Born in Montreal, Quebec, Furey trained as a classical violinist, and at age 11 performed as a soloist in the Matinées pour la jeunesse concert series of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He later studied at the Juilliard School in New York City. In 1972, he began playing and recording his own rock music compositions. In the ensuing years, he produced three albums of pop music: Lewis Furey (1974), The Humours Of (1976) and The Sky is Falling (1978). Distinguishing features of the albums were Furey’s Lou Reed-like vocal stylings, a number of songs with gay content (particularly the local Montréal radio hit Hustler’s Tango), and exotic arrangements featuring unusual uses of violin and banjo as well as elements of klezmer music.
In 1975, he began a very successful new venture as a composer for films. His first film score, for director Gilles Carle’s La Tête de Normand St. Onge (1975), won a Canadian Film Award. In 1976 he worked on the Gilles Carle film L'Ange et la femme along with his future wife, the actress and singer Carole Laure. This project involved more than composing alone; Furey and Laure are famously seen performing a sex act in the film. Furey also composed for the Allan Moyle film The Rubber Gun, which despite the risqué-sounding title was about families affected by drug use. Later in the 1970’s, Furey and Laure produced a number of successful stage reviews in Paris. Furey also served as producer and frequently also as songwriter for a series of albums by Carole Laure, beginning with Alibis (1978), a hit in Québec in 1978. In 1979, Furey wrote the music for another Gilles Carle film, Fantastica, which starred Laure in the lead role of Lorca. Furey also acted in the film and was nominated for a Genie Award in Canada for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.”
Furey further developed his career in film and television music with productions such as a 1983 Gilles Carle movie, Maria Chapdelaine, based on the classic Québec-based Louis Hémon novel of the same name. His score for this film won a Genie Award. His 1985 directorial debut was in the film Night Magic, with script co-written by Leonard Cohen.
Based in France since the late 1970’s, Furey has continued to score film and television work as well as producing and writing for successful albums by Laure, such as She Says Move On (1991) and Sentiments naturels (1997). A stage production based on the latter ran for over a month in Paris in 1998.
Coming Back
Lewis Furey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You must do what
We must do what must be done
(Judy) I hear my baby calling
He is asking to be born
I see the curtains parting
That our kisses have outworn ...
(Angels) Kisses all outworn...
(Judy) I'll raise a tent of shelter
Now though every thread is torn
(Angels) Every thread is torn...
(Judy) I take my life from realms of light
And hang it on a thorn
(Angels) Hanging on a thorn...
(Judy) I hear the children calling
Asking to be born
I see the curtains parting
And my life upon a thorn
The stars have lost their fire
And the moon has lost her voice
And I'm coming back to find you
I have made the human choice.
(Angels) You've made your choice
The world you choose
Garlands of planets and starlight
Now you lose
(Judy) He's the only one who knows me
He's the riddle of my life
And they'll never tell the story
Of the husband and the wife
(Angels) The world she chooses, she loses...
(Judy) He's the stone that broke my heart
The foundation of my home --
(Angels) This we must do!
(Judy) He's the sweetness of the sweetness
Of the sweetness honeycomb
(Angels) We must do what we must do!
(Judy) And he's welcome to his glory
And he's buried in my life
And they'll never tell the story
Of the husband and the wife
(Angels) She takes her life from realms of light
(Valkyries) She hangs it on a thorn
(Angels) She disobeys the law
(Valkyries) The law is broken
You must get them
(Angels) Get him.
(Valkyries) Get them!
Messenger
Listen
Messenger
Do what must be done
And our will be done
Will be done
The lyrics to "Coming Back" by Lewis Furey evoke a sense of sacrifice and struggle, as a woman named Judy navigates the difficult decision to have a child despite opposition from an angelic chorus. The song opens with the chorus of angels warning Judy that she cannot go through with something, but she insists that she hears her baby calling and will take whatever steps necessary to protect it. She raises a "tent of shelter" despite every thread being torn, and takes her life from realms of light only to hang it on a thorn. The angels continue to warn her and tell her that she is losing everything, but she persists in her decision.
The song shifts to a focus on the man responsible for Judy's pregnancy, as she describes him as the "riddle of [her] life" and the "stone that broke [her] heart." The angels declare that Judy is disobeying the law and that they must get the man responsible, but the Valkyries urge them to get both Judy and the man. The song ends with a messenger imploring everyone to do what must be done, implying that there will be consequences for Judy's decision.
Overall, "Coming Back" seems to be a meditation on the difficult decisions women face in regards to childbirth and motherhood. Judy's struggle against the angels suggests a larger societal pressure to conform to norms that may not be best for everyone, and her decision to go against their wishes highlights the importance of individual agency and the ability to make choices for oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
(Angels) You can't do this
There are certain rules to follow which you are not doing
You must do what
You must do what is necessary
We must do what must be done
We must follow the law and do what we are supposed to do
(Judy) I hear my baby calling
I hear my unborn child calling me
He is asking to be born
He wants to come into this world
I see the curtains parting
I see the separation of a relationship
That our kisses have outworn ...
Our affection has faded away
(Angels) Kisses all outworn...
The love and affection have vanished
(Judy) I'll raise a tent of shelter
I will find a temporary home
Now though every thread is torn
Even though everything seems to be falling apart
(Angels) Every thread is torn...
Everything seems to be broken
(Judy) I take my life from realms of light
I derive my life from what I believe in
And hang it on a thorn
And sacrifice it for something greater
(Angels) Hanging on a thorn...
Sacrificing oneself for a greater good
(Judy) I hear the children calling
I hear the voices of the unborn children
Asking to be born
They want to come into this world
The stars have lost their fire
The stars have lost their light
And the moon has lost her voice
The moon does not have the power to influence anymore
And I'm coming back to find you
I am coming back to reunite with you
I have made the human choice.
I have made a decision as a human being
(Angels) You've made your choice
You have made your own decision
The world you choose
The world you selected for yourself
Garlands of planets and starlight
The beauty of the universe
Now you lose
Now you have to face the consequences
(Judy) He's the only one who knows me
He is the only one who understands me
He's the riddle of my life
He is the mystery of my life
And they'll never tell the story
No one will ever know the true story
Of the husband and the wife
Of the relationship between husband and wife
(Angels) The world she chooses, she loses...
The world she chose may have consequences
(Judy) He's the stone that broke my heart
He is the one who has hurt me the most
The foundation of my home --
The main structure of my life
(Angels) This we must do!
We must act on this matter
(Judy) He's the sweetness of the sweetness
He is the epitome of sweetness
Of the sweetness honeycomb
Of the perfect sweetness of life
(Angels) We must do what we must do!
We must follow the rules and do what is necessary
(Judy) And he's welcome to his glory
He deserves the success he has achieved
And he's buried in my life
He is a part of my life
They'll never tell the story
No one will know the true story
Of the husband and the wife
Of the relationship between husband and wife
(Angels) She takes her life from realms of light
She derives her life from her beliefs
(Valkyries) She hangs it on a thorn
She sacrifices her life for a greater good
(Angels) She disobeys the law
She did not follow the rules
(Valkyries) The law is broken
The rules have been broken
You must get them
You must take action against them
(Angels) Get him.
Take action against him
(Valkyries) Get them!
Take action against them
Messenger
A messenger delivering a message
Listen
Listen to what I have to say
Do what must be done
Do what you have to do
And our will be done
And our mission will be accomplished
Contributed by Liam K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.