Finn is said to have decided to become a musician at the age of 12 and throughout his school years performed in hospitals and prisons, as well as at home gatherings. In 1976 he formed a group known as After Hours with Mark Hough, Geoff Chunn and Alan Brown. The following year, in 1977, Finn was invited to London to join Split Enz, the band formed by his elder brother, Tim Finn. Split Enz broke up in 1984 and Neil Finn formed a new band, Crowded House, with several other Australian and New Zealand musicians.
Crowded House had a string of hits over the next 10 years, releasing four albums and culminating in a concert in the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. Finn went solo after this, releasing several albums as well as two albums with his brother Tim (Finn Brothers).
In 2007, Finn re-united Crowded House and released a new album, Time on Earth, and the band began a world tour. In 2010, another new album, "Intriguer", was released and coincided with another world tour.
In 2012, Finn recorded the track "Song of the Lonely Mountain", which was featured in the end credits of the movie "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey".
Twisty Bass
Neil Finn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The prisoner is loose
The wheel has come around
And the velvet curtain coming down
And left it there
A suitcase on a chair
I feel my weight
There's a river underground
In a place where there's no one to be found
And no one came to see
[Repeat: x3]
The oldest show in town
Santa's on the cross
Innocence is lost
The music's in your mind
And the windscreen wipers move in time
No one came to see
[Repeat: x2]
The oldest show in town
And the stranger was a ghost
The killer was a priest
Took the first excuse
Made the madness seem cute lipped
On your own you'll find your own escape
There are many ways to choose
And I don't know which one you should take
A home is all you want
On the back of a truck driving down the street
It doesn't seem so much
But it's all you need to make your life complete
No one came to see
[Repeat: x3]
The oldest show in town
No one came to see
I lean the slightest bit towards you
White turns into brown, light goes to black
Your eyes danced in my reflection
And the horse ate my trousers
The lyrics of Neil Finn's song "Twisty Bass" are enigmatic and open to interpretation, but at its core, the song seems to be about the impermanence of life and the search for a meaningful existence. The first verse depicts a hangman who is imprisoned and a prisoner who is loose, suggesting a reversal of power dynamics. The use of the metaphor of a "velvet curtain coming down" indicates an ending or closure of some kind, perhaps suggesting the end of a performance or show. The second verse sees Santa on the cross, hinting at the corruption of an icon of purity and goodness. The line "innocence is lost" reinforces the idea of the loss of something pure and uncorrupted. The chorus repeats the phrase "the oldest show in town," suggesting the cyclical nature of life and the constant repetition of patterns and events.
Line by Line Meaning
The hangman's in the noose
The executioner is in position
The prisoner is loose
The person held captive has escaped
The wheel has come around
The cycle of life has reached its end point
And the velvet curtain coming down
The final act is about to conclude
And left it there
Abandoned something in that location
A suitcase on a chair
A piece of luggage placed on top of a seat
I feel my weight
I am conscious of the pressure of my body
And something tells me
An inclination informs me
There's a river underground
There is a hidden and secret stream
In a place where there's no one to be found
In an area where there is an absence of people
And no one came to see
There was no audience or spectators
The oldest show in town
The longest running spectacle
Santa's on the cross
A fictional character is being sacrificed
Innocence is lost
Purity and naivete are destroyed
The music's in your mind
The song is internal and not physically present
And the windscreen wipers move in time
The windshield cleaning device matches the rhythm
And the stranger was a ghost
The unfamiliar figure was a spirit
The killer was a priest
The murderer was a member of the clergy
Took the first excuse
Seized the initial opportunity
Made the madness seem cute lipped
Presented insanity in an attractive manner
On your own you'll find your own escape
Independently, you will discover a way out
There are many ways to choose
Numerous paths and options are available
And I don't know which one you should take
I am uncertain which pathway to recommend
A home is all you want
A comfortable abode is your sole desire
On the back of a truck driving down the street
Riding on the rear of a vehicle being driven on a roadway
It doesn't seem so much
It is not particularly impressive
But it's all you need to make your life complete
However, it is adequate to fulfill your existence
No one came to see
No viewers or witnesses appeared
I lean the slightest bit towards you
I incline a small amount closer to you
White turns into brown, light goes to black
Colors shift and brightness diminishes
Your eyes danced in my reflection
Your gaze moved about within my mirrored image
And the horse ate my trousers
An unexpected and ridiculous event occurred
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: NEIL MULLANE FINN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind