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))).
The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rest forever here in my heart,
The last and final moments is yours
That agony is your triumph
The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti is a haunting song that tells the story of two Italian immigrants in the United States, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, who were wrongfully accused and executed for robbery and murder in 1920. The lyrics are a tribute to these two men, who were ultimately martyred for their beliefs and defiance against a corrupt justice system. The opening lines, "Here's to you, Nicolas and Bart, rest forever here in my heart," are a solemn dedication to their memory, acknowledging the sacrifice they made in the service of their ideals.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more pointed and political, as Scott Walker calls out the injustice of their trial and execution. The line, "That agony is your triumph," is a powerful sentiment, suggesting that even in the face of their wrongful death, Sacco and Vanzetti ultimately triumphed in their fight against the corrupt system that persecuted them. The song serves as a reminder of the flaws inherent in any justice system, and the importance of standing up for what you believe in, even when the odds seem insurmountable.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's to you, Nicolas and Bart,
I raise a toast to Nicolas Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti,
Rest forever here in my heart,
You will always stay in my heart and memory,
The last and final moments is yours
You both faced your end with courage and dignity,
That agony is your triumph
Despite the pain and suffering you endured, your spirit and cause were victorious.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ENNIO MORRICONE, JOAN BAEZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elisavet Schina
Father - yes, I am a prisoner
Fear not, to relate my crime
The crime is loving the forsaken
Only silence is shame
Blessed are the persecuted
And blessed are the pure in heart
Blessed are the merciful
Blessed are the ones who mourn
Give to me your tired and your poor
Your huddled masses, yearning to be free
The wretched refuge of your teeming shore
Send these, the hopeless
Send this task to me
And now I'll tell you
What's against us
A naught that's lived for centuries
Go through the years
And you will find
What's blackened all
Of the history
Father, yes I am a prisoner
Only silence is shame
Yrret Ksif
The Ballad of Sacco and Vanzetti
[Baez/Walker/Morricone]
Father - yes, I am a prisoner
Fear not, to relate my crime
The crime is loving the forsaken
Only silence is shame
Blessed are the persecuted
And blessed are the pure in heart
Blessed are the merciful
And blessed are the ones who mourn [1]
Give to me your tired and your poor
Your huddled masses, yearning to be free
The wretched refuge of your teeming shore
Send these, the hopeless [2]
Send this task to me
And now I'll tell you
What's against us
An art that's lived for centuries [3]
Go through the years
And you will find
What's darkened all [4]
Of history [5]
Father,
Yes I am a prisoner
Only silence is...
Shame
<>
* This post uses Scott Walkers as recorded words as well as Joan Baez's original "Sacco and Vanzetti part two" lyric to correct a number of commonly made mistakes. [1] "AND blessed are the ones who mourn" [2] "Send these the HOPELESS" [3] "AN ART that's lived for centuries" [4] "What's DARKENED all" ["darkened" is substitute word for "blackened" [5] "OF HISTORY" [not "Of the history"]
Elisavet Schina
Father - yes, I am a prisoner
Fear not, to relate my crime
The crime is loving the forsaken
Only silence is shame
Blessed are the persecuted
And blessed are the pure in heart
Blessed are the merciful
Blessed are the ones who mourn
Give to me your tired and your poor
Your huddled masses, yearning to be free
The wretched refuge of your teeming shore
Send these, the hopeless
Send this task to me
And now I'll tell you
What's against us
A naught that's lived for centuries
Go through the years
And you will find
What's blackened all
Of the history
Father, yes I am a prisoner
Only silence is shame
theonlyantony
My favourite version. Great for playing loud to blast away the complacency in a Western household! Vinyl is best for this.
Wally Toynbee
What a staggeringly underrated track from Scott. Wonderfully uplifting.
wellandtruly joshed
Beautiful man beautiful voice ❤️ RIP Scott 💔
Charismaticart
If there is an afterlife can we please keep still hearing this wonderful voice, it is so magnificent. It is like angel songs
Adam Cheong
A powerful song to wake up believers or so we call ourselves.
C 10
This song is beautiful!
CassisLips
An exceptional human being...
Andy N
best track from the moviegoer album by far for me. few other good / ok tracks on there but this is the stand out track for me. would have fitted in well on scott 4 i think
MuddyRich
Any of the numbers but especially 3 + 4