Spooky Tooth was an English progressive rock band from the late 1960s.
<… Read Full Bio ↴Spooky Tooth was an English progressive rock band from the late 1960s.

They formed in October 1967, out of a combination of The Ramrods (1960 - late 1963), The V.I.P.'s (late 1963 - April 1967) and Art (April - October 1967). The line-up changed several times, but typically included the following members:

Mike Harrison (keyboards/vocals)Greg Ridley (bass guitar/vocals)Luther (Luke) Grosvenor (guitar/vocals)Mike Kellie (drums)Gary Wright (organ/vocals)
It was the addition of Gary Wright that signalled the name change from Art to Spooky Tooth.

The song "Better By You, Better Than Me" recorded by Judas Priest is a Spooky Tooth cover. It was taken from 1969's Spooky Two LP which is generally considered to be the best effort by the group. It was the last album release from the original line-up. Ridley joined Humble Pie in 1969 and was replaced by Andy Leigh who went on to Matthews Southern Comfort with ex-Fairport Convention vocalist Ian Matthews. The experimental nature of Ceremony received mixed reviews and following its release Wright also bowed out. The core of Harrison, Grosvenor and Kellie struggled on for one more album, aptly titled The Last Puff, (featuring a cover of "I am the Walrus") completed with friends from Joe Cocker's Grease Band.

They broke up in the autumn of 1970. After solo efforts, Harrison and Wright reformed Spooky Tooth in September 1972 with a different (and frequently changing) line-up. The best known member of these line-ups (March 1973 - September 1974) was Mick Jones (guitar/vocals), later of Foreigner. From February to May 1974, Mike Patto (vocals) replaced Harrison for the 1974 release The Mirror. The group then split again in September 1974.

DISCOGRAPHY

Art
Mike Harrison (vocals), Greg Ridley (bass guitar), Luther Grosvenor (guitar), Mike Kellie (drums)
* 1967 - Supernatural Fairy Tales

Spooky Tooth
* 1968 - It's All About
* 1969 - Spooky Two
* 1970 - Ceremony (with Pierre Henry)
* 1970 - The Last Puff
* 1971 - Tobacco Road (=It's All About)
* 1973 - You Broke My Heart So I Busted Your Jaw
* 1973 - Witness
* 1974 - The Mirror
* 1999 - Cross Purpose
* 1999 - The Best of Spooky Tooth: That Was Only Yesterday
* 2000 - Comic Violence
* 2001 - BBC Sessions
* 2007 - Nomad Poets (DVD)

Here I Lived So Well
Spooky Tooth Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Grosvenor-Harrison-Miller-Wright

Somebody broke the garden gate
The insect fighter came too late
The foot that set upon the door
Have turned the raven's "evermore" (???)

And here I lived so well before it died

The flower blooming every day
Has let the weeds come out to play
The gables reaching for the sky
Just sit on top and don't know why

And here I lived so well before it died
It died...it died

The tree that used to hold a swing
Can barely hold the lettering
Describing what the property can be

So this one (unwanted???) plot (???)
Soon to be erected on the spot -
A seven storey parking lot

And here it lived so well before I died

Ohh..someone broke the garden gate
Ohh..insect fighter came too late

Ohh..?????????????? (???)
Ohh..close that garden gate

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Spooky Tooth's song "Here I Lived So Well" paint a picture of decay and loss. The song begins with the image of a broken garden gate and an insect fighter arriving "too late" to save the plants. The foot that "set upon the door" is a metaphor for the intruder or vandal that has disrupted the harmony of the garden, and the reference to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" adds a layer of ominousness to the scene. The singer of the song reflects on how they used to live "so well" in this place before its decline.

The lyrics continue with a description of weeds overtaking the flowers and the gables of the house seeming to have lost their purpose. The tree that used to hold a swing is now barely able to hold a sign describing the property as a potential site for a parking lot. The song ends on the repetition of the opening lines, emphasizing the cyclical nature of decay and loss.

Overall, "Here I Lived So Well" is a meditation on the impermanence of life and the fleeting nature of human achievements. The decay of the garden and the house is a metaphor for the larger themes of mortality and the passage of time. The song raises questions about the meaning of "living well" and reminds the listener that even the most beautiful things in life are subject to decay.

Line by Line Meaning

Somebody broke the garden gate
The security of the place has been compromised as someone broke the garden gate.

The insect fighter came too late
The insect problem was not resolved on time even though the insect fighter was called for help.

The foot that set upon the door / Have turned the raven's "evermore"
An unwelcome guest has entered the premises and the situation is getting worse day by day.

And here I lived so well before it died
The place used to be a happy and comfortable home, but it has now lost its charm.

The flower blooming every day / Has let the weeds come out to play
The beauty of the place is overshadowed by the growing weed problem.

The gables reaching for the sky / Just sit on top and don't know why
The architecture of the building is impressive, but now it seems irrelevant and meaningless.

And here I lived so well before it died / It died...it died
The song emphasizes the loss of what was once a beautiful and thriving home.

The tree that used to hold a swing / Can barely hold the lettering / Describing what the property can be
Even the tree that used to be a source of joy for the residents has lost its strength, along with the signboard that described the property.

So this one (unwanted???) plot (???) / Soon to be erected on the spot - / A seven storey parking lot
The space where a beautiful home stood is now going to be replaced by a soulless, commercial parking lot.

Ohh..someone broke the garden gate / Ohh..insect fighter came too late / Ohh..?????????????? / Ohh..close that garden gate
The chorus of the song repeats the problems faced by the residents with the hope of restoring their beautiful home, but it's too late now.

Contributed by Nicholas I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS