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.
Into My Arms
Nick Cave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I know, darling, that you do
But if I did, I would kneel down and ask Him
Not to intervene when it came to you
Oh, not to touch a hair on your head
Leave you as you are
If he felt he had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
And I don't believe in the existence of angels
But looking at you I wonder if that's true
But if I did I would summon them together
And ask them to watch over you
Both to each burn a candle for you
To make bright and clear your path
And to walk, like Christ, in grace and love
And guide you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
But I believe in Love
And I know that you do, too
And I believe in some kind of path
That we can walk down, me and you
So keep your candles burning
Make her journey bright and pure
That she'll keep returning
Always and evermore
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
The lyrics to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's song "Into My Arms" speak to the idea of love, faith, and protection. Cave begins by stating that he does not believe in an interventionist God, but acknowledges that his partner does. He goes on to suggest that if God were to intervene, he would plead with him not to alter anything about his partner, but rather direct her towards him. He expresses his desire for her to remain untouched and whole, and to come to him willingly.
Cave then speaks to the possibility of angels, stating that he doesn't believe in their existence, but looking at his partner, he wonders if they might just exist. He goes on to say that if they did, he would ask them to watch over her and guide her towards him. He emphasizes the importance of their protection, ensuring that her path is bright and clear, and that they walk with grace and love.
In the final verse, Cave turns his attention towards his belief in love and the path that he and his partner can walk together. He implores his partner to keep her candles burning, to make her journey bright and pure, and to always return to him. The use of candles suggests a hope for enlightenment and clarity, and the constant presence of his partner. Overall, the lyrics to "Into My Arms" express Cave's deep love and desire to protect his partner, even in the face of uncertain faith.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't believe in an interventionist God
I don't believe in God intervening in human affairs
But I know, darling, that you do
But I know that you believe in God
But if I did, I would kneel down and ask Him
But hypothetically, if I did believe in God, I would pray
Not to intervene when it came to you
Not to interfere with or harm you
Oh, not to touch a hair on your head
Not to harm even a single strand of your hair
Leave you as you are
To let you be your true self
If he felt he had to direct you
If God felt the need to guide you
Then direct you into my arms
Then lead you to me
Into my arms, oh Lord
Lead the person to me
And I don't believe in the existence of angels
I don't believe in supernatural beings called angels
But looking at you I wonder if that's true
But when I see you, I question my disbelief
But if I did I would summon them together
But if I did believe in angels, I would call upon them
And ask them to watch over you
And request them to guard and protect you
Both to each burn a candle for you
To have two angels light a candle for you
To make bright and clear your path
To make your journey through life illuminate and easy
And to walk, like Christ, in grace and love
And to guide you with compassion and love like Jesus
And guide you into my arms
And lead you to me
But I believe in Love
But I believe in the power of love
And I know that you do, too
And I know that you also believe in the power of love
And I believe in some kind of path
And I believe in a journey or destiny for us
That we can walk down, me and you
That we can experience together
So keep your candles burning
So keep your spirit alive
Make her journey bright and pure
Make her journey through life illuminated and innocent
That she'll keep returning
So that she will come back to me
Always and evermore
Always and forever
Into my arms, oh Lord
Lead the person to me
Into my arms, oh Lord
Lead the person to me
Into my arms, oh Lord
Lead the person to me
Into my arms
Lead the person to me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Edward Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@prembyrne6550
Nick Cave on the death in 2015 of his teenage son Arthur:
"Arthur’s death literally changed everything for me. Absolutely everything. It made me a religious person. I am not talking about being a traditional Christian. I am not even talking about a belief in God, necessarily. It made me a religious person in the sense that I felt, on a profound level, a deep inclusion in the human predicament, and an understanding of our vulnerability and the sense that, as individuals, we are, each of us, imperilled. Each life is precarious, and some of us understand it and some don’t. I became a person after my son died.
The world seemed to vibrate with a peculiar, spiritual energy. I was genuinely surprised by how susceptible I became to a kind of magical thinking. How readily I dispensed with that wholly rational part of my mind and how comforting it was to do so. Now, that may well be a strategy for survival and, as such, a part of the ordinary mechanics of grief, but it is something that persists to this day. Perhaps it is a kind of delusion, I don’t know, but if it is, it is a necessary and benevolent one.
Things happen in your life, terrible things, great obliterating events, where the need for spiritual consolation can be immense, and your sense of what is rational is less coherent and can suddenly find itself on very shaky ground. I think of late I’ve grown increasingly impatient with my own skepticism; it feels obtuse and counter-productive, something that’s simply standing in the way of a better-lived life. I love this world — with all its joys and its vast goodness, its civility and complete and utter lack of it, its brilliance and its absurdity. I love it all, and the people in it, all of them. I feel nothing but deep gratitude to be a part of this whole cosmic mess.
I don’t know how to exactly say this, and please don’t misunderstand it, but since Arthur died I have been able to step beyond the full force of the grief and experience a kind of joy that is entirely new to me. It was as if grief enlarged my heart in some way. I have experienced periods of happiness more than I have ever felt before, even though it was the most devastating thing ever to happen to me.
This is Arthur’s gift to me, one of the many. It is his munificence that’s made me a different person. I say all this with huge caution and a million caveats, but I also say it because there are those who think there is no way back from the catastrophic event. That they will never laugh again. But there is, and they will."
@jesusmolina4997
I don't believe in an interventionist God
But I know, darling, that you do
But if I did, I would kneel down and ask Him
Not to intervene when it came to you
Oh, not to touch a hair on your head
Leave you as you are
If he felt he had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
And I don't believe in the existence of angels
But looking at you I wonder if that's true
But if I did I would summon them together
And ask them to watch over you
Both to each burn a candle for you
To make bright and clear your path
And to walk, like Christ, in grace and love
And guide you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
But I believe in Love
And I know that you do, too
And I believe in some kind of path
That we can walk down, me and you
So keep your candles burning
Make her journey bright and pure
That she'll keep returning
Always and evermore
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
@vindictivevillain
[LYRICS]
I don't believe in an interventionist God
But I know, darling, that you do
But if I did, I would kneel down and ask Him
Not to intervene when it came to you
Oh, not to touch a hair on your head
Leave you as you are
If he felt he had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
And I don't believe in the existence of angels
But looking at you I wonder if that's true
But if I did I would summon them together
And ask them to watch over you
Both to each burn a candle for you
To make bright and clear your path
And to walk, like Christ, in grace and love
And guide you into my arms
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
But I believe in Love
And I know that you do, too
And I believe in some kind of path
That we can walk down, me and you
So keep your candles burning
Make her journey bright and pure
That she'll keep returning
Always and evermore
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms, oh Lord
Into my arms
@samirafterone
I don't believe in an interventionist God
But I know, darling, that you do
But if I did I would kneel down and ask Him
Not to intervene when it came to you
Not to touch a hair on your head
To leave you as you are
And if He felt He had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms
And I don't believe in the existence of angels
But looking at you I wonder if that's true
But if I did I would summon them together
And ask them to watch over you
To each burn a candle for you
To make bright and clear your path
And to walk, like Christ, in grace and love
And guide you into my arms
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms
But I believe in Love
And I know that you do too
And I believe in some kind of path
That we can walk down, me and you
So keep your candles burning
And make her journey bright and pure
That she will keep returning
Always and evermore
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms, O Lord
Into my arms
@samg6940
This man has lost two children and managed to continue on with grace and eloquence. I'll never know how many people he's helped survive unbearable grief, but I know that he deserves all the recognition in the world for how much he has done.
@kyliestorm_music
True 👍 he stays true to himself
@cj3126
Sam, I love Nick, seen live a few times but both kids died due to drugs. I knew one but when I found out the second you have nobody to blame but the parents. Our "heros" are not usually good people in real life.
@DanielFranc35
He must believe in God
@samg6940
@@cj3126 I certainly can't disagree with you about our heroes being shitty people more often than not, but I don't jive with your reasoning here.
I've grown up in a family rife with mental illness and addiction. Every branch of our tree has carried on the legacy. There were all kinds of different parenting styles and levels of dedication to therapy or what have you but, at the end of the day, the majority of us ended up with some degree of psychological issues. I don't know Nick Cave's family history, but I do know he's an addict - a lot of the time that's all that it takes for it to bleed into the children.
I'm sure there's a lot that he could've done better, but it seems unnecessarily cruel to imply that his children died because he was a bad parent. There's so much more to it than that
@mitchhills4747
@@cj3126 You really can't blame the parents like that. Kids grow up and make their own decisions. They are not puppets.....
@lindacottan2738
My little sister was cremated yesterday. She was diagnosed with cancer and passed away within a short 5 weeks.
This song was chosen for her funeral by our brother who thought the words fit the occasion perfectly.
Rest In Peace Theresa...you will be loved forever 🙏
@maiteleon6233
R.i p.
@davidganning8699
God rest her
@AnnPoland
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