Forster met McLennan during drama classes at the University of Queensland and, inspired by a mutual love of Bob Dylan and the New York music scene, they formed the Go-Betweens in 1977. In addition to his work with the Go-Betweens, Forster has released several solo albums, including: Danger in the Past, recorded in Berlin in 1990; Calling from a Country Phone, recorded at Sunshine Studios, Brisbane, in 1993 with members of local pop group Custard; I Had a New York Girlfriend, a collection of cover versions recorded in Melbourne in 1994; Warm Nights, recorded in London in 1996 and produced by Edwyn Collins; and The Evangelist, recorded (all but one track - "A Place to Hide Away") at Good Luck Studios, London, September - November 2007 with long time collaborators Glenn Thompson and Adele Pickvance.
Critically-acclaimed internationally as a songwriter, Forster reveals a strong literary influence in his work. In 2005, Forster began writing for the Australian magazine, The Monthly. Prior to this he had virtually no print experience, with only a column on hair care for a fanzine in the 1980s to his credit. On 25 October 2006, it was announced that Forster was the winner of the Pascall Prize for Critical Writing for his columns.
On 6 May 2006, Grant McLennan died in his sleep at his home in Brisbane. Forster picked three songs co-written by Grant McLennan, including "Demon Days", which is the last song the pair wrote together, and recorded them alongside some of his own material to produce his first album in 11 years. The Evangelist was released on April 26, 2008 through Yep Roc Records.[5]
Forster announced his return to live performance with four nights at the Queensland Music Festival in July 2007.
Demon Days
Robert Forster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're pulling our pay
The lights on the hill
Are freezing us still
The fingers of fate
Stretch out and take
Us to a night
Something's gone wrong
The half whispered hopes
The dreams that we smoked
Puffed up and ran
As only dreams can
Dreamt by the young
Sparks to be sung
In places so bright
But something's not right
Something's gone wrong
In these demon days
We're pulling our pay
The lights on the hill
Are freezing us still
The fingers of fate
Stretch out and take
Us to a night
But something's not right
Something's gone wrong
Something's not right
Something's gone wrong
In the song Demon Days by Robert Forster, the lyrics describe the struggle of everyday life and the feeling that something is not quite right. The opening lines, "In these demon days, we're pulling our pay" suggest a sense of desperation and the ongoing grind of work. The lights on the hill freezing them still indicates a sense of isolation and disconnection, and that a part of them is frozen or numb.
The second verse of the song highlights the fleetingness of hope and dreams, as they puff up like smoke before vanishing into nothingness. The dreams from the youth were meant to be sparks to be sung, but there’s still an uncanny feeling in the song, as if the spark is gone, and the promise of the glowing bright future is now lost. Throughout the song, there's an underlying sense of unease, as if the characters are stuck, unable to move forward or shake off the feeling that something is wrong. It concludes with a repetition of the line "Something's gone wrong, something's not right," emphasizing the uneasiness and highlighting the sense of something both lost and wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
In these demon days
During these difficult and chaotic times
We're pulling our pay
We're working hard to earn a living
The lights on the hill
The symbols of success and wealth
Are freezing us still
Are unattainable or out of reach
The fingers of fate
The unknown forces that shape our lives
Stretch out and take
Manipulate and control us
Us to a night
Towards a dark and uncertain future
But something's not right
There's a sense of unease or wrongness
Something's gone wrong
Things have taken a turn for the worse
The half whispered hopes
The quiet and fragile aspirations
The dreams that we smoked
The unrealistic and fanciful ideas we had
Puffed up and ran
Were quickly forgotten or never came to be
As only dreams can
As they tend to do
Dreamt by the young
Conceived by the naive and inexperienced
Sparks to be sung
With the potential to inspire and ignite others
In places so bright
In settings of promise and potential
But something's not right
Despite the appearances of success, something is off
Something's gone wrong
Things have taken a turn for the worse
In these demon days
During these difficult and chaotic times
We're pulling our pay
We're working hard to earn a living
The lights on the hill
The symbols of success and wealth
Are freezing us still
Are unattainable or out of reach
The fingers of fate
The unknown forces that shape our lives
Stretch out and take
Manipulate and control us
Us to a night
Towards a dark and uncertain future
But something's not right
There's a sense of unease or wrongness
Something's gone wrong
Things have taken a turn for the worse
Something's not right
There's a sense of unease or wrongness
Something's gone wrong
Things have taken a turn for the worse
Contributed by Avery F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Shihab Sharker
In these demon days
We’re pulling our pay
The lights on the hill
Are freezing us still
The fingers of fate
Stretch out and take
Us to a night
But something’s not right
Something’s gone wrong
The half whispered hopes
The dreams that we smoked
Puffed up and ran
As only dreams can
Dreamt by the young
Sparks to be sung
In places so bright
But something’s not right
Something’s gone wrong
Shihab Sharker
In these demon days
We’re pulling our pay
The lights on the hill
Are freezing us still
The fingers of fate
Stretch out and take
Us to a night
But something’s not right
Something’s gone wrong
The half whispered hopes
The dreams that we smoked
Puffed up and ran
As only dreams can
Dreamt by the young
Sparks to be sung
In places so bright
But something’s not right
Something’s gone wrong
Nik Murthy
Am I the only one who thinks this song is effin beautiful?
harold Walton
no mate...its brilliant....
Nathan Parsons
Written by Grant McLennan shortly before his death. Something’s not right...haunting
Jason Gemmill
Great song. Thanks to The Blacklist I have heard this song for the first time! Brilliant.
Josephine........its done
Angel For Animals
It's funny how so many people end up searching the songs out because of the show the blacklist. Many songs that I have never heard before I have come searching for here because I heard them on a show. Thank God for television because I would never know some of these great songs that exist.✌️
Obay zahra
Agreed
Angel For Animals
+I Oulton thank you, I appreciate and accept your apology 👍✌️
I Oulton
+Angel For Animals Ok sorry then.
Angel For Animals
Why is thanking God for TV a bad thing. During the last year of my mothers life, she was unable to,get out of her house due to illness. She got to watch Sunday mass, plus mass during the week, because she had television. When she became unable to leave her bed, she enjoyed shows like "Little House On The Prairie" and other old shows, brought to her through the TV. Sadly, when her illness was worsening, she would tell me about how she had been watching her family on television. I know it wasn't real, but it made her happy. I have a critical illness that keeps me home and in bed, quiet often. I have my IPAD and television, I read books on my IPAD and we use our DVR to record the shows we like so,that on Saturdays we can catch up on them and have a day together since my husband works during the week...so yep, ThankmGod for Television! 🎶✌️❤️✌🎶