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.
Brother My Cup Is Empty
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home
Oh brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I am the captain of my pain
Tis the bit, the bridle
The trashing cane
The stirrup, the harness
And the whipping mane
The pickled eye
And the shrinking brain
Brother, buy me one more drink
I'll explain the nature of my pain
Yes, let me tell you once again
I am the captain of my pain
Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home
I cannot blame it all on her
To blame her all would be a lie
For many a night I lay awake
And wished that I could watch her die
To see her accusing finger spurt
To see flies swarm her hateful eye
To watch her groaning in the dirt
To see her clicking tongue crack dry
Brother, buy me one more drink
One more drink and then goodbye
And do not mock me when I say
Let's drink one more before I die
Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home
I've been sliding down on rainbows
I've been swinging from the stars
Now this wretch in beggars clothing
Bangs his cup across the bars
Look, this cup of mine is empty!
Seems I've misplaced my desires
Seems I'm sweeping up the ashes
Of all my former fires
So brother, be a brother
And fill this tiny cup of mine
And please, sir, make it whiskey
I have no head for wine
Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home
Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home
I counted up my blessings
And I counted only one
One tiny little blessing
And now that blessings gone
So buy me one more drink, my brother
Then I'm taking to the road
Yes, I'm taking to the rain
And I'm taking to the snow
O my friend, my only brother
Do not let the party grieve
So throw a dollar on the bar
Now kiss my ass and leave
Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home
Brother, my cup is empty
And I haven't got a penny
For to buy no more whiskey
I have to go home
The song "Brother My Cup Is Empty" by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds is a melancholic track depicting a man who has hit rock bottom. The singer is broke, alone, and struggling with addiction. The opening lines of the song, "Brother, my cup is empty, and I haven't got a penny for to buy no more whiskey, I have to go home," reveal his hopeless state. He desperately needs a drink to ease his pain but has no money left to buy it. The chorus repeats this sentiment, emphasizing the emptiness and loneliness that he feels.
The second verse talks about the captain of his own pain. This refers to his addiction to alcohol, which he feels he has complete control over. He is aware of the destructive nature of his addiction, but he continues to drink, and his pain consumes him. He wished he could watch the woman who he blames for his misery die, revealing his anger and bitterness towards his situation.
In the final verse, he seems to have accepted his situation and acknowledges that he has lost everything. He counted his blessings and found only one, which he has now lost. He asks for one more drink before leaving for good, reflecting his resignation to his fate.
Overall, the song is a powerful testament to the destructive nature of addiction and how it can drive someone to hit rock bottom.
Line by Line Meaning
Brother, my cup is empty
I am feeling so down and empty inside
And I haven't got a penny
I don't have any money left to buy alcohol
For to buy no more whiskey
There's no more whiskey for me to drink
I have to go home
I need to go back to my empty and lonely life
I am the captain of my pain
I am in control of my own suffering
Tis the bit, the bridle
It's like being guided and controlled, like a horse being ridden
The trashing cane
There's pain and punishment
The stirrup, the harness
I am trapped and can't escape
And the whipping mane
There's constant pain and torment
The pickled eye
Alcohol has ruined me
And the shrinking brain
I am losing my mind
Brother, buy me one more drink
Please help me forget my pain for a little while longer
I'll explain the nature of my pain
I need to tell you how much I'm suffering
Yes, let me tell you once again
Please listen to me, I need to talk about my pain
I cannot blame it all on her
It's not all her fault
To blame her all would be a lie
I have to accept my fair share of blame
For many a night I lay awake
I've been tormented by these thoughts for a long time
And wished that I could watch her die
I hate her so much that I wish she were dead
To see her accusing finger spurt
I want her to suffer and feel guilty
To see flies swarm her hateful eye
I want to see her suffer and deteriorate
To watch her groaning in the dirt
I want her to experience my pain
To see her clicking tongue crack dry
I want her to be thirsty and suffer
One more drink and then goodbye
After this drink, I'm leaving this world
And do not mock me when I say
Please take me seriously
Let's drink one more before I die
Let's have one last drink together
I've been sliding down on rainbows
I've been high and happy
I've been swinging from the stars
I've had moments of pure joy
Now this wretch in beggars clothing
But now I'm a miserable beggar
Bangs his cup across the bars
Begging for one more drink
Seems I've misplaced my desires
I've lost my purpose in life
Seems I'm sweeping up the ashes
My life is in ruins
Of all my former fires
All my passions and desires are gone
And please, sir, make it whiskey
Whiskey is the only thing that can numb my pain
I have no head for wine
I need something stronger to forget my problems
I counted up my blessings
I tried to find something positive in my life
And I counted only one
But I couldn't find anything
One tiny little blessing
My life is completely empty
Then I'm taking to the road
I'm leaving everything behind
Yes, I'm taking to the rain
I don't care about anything anymore
And I'm taking to the snow
I'm going to embrace the cold and loneliness
O my friend, my only brother
Please understand me
Do not let the party grieve
Don't let anyone feel bad for me
So throw a dollar on the bar
Buy me one last drink
Now kiss my ass and leave
Then leave me alone to suffer in peace
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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