Screaming Lord Sutch was born in North London. His father, a war reserve policeman, was killed in an accident when his son was 10 months old. His mother - to whom he was devoted - was a fan of Dickens; she christened him David after David Copperfield. For most of the next fifteen years they shared a flat and poverty in what he called a dead-end street in Kilburn, while she worked as a cleaner and shop assistant. Entertainment was Saturday morning pictures and the Metropolitan Music Hall, Edgeware Road. In 1956, after David had left school, they moved to South Harrow, where he became a window cleaner.
It was the birth of British rock music; a time when the young and desperate could pursue a new escape route. What he called his 'wild man of Borneo look' got Screaming Lord Sutch a spot singing at the Two I's coffee bar in Soho. His style evolved, or lurched, out of that slurry of music hall (he was a Max Miller fan), horror movies, Grand Guignol, pulp comics, slapstick and transatlantic pop. Thus did the black American rhythm & blues singer Screaming Jay Hawkins provide a name, and the basis of an act.
In 1961 he was spotted by the curious and doomed independent record producer Joe Meek. "I was doing the horror", said Sutch, "screaming and yelling. I had 18 inches of hair and I was running around in buffalo horns and my auntie's leopardskin coat. The scout said 'You've got a different approach. You want to make a record?'". Screaming Lord Sutch made records, and recorded with a clutch of (later) distinguished British rock musicians. The early subject matter focused on disembowelment and graveyards - on one occasion Meek posed Screaming Lord Sutch as Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel at night. Both men, observed Sutch, were intrigued by horror films. But he had no real hits. Indeed, by 1963 his career had been swamped by the Mersey boom.
It was then that he went to Stratford, campaigning for commercial radio, votes at 18, abolition of dog licences and his share of the spotlight, with the mix of native wit and puerility that marked his aimless - or dadaist - media courtship. The live act around Europe, and playing small halls and pubs, provided an income.
His last political hurrah was in the 1995 Littleborough and Saddleworth byelection (the OMRLP didn't have the money to run in the last European elections). But more than finances, it was perhaps the times that had finally run out.
Dracula´s Daughter
Screaming Lord Sutch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was passing the cemetery
When a bite on the cheek left me feeling weak
That's where I met vampire Mary
When I looked around I was flat on the ground
With a big black thing above me
"Are we gonna get wed or you'll end up dead"
Lips are blue, eyes are red
A laugh like gurgling water
But I can't resist that passionate kiss
I'm in love with Dracula's Daughter
Well she gave me a peck that left me a wreck
And said "it'll settle Laddie -
And after that we go meet the old bat
You must come and see my daddy"
So we climbed a tree and I said
"Can we please pardon my intrusion?"
Well he gave me a grin and said "My, you're thin -
You could do with a blood transfusion"
Lips are blue, eyes are red
A laugh like gurgling water
But I can't resist that passionate kiss
I'm in love with Dracula's Daughter
We were wed in June beneath the yellow moon
And we danced around the campfire
Said Mary to me "When the clock strikes three,
You're a genuine Grade A vampire"
Now hear me right, if you're out at night
Run as fast as your legs will let you
Cos if you don't run, I'm telling you son
Mary and I will get you
Lips are blue, eyes are red
A laugh like gurgling water
But I can't resist that passionate kiss
I'm in love with Dracula's Daughter
The lyrics to Screaming Lord Sutch's "Dracula's Daughter" tell the story of a man who, while passing a cemetery, encounters a vampire named Mary, who bites him and asks if he loves her. Despite the danger of being with a vampire, he cannot resist her charms and they eventually get married, with Mary turning him into a vampire as well. The lyrics are infused with a mix of horror, humor, and romance, as the singer seems to be both afraid and infatuated with Mary and her deadly powers.
The first verse sets the scene, with the moon shining bright and the singer passing by the cemetery. It is then that he encounters Mary, who bites him on the cheek and leaves him feeling weak. The second verse reveals the extent of Mary's power over him, with the singer finding himself flat on the ground and at her mercy. She asks him to marry her or else face death, and he cannot resist her passionate kiss despite the fact that her lips are blue and her eyes are red.
The third verse introduces more characters to the story, as Mary and the singer climb a tree to meet her father, Dracula. Dracula remarks on the singer's thinness and suggests he could use a blood transfusion, adding to the dark humor of the song. The fourth verse details their wedding and the fact that the singer has now become a vampire himself. The final warning comes in the last verse, as the singer urges listeners to run if they encounter Mary and him at night, suggesting that they will not spare anyone who crosses their path.
Line by Line Meaning
It was late one night when the moon shone bright
The singer was passing the cemetery at night when he met a female vampire named Mary.
When a bite on the cheek left me feeling weak
Mary bit the singer's cheek, which left him feeling weak.
That's where I met vampire Mary
The cemetery was where the singer met Mary, who is a vampire.
When I looked around I was flat on the ground
After being bitten by Mary, the singer fell to the ground.
With a big black thing above me
The singer saw a big black object above him after he was bitten.
"Are we gonna get wed or you'll end up dead"
Mary asked the singer whether they were going to get married or if he would end up dead.
She said "now do you love me?"
Mary asked the singer if he loved her.
Lips are blue, eyes are red
Mary's lips are blue, and her eyes are red, which is typical of a vampire's appearance.
A laugh like gurgling water
Mary's laugh sounds like gurgling water.
But I can't resist that passionate kiss
The singer is in love with Mary and can't resist her passionate kiss.
I'm in love with Dracula's Daughter
Mary is the daughter of Dracula, and the singer is in love with her.
Well she gave me a peck that left me a wreck
Mary gave the singer a kiss that left him feeling overwhelmed.
And said "it'll settle Laddie -
Mary assured the singer that everything would be okay.
And after that we go meet the old bat
Mary and the singer plan to meet Dracula soon.
You must come and see my daddy"
Mary invited the singer to meet her father, Dracula.
So we climbed a tree and I said
The singer and Mary climbed a tree before meeting Dracula.
"Can we please pardon my intrusion?"
The singer asked Dracula for permission to intrude into their meeting.
Well he gave me a grin and said "My, you're thin -
Dracula made a joke about the singer's weight by saying that he looked thin.
You could do with a blood transfusion"
Dracula joked that the singer needs a blood transfusion, which is something that vampires need to survive.
We were wed in June beneath the yellow moon
The singer and Mary got married in June under the yellow moon.
And we danced around the campfire
After their wedding, the singer and Mary danced around the campfire.
Said Mary to me "When the clock strikes three,
Mary told the singer that when the clock strikes three, he will become a genuine Grade A vampire.
You're a genuine Grade A vampire"
Mary informed the singer that he is now a genuine Grade A vampire.
Now hear me right, if you're out at night
The singer warned the listeners that if they are out at night, they need to be careful.
Run as fast as your legs will let you
The singer advised the listeners to run as fast as they can if they are being chased by a vampire.
Cos if you don't run, I'm telling you son
If you don't run from the vampire, the singer warns that Mary and Dracula will get you.
Mary and I will get you
The singer implies that Mary and Dracula will harm you if you don't run.
Contributed by Vivian Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ChrisSeahorse
I'm really keen on a lot of French 1960s pop because a lot of it is pretty bonkers and it makes a lot of British stuff from the same period sound safe, respectful and earnest, like it took itself a little too seriously. Of course there are exceptions. For instance....The Kinks, Syd Barrett and of course Screaming Lord Sutch. Sutch didn't have an earnest bone in his entire body. He was a true nutter and a lot of the time that's what I seek from music.
@abstractgrant
You think you've got it bad? Try having Dracula for your dad.
@mikeisernie
See how it looks on you-ooooo.
@patgalvez4563
Or Dracula's daughter for your mother....
@karmasauce6288
Definitely on my mandatory Halloween playlist.
@eschsoapy2809
I find that listening to this when it's not halloween in at full volume in a building filled with Asian students to be perhaps the most enjoyable thing I've experienced in a while. Adds to the creepy old white guy vibe I'm sporting lately.
@saintgarluth
Everyday is Halloween...-_-
@gwts1171
RIP, Jeff Beck.
@veronicagrey9782
I seem to remember seeing him at a pub in Ilford when I was about 15. Brilliant.
@humbertogatica6420
Catchy tune. He was a truly eccentric man