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.
City of Refuge
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds Lyrics
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You better run
You better run and run and run
You better run
You better run
You better run and run and run and run and run
You better run
You better run
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
Oh, when you stand before the Father
In a state of shame
Because your robes are covered in mud
When you kneel at the feet
Of a woman of the street
The gutters will run with blood
They will run with blood
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
In the days of madness
My brother, my sister
When you're dragged toward the Hell-mouth
You will beg for the end
But there ain't gonna be one, friend
For the grave will spew you out
It will spew you out
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You'll be working in the darkness
Against your fellow man
And you'll find you're called to come forth
So you'll scrub and you'll scrub
Hey but the trouble is, Bob
The blood it won't wash off
No, it won't come off
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
When you stand before the Father
In a state of shame
Because your robes are covered in mud
When you kneel at the feet
Of some harlot off the street
The gutters will run with blood
They will run with blood
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run to the City of Refuge
You better run
You better run
You better run and run and run and run and run
"City of Refuge" is a song by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds that warns the listener to seek refuge before it's too late. The repetition of "you better run" establishes urgency, while "City of Refuge" is introduced as the only safe haven from the inevitable dangers of the world. The second verse gives a glimpse into what the state of the listener would be without seeking this refuge. It describes a person who is covered in mud and ashamed, kneeling at the feet of a woman of the street whose gutters run with blood. This image portrays a degrading and dangerous circumstance, highlighting the importance of staying safe in the City of Refuge. The third verse warns of a time of madness when one will find themselves working against their fellow man and in trouble with the law, but washing the blood off their hands won't be enough. It's a clear message that one can't escape their sins and that they must seek a greater solution.
The song's repeated lines and desperate plea to run to the City of Refuge creates an ominous tone that echoes throughout the entire song. The use of the term "City of Refuge" is a biblical reference to the six cities of refuge mentioned in the Old Testament. These cities were designated places of sanctuary for people who committed unintentional manslaughter, allowing them to escape retribution from someone seeking revenge. The use of the phrase in the song suggests that the City of Refuge is a place where people can go to escape the consequences of their actions, a safe haven from a dangerous world.
Line by Line Meaning
You better run
The singer urges the listener to flee immediately.
You better run and run and run
The situation is so dire that running as fast and as far as possible is the only hope for survival.
You better run to the City of Refuge
There is a specific destination that will provide safety and refuge from danger.
Oh, when you stand before the Father
This is a warning to those who will face divine judgement.
In a state of shame
The judgement will be unflinching and harsh, leaving the guilty ashamed of their actions.
Because your robes are covered in mud
The singer uses a metaphor of dirty clothing to symbolize guilt and sin.
When you kneel at the feet
The imagined future may involve repentance and an appeal to be spared punishment.
Of a woman of the street
The individual asking for forgiveness may be someone who has lived a life of moral depravity.
The gutters will run with blood
Whether out of symbolic or literal significance, there will be bloodshed involved in the reckoning of this individual's past.
In the days of madness
The artist warns of a time of great chaos and instability.
My brother, my sister
There is a sense of camaraderie among those who face this potential dystopian future.
When you're dragged toward the Hell-mouth
There is a seemingly inevitable journey towards an incredibly dire fate.
You will beg for the end
The suffering and pain will be so great that the only conceivable relief will be death.
But there ain't gonna be one, friend
Death is not an escape, and will not bring about relief from the torment.
For the grave will spew you out
Even death will not provide the escape sought by those in this imagined world.
You'll be working in the darkness
The individual will be engaged in nefarious, immoral activity.
Against your fellow man
The immoral activity will be directed at hurting other people.
And you'll find you're called to come forth
At some point, the individual will be called out for their actions.
So you'll scrub and you'll scrub
Much like the metaphor of dirty clothing, there is a sense of futile scrubbing -- trying to undo past actions that cannot be taken back.
Hey but the trouble is, Bob
The artist addresses a hypothetical individual, using a colloquial nickname to establish intimacy.
The blood it won't wash off
The metaphor of washing away guilt and sin is not effective, culminating in a sense of fatalism and resignation.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Nicholas Cave
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind