The Thompsons recorded three albums I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974), Hokey Pokey (1975) and Pour Down Like Silver (1975) before they decided to leave the music business and moved to a Sufi commune in East Anglia. Songwriting was by Richard throughout, lead vocals generally by Linda,and backing by a consistent core band of English folk-rock stalwarts
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight showed a clear development from Richard Thompson's first solo effort Henry The Human Fly with Linda's vocals adding grace, as well as the opportunity for Richard to write from a female perspective. Although Thompson's trademark gloom is already evident, the lightness and beauty of the arrangements counterbalances this to produce moments of great beauty. The use of brass, from the renowned CWS silver band in particular takes forward Thompson's continuing crusade to find a more contemporary and ordinary expression of Englishness in music,(as opposed to say the forays into the Morris form of his Fairport contemporary Ashley Hutchings, solo and with The Albion Band). The next year's release, Hokey Pokey to some extent repeats the formula, although it is improved in production values, and is stylistically more adventurous still. A Heart Needs a Home is a minor miracle of songwriting, expressing the longing for love without cynicism and has a standout multi-tracked vocal from Linda.
Pour Down Like Silver extended the reach of Richard and Linda's music, and without the occasional weaker tracks of the preceding releases. Here in the writing cynicism is balanced with humour, (Hard Luck Stories, Streets of Paradise), and love and need is expressed directly, and to touching effect ( Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair, Beat the Retreat). The impact of Sufism on their lives is expressed in Night Comes In, which borrows imagery from Sufi mystic poetry, and the practice of finding union with the Spirit through dance. The playing, arrangements and production are uniformly excellent throughout.
In 1978, Thompson decided to take his family out of the commune and go back to their old home in Hampstead. He also decided to return to making music, partly because, as he commented at the time, he'd come to realise "that [he] wasn't really any good at anything else".
Re-uniting the core band, the resulting album, First Light was warmly received by the critics but did not sell particularly well. Neither did its follow up, 1979's harder-edged and more cynical Sunnyvista. Chrysalis Records did not take up their option to renew the contract, and the Thompsons found themselves without a contract, but not without admirers.
About a year later Joe Boyd signed the Thompsons to his small Hannibal label and a new album was recorded. Shoot Out the Lights included new recordings of many of the songs recorded in 1980, and was clearly a very strong album. Linda Thompson was pregnant during the sessions, and so the album's release was held back until the Thompsons could tour in support of the new album. Linda's pregnancy also meant that she did not sing on all of the songs.
On its release in 1982, Shoot Out the Lights was lauded by critics and sold fairly well - especially in the USA. The Thompsons, now a couple for professional purposes only, toured the USA to support the album and then went their separate ways. Both the album and their live shows were well received by the American media, and Shoot Out the Lights effectively relaunched their career - just as their marriage was falling apart.
As against the first phase of their career, this last offering is sparer, without the instrumental augmentation that characterized the earlier albums, much more rock orientated, and altogether more ferocious. Although Thompson in interviews has always resisted over-personal interpretations of his songs, it is difficult not to see in its energy, tone and themes the difficulties of the final stages of the Thompson's marriage, transmuted into musical gold.
The Calvary Cross
Richard & Linda Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The pale-faced lady she said to me
I've watched you with my one green eye
And I'll hurt you 'till you need me
You scuff your heels and you spit on your shoes
You do nothing with reason
One day you catch a train
Never leaves the station
Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me
Now you can make believe on your tin whistle
And you can be my broom-boy
Scrub me 'till I shine in the dark
I'll be your light 'till doomsday
Oh it's a black cat cross your path
And why don't you follow
My claw's in you and my lights in you
This is your first day of sorrow
Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me
The lyrics to Richard & Linda Thompson's song "The Calvary Cross" seem to be taking on a darker, almost supernatural tone. The singer finds themselves under the Calvary Cross, a symbolic reference to Christ's crucifixion, and is approached by a pale-faced lady who has been watching them. She tells the singer that she will hurt them until they need her and criticizes their every action, saying that they do nothing with reason.
The lyrics take a turn towards the eerie when the pale-faced lady tells the singer that everything they do, they do for her. She seems to be a malevolent force, suggesting that the singer can make believe on their tin whistle and be her broom-boy, scrubbing her until she shines in the dark. The pale-faced lady claims that her claws are in the singer and her lights are in the singer, causing the singer their first day of sorrow.
One interpretation of this song could be that the pale-faced lady represents some sort of malevolent, otherworldly force that is trying to control the singer. The lyrics suggest that no matter what the singer does, they are doing it for this force, and it will hurt them until they need it. It's a haunting, somewhat unsettling song that leaves the listener feeling almost as though they, too, are under the Calvary Cross and being watched by the pale-faced lady.
Line by Line Meaning
I was under the Calvary Cross
I was feeling lost and searching for something bigger than myself.
The pale-faced lady she said to me
An ethereal presence addressed me in a mysterious manner.
I've watched you with my one green eye
You've been under my observation for a while now and I'm singling you out.
And I'll hurt you 'til you need me
My testing and trials of you will be traumatic and injurious, but they will ultimately lead you to me.
You scuff your heels and you spit on your shoes
You're careless and reckless in your actions.
You do nothing with reason
Your behavior lacks logic and purpose.
One day you catch a train
You will embark on a journey that has potential for change and growth.
Never leaves the station
But ultimately the train does not depart, indicating you are stagnant in your current state.
Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me
The woman represents a higher power or authority figure who demands loyalty and obedience from the artist.
Now you can make believe on your tin whistle
You can indulge in your delusions or fantasies.
And you can be my broom-boy
You can serve and submit to me like a lowly maid or servant.
Scrub me 'til I shine in the dark
Your purpose is to make me look better or impress me, even in the darkest of times.
I'll be your light 'til doomsday
The woman will be a source of guidance and support until the end of time or a catastrophic event.
Oh it's a black cat cross your path
The black cat is a symbol of bad luck that follows the singer.
And why don't you follow
The woman challenges the singer to follow her instead of the unlucky cat.
My claw's in you and my lights in you
The woman has a hold on the artist and is manipulating him with her power and influence.
This is your first day of sorrow
The artist is entering a period of hardship and pain under the woman's control.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Richard John (Gb1) Thompson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@deliveriders2592
I was under the Calvary Cross
The pale-faced lady she said to me
I've watched you with my one green eye
And I'll hurt you till you need me
You scuff your heels and you spit on your shoes
You do nothing with reason
One day you catch a train
Never leaves the station
Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me
Now you can make believe on your tin whistle
Ah, you can be my broom boy
Scrub me till I shine in the dark
I'll be your light till doomsday
Oh, it's a black cat cross your path
And why don't you follow
My claw's in you and my light's in you
This is your first day of sorrow
Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me
@Jack-ns9sz
Who else is here after watching 'The Night House'?
@k.leeadams9918
Me! 😁👍
@Sunny-xc9kv
Yes! That movie will stay with me fora long time. Genius.
@gerardo7524
Movie was trippy, when this song came on I was like wow
@hahayoyo456
HAHAHHA YES
@Bristol840
Exactly why I’m here! Omg lol
@ht1560
This was our wedding song. Sometimes I listen to it on my stereo system while I'm building our new lake house and my wife films me. Can't wait until I am done with the house so I can spend time in my new boat. I cant imagine anything going wrong.
@mattbailey1318
>_>
Owen, is that you?
@Kels21869
Creepy and delusional
@gnostikmindz
🤣🤣🤣☠️