A key influence on industrial rock, their early music was described by critics Stephen Thomas Erlewine and John Dougan as well as industrial metal and "quasi-metal, dancing to a tune of doom and gloom," which gradually evolved over the years, incorporating elements of electronic music, synth-pop, gothic rock, and alternative rock, though always emphasizing Coleman's "savagely strident vocals."
Finding modest commercial success, Killing Joke have influenced many later bands, such as Nirvana, Ministry, Amen, Lamb of God, Nine Inch Nails, Napalm Death, Amebix, Big Black, Godflesh, Tool, Prong, Metallica, Primus, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Faith No More, Blacklist, Shihad and Korn, all of whom have at some point cited some debt of gratitude to Killing Joke.
exile
Killing Joke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In such a lonely moment we reach the same conclusion
Chants of cathedral choirs, stations of iron cogs grind
Primeaval screams we heard.
Release cannot be found, no
You'll never see that water flow
You'll never see the water flowing
We that have tasted such beauties of corruption
Triumphal arches raised designed to fall again
My kingdom and place of exile
You'll never see the water flowing.
Your shouts of righteousness jaded our contributions
Too scared for anger, the cause without a rebel
No revolutions in four four time
You'll never see that water flowing.
I walk down amongst the ruins and past glories shattered me
Elysian decays, answers that we are finding
Waters of perfection fade
You'll never see the water flow
You'll never see the water flow
You'll never see the water flowing.
The lyrics of Killing Joke's song "Exile" depict a sense of isolation and desperation, as the singer seems to be living in a desolate world filled with ruins and emptiness. The first two lines of the song describe a place where the streets are empty, emphasizing the loneliness that the singer feels. In this moment of loneliness, the singer and their audience seem to reach the same conclusion, however this conclusion remains unknown throughout the song.
The lyrics then explore different sounds and experiences, such as the chants of cathedral choirs and the grinding of iron cogs. These primeval sounds are contrasted with the idea of release that cannot be found, suggesting a feeling of being trapped or confined. The repetition of the line "You'll never see the water flowing" emphasizes this stagnation and the impossibility of change.
The song then moves onto the idea of "beauties of corruption" and triumphal arches raised only to fall again, possibly relating to the fleeting nature of power and the inevitable downfall of those who hold it. The singer refers to their "kingdom and place of exile," suggesting that they may have been cast out or exiled from their previous life.
The lyrics continue with a reference to the shouts of righteousness and jaded contributions, perhaps referring to the hypocrisy and limitations of politics and society. The line "no revolutions in four four time" further emphasizes the idea of stagnation and the lack of change.
The final lines of the song focus on the ruins and decay that the singer walks amongst, and the fading waters of perfection. The repeated line "you'll never see the water flowing" could be interpreted as meaning that change and progress are impossible in this world, leaving the singer and their audience trapped in a cycle of stagnation and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Outside the boundaries where all the streets are empty
We are in a desolate place beyond normal civilization where there is no sign of activity, no sound or movement.
In such a lonely moment we reach the same conclusion
We realize that we are completely alone in this barren and quiet space.
Chants of cathedral choirs, stations of iron cogs grind
We hear the echoes of religious chants blending with the industrial noise of machinery in the distance.
Primeaval screams we heard.
We hear ancient, primal screams that are haunting and disturbing.
Release cannot be found, no
There is no way to escape from this bleak and oppressive environment.
You'll never see that water flow
There is no hope for change or improvement in this hopeless situation.
We that have tasted such beauties of corruption
We have experienced and embraced the allure of immoral or unethical behavior.
Triumphal arches raised designed to fall again
A sense of failure and disappointment lingers as we see structures that were once symbols of triumph now in ruins.
My kingdom and place of exile
This barren and oppressive environment is our personal realm of isolation and punishment.
Your shouts of righteousness jaded our contributions
Others' claims of moral superiority and protest have made us feel disillusioned with our own actions and contributions.
Too scared for anger, the cause without a rebel
We are too afraid to rise up against the oppressive forces and have lost our drive to fight for a cause.
No revolutions in four four time
We have given up on the idea of social or political change and have lost our sense of rhythm in life.
I walk down amongst the ruins and past glories shattered me
As we walk through the ruins of what was once great, we feel broken and defeated.
Elysian decays, answers that we are finding
We are discovering harsh truths and facing the inevitable deterioration of our world and ourselves.
Waters of perfection fade
The idealized vision of life and world is fading and becoming more distant.
You'll never see the water flow
We have lost all hope of finding or creating a better world, a brighter future.
You'll never see the water flowing.
The repetition of this line emphasizes the feeling of hopelessness and despair, that there is no way out of our current situation.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEREMY COLEMAN, MATTHEW FERGUSON, PAUL VINCENT RAVEN, KEVIN WALKER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ObscuraPrima
Outside the boundaries where all the streets are empty
In such a lonely moment we reach the same conclusion
Chants of cathedral choirs, stations of iron cogs grind
Primeval screams we heard. Release cannot be found, no
You'll never see that water flow
You'll never see the water flowing We that have tasted such beauties of corruption
Triumphal arches raised designed to fall again
My kingdom and place of exile
You'll never see the water flowing. Your shouts of righteousness jaded our contributions
Too scared for anger, the cause without a rebel
No revolutions in four four time
You'll… Your shouts of righteousness jaded our contributions
Too scared for anger, the cause without a rebel
No revolutions in four four time
You'll never see that water flowing. I walk down amongst the ruins and past glories shattered me
Elysian decays, answers that we are finding
Waters of perfection fade
You'll never see the water flow
You'll never see the water flow
You'll never see the water flowing.
broken1212
I'm a noobie just now getting into KJ. This chap is so friggin talented as far as song writing and lyrics go. Amazing the sounds they created, especially when compared to the shit cherry auto-tuned crap big business pumps out thesedays.
Hervé DUMONT
@Som Nium the problem is not autotune it is that talentless people without any musical sense overuse this to earn easy money...
ObscuraPrima
Outside the boundaries where all the streets are empty
In such a lonely moment we reach the same conclusion
Chants of cathedral choirs, stations of iron cogs grind
Primeval screams we heard. Release cannot be found, no
You'll never see that water flow
You'll never see the water flowing We that have tasted such beauties of corruption
Triumphal arches raised designed to fall again
My kingdom and place of exile
You'll never see the water flowing. Your shouts of righteousness jaded our contributions
Too scared for anger, the cause without a rebel
No revolutions in four four time
You'll… Your shouts of righteousness jaded our contributions
Too scared for anger, the cause without a rebel
No revolutions in four four time
You'll never see that water flowing. I walk down amongst the ruins and past glories shattered me
Elysian decays, answers that we are finding
Waters of perfection fade
You'll never see the water flow
You'll never see the water flow
You'll never see the water flowing.
Phoenix Rises
Thanks
Ahmed Ildo
I bought this on vinyl. This is from CD and a brilliant song. The great thing about BTATS was every single was pure genius.
Jon Myers
My brother played this for me from the Goodbye to the Village EP when it came out. I seriously got into this band, in all of their different eras. I'm mostly interested in 70s progressive rock, but KJ is in my top 3 of all time, they blow my mind to this day, yes, even the newer stuff.
Karina Saeki
Cuando eschucho esa música,me quedo triste y feliz al mismo tiempo. Killing Joke ❤
Night Mike
This is where Killing Joke were improving on their kick ass music, intricate stylings on their noise, plenty of great lyrics to boot.
Google made me do it
I finally found a post-punk band that I'm able to put next to Joy Division. Grand :)
TheAnalPunisher
KJ are so much more than post punk