As the years progressed, the PiL line-up would change, adding renowned drummer Martin Atkins in 1979 as the direction of the band evolved. Compared to their first three albums, the later 1980's/early 1990's period saw a more conventional sound to the musical aspect, but still retaining Lydon's biting lyrics. The album compact disc (aka Album or Cassette, depending on what format you have it on), recorded by Lydon with a slate of studio musicians organized by producer Bill Laswell, is considered the artistic highpoint of this period of PiL's evolution. PiL reached their commercial zenith with their aptly titled ninth album, 9, during 1989/1990.
PiL kept going as a Lydon project until 1993, when Lydon disbanded the group. Their final lineup consisted of Lydon, Ted Chau (guitar, keyboards), Mike Joyce of The Smiths (drums), John McGeoch of Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees (guitar), and Russel Webb (bass).
In September 2009, Lydon announced that the band would reform, including earlier members Bruce Smith and Lu Edmonds, for a number of Christmas shows in the UK. The One Drop Songfacts reports that Lydon financed the reunion using money he earned doing a UK television commercial for Country Life butter. This Is PiL, the band’s first album for 20 years was recorded at Steve Winwood’s studio, which is located in a barn, in the middle of the Cotswolds in southern England. It was released on May 28, 2012.
Death Disco
Public Image Ltd. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seeing in your eyes
Words can never say the way
Told me in your eyes
Final in a fade
Never no more hope away
Final in a fade
Seeing in your eyes
Never really know
Never realize
Silence in your eyes
Silence in your eyes
Never really know
Til it's gone away
Never realize
The silence in your eyes
Seen it in your eyes
Seen it in your eyes
Never no more hope away
Final in a fade
Watch her slowly die
Saw it in her eyes
Choking on a bed
Flowers rotting dead
Seen it in her eyes
Ending in a day
Silence was a way
Seeing in your eyes
Seeing in your eyes
Seeing in your eyes
I'm seeing through my eyes
Words cannot express
Words cannot express
Words cannot exp.......
The lyrics of "Death Disco" by Public Image Ltd. are heavy and poignant, dealing with the concept of death and the feelings of finality and despair that accompany it. The repetition of "Seeing in your eyes" and "Silence in your eyes" create a haunting and melancholic atmosphere, as if the singer is witnessing the last moments of someone they love. The lyrics describe the feeling of hope slipping away as death draws near, and the deep sense of loss that follows. The imagery of flowers rotting and a choking bed only heighten the sense of dread and finality.
Overall, the recurring themes in this song are death, despair, loss, and the inability to express the deepest emotions. The repetitive nature of the lyrics and the slow, dirge-like tempo of the music add to the overall sense of dread and finality.
Line by Line Meaning
Seeing in your eyes
The singer is noticing something in someone's eyes
Words can never say the way
The singer realizes that words can't fully express what they are seeing in the person's eyes
Told me in your eyes
The person is conveying something to the singer through their eyes
Final in a fade
The situation being conveyed through the person's eyes seems to be coming to an end
Never no more hope away
The person is losing hope or the situation is hopeless
Never really know
The singer confesses that they don't truly understand what the person is going through
Never realize
The singer admits to not recognizing the gravity of the situation
Silence in your eyes
The person is not outwardly expressing their emotions, but the artist can sense them through their eyes
Til it's gone away
The artist only realizes the significance of the situation once it has ended or disappeared
Seen it in your eyes
The artist is seeing something important or distressing in the person's eyes
Never no more hope away
The situation is becoming more bleak
Watch her slowly die
The artist is witnessing someone's death or decline
Choking on a bed
The person is experiencing physical discomfort or pain
Flowers rotting dead
There may be a sense of decay or deterioration surrounding the situation
Ending in a day
The situation may be coming to a conclusion quickly
Silence was a way
The person was not expressing their feelings outwardly, perhaps as a form of coping or as a defense mechanism
Seeing in your eyes
The artist is fixated on what they are seeing in the person's eyes
I'm seeing through my eyes
The singer is acknowledging that they have a unique perspective on the situation
Words cannot express
The singer reaffirms that no words can fully convey the situation
Words cannot exp.......
The artist leaves the sentence unfinished, further emphasizing the difficulty of expressing the situation in words
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JOHN WARDLE, KEITH LEVENE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@myfragilelilac
I think PIL is one of the musical projects that really started postpunk. Sex Pistols had split up. Lydon wrote this song about his dying mother. It has the punk spirit, but is more sad, desperate and introspective... not to mention exprimental! With the funky dub elements......
@emersonthomas7201
I love this song to no end
@ghoula69
Awesome song but sad for John watching his Mom who he was close to slowly dying from Cancer :(
@voyeurcoma638
ghoula69 the best songs come out of sheer raw emotions I want this at my funeral the best death dirge ever.
@evilsidsmonkey
SAD for John Rotten to see his mummy die ; (
@evilsidsmonkey
Sad for John Rotten to see his mum slowly die from cancer
@evilsidsmonkey
Sad for John Lyndon
@ornellarose6378
DAMN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@evilsidsmonkey
Sad song pil
@rrbh
4.06 - Words are useless.