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.
The Carny
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The weeks flew by
Until they moved on the show
Leaving his caravan behind
It was parked out on the south east ridge
And as the company crossed the bridge
With the first rain filling the bone-dry river bed
It shone, just so, upon the edge
Dog-boy, Atlas, Mandrake, the geeks, the hired hands
There was not one among them that did not cast an eye behind
In the hope that the carny would return to his own kind
The Carny left behind a horse, all skin and bone
That he named "Sorrow"
And it was a shallow, unmarked grave
That that old nag was laid
In the then parched meadow
And it was the dwarves were given the task of digging the ditch
And laying the nag's carcass in the ground
While boss Bellini, waved his smoking pistol around
Saying "The nag was dead meat"
"We can't afford to carry dead weight"
While the whole company standing about
Not making a sound
And turning to the dwarves perched on the enclosure gate
The boss says "Bury this lump of crow bait"
And the rain came hammering down
Everybody running for their wagons
Tying all the canvas flaps down
The mangy cats growling in their cages
The bird-girl flapping and squawking around
The whole valley reeking of wet beast
Wet beast and rotten, sodden hay
Freak and brute creation
All packed up and on their way
The three dwarves peering from the wagon's hind
Moses says to Noah "We shoulda dug a deepa one"
Their grizzled faces like dying moons
Still dirty from the digging done
And Charlie the eldest of the three said
"I guess the Carny ain't gonna show"
And they were silent for a spell
Wishing they'd done a better job of burying Sorrow
And the company passed from the valley
Into higher ground
And the rain beat on the ridge and on the meadow
And on the mound
Until nothing was left, nothing left at all
Except the body of Sorrow
That rose in time
To float upon the surface of the eaten soil
And a murder of crows did circle 'round
First one, then the others flapping blackly down
And the carny's van still sat upon the edge
Tilting slowly as the firm ground turned to sludge
And the rain it hammered down
And the rain it hammered down
And the rain it hammered down
And the rain it hammered down
And no-one saw the Carny go
No-one saw the Carny go
No-one saw the Carny go
I say it's funny how things go
The Carny is a song that tells a story about the aftermath of a traveling carnival. The carny, or carnival worker, has disappeared without a trace and the rest of the carnival crew is left behind to pick up the pieces. The song begins with the carny's caravan being left behind on the south eastern ridge as the company moves on. The caravan becomes a symbol of the absence of the carny, and a melancholy feeling permeates the rest of the song.
As the weeks go by and the first rains fill the once dry river bed, the caravan begins to shine in the edge of the ridge. The lyrics read "Away, away, we're sad" indicating the sense of loss and loneliness felt by the carnival crew. The carny left behind a horse named "Sorrow" who is buried in a shallow, unmarked grave, and the dwarves of the circus are given the task of burying the horse, which is a metaphor for the carny's loss.
Line by Line Meaning
And no-one saw the carny go
The Carny left unnoticed by the company, abandoned his caravan and horse, and never returned.
The weeks flew by
Time passed quickly as the company moved on without the Carny.
Until they moved on the show
The company continued their tour without the Carny.
Leaving his caravan behind
The Carny's caravan was abandoned and left behind at the south east ridge.
It was parked out on the south east ridge
The Carny's caravan was parked at the south east ridge.
And as the company crossed the bridge
The company crossed a bridge while leaving the south east ridge.
With the first rain filling the bone-dry river bed
The first rain filled a dried up riverbed.
It shone, just so, upon the edge
The caravan was visible on the edge of the south east ridge during the rain.
"Away, away, we're sad" they said
The company expressed sadness over the Carny's departure.
Dog-boy, Atlas, Mandrake, the geeks, the hired hands
The members of the company were named.
There was not one among them that did not cast an eye behind
Everyone looked back in hopes of the Carny returning.
In the hope that the carny would return to his own kind
The company hoped the Carny would return to them.
The Carny left behind a horse, all skin and bone
The Carny abandoned his horse, which was severely undernourished.
That he named "Sorrow"
The horse was given the name Sorrow by the Carny.
And it was a shallow, unmarked grave
Sorrow was buried in an inadequate and unmarked grave.
That that old nag was laid
Sorrow was buried in that grave.
And it was the dwarves were given the task of digging the ditch
The dwarves were assigned to digging the grave for Sorrow.
And laying the nag's carcass in the ground
The dwarves buried Sorrow's body in the trench they dug.
While boss Bellini, waved his smoking pistol around
Boss Bellini was waiving his pistol around while the dwarves did their work.
Saying "The nag was dead meat"
Boss Bellini claimed that Sorrow was worthless.
"We can't afford to carry dead weight"
Boss Bellini argued that they could not afford to maintain useless things.
While the whole company standing about
The entire company was gathered there while Sorrow was being buried.
Not making a sound
Everyone was silent during the burial.
And turning to the dwarves perched on the enclosure gate
The attention of the company shifted towards the dwarves who had just buried Sorrow.
The boss says "Bury this lump of crow bait"
Boss Bellini ordered the dwarves to bury Sorrow's lifeless body.
And the rain came hammering down
Rain began to fall heavily as the company prepared to leave.
Everybody running for their wagons
The company was quickly moving towards their wagons to leave the area.
Tying all the canvas flaps down
The company secured all the canvas flaps on their wagons.
The mangy cats growling in their cages
The sickly cats in the wagons were making noise.
The bird-girl flapping and squawking around
The girl with wings in the company was flapping and making bird-like noises.
The whole valley reeking of wet beast
The entire valley smelled of wet animal fur.
Wet beast and rotten, sodden hay
The valley was filled with the smell of wet fur and soggy hay.
Freak and brute creation
The people and animals in the company were considered uncommon and monstrous.
All packed up and on their way
The company finished packing and departed the area.
The three dwarves peering from the wagon's hind
Three dwarves glanced from the back of a wagon to observe the surroundings.
Moses says to Noah "We shoulda dug a deepa one"
One of the dwarves thought that Sorrow's grave should have been dug deeper.
Their grizzled faces like dying moons
The dwarves had old and worn out faces.
Still dirty from the digging done
Their faces were still grimy from digging the grave.
And Charlie the eldest of the three said
The oldest of the three dwarves, Charlie said,
"I guess the Carny ain't gonna show"
Charlie speculated that the Carny would not return.
And they were silent for a spell
The three dwarves were quiet for a while.
Wishing they'd done a better job of burying Sorrow
The dwarves felt regretful about not properly burying Sorrow.
And the company passed from the valley
The company left the valley.
Into higher ground
They moved up to higher elevation.
And the rain beat on the ridge and on the meadow
Rain continued to pour down on the area.
And on the mound
The rain fell heavily on Sorrow's grave.
Until nothing was left, nothing left at all
The rain caused everything to fade away.
Except the body of Sorrow
Sorrow's body remained on the earth.
That rose in time
Sorrow's body eventually became visible.
To float upon the surface of the eaten soil
Sorrow's body floated on the damp earth and was visible on the earth's surface.
And a murder of crows did circle 'round
A group of crows flew around the area.
First one, then the others flapping blackly down
The crows landed one by one, their dark wings flapping.
And the carny's van still sat upon the edge
The Carny's caravan remained at the south east ridge.
Tilting slowly as the firm ground turned to sludge
The ground became muddy and the caravan began to lean slowly.
And the rain it hammered down
Rain continued to pour down.
And no-one saw the Carny go
The Carny disappeared without anyone noticing again.
I say it's funny how things go
The song concludes with a reflective comment on how things can be unpredictable.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind