Nicholas Edward Cave AO (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, s… Read Full Bio ↴Nicholas Edward Cave AO (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian singer, songwriter, author, screenwriter, composer and occasional actor, best known for fronting the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Cave's music is generally characterized by his baritone voice, emotional intensity, a wide variety of influences and lyrical obsessions with death, religion, love and violence.

Born and raised in rural Victoria, Cave studied art before fronting The Birthday Party, one of Melbourne's leading post-punk bands, in the late 1970s. They relocated to London in 1980, but, disillusioned by life there, evolved towards a darker, more challenging sound, and acquired a reputation as "the most violent live band in the world". At this time, Cave, with his shock of black hair and pale, emaciated look, became an unwilling gothic rock poster boy. Soon after the band's break-up in 1983, Cave formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Much of the band's early material was set in a mythic American Deep South, drawing on spirituals and Delta blues, while Cave's preoccupation with Old Testament notions of good versus evil culminated in what has been called his signature song, "The Mercy Seat" (1988). The 1990s saw Cave achieve greater commercial success with quieter, piano-driven ballads, notably the Kylie Minogue duet "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1996), and "Into My Arms" (1997). More recent releases, including the band's 17th and latest LP, Ghosteen (2019), feature increasingly abstract lyrics from Cave, as well as elements of ambient and electronic music. Grinderman, Cave's garage rock side project, has released two albums since 2006.

Cave co-wrote, scored and starred in the 1988 Australian prison film Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (1988), directed by John Hillcoat. He also wrote the screenplay for Hillcoat's bushranger film The Proposition (2005), and composed the soundtrack with frequent collaborator Warren Ellis. The pair's film score credits include The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007), The Road (2009), Lawless (2012), and Hell or High Water (2016). Cave is the subject of several films, including the semi-fictional "day in the life" 20,000 Days on Earth (2014), and the documentary One More Time with Feeling (2016). Cave has also released two novels: And the Ass Saw the Angel (1989) and The Death of Bunny Munro (2009).

Cave's work has become the subject of academic study, and his songs have been covered by a wide range of artists, including Johnny Cash ("The Mercy Seat"), Metallica ("Loverman") and Snoop Dogg ("Red Right Hand"). He was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame in 2007, and named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2017.

I LET LOVE IN
Nick Cave Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Despair and Deception, Love's ugly little twins
Came a-knocking on my door, I let them in
Darling, you're the punishment for all of my former sins

[Chorus:]
I let love in
I let love in

The door it opened just a crack, but Love was shrewed and bold
My life flashed before my eyes, it was a horror to behold
A life-sentence sweeping confetti from the floor of a concrete hole

[Chorus: x2]

Well I've been bound and gagged and I've been terrorized
And I've been castrated and I've been lobotomized
But never has my tormentor come in such a cunning disguise

[Chorus: x2]

O Lord, tell me what I done
Please don't leave me here alone
Where are my friends?
My friends are gone

O Lord, tell me what I done
Please don't leave me here alone
Where are my friends?
My friends are gone

[Chorus]

So if you're sitting all alone and hear a-knocking at you door
And the air is full of promises, well buddy, you've been warned
Far worse to be Love's lover than the lover that Love has scorned

[Chorus: x4]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Nick Cave's song "I Let Love In" describe how the singer initially welcomes love with open arms, only to realize too late that it's not always the beautiful thing it's made out to be. The opening lines of the verses use contrasting imageries of "Despair and Deception" being "Love's ugly little twins" to emphasize how it's not just one-sided happiness but a bundle of double-edged emotions. The phrase "Came a-knocking on my door, I let them in" highlights how the singer was willing to accept the potential risks that come with relationships.

However, the chorus uses repetition to convey an ominous undercurrent - "I let love in" repeated multiple times could be interpreted as a warning, indicating something wrong is just around the corner. The second verse describes how the door was opened "just a crack" but the consequences of that slight opening were dire. The metaphorical mention of his life flashing before his eyes alludes to how quickly he realized how he had been trapped by love. The last line of this verse, "A life-sentence sweeping confetti from the floor of a concrete hole," further underscores how, for him, love was nothing but empty celebration in a bleak reality.

The last verse paints a picture of the singer's suffering, listing out all the different ways he has been tortured. By juxtaposing them with the phrase "But never has my tormentor come in such a cunning disguise," it is evident that the tormentor is love, showing how it's easier to cope with physical pain than the emotional turmoil that comes with being in love. In conclusion, "I Let Love In" is a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of giving in to love too easily and the pain that comes with it.

Line by Line Meaning

Despair and Deception, Love's ugly little twins
Love often comes with feelings of despair and deception that can make one feel hopeless and lost.

Came a-knocking on my door, I let them in
Despite being aware of the negative aspects of love, the singer still opened himself up to it.

Darling, you're the punishment for all of my former sins
The person the singer fell in love with is the consequence of the mistakes and wrongdoings he committed in the past.

I let love in I let love in
The singer repeats this line as a confirmation that he embraced love willingly, warts and all.

The door it opened just a crack, but Love was shrewed and bold
The artist intended to let a little love into his life, but it ended up taking over and dominating him completely.

My life flashed before my eyes, it was a horror to behold
The singer's life passed before him, and he was horrified at the thought of his existence without love.

A life-sentence sweeping confetti from the floor of a concrete hole
The singer feels trapped and hopeless, like he's serving a pointless and never-ending sentence in a miserable situation.

Well I've been bound and gagged and I've been terrorized And I've been castrated and I've been lobotomized But never has my tormentor come in such a cunning disguise
The artist has been through some terrible experiences, but none of them compared to the pain and suffering caused by love.

O Lord, tell me what I done Please don't leave me here alone Where are my friends? My friends are gone
The singer is feeling lonely and abandoned, begging for answers and help from a higher power.

So if you're sitting all alone and hear a-knocking at you door And the air is full of promises, well buddy, you've been warned Far worse to be Love's lover than the lover that Love has scorned
The singer warns listeners to be cautious when opening themselves to love since it can be far worse than being the object of someone's love and then being rejected.

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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