Porton Down
K-Group/Peter Hammill Lyrics
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The clear liquids keep their silence,
Buried underground at Porton Down
The fast form of the final violence.
Quite right to be worried about the proliferation
Of nuclear bombs and power stations,
But there's a deterrent that's going to
Hurry on round about Porton Down,
A quick glimpse of the future warfare
Hidden under ground at Porton Down;
Far too frightening to utter what you saw there.
They got bacteria to drop us where we stand,
They got diseases still unknown to man,
They got the virus and a microgram's enough
To do in a continent.
The ultimate madness,
Just one shattered test-tube to wipe out the world.
It begins with the mustard gas,
It proceeds to Hiroshima.
The culture moves on -
Now it's bacterial, truly insane.
Porton Down waits to fever the brain.
Won't hear a sound at Porton Down,
The clear liquids keep their silence
Buried underground at Porton Down,
The fast form of the final violence.
Hurry on round about Porton Down
A quick glimpse of the future warfare,
Hidden underground at Porton Down,
Far too frightening to say what you saw there.
No sound at Porton Down,
From Porton Down,
After Porton Down.
The lyrics of K-Group/Peter Hammill's song Porton Down depict the secrecy and dangerous experimentation that has long been rumored to take place at the Porton Down research facility in the United Kingdom. The opening lines, "Won't hear a sound at Porton Down, the clear liquids keep their silence, buried underground at Porton Down, the fast form of the final violence" set a foreboding tone, suggesting that dangerous experiments are being conducted in secret at this location. The next lines address the topic of nuclear weapons and power stations, acknowledging the threat they pose to humanity. However, the song also suggests that there are even more dangerous and unknown weapons being developed at Porton Down, including bacteria, diseases, viruses, and micrograms that could potentially wipe out entire continents. The song concludes with a repetition of the opening lines, reinforcing the idea of the silence and secrecy surrounding the research done at Porton Down.
Overall, the lyrics of Porton Down highlight the dangers of human obsession with power and control, as well as the lengths to which governments will go to achieve those lofty ambitions. The song serves as a warning against reckless scientific experimentation, suggesting that the consequences can be disastrous if not approached with caution and humility.
Line by Line Meaning
Won't hear a sound at Porton Down,
It's eerie and silent at Porton Down.
The clear liquids keep their silence,
There are dangerous, clear solutions that are disturbingly quiet.
Buried underground at Porton Down
Dangerous things are kept underground at Porton Down.
The fast form of the final violence.
There are weapons of mass destruction that can cause quick destruction.
Quite right to be worried about the proliferation
It's reasonable to be concerned about nuclear proliferation.
Of nuclear bombs and power stations,
There are dangers associated with nuclear weapons and energy production.
But there's a deterrent that's going to
There is a deterrent that could save us.
Unearth us yet...
But it hasn't been discovered yet.
Hurry on round about Porton Down,
It's scary to be near Porton Down.
A quick glimpse of the future warfare
You can see what the future of military conflict looks like.
Hidden under ground at Porton Down;
Dangerous things are being kept underground at Porton Down.
Far too frightening to utter what you saw there.
It's too scary to even talk about what you saw at Porton Down.
They got bacteria to drop us where we stand,
There are bacteria that could kill us instantly.
They got diseases still unknown to man,
There are diseases that we haven't discovered yet.
They got the virus and a microgram's enough
There are viruses that are incredibly potent and a tiny amount can be deadly.
To do in a continent.
These diseases could wipe out entire continents.
The ultimate madness,
It's insane to create these weapons.
Just one shattered test-tube to wipe out the world.
It only takes one mishap to cause global destruction.
It begins with the mustard gas,
The history of dangerous weapons dates back to mustard gas.
It proceeds to Hiroshima.
We moved from chemical weapons to nuclear weapons.
The culture moves on -
It's a constantly evolving culture of weapons development.
Now it's bacterial, truly insane.
Now, it's even more dangerous and insane with bacterial weapons.
Porton Down waits to fever the brain.
Porton Down is waiting to unleash these diseases.
No sound at Porton Down,
It's silent at Porton Down.
From Porton Down,
No news or information comes out of Porton Down.
After Porton Down.
The world may never be the same after what happens at Porton Down.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: PETER HAMMILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind