Q was born in Neptune Township, New Jersey to James and WillaMae Luckey. At the age of 18, she moved to New York City and began work writing music for commercials and as a backup singer for Sigma Sound Studios. She formed Q Lazzarus and the Resurrection in the 1980s, consisting of herself on vocals, songwriter William Garvey, backup vocalist Gloriana Galicia, Janice Bernstein and Mark Barrett. Q Lazzarus was rejected by many record labels, claiming that she was unmarketable due to her dreadlocks.
Q had met director Jonathan Demme while working as a taxi driver. Upon hearing her demo tape, Demme would include ''The Candle Goes Away' in his 1986 movie 'Something Wild'. Her music would go on to appear in multiple of Demme's movies, 'Goodbye Horses' most notably appeared in 'Married to the Mob' and 'Silence of the Lambs', the latter bringing the track great attention. She also appeared in 'Philadelphia', performing 'Heaven' by fellow NYC band Talking Heads.
Q Lazzarus and the Resurrection disbanded in 1996, Q herself disappearing from the public eye shortly afterwards. William Garvey later passed away in 2009.
In 2017, Mon Amie Records reissued Goodbye Horses on vinyl, alongside previously unreleased material sourced from a recovered demo tape.
In 2018, A Twitter account claiming to be Q would contact musician Kelsey Zimmerman in response to a Dazed article claiming that she had passed away. They would write “Hi, sorry to bother you. I just wanted people to know I am still alive, I have no interest in singing anymore. I am a bus driver in Staten Island (I have been for YEARS), I see hundreds of passengers everyday so I am hardly hiding (or dead!), I have given Thomas Gorton (Dazed) my fone number and address just to confirm I am ‘real’, sorry if this is a boring end to the story, I am going to come off twitter soon as I find it odd, please take note of this message incase anyone else is interested. THANK YOU”. The story was confirmed as legitimate due to public records of a lawsuit Q filed against a Staten Island bus company due to refusing to hire female drivers.
In August 2019, she began working with filmmaker Eva Aridjis on 'Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus', a documentary about her life and career. The documentary is due for release in 2024, alongside a reissue of her music via Dark Entries Records.
Q Lazzarus passed away on July 19th, 2022 of an undisclosed illness.
Goodbye Horses
Q Lazzarus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But, it always falls
I see you come, I see you go
He say, "All things pass into the night"
And I say, "Oh no sir I must say you're wrong
I must disagree, oh no sir, I must say you're wrong"
Won't you listen to me
I've been there, I've seen my hopes and dreams
A lying on the ground
I've seen the sky just begin to fall
He say, "All things pass into the night"
And I say, "Oh no sir, I must say you're wrong
I must disagree, oh no sir, I must say you're wrong"
Won't you listen to me
Goodbye horses I'm flying over you
Goodbye horses I'm flying over you
Goodbye horses I'm flying over you
Goodbye horses I'm flying, flying, flying, flying over you
The lyrics to Q Lazzarus's "Goodbye Horses" are both ambiguous and thought-provoking. Maybe one of the meanings of this song is a message of perseverance in the face of difficulties. The song is about not giving up, even when someone tells you that everything will eventually fall apart. The lyrics are a conversation between two people, in which one person tells the other that they have seen everything before and that all things eventually pass into the night. The other person disagrees, saying that they must keep going and not give up hope, no matter what.
Another interpretation of the lyrics is that the song is about transcending obstacles and limitations. The image of flying horses in the chorus seems to suggest a sense of freedom - as if the singer is rising above the struggles of everyday life. It's not clear what the flying horses represent or what their significance is, but the phrase "goodbye horses" seems to indicate letting go of something that was once important or meaningful. This may be an expression of the desire for change, or a commentary on the inevitability of change.
Overall, "Goodbye Horses" is a mysterious and enigmatic song that can be interpreted in many different ways. It is a haunting and melancholic tune that captures the spirit of perseverance and the desire for change in a uniquely poetic way.
Line by Line Meaning
He told me, 'I see you rise'
He observed and acknowledged my successes
But, it always falls
But, they are always short-lived and followed by failure
I see you come, I see you go
I notice you moving in and out of my life
He say, 'All things pass into the night'
He believes that everything fades away eventually
And I say, 'Oh no sir I must say you're wrong
And I argue, 'No, I disagree with you'
I must disagree, oh no sir, I must say you're wrong'
I refuse to accept this view, and I want to make it clear
Won't you listen to me
Please hear me out
He told me, 'I've seen it all before'
He claimed that he had experienced everything previously
I've been there, I've seen my hopes and dreams, A lying on the ground
He had dreams and aspirations that didn't work out
I've seen the sky just begin to fall
He had witnessed a downfall or adversity
Goodbye horses I'm flying over you
Farewell horses, I am leaving above you
Goodbye horses I'm flying over you
Farewell horses, I am soaring over you
Goodbye horses I'm flying over you
Farewell horses, I am flying over you
Goodbye horses I'm flying, flying, flying, flying over you
Goodbye horses, I'm flying so much higher, way above you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: William Garvey
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mikevillarreal8291
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was listening to this on the car ride back home, I played it on a loop, and somehow, it let me know everything was gonna be fine... now hopefully I'm finishing treatment in a month, and I'm closer to remission.
A little update (11/11/2021): finally finished chemo a week ago, there were some hurdles like some covid scares along the way, but for what it's worth, I only have my PET scan left in December, but the docs are really optimistic I defeated this on the first run.
I'm overwhelmed with all your well wishes, motivational comments, and prayers. Thank you guys from all my heart. I knew I could find kindred spirits from this song.
Big update (23/03/2022): had a bit of a bump after that PET Scan, it was found my lymphoma grew a little bit, and had to go into further treatment. I went to have Immunotherapy, and now, at last, my latest PET Scan showed a "Complete Response to Treatment", and now I'm going to have a Stem Cell Transplant.
In between these two scans, I got married and finally, I'm living with my girl. While it was quite complicated at last I see the light at the end of the tunnel, just one more round of treatment to consolidate this, and I'm done.
I'm still in awe of all of your good wishes, and how we all are enduring some fights of our own.
@literarystudies1861
You told me, I've seen it rise
But it always falls
I've see him come, I've seen him go
He said, "All things pass into the night"
And I said, "Oh no sir, I must say you're wrong
I must disagree, oh no sir, I must say you're wrong
Won't you listen to me?"
You told me, "I've seen it all before
I've been there, I've seen my hopes and dreams
A-lying on the ground
I've seen the sky just begin to fall"
He said, "All things pass into the night"
And I said, "Oh no sir, I must say you're wrong
I must disagree, oh no sir, I must say you're wrong
Won't you listen to me?"
Goodbye horses, I'm flying over you
Goodbye horses, I'm flying over you
Goodbye horses, I'm flying over you
Goodbye horses, I'm flying, flying, flying over you
@user-gr2rj7xi3o
Never tell your psychiatrist that this is your favorite song
@billywaynemcwilliams9063
Underrated comment
@calei8738
why?
@thetribber
F**k! This IS my favourite song...
@gigemaggies50
It is.
@phineasmurph9539
Bad to tell to a psychiatrist because hes saying hes flying with horses. when it was clearly a hallucination
@TheDeadeye42
I got tossed out of a bar in Colorado for doing the "Buffalo Bill" to this on karaoke night, in 2009. I regret nothing.
@gemmacrybaby8808
Good
@rachelosborne8456
TheDeadeye42 which part of colorado if you dont mind my asking? my home state 😉
@themanlikekg
TheDeadeye42 bro 😂😂😂