Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Denis Apps on 30 June, 1983) is a singer-songwri… Read Full Bio ↴Patrick Wolf (born Patrick Denis Apps on 30 June, 1983) is a singer-songwriter from London, United Kingdom. Wolf mixes electronics and samples with a wide range of instruments including viola, keyboards, ukulele, and percussion, all of which he plays himself to form a fusion of jazz, folk and electronic music.

He began experimenting with sound and four-track recording at the age of 11, eventually building an arsenal of instruments that included junk-shop organs and a home-built theremin. At the age of 14 he joined the pop-art collective Minty, a venture that caught the eyes and ears of Fat Cat Records, which went on to supply the youth with a computer and mixing tools for aid in his newfound audio experimentation. He left home at the age of 16 and formed Maison Crimineaux with his friend Fanny, which eventually found its way to France where the noisy duo played a show attended by electronic maestro Kristian Robinson (aka Capitol K), who went on to release Wolf's lauded 2003 debut. With Lycanthropy reaching number 39 in the NME's top LPs of the year, as well as receiving critical acclaim throughout Europe and America, Wolf decided to study composition at the Trinity College Music Conservatoire.

The results of that endeavor can be heard on his 2005 release Wind in the Wires, a dark collection of moody British folk and chamber pop with a chilly laptop sheen.

Wolf released his third album, and the first on a major label, The Magic Position, in February 2007. A concept album on the theme of love, the majority of it was written after the end of a long term intimate relationship. It featured collaborations with Marianne Faithfull and Edward Larrikin of Larrikin Love.

His fourth album, The Bachelor, was originally supposed to be part of a double album called Battle (the other disc was to be called The Conqueror). It was released on 1 June 2009. Guest musicians included Atari Teenage Riot's Alec Empire, actress Tilda Swinton, folk musician Eliza Carthy and avant-garde electronic pioneer Matthew Herbert.

Wolf's fifth album, Lupercalia, was released on 20 June 2011 by Hideout, a subsidiary of Mercury Records. Songfacts explains that the album title refers to the fertility and love festival which the ancient Romans celebrated between February 13-15 (the predecessor to Valentine's Day).

His latest release is a double album entitled Sundark and Riverlight, celebrating Wolf's 10 years as a recording artist. The album features acoustic re-recordings of songs from throughout his career, as well as previously unheard tracks.

Jerusalem
Patrick Wolf Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And did those feet in ancient times
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy lamb of God
On England's pleasant pasture's scene?

And did the countenance divine
Shined forth upon our clouded hills
And was Jerusalem built here

Among those dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold
Bring me my arrows of desire
Bring me my spear, o clouds unfold
Bring me my chariot of fire

I will not seize from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand

Till we have built Jerusalem,
In England's green and pleasant land

Overall Meaning

The song "Jerusalem" by Patrick Wolf is a modern take on the poem "And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time," which was written by William Blake in 1804. The poem was meant to be a call to action, inspiring the people of England to stand up against the oppressive forces of the Industrial Revolution and fight for a better future. Patrick Wolf's adaptation of the poem similarly calls on the listener to take action and fight for a better world.

The first stanza of the song asks the listener to imagine a time when Jesus himself walked the green mountains of England and graced the pleasant pastures with his presence. The second stanza describes the countenance of God shining down on the "clouded hills" of England and asks if Jerusalem, the holy city, was built amongst the "dark satanic mills" that symbolize the oppressive forces of modernity.

The chorus of the song transforms the poem's call to action into a battle cry. It implores the listener to bring forth their weapons of choice and fight for a better world. The final stanza echoes the sentiment of the original poem, urging the listener to never give up the fight until the ideal of "Jerusalem" has been built in England's green and pleasant land.

Line by Line Meaning

And did those feet in ancient times
Did someone walk in England's green mountains in the past?

Walk upon England's mountains green?
Did that person walk in the green mountains of England?

And was the holy lamb of God
Was the sacred lamb of God

On England's pleasant pasture's scene?
present on the pleasing pastures of England?

And did the countenance divine
Was the divine appearance

Shined forth upon our clouded hills
visible on our cloudy hills?

And was Jerusalem built here
Was Jerusalem constructed in this place?

Among those dark satanic mills?
in the midst of those dark, Satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold
Give me my burning gold bow

Bring me my arrows of desire
Provide me with my yearning arrows

Bring me my spear, o clouds unfold
Bring me my spear, let the clouds open up