Originally coming to fame in the mid-1960s singing orchestral pop ballads as the frontman of The Walker Brothers, Walker went on to a solo career balancing a light entertainment/MOR ballad approach with increasing artistic innovations in arrangement and writing. Despite a series of acclaimed albums, a disastrous drop in sales forced him back into straight Middle of the road recordings with little of his own artistic input. This in turn eventually led to a Walker Brothers reunion in the mid-1970s (although the latter eventually moved, by mutual consent, into more avant-garde areas).
From the mid-1980s, Walker revived his solo career while drastically reinventing his artistic and compositional methods, via a series of acclaimed and vividly avant-garde albums. These combined his iconic voice with an unsettling avant-garde approach which owed more to modernist and post-modernist classical composition than to his pop singer past. This change in approach has been compared to "Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen".
Walker has been a continuing influence on other artists, in particular The Last Shadow Puppets, Marc Almond, Goldfrapp, Douglas Pearce of the band Death in June, Billy MacKenzie of The Associates, David Sylvian, Julian Cope, Antony Hegarty, Thom Yorke, Steven Wilson, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Trey Spruance, Perry Blake, Radiohead, Noah Lennox, Mikael Åkerfeldt, and the Divine Comedy/Neil Hannon.
Walker continued to release solo material until his death, and was signed to 4AD Records. As a record producer or guest performer he worked with a number of artists including Pulp, Ute Lemper, Bat For Lashes and Sunn O))).
My Death
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A swinging door
A patient girl who knows the score
Whistle for her
And the passing time
My death waits like
A bible truth
Weep loud for that
And the passing time
My death waits like
A witch at night
And surely as our love is bright
Let's laugh for us
And the passing time
But whatever is behind the door
There is nothing much to do
Angel or devil I don't care
For in front of that door
There is you
My death waits like
A beggar blind
Who sees the world with an unlit mind
Throw him a dime
For the passing time
My death waits
To allow my friends
A few good times before it ends
Let's drink to that
And the passing time
My death waits in
Your arms, your thighs
Your cool fingers will close my eyes
Let's not talk about
The passing time
But whatever is behind the door
There is nothing much to do
Angel or devil I don't care
For in front of that door
There is you
My death waits
Among the falling leaves
In magicians, mysterious sleeves
Rabbits, dogs
And the passing times
My death waits
Among the flowers
Where the blackish shadow cowers
Let's pick lilacs
For the passing time
My death waits in
A double bed
Sails of oblivion at my head
Pull up the sheets
Against the passing time
But whatever is behind the door
There is nothing much to do
Angel or devil I don't care
For in front of that door
There is you
Scott Walker's song My Death contains a series of metaphors that describe the different ways that death can come for a person. The song opens with the metaphor of death being like a swinging door, which reflects the idea that death is an inevitable and natural part of life, something that will come for us all in the end. The lyrics also suggest that death is patient, waiting for its moment to arrive, and that it can appear in many different forms, ranging from a beggar blind to a bible truth.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become increasingly poetic and surreal, evoking images of witches at night, falling leaves, and blackish shadows. Throughout the song, the passing of time is also a recurring theme, emphasizing the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death. However, despite all of these dark and somber themes, the song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer declaring that, no matter what lies behind the door of death, there is nothing much to do except enjoy the time that we have and cherish the people we love.
Overall, My Death is a poignant and deeply moving song that reflects on the fragility of life and our inevitable mortality. Through its vivid and evocative metaphors, the song encourages us to embrace life fully and appreciate the beauty and wonder that surrounds us, even as we recognize that our time here is limited and precious.
Line by Line Meaning
My death is like
A swinging door
A patient girl who knows the score
Whistle for her
And the passing time
I see my death as a swinging door that leads to a patient girl who understands my fate. I'll call for her with a whistle, and together, we'll wait for the inevitable.
My death waits like
A bible truth
At the funeral of my youth
Weep loud for that
And the passing time
My death waits for me like a biblical prophecy that's been known since the day of my youth. Cry out in mourning for what once was, and accept that time will continue to move on.
My death waits like
A witch at night
And surely as our love is bright
Let's laugh for us
And the passing time
My death is like a witch that creeps up at night. But instead of being frightened, let's embrace the love we have and laugh together in the face of time.
But whatever is behind the door
There is nothing much to do
Angel or devil I don't care
For in front of that door
There is you
No matter what's on the other side of the door, there isn't anything I can do to change it. Whether it's an angel or devil, it doesn't matter because what's in front of that door is you.
My death waits like
A beggar blind
Who sees the world with an unlit mind
Throw him a dime
For the passing time
My death is like a blind beggar who can't see the world as it really is. Give him a coin and let him be, for time is still passing by.
My death waits
To allow my friends
A few good times before it ends
Let's drink to that
And the passing time
My death waits to give my friends a little bit of time and laughter before it finally takes me. Let's drink to those moments in life, as we know time is always passing.
My death waits in
Your arms, your thighs
Your cool fingers will close my eyes
Let's not talk about
The passing time
My death waits for me in your comforting embrace. When it finally comes, let your fingers be the ones to close my eyes. But for now, let's not talk about the passing time.
My death waits
Among the falling leaves
In magicians, mysterious sleeves
Rabbits, dogs
And the passing times
My death waits among the falling leaves and the magic of the world. In this mystical place, let's not forget the passing times and the fleeting moments of life.
My death waits
Among the flowers
Where the blackish shadow cowers
Let's pick lilacs
For the passing time
My death is among the beautiful flowers, where even the shadows cower. Let's take the time to appreciate and pick the lilacs, knowing that time is always moving forward.
My death waits in
A double bed
Sails of oblivion at my head
Pull up the sheets
Against the passing time
My death waits for me in a comfortable, double bed. But instead of facing it head-on, I'll pull up the sheets and try to hide from the inevitable passing of time.
But whatever is behind the door
There is nothing much to do
Angel or devil I don't care
For in front of that door
There is you
No matter what's on the other side of the door, there isn't anything I can do to change it. Whether it's an angel or devil, it doesn't matter because what's in front of that door is you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Mort Shuman, Eric Blau, Jacques Roman Brel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paresnakabaluskoy
Rest in peace, Scott Walker ❤
@ghostwithin3513
paresnakabaluskoy ❤️
@sophiesofi6635
❤️❤️
@TheSharkey22
We have lost two true musical innovators within four weeks... Scott Walker and Mark Hollis of Talk Talk. Both started out as very commercial artists but both had the vision to push boundaries and both went on to create some of the most challenging, influential and innovative music of the last 40 odd years.
@PNgaia33859
wow. iay, beautiful eulogy, the haunting Is Him.
@nathancroucher90
In my eyes he is one of the most influential and innovative musicians of all time.
I adore his crooning days in The Walker Brothers and his early solo days but its the experimental approach he took during Scott 4 and for the rest of his career afterwards.
Scott Walker just followed his own path, the avant garde approach to his work just shows how brave he was to show his genius
@markgconnors7932
Scott's death, hit me just as hard as Bowie's!😞
@ajrollo1437
News of his passing was not pleasant to wake up to today, but listening to his music all day makes it so much better. Rest in peace, crazy man.
@seangage9088
Brilliant interpretation of this great Brel classic....this is timeless......
@valeriekokenge659
Another great one gone. RIP Scott Walker