The pair had previously been musical collaborators for several years. As a teenager growing up in rural England, Harvey contributed saxophone, guitar and backing vocals to Parish’s band Automatic Dlamini before forming her own band in 1991. Parish later served as co-producer, guitarist, percussionist and keyboard player on Harvey’s 1995 album To Bring You My Love and was featured heavily on her 1998 album Is This Desire?.
On Dance Hall at Louse Point, Parish wrote and played the music, while Harvey sang vocals and wrote the lyrics. The album was viewed by many of Harvey's fans as a minor side project, perhaps due to the top billing accorded the more obscure Parish and her own accreditation as Polly Jean Harvey rather than the more widely recognised PJ Harvey name. Consequently, it sold more poorly than any of her solo releases, entering the UK charts at #46 and barely denting the U.S. Billboard charts at #178.
It yielded only one single, That Was My Veil, which spent a week at #75 in the UK charts. Harvey later admitted that she let Parish handle all promotional duties for the record because she was exhausted following a year of intense promotional activity for To Bring You My Love in 1995. Reportedly, bosses at Harvey’s Island Records label feared that the avant-garde venture was “commercial suicide”, despite it winning generally positive reviews. Entertainment Weekly opined, “This is 'deep' music in every sense; total immersion is recommended.” Musician reckoned “The results are as engaging as they are disturbing....full of strange moves and unusual textures.” Logo felt it was “thrillingly sinister”, while Q magazine praised its “polecat scat and brooding rural blues," adding that it felt "more a series of themes and word paintings.”
Speaking about the album to NME in 1998, Harvey explained "I just really wanted to learn different things, and a lot of learning comes from working with other people. I tend to place more importance on lyric writing than music, and I wanted to somehow bring the music to a similar level with that, but I didn’t feel confident in myself as a musician to do it. I know John can write demanding and intellectual music – much more than mine, which is very simple. So it was really just to test my lyric writing." In 2001, she told Chicago Sun-Times, "People don't even count that, yet that's the record I'm really proud of. It was an enormous turning point. Lyrically, it moved me into areas I'd never been to before. Faced with John's music, which is so different to my own, it just made me write lyrics in a very different way and structure songs in a different way."
Parish and Harvey did a brief UK club tour with the Mark Bruce Dance Company in early 1997, performing the album’s experimental songs with a group of interpretive ballet dancers onstage.
Twelve years later, the duo released A Woman A Man Walked By, also on Island. The album, which was recorded in Bristol and Dorset and mixed by Flood, was released on March 30, 2009 on Island. It consisted of 10 new songs, including an instrumental. All the music was written by Parish, who also played most of the instruments. The lyrics, once again, were by Harvey.
The first single from the album was "Black Hearted Love," which is described as having "anthemic grunge-pop guitars." The track debuted on the Zane Lowe Show on March 2.
The album was described by journalist John Harris, as "...mischievous, deadly serious, elegant and poetic, and possessed of a brutal power – it is doubtful that you will hear a record as brimming with creative brio and musical invention this year." In a track by track synopsis on their website, The Fly described the album as "a body of folk tales, funeral songs and trapped, tangled love songs... brilliant."
Taut
John Parish and Polly Jean Harvey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jesus save me
Can I tell you something?
Can I tell you a story?
It's about me and Billy
'Cause I remember
It was the first thing he'd ever owned apart from me
And the color was red
And the color was red and he drove me
He drove me out of my mind
I'm over it now
It was spring or summer sixty five I don't remember
Steaming and sweating and sticking against the wheel
And I could see the tendons stand out in the back of his neck
And he used to make me pray, wearing a mask like a death's head
When he put me there in the back seat, and he said
Jesus save me
Jesus save me
Inherited his father's hate that what he'd say
And he custom of destruct the pain of every escape but somehow
He could make joy come loose inside
I would feel really I would feel really and truly alive
And I would do anything for him
It just wasn't enough
It was never enough
He'd turn to me and say
He'd, he'd say "even the son of god had to die, my darling"
And he wanted everything
He wanted everything
He wanted the honey from the king
Each new moon
He used to make me pray
Every morning
Hidden in the backseat, such Jesus
He'd make me pray
And he'd in there when he wanted everything
He wanted the honey from the king
Say it
"Even the son of god had to die my darling"
Go on, say it!
Jesus save me
Jesus save me
The song "Taut" by John Parish and Polly Jean Harvey tells a haunting story of a teenage girl involved in an abusive relationship with a boy named Billy. The song opens with the repeated phrase "Jesus save me," which can be interpreted in a few different ways. It could be seen as a plea for help or a lack of control, as if the girl feels powerless and is asking for someone to intervene. From there, she begins to tell her story, saying "Can I tell you something? Can I tell you a story?"
The story that follows is one of possession and control. Billy owns a car, which is the first thing he has ever owned other than the girl (who is not explicitly identified, but it's safe to assume she is his girlfriend). The car is red, a color associated with passion and danger, and it seems to represent Billy's masculinity and power. When he drives the girl around in the car, she feels like she is losing her mind, and it's implied that this is part of his plan.
Throughout the song, there are religious undertones--references to praying and Jesus saving. This could be interpreted as the girl's attempt to find salvation or escape from Billy's abuse, but it could also be seen as a reflection of Billy's perverse obsession with religion. He forces the girl to wear a mask like a death's head and pray in the back seat of the car. He tells her "even the son of god had to die," which is a reference to Jesus's sacrifice on the cross.
In the end, the girl realizes that nothing she does is enough for Billy. He wants everything, including "the honey from the king." She is trapped in his abuse, unable to escape, and her only hope is Jesus saving her. The song is a chilling portrayal of a young woman's suffering at the hands of an abusive partner, and it raises important questions about power, control, and consent.
Line by Line Meaning
Jesus save me
The singer is seeking salvation and help from Jesus.
Jesus save me
Repetition of the plea for help.
Can I tell you something?
The singer wants to share a story or secret with the listener.
Can I tell you a story?
Clarification of the artist's desire to share a story with the listener.
It's about me and Billy
The story is about the artist and someone named Billy.
'Cause I remember
The singer is recalling the events that took place.
I remember it all started when he bought that car
The story begins with Billy buying a car.
It was the first thing he'd ever owned apart from me
This car was the first thing Billy owned that was not connected to the artist.
And the color was red
The color of the car was red.
And the color was red and he drove me
The artist rode in the car with Billy.
He drove me out of my mind
Billy's driving was intense and overwhelming for the singer.
I'm over it now
The artist has moved on from this experience.
It was spring or summer sixty five I don't remember
The singer is unsure of the exact year but knows it was either spring or summer.
Steaming and sweating and sticking against the wheel
The weather was hot and the driving was intense.
And I could see the tendons stand out in the back of his neck
The singer was observing Billy's physical features during the drive.
And he used to make me pray, wearing a mask like a death's head
Billy forced the artist to pray while wearing a frightening mask.
When he put me there in the back seat, and he said
Billy placed the artist in the back seat of the car and said something to them.
Inherited his father's hate that what he'd say
Billy inherited his father's hatred and anger towards something or someone.
And he custom of destruct the pain of every escape but somehow
Billy had a habit of destroying things and causing pain, but the singer was still attracted to him.
He could make joy come loose inside
Despite the pain and destruction, Billy could bring happiness to the artist.
I would feel really I would feel really and truly alive
The artist felt alive and exhilarated when they were with Billy.
And I would do anything for him
The artist was willing to do anything for Billy.
It just wasn't enough
Despite the singer's efforts, they were unable to satisfy Billy.
It was never enough
Reinforcement of the idea that the artist could never do enough for Billy.
He'd turn to me and say
Billy would address the singer directly.
He'd, he'd say "even the son of god had to die, my darling"
Billy would remind the singer that even the son of god had to die, implying that he was superior and invincible.
And he wanted everything
Billy desired everything and anything he could get.
He wanted everything
Repetition of the fact that Billy was always unsatisfied and wanted more.
He wanted the honey from the king
Billy desired the best and most extravagant things in life.
Each new moon
On a regular basis, possibly once a month.
He used to make me pray
Billy would force the singer to pray on a regular basis.
Every morning
On a daily basis, possibly related to the previous line about praying.
Hidden in the backseat, such Jesus
The artist would hide in the backseat of the car while praying, potentially relating to Billy's earlier use of a death's head mask.
He'd make me pray
Reinforcement of the fact that Billy would force the artist to pray regularly.
And he'd in there when he wanted everything
Billy would be present while the singer was praying, possibly implying a sense of control over them.
He wanted everything
Repetition of the fact that Billy was always unsatisfied and wanted more.
Say it
Instruction to the singer to say something specific.
"Even the son of god had to die my darling"
Same as earlier line where Billy reminds the singer of his superiority and power.
Go on, say it!
Reinforcement of the instruction to say something specific, possibly implying a sense of control over the singer.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: POLLY JEAN HARVEY, JOHN PARISH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind