It blew him all over the living room floor
Like parrot shit, parrot spit, parrot shit was shot
Now suppose it was someone familiar
Someone we all would know
embarrassing denouement, n'est-ce pas?
Familiar hyperbole
And there would go the secret plot
The piss had missed the hole in the pot
Like that ancient teenage dream
From soul to poison soul to poison soul
Guts, guts, got no guts
And stitches don't help at all
Guts, guts, got no guts
Holes in the body, holes in the legs
Holes in the forehead, holes in the head
Holes in the body, holes in the legs
There should never be holes at all
There should never be holes at all
So, kill all you want or more
Make sure, do it right
Dead is dead, and door nails forget
And then you'll notice
How the waster and the wasted
Get to look like one another
In the end, in the end
In the end, in the end
In the end, in the end
In the end, in the end
The song "Guts" by John Cale is a dark and disturbing narrative focusing on themes of infidelity, revenge, and violence. The first verse describes the singer's wife being cheated on by someone wearing short sleeves, who quickly leaves after the act. When the singer returns home, he sees a gun in the corner, and the rest of the song describes his revenge on the man who slept with his wife. The use of "parrot shit" and "parrot spit" as metaphors for the blood and gore created by the gunshot is both repulsive and highly effective at conveying the brutality of the situation.
As the song progresses, the lyrics switch to a hypothetical scenario where the man who cheated with the singer's wife is someone familiar to them, which would create an "embarrassing denouement" or climactic ending to the story. The lines "The piss had missed the hole in the pot / Like that ancient teenage dream / From soul to poison soul to poison soul" vividly depict the singer's feelings of anger and disgust towards the man who slept with his wife.
The chorus, which repeats the refrain "Guts, guts, got no guts," reinforces the sense of physical violence in the song, with the lines "Holes in the body, holes in the legs / Holes in the forehead, holes in the head" suggesting the brutality of the revenge being taken. Ultimately, the song ends with the dark, haunting repetition of the phrase "In the end, in the end," leaving the listener with a sense of unease and discomfort.
Line by Line Meaning
The bugger in the short sleeves fucked my wife
A man in short sleeves had sex with my wife without her consent
Did it quick and split
He did it fast and left immediately
Back home, fresh as a daisy to Maisy, oh Maisy
He returned home to his wife fair and square, who was unaware of his infidelity
And the twelve-bore it stood in the corner
A shotgun was kept unused in the corner of the room
Quite operatic in its self-disgust
The shotgun was metaphorically reflecting on its own disgust towards the situation
It blew him all over the living room floor
The shotgun was used to kill the man who had sex with the singer's wife, leaving his body scattered
Like parrot shit, parrot spit, parrot shit was shot
The force of the shotgun blast caused the man's body to explode, leaving behind a mess resembling that of bird droppings
Now suppose it was someone familiar
If the man who slept with the singer's wife was someone known to everyone
Someone we all would know
If that person was well-known
Embarrassing denouement, n'est-ce pas?
It would be a humiliating end, wouldn't it?
Familiar hyperbole
These types of scenarios are often exaggerated in stories
And there would go the secret plot
The secret plan would be exposed
The piss had missed the hole in the pot
Someone must have missed the toilet when using it
Like that ancient teenage dream
This is like a common dream that is often experienced during adolescence
From soul to poison soul to poison soul
A reflection on how negative experiences and emotions can be passed from one person to the next
Guts, guts, got no guts
The singer is reflecting on the lack of courage and bravery of people involved in such unsavory situations
And stitches don't help at all
Even medical stitches cannot heal the emotional wounds caused by betrayal
Holes in the body, holes in the legs
A reflection on how violence and harm lead to physical injuries and scars
Holes in the forehead, holes in the head
Even the most vital part of the body, the brain, can be physically harmed by violent actions
There should never be holes at all
The singer is hoping for a world without any kind of physical or emotional damage caused by violence or betrayal
So, kill all you want or more
The singer is ironically commenting on how some people justify violent actions to resolve personal issues
Make sure, do it right
If you must commit an act of revenge, make sure it is executed perfectly
Dead is dead, and door nails forget
Once you die, you will be forgotten like a rusty and worn out door nail
And then you'll notice
After committing an act of revenge
How the waster and the wasted
How both the victim and the perpetrator of violent acts end up being negatively affected
Get to look like one another
They end up becoming very similar in appearance, behavior, and emotional state
In the end, in the end
In the end, this kind of cycle of violence and revenge only leads to destruction
In the end, in the end
Ultimately, life is too precious to waste on violence and negativity
In the end, in the end
No one benefits from causing pain and suffering to others
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN DAVIES CALE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind