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 Big Hurt
Scott Walker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Needles and pins, twilight till dawn
Watching the clock till you return
Lighting that torch and watching it burn
Now it begins, day after day
This is my life, ticking away
Waiting to hear footsteps that say
Each time you go
I try to pretend
It's over at last
And this time the big hurt will end
Now it begins, now that's you've gone
Needles and pins, twilight till dawn
But if you don't come back again
I'll wonder when, oh when will it end
The big hurt
The big hurt
The big hurt
Scott Walker's song "The Big Hurt" is a poignant reflection on the pain of separation in a relationship. The lyrics begin with a sense of desolation and emptiness, with the singer watching the clock and waiting for his lover's return. The metaphor of "lighting that torch and watching it burn" captures the intensity of his longing, while the repetition of the phrase "Now it begins" emphasizes the cyclical nature of his suffering.
As the song progresses, the singer describes the routine of his life and the sense of hope that his lover's return brings. However, each time she leaves again, he must endure the pain of separation once more. The lines "Each time you go, I try to pretend it's over at last" reveal the futility of his attempts to shield himself from the hurt.
The final refrain, with its repetition of the words "the big hurt," underscores the all-consuming nature of the singer's pain. The last line, "I'll wonder when, oh when will it end," suggests a sense of futility in the face of this emotional turmoil.
Overall, "The Big Hurt" is a beautiful and heartbreaking portrayal of the complexities of love and loss. The lyrics capture the rollercoaster of emotions that come with the ebb and flow of a relationship, and Scott Walker's impassioned delivery makes it all the more powerful.
Line by Line Meaning
Now it begins, now that's you've gone
The absence of you has initiated a new phase in my life
Needles and pins, twilight till dawn
Despite being awake all night, the pain and suffering caused by your absence is piercing through me like needles and pins
Watching the clock till you return
My anticipation to reunite with you is so high that I'm unable to focus on anything else but constantly checking the clock
Lighting that torch and watching it burn
Embarking on a new journey with the hope of reuniting with you, but the uncertainty of its success is resulting in anxiousness
Each time you go
Every single time you leave me
I try to pretend
I attempt to deceive myself
It's over at last
This cycle of separation and reunion has come to an end
And this time the big hurt will end
Finally, the intense pain that I feel due to this endless cycle of you leaving and coming back will stop
If you don't come back again
In case our reunion doesn't happen
I'll wonder when, oh when will it end
I'll be pondering over when the unbearable hurt and suffering will finally conclude
The big hurt
The injury and anguish caused by your absence and constant coming and going
The big hurt
The overwhelming emotional pain caused by the cycle of being left and coming back
The big hurt
The enduring hurt and anguish of a failing relationship
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Wayne Shanklin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@trytocalmmenow2473
Now it begins, now that you've gone
Needles and pins, twilight till dawn
Watching that clock till you return
Lighting that torch and watching it burn
Now it begins, day after day
This is my night, ticking away
Waiting to hear footsteps that say
"Love will appear and this time to stay"
Oh, each time you go
I try to pretend
It's over at last
This time the big hurt will end
Now it begins, now that you've gone
Needles and pins, twilight till dawn
But if you go, come back again
I wonder when, oh when will it end?
The big hurt
The big hurt
The big hurt
@stevenhobin
In my opinion, the greatest male singer of the rock era. With the right material he wipes the floor with any one of his contemporaries
@ronaldwilliamson5696
My God....he just OWNS this, with sheer ease. He is in total VOCAL CONTROL. So smooth, but with the right amount of intensity. Unbelievable!
@youyong28
This is an unbelievably great recording. Toni Fisher's recording of this song is one of my all time favorite songs, but this version eclipses it in my opinion. Scott Walker's unbelievably beautiful voice and a top arrangement make this the definitive version.
@cemegonuts
RIP Scott! You will be greatly missed.
@gratecourt
Proof that 'easy listening' can really be art. Mention has to be made of the mind-boggling arrangement by the great Wally Stott, later Angela Morley.
@davidwalsh3439
A lovely clear version of this over recorded song. Scott Walker is blessed with a beautiful voice.
@beesty1967
Our beautiful man who left us, left us with treasures, such as this. Thank you Scott, we will always love you ❤
@helenastokes3694
Scott walker always sounds so good on these soundtrack type songs.his voice was made for these
You can do no wrong
R.i.p beautiful man 💔💔
@wellandtrulyjoshed
Beautiful man beautiful voice ❤️ RIP Scott 💔 My big hurt now that you’re gone😢
@janicead
How, oh how, does he do it? Scott makes this MOR song absolutely thrilling. What an artist.