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.
Wound
Marillion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Left it on it's own for years
I've done everything that can be done to heal this wound
Left it on it's own for years
Couldn't touch it, didn't pick it, didn't get it wet
It didn't stop the bleeding
I held it stiff & aching in the air
Held it there til I went beserk
Didn't sleep
It didn't work
Didn't stop it weeping
And the wound is your life
And your life took on a life of it's own
(Or so you foolishly thought)
And your life rolled on over me Bang-Bang like 56 train wheels
Every time I heard news of you
And the wound was in every lousy song on the radio
And the pain was like a tree-fern in the dark, damp, forgotten places
Darkness didn't stop her growing
New-born baby cells dividing..
Curled up tight unrolling day by day
Stretching up, stretching out
Forming the same identical shape
Clones. There ain't too much sadder than
Clones - relentlessly emerging from the hairy heart of the wound
And the fern is beautiful in it's own way
Uncurling in the dark
Beautiful with no one there to see it
As the would weeps & aches
(Now there's some sad things known to the man from the planet Marzipan)
The lyrics of Marillion's song "Wound" explore the idea of emotional wounds that persist despite attempts at healing. The singer describes how they've tried everything to heal the wound, but nothing has worked. They've bandaged it, wrapped it, stitched it, and tourniqueted it. They've also left it alone for years, trying not to touch it, pick it, or get it wet, but it still bleeds. The wound becomes a metaphor for the singer's life, which has taken on a life of its own and rolled over the singer like a train. Every time the singer hears news of the person who caused the wound, the pain returns, manifesting itself in every lousy song on the radio.
The wound is described as a dark, damp, forgotten place where a fern grows. The fern is beautiful in its own way, uncurling in the dark, but no one is there to see it. The fern represents new life and growth that emerge from the wound, but the singer is also aware of the sadness inherent in this phenomenon. The wound becomes fertile ground for clones to emerge, relentlessly emerging from the heart of the wound. The singer is left with a deep sense of sadness and helplessness in the face of this wound that cannot be healed.
Line by Line Meaning
I've done everything that can be done to heal this wound
I have tried every possible way to make things better
Left it on it's own for years
Abandoned the wound hoping that time will heal everything
Couldn't touch it, didn't pick it, didn't get it wet
Avoided touching, picking, and getting the wound wet to prevent further injury
It didn't stop the bleeding
Despite efforts, the wound was still bleeding
I bandaged it, I wrapped it, stitched it, tourniqueted it
Applied various methods to help heal the wound
I held it stiff & aching in the air
Endured the pain of the wound without relieving it
Held it there til I went beserk
Tried to endure the pain but eventually became overwhelmed by it
Didn't sleep
The pain of the wound caused insomnia
It didn't work
Despite attempts, the wound was not healing
Didn't stop it weeping
The wound was still hurting and causing emotional pain
And the wound is your life
The wound is a reflection of your life and your past experiences
And your life took on a life of it's own
Your life has become uncontrollable and unpredictable
(Or so you foolishly thought)
Your perception of your life was misguided and wrong
And your life rolled on over me Bang-Bang like 56 train wheels
Your life kept moving forward without recognition of the negative impact on others
Every time I heard news of you
Updates about your life brought back memories and emotional pain
And the wound was in every lousy song on the radio
The wound was a constant presence and reminder in daily life
And the pain was like a tree-fern in the dark, damp, forgotten places
The pain of the wound was deep and hidden
Darkness didn't stop her growing
The pain and trauma continued to affect life even in darkness
New-born baby cells dividing..
The pain and trauma began to manifest itself in different ways and continue to grow
Curled up tight unrolling day by day
The pain and trauma was growing and intensifying over time
Stretching up, stretching out
The pain and trauma started to affect different areas of life
Forming the same identical shape
The pain and trauma continued to repeat itself
Clones. There ain't too much sadder than Clones - relentlessly emerging from the hairy heart of the wound
The pain and trauma continued to affect life in the same way, with no hope for change or improvement
And the fern is beautiful in it's own way
Despite the pain and trauma, there is beauty in the resiliency and growth of life
Uncurling in the dark
Life is still growing and evolving even in difficult times
Beautiful with no one there to see it
Resiliency and growth can still occur without outside recognition or validation
As the would weeps & aches
Despite the beauty of life, the wound continues to cause pain
(Now there's some sad things known to the man from the planet Marzipan)
Life can be filled with sadness and pain, regardless of where you come from
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: IAN MOSLEY (T), MARK KELLY (T), PETER JOHN TREWAVAS, STEVEN HOGARTH (T), STEVEN THOMAS ROTHERY (T)
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind