The Fish era is often categorized as neo-progressive. They originally started as "Silmarillion" (from Tolkien's book) with heavy influences from classic Genesis but went on to develop their own distinctive sound. The band was formed in 1979 by Mick Pointer (drums), Steve Rothery (guitar), Doug 'Rastus' Irvine (bass), and others, soon adding vocalist Fish (real name Derek W. Dick), Diz Minitt (bass), and Brian Jelliman. By the time of their first album, 1983's Script for a Jester's Tear, the bass position had been taken over by Pete Trewavas and keyboards by Mark Kelly.
The studio albums Fugazi (1984), Misplaced Childhood (1985), and Clutching at Straws (1987), as well as the 1984 live album Real to Reel all sold respectably, and the band scored a hit single in Britain with Kayleigh in 1985.
When Fish left the band in 1988 after four albums he was replaced by Steve Hogarth. A former member of The Europeans and some-time collaborator with The The and Julian Cope, Hogarth brought a new energy to the band.
Across a further ten albums, Hogarth – along with existing members Rothery, Kelly, Trewavas, and Mosley – have reinvigorated and constantly redefined Marillion’s sound. They forged into new musical territories with a succession of inventive, emotional albums, displaying little regard to the vagaries of hit charts or radio playlists.
After the release of 1999’s marillion.com the band freed themselves from record company pressure once and for all by launching their own record label, the Intact imprint.
Thanks to their pioneering embrace of the Internet through their website http://marillion.com, Marillion have developed a unique and intimate relationship with their fans. From sponsoring entire tours of the USA to funding the recording of recent albums, Marillion’s global fan-base is unique in its affection and dedication. As a result, such passionate, wholesale support has allowed Marillion to step outside of the conventional music industry and find their own path.
In 2001 Anoraknophobia saw Marillion take the groundbreaking step of asking fans to pre-order an album 12 months before release. An amazing 12,000 people signed up, helping to finance the recording. The band once again took pre-orders for the 2004 release Marbles, but this time the money was channelled into a campaign fund to promote its launch. The success of singles Don't Hurt Yourself and You're Gone – the latter making it all the way to number 7 – vindicated the band's independent strategy.
Their 2007 album Somewhere Else reached number 24 in the UK album chart with their most recent single Thankyou Whoever You Are hitting the UK singles chart at number 15. The band shows no signs of fading away after more than 25 years of activity.
Their 15th album, "Happiness is the road", was physically released in October 2008 but was originally available exclusively from the band's website. It was released with little promotion and a deluxe pre-order package was made available as with Marbles. 'Happiness is the Road' is the second studio double album of a long career (2004's Marbles was the other). A UK and European tour followed the album's release, and the band is taking special effort to record every show in the "Happiness on the Road" tour, making the recordings available from the band's website.
Jigsaw
Marillion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Intelocked through a missing piece.
We are Renaissance children becalmed beneath the bridge of sighs,
Forever throwing firebrands at the stonework.
We are Siamese children related by the heart,
Bleeding from the surgery of initial confrontation,
Holding the word scalpels on trembling lips.
Stand straight, look me in the eye and say goodbye, say goodbye.
Stand straight, we've drifted past the point of reasons why.
Yesterday starts tomorrow, tomorrow starts today,
The problems always seem to be, we're picking up the pieces on the ricochet.
This is the ricochet...
Drowning Tequila sunsets, stowaways on midnight ships,
Refugees of romance plead asylum from the real.
Scrambling distress signals on random frequencies,
Forever repatriated on guilt laden morning planes.
We are pilots of passion sweating the flight on course
To another summit conference, another breakfast time divorce,
Screaming out a ceasefire, snowblind in an avalanche zone.
Stand straight, look me in the eye and say goodbye, say goodbye.
Stand straight, we've drifted past the point of reasons why.
Yesterday starts tomorrow, tomorrow starts today,
The problems always seem to be, we're picking up the pieces on the ricochet.
This is the ricochet...
Are we trigger happy, happy, happy?
Russian roulette in the waiting room,
Empty chambers embracing the end.
Puzzled visions haunt the ripples of a trevi moon,
Dream coins for the fountain or to cover your eyes.
We reached ignition point from the sparks of pleasantries,
We sensed the smoke advancing from horizons,
You must have known that I was planning, considering an escape.
Stand straight, look me in the eye and say goodbye, say goodbye.
Stand straight, we've drifted past the point of reasons why.
Yesterday starts tomorrow, tomorrow starts today,
And the problems always seem to be,
We're picking up the pieces on the ricochet.
This is the ricochet,
I'll be seeing you again on the ricochet,
Will you show me the pieces next time on the ricochet, (ricochet)
I'll be seeing you again on the ricochet,
There's a problem, there's a ricochet, (ricochet)
The lyrics of Marillion's song "Jigsaw" convey a sense of fragmentation and disconnection, both between individuals and within oneself. The first stanza sets the stage for this theme, describing the interconnectedness of people as jigsaw pieces, but also highlighting the missing piece that leaves us incomplete. The reference to the Bridge of Sighs, an iconic Venetian bridge where prisoners would take one last look at the city before being incarcerated or executed, adds a layer of melancholy to the imagery.
The second stanza delves deeper into the idea of internal conflict and emotional turmoil. The reference to Siamese twins joined at the heart suggests a deep bond but also a painful separation, experienced through "the surgery of initial confrontation." The use of scalpels as a metaphor for words and the trembling lips of the singer, suggests the fear and pain that comes with these emotional confrontations.
The chorus serves as a call to action, urging the listener to confront their problems directly, to say goodbye to what is holding them back, and to begin to pick up the pieces of their lives. The final verse continues the words of agitation and desperation, but ultimately ends with a sense of hope as the singer recognizes the possibility of escape and vows to see the pieces more clearly on the ricochet.
Line by Line Meaning
We are jigsaw pieces aligned on the perimeter edge,
We are like puzzle pieces connected around the edges.
Interlocked through a missing piece.
But we are missing a connecting piece, so we're incomplete.
We are Renaissance children becalmed beneath the bridge of sighs,
We are lost in this world, like children stuck under a bridge of sadness.
Forever throwing firebrands at the stonework.
And we keep trying to change things, but it feels like we're just throwing flames at solid walls.
We are Siamese children related by the heart,
We are joined together by something deep within us.
Bleeding from the surgery of initial confrontation,
But we've been hurt in the past, and the wounds still hurt.
Holding the word scalpels on trembling lips.
So we are afraid to speak our minds, for fear that we'll hurt each other again.
Stand straight, look me in the eye and say goodbye, say goodbye.
We need to face each other and say farewell.
Stand straight, we've drifted past the point of reasons why.
We've gone too far past the point of explanation.
Yesterday starts tomorrow, tomorrow starts today,
The past has an impact on the future, and every present moment is a new beginning.
The problems always seem to be, we're picking up the pieces on the ricochet.
But it feels like we always end up fixing things after they've fallen apart.
This is the ricochet...
This is the unavoidable aftermath of trying to make things better.
Drowning Tequila sunsets, stowaways on midnight ships,
We're lost at sea, trying to find our way.
Refugees of romance plead asylum from the real.
We're running away from reality and seeking solace in each other.
Scrambling distress signals on random frequencies,
But sometimes we're not even sure what we're trying to say to each other.
Forever repatriated on guilt-laden morning planes.
And we keep coming back to each other, even though we know it's not healthy.
We are pilots of passion sweating the flight on course
We're both passionate about each other, but the relationship feels like a turbulent flight.
To another summit conference, another breakfast time divorce,
We keep trying to fix things, but it always feels like we end up splitting apart.
Screaming out a ceasefire, snowblind in an avalanche zone.
We need to stop fighting, but we're lost in a dangerous situation that feels like it's out of control.
Are we trigger happy, happy, happy?
Are we too quick to jump into things without thinking them through?
Russian roulette in the waiting room,
It's like we're playing a dangerous game of chance and we're waiting to see what will happen next.
Empty chambers embracing the end.
But even when there's nothing left, we keep clinging to the relationship.
Puzzled visions haunt the ripples of a trevi moon,
We're lost and confused, and the things that used to give us joy now seem like illusions.
Dream coins for the fountain or to cover your eyes.
We're not even sure what we're hoping for anymore.
We reached ignition point from the sparks of pleasantries,
We fell in love, but the relationship has turned into something almost destructive.
We sensed the smoke advancing from horizons,
We know that the relationship is going from bad to worse.
You must have known that I was planning, considering an escape.
We're both thinking about a way out of this relationship, even though we don't want to hurt each other.
I'll be seeing you again on the ricochet,
We know we'll be back in this situation again, even if we try to avoid it.
Will you show me the pieces next time on the ricochet, (ricochet)
Maybe next time we'll be able to fix what's broken, if we can just stay connected.
There's a problem, there's a ricochet, (ricochet)
We're never going to be able to avoid the problems between us.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HENRIK CARL BACKSTROM, OSCAR THOMAS HOLTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MareWakefield
"Refugees of romance plead asylum from the real..." Really feeling this right now. Thanks for sharing.
@watleythewizard2381
Words are pigments and Fish was a master. Too deep and true to the human condition for this day and age.
@johnnynapalm737
Masterful display of lyrical genius
@Thiborfirenz
i am having this and coldplays trouble played at my funeral!
I highly doubt anyone there will understand why!