Bush began writing songs at 11. She was signed to EMI Records after Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour helped produce a demo tape. Her debut album, The Kick Inside, was released in 1978. Bush slowly gained artistic independence in album production and has produced all her studio albums since The Dreaming (1982). She took a hiatus between her seventh and eighth albums, The Red Shoes (1993) and Aerial (2005). Bush drew attention again in 2014 with her concert residency Before the Dawn, her first show since 1979's The Tour of Life.
The TV series "Stranger Things" used Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)" in Season 4. As a result of the resurgence of interest, in 2022 the song reached #1 on the UK charts, 37 years after its initial release, and generated 100s of millions of streams.
Bush's eclectic and experimental musical style, unconventional lyrics, performances, and literary themes have influenced a diverse range of artists. She has been nominated for 13 British Phonographic Industry accolades, winning for Best British Female Artist in 1987, and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. In 2002, Bush was recognized with an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. Bush was appointed a CBE in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to music. She was nominated three times for induction in the 2018, 2021, and 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Empty Bullring
Kate Bush Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out of my mind
Trying to keep him at home
Out and to roam
In the early hours
Leaving me here
Like Tamlaine in her Tower
You are going
Taking your red cloak
To regain something
Oh, you rolling matador
Kill in your eyes
For the toro
That shut the door
To glory and gore
The throw of the rose
It's all you lived for
But you've lost it all
Your red streak
On the plot where many feet
Left it incomplete
But you kept the meaning
You feel him charge again
And you feel him cut you down
Right on the spot
Where you thought
You were ground for good
These flights of fantasy
Make your wounds more sore
But you've every right
To even grab at the last straw
Oh, Lord
Oh, you rolling matador
Kill in your eyes
For the toro
That shut the door
To glory and gore
The throw of the rose
It's all you lived for
But you've lost it all
The song "The Empty Bullring" by Kate Bush is a dramatic and emotionally charged ballad. The lyrics touch on themes of loss, desperation, and acceptance of defeat. The song tells the story of a matador who has lost his passion and purpose, and is now trying to regain it. At the beginning of the song, he appears to be leaving his home (and possibly his loved one) in search of something more. The reference to Tam Lin in her Tower suggests a fairy tale or mythological reference, adding to the sense of epic storytelling.
As the song progresses, we see the matador in action. He has "kill in his eyes" as he faces off against the toro that has shut the door to glory and gore. The throw of the rose, which is traditionally offered to a successful bullfighter, is all he lived for. But now, he has lost it all. His red streak on the plot where many feet left it incomplete, symbolizing the blood he has shed and the efforts he has made, is now meaningless to him.
The chorus repeats the matador's desire to recapture his glory and kill the toro that has defeated him. The metaphor of the empty bullring represents his sense of loss and emptiness, as well as the arena where he hopes to regain his honor. Overall, the song is a powerful and evocative portrayal of a man struggling to find meaning and purpose in the midst of defeat.
Line by Line Meaning
Disappears through a window
He left without a word
Out of my mind
I can't stop thinking about him
Trying to keep him at home
I want him to stay with me
Out and to roam
He wants to wander
In the early hours
Late at night, when I'm alone
Leaving me here
Abandoned, feeling alone
Like Tamlaine in her Tower
Trapped, like a prisoner
You are going
He's leaving
To the empty bullring
He's going to an empty place, devoid of meaning
Taking your red cloak
Symbolizing his strength and power
To regain something
He's searching for something he's lost
Oh, you rolling matador
Addressing the man as a skilled bullfighter
Kill in your eyes
He's driven by his aggression and desire to win
For the toro
Facing off against the bull
That shut the door
The bull has defeated him
To glory and gore
All the excitement and danger of the arena
The throw of the rose
The celebration of his success
It's all you lived for
The bullfight was his whole life
But you've lost it all
He's thrown it all away for an empty pursuit
Your red streak
His passion and energy
On the plot where many feet
His mark on the bullring, where so many have passed through
Left it incomplete
He's left his life unfinished and unfulfilled
But you kept the meaning
It still holds significance for him
You feel him charge again
He's haunted by his past failures
And you feel him cut you down
He's consumed by self-doubt and regret
Right on the spot
Where he once had glory
Where you thought
His previous sense of pride
You were ground for good
Has now been destroyed
These flights of fantasy
His false hopes and dreams
Make your wounds more sore
Only add to his pain and suffering
But you've every right
He still has a chance to make things right
To even grab at the last straw
To cling to hope, no matter how slim
Oh, Lord
A plea for help
Lyrics Ā© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kate Bush
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brett Lowton
So frustrating that this superb song hasn't been included on the new remastered series.
i keep screaming but god won't answer
Exactly, this and Ran Tan Waltz... It's not even on Spotify...
paul salt
here here , gutted as you , very bizarre call
John Conway
Probably the most amazing thing about Kate Bush is that she can conjure up these highly sophisticated songs using nothing more than her piano and her voice.
Walkin
There's loads of singers with very great technique, you hear it on the tele everyday. But no one else has this kind of magic Kate has. My favorite musicians are all male and mostly guitar players but Kate somehow became my part of my top 3.
Lily
@008Invisibleman š
Carol Snook
Walkingblues. .mine too...
Eccremocarpus scaber
razrv3lc everyone has their pleasures, but Iāve got to agree with you. A lot of really popular āquirkyā female singers do the whole Kate thing and just donāt do it well. They do their own thing well enough. But itās not that thing that she does.
DatuKaruma
I like Joanna too but nowhere near Kate, singing, songwriting or being an artist in general.
MagicPants
@008Invisibleman LOL. That's not even worth discussing. Joanna is weird for the sake of being weird and hasn't made a sonically pleasing sound in her life lol