The band has featured international personnel throughout its career and presently consists of Cave, violinist and multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis, bassist Martyn P. Casey (all from Australia), guitarist George Vjestica (United Kingdom), keyboardist/percussionist Toby Dammit (United States) and drummers Thomas Wydler (Switzerland) and Jim Sclavunos (United States). The band has released sixteen studio albums and completed numerous international tours, and has been considered "one of the most original and celebrated bands of the post-punk and alternative rock eras in the '80s and onward".
The band was founded in 1983 following the demise of Cave and Harvey's former group the Birthday Party, the members of which met at a boarding school in Victoria. By the release of their fifth studio album Tender Prey in 1988, they shifted from post-punk towards an experimental alternative rock sound, later incorporating various influences throughout their career. For example, the 2008 album Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! and the side-project Grinderman were strongly influenced by garage rock. Synthesizers and minimal guitar work feature prominently on Push the Sky Away (2013), recorded after Harvey's departure from the band in 2009.
The project that would later evolve into Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds began following the demise of The Birthday Party in August 1983. Both Cave and Harvey were members of the Birthday Party, along with guitarist Rowland S. Howard and bassist Tracy Pew. During the recording sessions of the Birthday Party's scheduled EPs Mutiny/The Bad Seed, internal disputes developed in the band. The difference in Cave and Howard's approach to songwriting was a major factor, as Cave explained in an interview with On The Street: "the main reason why The Birthday Party broke up was that the sort of songs that I was writing and the sort of songs that Rowland was writing were just totally at odds with each other." Following the departure of Harvey, they officially disbanded. Cave also said that "it probably would have gone on longer, but Mick has the ability to judge things much more clearly than the rest of us."[8]
Cave and guitarist Kid Congo Powers during the band's 1986 tour.
An embryonic version of what would later become Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds was formed in the Birthday Party's then-home of London in September 1983, with Cave, Harvey (acting primarily as drummer), Einstürzende Neubauten guitarist Bargeld, Magazine bassist Barry Adamson, and Jim G. Thirlwell. The band was initially formed as a backing band for Cave's intended solo project Man Or Myth?, which had been approved by the record label Mute Records. During September and October 1983, they recorded material with producer Flood,[9] although the sessions were cut short due to Cave's touring with the Immaculate Consumptive, another project formed with Thirlwell, Lydia Lunch and Marc Almond.[10] In December 1983 Cave returned to Melbourne, Australia, where he formed a temporary line-up of his backing band, due to Bargeld's absence, that included Pew and guitarist Hugo Race. The band performed their first live show at Seaview in St. Kilda on 31 December 1983.
Following a short Australian tour, and during a period when they were without management, Cave and his band returned to London. Cave, Harvey, Bargeld, Race and Adamson formed the project's first consistent line-up, while Cave's longtime girlfriend Anita Lane was credited as a lyricist on the band's debut album.[citation needed] The group, which up to this time had been nameless, adopted the moniker Nick Cave and the Cavemen, which they used for the first six months of their career. However, they were later renamed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in May 1984, in reference to the final Birthday Party EP The Bad Seed.[citation needed] They began recording sessions for their debut album in March 1984 at London's Trident Studios and these sessions, together with the abandoned Man Or Myth? sessions from September–October 1983 that were recorded at The Garden studios, formed the album From Her to Eternity, released on Mute Records in 1984.
Sorrow
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sorrow's child hears not the water
Sorrow's child sits by the river
Sorrow's child hears not the water
And just when you feel as though
You've got strength enough to stand
(Sorrow's child) sorrow's child all weak and strange
Stands waiting at your hand
Sorrow's child steps in the water
Sorrow's child you follow after
Sorrow's child wades in deeper
Sorrow's child invites you under
And just when you thought as though
All your tears were wept and done
(Sorrow's child) sorrow's child grieves not what has passed
But all the past still yet to come
Sorrow's child sits by the water
Sorrow's child your arms enfold her
Sorrow's child you're loathe to befriend her
Sorrow's child but in sorrow surrender
And just when is seems as though
All your tears were at an end
(Sorrow's child) sorrow's child lifts up her hand
And she brings it down again
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
The lyrics of Sorrow's Child by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds explore a deep sense of grief and despair. The titular character is presented as a manifestation of this sorrow and almost a force in its own right. The song describes Sorrow's Child sitting by the river and hearing not its waters. This suggests a disconnect from the world and a profound sadness that seems almost all-consuming.
As the song continues, the singer interacts with Sorrow's Child, following her into the water and describing how she invites them under. This represents a temptation to surrender to grief and sadness. The last verse suggests that even when the singer thinks their tears are done, Sorrow's Child is still there, lifting her hand and bringing it down again. This creates a sense of cyclical despair and never-ending sorrow that the singer and the listener cannot escape.
Overall, Sorrow's Child is a haunting and deeply emotional song that explores themes of grief, loss, and surrender. It presents a powerful image of despair that seems almost inescapable.
Line by Line Meaning
Sorrow's child sits by the river
A personification of sorrow is introduced as a child sitting beside the river.
Sorrow's child hears not the water
Despite being beside the river, sorrow is so preoccupied with its weight that it fails to enjoy the calming sound of the water.
And just when you feel as though
You've got strength enough to stand
As soon as you think you have overcome the burden of sorrow and can move forward, it returns with full force.
(Sorrow's child) sorrow's child all weak and strange
Stands waiting at your hand
Sorrow is depicted as a weak and strange child that eagerly waits for you to succumb to its grip.
Sorrow's child steps in the water
Sorrow's child you follow after
Sorrow invites you to follow it into the depths of darker emotions.
Sorrow's child wades in deeper
Sorrow's child invites you under
As you follow sorrow deeper, it pulls you under and makes you a part of its weight.
And just when you thought as though
All your tears were wept and done
Just when you thought all sorrow had been released, it returns and you are left to face it once again.
(Sorrow's child) sorrow's child grieves not what has passed
But all the past still yet to come
Sorrow is not grieving what has already happened, but rather the future that may be filled with further burdens and heartache.
Sorrow's child sits by the water
Sorrow's child your arms enfold her
Sorrow longs for comfort, and despite your hesitation, you embrace it to try to ease its weight.
Sorrow's child you're loathe to befriend her
Sorrow's child but in sorrow surrender
You are hesitant to befriend sorrow, but ultimately surrender to its presence and learn to live with it.
And just when is seems as though
All your tears were at an end
Even after finding some semblance of peace and recovery, sorrow can still find its way back into your life.
(Sorrow's child) sorrow's child lifts up her hand
And she brings it down again
Sorrow, with its small hand, seems to raise hope for relief, but ultimately falls and brings you back down to its weight.
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
The repetition emphasizes the persistence of sorrow and its constant presence.
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
The repetition emphasizes the persistence of sorrow and its constant presence.
(Sorrow's child)
(Sorrow's child)
The repetition emphasizes the persistence of sorrow and its constant presence.
(Sorrow's child)
The phrase repeats one last time, symbolizing the enduring nature of sorrow.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind