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))).
Patriot
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
see how
they run
I brought nylons
from New York
some had butterflies
some had specks
I brought nylons
from New York
Hard flat butterflies
some had specks
The good news
you cannot refuse
The bad news
is there is
no news
Tonight he'll
rise
he'll sell his
arms
to anyone
who asks
about
As-in-the wind
As-in the rain
As-in-as in
As-in-without
oh
the
Luzerner
Zeitung
the Luzerner
Zeitung
never
sold out
never
sold
out
Cripple fingers
hit the muezzin
yells
some had Columbine
some had
specks
Cripple fingers
hit the rounds
of shells
Some had
clinging vine
some had
specks
the good news
you cannot
refuse
the bad news
is there is
no news
tonight he'll
rise
he'll leave
these arms
to anyone
who asks
about
as-in-the tracks
as-in the wrists
as-in-you been
as-in-without
oh
the Luzerner
Zeitung
the
Luzerner
Zeitung
never
sold
out
never
sold
out
See how it
blows
a mile
up the road
color of moon
it swirls and
collects
unfolding and
tumbling
up this back
road
swirling butterflies
swirling flecks
17 a
r
y
a
u
n
r
y
The lyrics of Scott Walker's song 'Patriot' are quite cryptic and open to interpretation. It's clear that the song presents a surreal and somewhat disturbing picture of America, and the lyrics seem to reflect the disorientation and confusion that people might feel in the face of political upheaval and violence. At the start of the song, the singer seems to be watching events from a distance, as if observing a parade or a group of people running. The image of nylons with butterflies and specks appears to suggest a sense of beauty and order that is disrupted by violence and chaos.
The song then shifts to a more ominous tone, with the singer describing how someone is selling arms to anyone who asks about them. The phrase 'As-in-the wind, as-in-the rain, as-in-as in, as-in-without' seems to suggest the unpredictability and randomness of violence, while the reference to the 'Luzerner Zeitung' - a Swiss newspaper - appears to underscore the idea that violence can strike anywhere and affect anyone. The closing lines of the song suggest further confusion and disorientation, with the singer describing something blowing up the road in a swirl of moon-like color.
Overall, it is difficult to pin down exactly what the song is trying to say, but it seems to present a bleak portrait of America in the aftermath of conflict and division.
Line by Line Meaning
ja '91'
The year 1991, denoting a historical period.
see how
they run
Observing people fleeing or avoiding the situation in question without understanding its nature.
I brought nylons
from New York
some had butterflies
some had specks
The singer has acquired a range of goods for trading, some of which have decorative designs.
I brought nylons
from New York
Hard flat butterflies
some had specks
Clarification that the previously mentioned butterfly designs are hard and flat.
The good news
you cannot refuse
A positive development that cannot be denied or rejected.
The bad news
is there is
no news
The lack of information or development, suggesting that the situation is stagnant or unresolved.
Tonight he'll
rise
he'll sell his
arms
to anyone
who asks
about
A person will arrive and supply weapons to anyone with an interest in acquiring them.
As-in-the wind
As-in the rain
As-in-as in
As-in-without
Samples of various common expressions which have a vague or nonspecific meaning.
oh
the
Luzerner
Zeitung
The name of a newspaper with a reputation for being principled or independent.
the Luzerner
Zeitung
never
sold out
never
sold
out
Further emphasizing that the newspaper has maintained its principles and refused to sell out its values.
Cripple fingers
hit the muezzin
yells
some had Columbine
some had
specks
A physical altercation involving a disabled person and a religious figure. Some of the previously mentioned decorative goods had flower patterns.
Cripple fingers
hit the rounds
of shells
Some had
clinging vine
some had
specks
Clarification that the altercation involved gunfire. Some of the previously mentioned decorative goods had vine patterns.
the good news
you cannot
refuse
Reiteration that there is a positive development that is incontrovertible.
the bad news
is there is
no news
Reiteration that the lack of information or development is a negative or concerning state of affairs.
tonight he'll
rise
he'll leave
these arms
to anyone
who asks
about
The aforementioned person with weapons will depart and abandon their weaponry for anyone to claim.
as-in-the tracks
as-in the wrists
as-in-you been
as-in-without
Further examples of expressions with an ambiguous or unclear meaning.
oh
the Luzerner
Zeitung
Reiteration of the name of the principled newspaper.
the
Luzerner
Zeitung
never
sold
out
never
sold
out
Final emphasis of the newspaper's principled stance.
See how it
blows
a mile
up the road
color of moon
it swirls and
collects
unfolding and
tumbling
up this back
road
swirling butterflies
swirling flecks
17 a
r
y
a
u
n
r
y
An abstract description of the motion and appearance of a mysterious phenomenon involving swirling, collecting, and unfolding, with reference to the moon, butterflies, and specks. The final line is cryptic, with its meaning unclear.
Contributed by Stella K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.