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.
Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
King kong kitchee kitchee ki-mi-o [4 times and throughout song]
Well frog went a-courtin' and he did ride
With a sword and a pistol by his side And he rode 'til he came to Miss Mouse's door
And then he knelt right down upon the floor
He said, "Little Miss Mouse, will you marry me
Way down yonder in the hollow tree
Miss Mouse had suitors, three or four
And they came rushing through the door
Well they grabbed Miss Mouse and began to fight
In the hollow tree; it was a terrible night
Yeah, "Little Miss Mouse, will you marry me
Way down yonder in the hollow tree
With an owl and a bat and a bumblebee?"
Yeah! Yeah!
Mr Frog threw her suitors to the floor
And with his sword and his pistol he killed them all
And they went to the vicar the very next day
And they left on their honeymoon right away
Oh glory, glory, glory be
Way down yonder in the hollow tree
With an owl and a bat and a bumblebee
The opening lyrics of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's song "The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane" may seem like an odd starting point for a song, but upon closer examination, they reveal Cave's dark and twisted interpretation of the traditional folk song "Frog Went A-Courtin'." This childhood nursery rhyme is transformed into a macabre tale of murder and marriage. The characters of Miss Mouse and Mr. Frog are replaced with Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane, who engage in a violent courtship that ends in death and a bizarre honeymoon.
In the first verse, Robert Moore comes to Betty Coltrane's door with a sword and a pistol by his side, suggesting that their relationship is not going to be a peaceful one. The reference to the "hollow tree" indicates that this is a world outside of reality, where animals speak and engage in human-like behavior. The violence between the suitors and the bloody resolution is Cave's commentary on the destructive nature of love and passion.
The final lines of the song, "Oh glory, glory, glory be/Way down yonder in the hollow tree/ With an owl and a bat and a bumblebee," suggest that there is a sense of triumph and celebration in the conclusion of this disturbing tale. This is not your typical love song, but rather a dark and twisted tribute to love's destructive power.
Line by Line Meaning
King kong kitchee kitchee ki-mi-o
A nonsensical phrase meant to hype up the energy of the song and add an element of fun to the storytelling.
Well frog went a-courtin' and he did ride
There once was a frog who set out to look for love.
With a sword and a pistol by his side
The frog was well-prepared to protect himself from any danger that might cross his path during his journey.
And he rode 'til he came to Miss Mouse's door
After a while, the frog stumbled upon Miss Mouse's home.
And then he knelt right down upon the floor
In a chivalrous move, the frog got down on one knee in front of Miss Mouse, a sign of respect and devotion.
He said, 'Little Miss Mouse, will you marry me
The frog wasted no time in expressing his love and commitment to Miss Mouse, asking for her hand in marriage.
Way down yonder in the hollow tree
The frog had a specific vision in mind for the location of their future home.
With an owl and a bat and a bumblebee?'
The frog wanted to make sure Miss Mouse was comfortable with the company of certain creatures that might also occupy their home.
Miss Mouse had suitors, three or four
Miss Mouse was a popular figure among the male characters in this story.
And they came rushing through the door
Her other suitors became aware of the frog's proposal and showed up to try and win her heart as well.
Well they grabbed Miss Mouse and began to fight
The suitors became violent, fighting for the attention and affection of Miss Mouse.
In the hollow tree; it was a terrible night
The fight was so intense it made the hollow tree, their potential future home, a site of chaos and destruction.
Mr Frog threw her suitors to the floor
In order to protect Miss Mouse, the frog took action against her suitors, physically overpowering them and putting a stop to the fight.
And with his sword and his pistol he killed them all
The frog's protective measures went as far as using lethal force to ensure Miss Mouse's safety.
And they went to the vicar the very next day
The frog and Miss Mouse wasted no time in making their union official and sought the blessings of the church as soon as possible.
And they left on their honeymoon right away
After getting married, the newlyweds went away on a romantic trip immediately.
Oh glory, glory, glory be
An expression of joy and celebration over the culmination of the story to a happy ending.
Way down yonder in the hollow tree
A reminder of where the frog and Miss Mouse would eventually live out their happy life together.
With an owl and a bat and a bumblebee
A reiteration of the company they would keep in their future home.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@marmarmariner
There was a thick set man with frog eyes
who was standing by the door
and a little bald man with wing-nut ears
was waiting in the car
Well Robert Moore passed the frog-eyed man
as he walked into the bar,
and Betty Coltrane she jumped under her table.
"What's your pleasure?" asked the barman
he had a face like boiled meat
"There's a girl called Betty Coltrane
that I have come to see"
"But I ain't seen that girl 'round here
for more than a week"
and Betty Coltrane she hid beneath the table.
Well, then in came a sailior with
mermaids tattooed on his arms,
Followed by the man with the wing-nut ears
who was waitin' in the car
Well, Robert Moore sensed trouble,
he'd seen it comin' from afar
and Betty Coltrane she gasped beneath the table.
Well, the sailor said "I'm looking for my wife,
they call her Betty Coltrane!"
The frog-eyed man said "That can't be;
that's my wife's maiden name."
And the man with the wing-nut ears said,
"Hey, I married her back in Spain!"
and Betty Coltrane crossed herself beneath the table.
Well, Robert Moore stepped up and said
"That woman is my wife."
and he drew a silver pistol
and a wicked bowie knife;
And he shot the man with the wing-nut ears
straight between the eyes
and Betty Coltrane, she moaned under the table.
Well, the frog-eyed man jumped at Robert Moore,
who stabbed him in the chest
and as Mister Frog-eyes died he said
"Betty, your the girl that I loved best!"
The sailor pulled a razor,
Robert blasted it to bits
"And Betty, I know you're under the table."
"Well have no fear," said Robert Moore,
"I do not want to hurt you!"
"Never a woman did'na love me
half as much as you.
You are the blessed' sun, girl
and you are the sacred moon."
and Betty shot his legs out from under the table!
Well, Robert Moore went down heavy
with a crash upon the floor
and over to his trashin' body
Betty Coltrane she did crawl.
She put the gun to the back of head
and pulled the trigger once more
and blew his brains out all over the table!
Well Betty stood up and shook her head
and waved the smoke away.
Said, "I'm sorry Mr Barman
to leave your place this way."
As she emptied out their wallets she said,
"I'll collect my severance pay."
and then she winked and threw a dollar on the table.
@cattalkbmx
Every song is my favorite song, but this one is my favorite song.
@johnedwardkerr7814
T=ugh, brother. One of my first tracked down records. This, Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" and Wishbone Ash "The King Will Compuware what I went into Forever Young Records to buy. Ended up putting in a special order for Night Manager's "Platonic Lovers" before I left. Best hundred bucks (plus a tank of gas) I ever spent!! Still no regrets!
@chocobosage
Still my fave Nick Cave song, and it's a frelling B-side!!
@nifalios85
me too! This one and the "15 feet of pure ice snow"
@juhaj.5616
Legendary song. This was so hard to find back in the day.
@toffeesauce
I had it on B sides and
Rarities but not sure where else it appears
@jameshamilton5703
@@toffeesauce B-side of Where The Wild Roses Grow
@SusanRosengaard
Best Nick Cave song. Ever.
@dbznappa
He will be studied in English classes for generations! Genius!
@jansova7550
Head-scratchingly better than almost anything on "Murder Ballads".