Lead into Gold is considered his 'solo' side-project after he joined Ministry. Under this name he put out 2 releases, a full length called: Age of Reason (featuring his brother Roland (from the Blackouts on one track and Ministry's Al Jourgensen on another) and a CD single/12" called: Chicks & Speed: Futurism. A video for the song "Faster Than Light" was created with Jourgenson & Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails) both making an appearance, which was available on the Wax Trax! Black Box. A 12" EP titled "Low and Slow" was released roughly 25 years after recording in 2015 on Wax Trax! Records.
In 2018, "The Sun Behind The Sun" was released on the label "No, So Yes Recordings", featuring appearances by people such as Bill Rieflin (of groups Ministry, Revolting Cocks and others.) on tracks 1, 2, 6, and 8. In 2023, Paul Barker and Josh Holley (Who co-owns MALEKKO Heavy Industry with Paul) joined the Skinny Puppy final tour as an opening act on both legs of the tour.
Idiot
Lead Into Gold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury
Time is a tale
Lived by an idiot
Now is a time
Just for the fun of it
Forever present
Here is a place
And because of it
You feel without mercy
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Dream of a scene
And because of it
You know sound and fury
Dream a dream
Just for the fun of it
Or is it unrealistic?
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Listen, dear, can't you hear
The words of an idiot
Or do they mock you?
Look here, dear, can't you see
Through the eyes of an idiot
Or do they mock you?
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
This is a tale
Told by an idiot
The lyrics of the Lead Into Gold song, "Idiot," are a reflection on the nature of life and time, and the human experience of both. The opening lines, "Life is a tale/Told by an idiot/Full of sound and fury," are likely inspired by the famous quote from Shakespeare's Macbeth: "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/And then is heard no more: it is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/Signifying nothing." These lines suggest that life is both meaningless and chaotic, and that those in it are foolishly playing their parts.
The reference to time as a tale lived by an idiot further emphasizes this sense of pointlessness, as time constantly passes without true purpose. The lines "Listen, dear, can't you hear/The words of an idiot/Or do they mock you?" and "Look here, dear, can't you see/Through the eyes of an idiot/Or do they mock you?" add a layer of introspection to the song, questioning whether our own experiences of life and time may be foolish or meaningless as well.
The repeated refrain, "Life is a tale/Told by an idiot," serves as a constant reminder of the theme throughout the song. The final line, "This is a tale/Told by an idiot," drives home the point that the song itself may be just another example of the meaningless sound and fury of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Life is a tale
Life is a story
Told by an idiot
Told by a foolish person
Full of sound and fury
Full of noise and chaos
Time is a tale
Time is a story
Lived by an idiot
Experienced by a foolish person
So, what time is it?
What is the current moment?
Now is a time
The present is a moment
Just for the fun of it
Just for enjoyment, not seriousness
Forever present
Always existing in the present
Here is a place
A location exists
And because of it
As a result of this location
You feel without mercy
You feel merciless or unforgiving
Dream of a scene
Imagine a setting
And because of it
As a result of this imagination
You know sound and fury
You understand chaos and noise
Dream a dream
Imagine a dream
Or is it unrealistic?
Or is it not plausible?
Listen, dear, can't you hear
Pay attention, can't you perceive the sound?
The words of an idiot
The foolish utterances
Or do they mock you?
Or do they taunt you?
Look here, dear, can't you see
Observe, can't you perceive?
Through the eyes of an idiot
Through the foolish person's perspective
This is a tale
This is a story
Told by an idiot
Told by a foolish person
Contributed by Charlie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
BogdanToxic
Lyrics.
Just for the fun of it
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Full of sound and fury
Time is a tale
Lived by an idiot
So, what time is it?
Now is a time
Just for the fun of it
Forever present
Here is a place
And because of it
You feel without mercy
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Dream of a scene
And because of it
You know sound and fury
Dream a dream
Just for the fun of it
Or is it unrealistic?
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
Listen, dear, can't you hear
The words of an idiot
Or do they mock you?
Look here, dear, can't you see
Through the eyes of an idiot
Or do they mock you?
Life is a tale
Told by an idiot
This is a tale
Told by an idiot
Plaintiff's Ex
Had this 12" in high school. Loaned it to my friend, along with ministry, Greater than One, etc. His mom was super Christian, flipped out when she found em in his room, and threw em away. Big bummer but I'm not gonna fight a mom. Over it now. Good post. 🙇🏽🙋🏼
Java Ally
My friend had the same problem except his mom was super woke
Gwen Korinek
masterpiece. I love how he uses the brakes as melodic elements, the panned tom runs (yup I'm an 80s kid lol) and the subtle synth key melodies towards the end.. the "broad" chorus with the trumpets.. and the EBM vibes ... LOVE this, thank you Paul
rewanji
By far the best Lead Into Gold track. Just amazing…🎧
TheMorganRose
As a kid this track made me understand how we went from Twitch to The Land Of Rape And Honey...
enki carbone
Forgot how incredible this track was.
Amit M
Nothing compares to Paul in his element. 🤘
The Kniving Complex
Ugh love the classic drums :)
DXSTRYR
Oh wow its been decades since I heard this song. Great Track thanks for the upload.
scott fryoux
Absolute perfection