Jeff Suffering is a controversial and mysterious veteran of the Seattle music scene, and his terrifying and beautiful music is played by a gypsy legion of vagabond musicians known as the Hideous Thieves. They've spent the past few years performing locally in Seattle as well as up and down the West Coast, playing with bands like Gatsby's American Dream, Angels of Light, Vendetta Red, the Blood Brothers, and These Arms Are Snakes, to name only a few.
"Jeff Suffering's many-leveled, troubled and tremulous lyrics (arguably some of the best in the independent music scene) stab into the listener at any moment, augmented by an instrumental backdrop sounding somehow invented on-the-spot and meticulously crafted by musical prodigies." Someone in Seattle wrote that in a article, thanks and sorry we've forgot who.
Jeff Sufferings 2001 release of Real Panic Formed was a strong first release for the Thieves collective. Suffering’s thematic groveling over moral decay was set to a sickly romantic orchestral sounding hangover. In ’03, Rats in Heaven gave a whole new meaning to the American tradition of the murder ballad. Like previous efforts, Ashamed still touches on depression, human depravity and redemption. But now more than ever, the ever rotating cast of the Thieves ensemble has truly captured the mood of the music by providing the appropriate backdrop for Sufferings maniacal rants.
“We paid close attention to harmony with all the instruments in a way that allows all of the parts to shine” states Suffering. But not to worry, this musical maturing doesn’t render the Thieves rock impotent like others that undergo the dreaded “artistic development”. Drawing from Birthday Party era Nick Cave J Cuplin’s spastic guitar molestations are--as Suffering puts it--“schizophrenic and choppy”. Coupled with Sufferings back street profit caterwaul, Ashamed is the Thieves most sonically heavy recording to date.
And though Ashamed channels a sort of aural kicking and screaming punk catharsis, there is a surprising amount of musical restraint. Just as the dissonant bombast threatens to take over, S. Warren’s violin beautifully weaves in and out of verses melodically pulling back the reigns giving the entire recording a true sense of tension.
Though Suffering’s Thieves project has mellowed a few beats per minute from his punk rock days in Ninety Pound Wuss and Raft of Dead Monkeys, there’s certainly no energy lost on stage. As so aptly put by Seattle entertainment weekly The Stranger “the stage was populated with all manner of musicians and singers playing instruments passionately and carelessly, some appearing pained while others seemed possessed.” Simply put, those blessed enough to experience the Thieves live in action will leave the venue in awe.
So much dense artistry historically tends to self implodes under its own creative weight. But Suffering is a lifer and there are sure to be countless future releases with as many local musical contributors. Says Suffering: “As of now, we will continue to put out obscure releases until the Lord comes back, or until we die, or can't rock anymore.” As far as short term plans for ’05 and ’06, “We may do a west coast tour with Neon Blonde, and Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death” Says Suffering.
If the indie music world is paying attention and collectively active in the musical archeological dig for truly great music, Suffering and the Hideous Thieves will go down in history as a band of legend. But for those already privy, history has already been written.
Return
Suffering And The Hideous Thieves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Ancient Ones art...
The Ancient Ones shall be...
The Ancient Ones wert...
The Ancient Ones art...
The Ancient Ones shall be...
They remain waiting to cross the big Gate
NYARLATHOTEP will pronounce the word...
The Great Old Ones shall rise
And CTHULHU with his legions
Will return to the earth
And his Kingdom shall last eternally...
At the beginning of time, in HAOSTOSH
They lied in absolute equilibrium
Until the first race of mortal men appeared...
They profaned and committed barbarous deeds
So the Gods punished them for the sacrilege...
HASTUR... the voice of the Ancient Ones - avenger and destructor
Who inhabits within the dark cosmic spaces said it...:
"The Old Ones will rule the World in all their magnificent splendour..."
Out of the earthly plane - They rule
They remain waiting to cross the big Gate
NYARLATHOTEP will pronounce the word...
The Great Old Ones shall rise
And CTHULHU with his legions
Will return to the earth
And his Kingdom shall last eternally...
Listen! Oh you mortals! The Great Sign!
Since men will render wild beings
And will blaspheme to those who destroyed them forever!!!
At the beginning of time, in HAOSTOSH
They lied in absolute equilibrium
Until the first race of mortal men appeared...
They profaned and committed barbarous deeds
So the Gods punished them for the sacrilege...
The song "Return" by Suffering And The Hideous Thieves is a tribute to the concept of the Great Old Ones in the Cthulhu Mythos, a fictional universe created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. The lyrics describe the Ancient Ones, powerful entities that ruled over the universe before the appearance of mortal men. The song speaks of their return to Earth, led by Cthulhu, and their reign that will last eternally.
The opening lines of the song set the tone with a repeated verse, "The Ancient Ones wert... The Ancient Ones art... The Ancient Ones shall be..." The use of archaic language invokes a sense of timelessness and power, emphasizing the Ancient Ones' mythic status. The following lines describe the Great Old Ones' rule over the Earth and their anticipation to cross the big Gate, perhaps referring to the boundary between the material and spiritual worlds. Nyarlathotep, a mysterious messenger figure in Lovecraft's stories, is mentioned as the one who will pronounce the word that will bring about their return.
The lyrics then delve into the backstory of the Great Old Ones in HAOSTOSH, a Lovecraftian creation myth. They existed in absolute equilibrium until the first race of mortal men appeared and committed barbarous deeds, leading the Gods to punish them for their sacrilege. The song portrays Hastur, the voice of the Ancient Ones, as an avenger and destructor who declares that "The Old Ones will rule the World in all their magnificent splendor." The final lines caution mortals to listen to the Great Sign and not to blaspheme the beings who destroyed their predecessors.
Line by Line Meaning
The Ancient Ones wert...
The Ancient Ones existed...
The Ancient Ones art...
The Ancient Ones exist...
The Ancient Ones shall be...
The Ancient Ones will exist...
Out of the earthly plane - They rule
The Ancient Ones rule from beyond the physical world
They remain waiting to cross the big Gate
The Ancient Ones wait for a gateway to open before returning
NYARLATHOTEP will pronounce the word...
NYARLATHOTEP will speak the command to open the gateway
The Great Old Ones shall rise
The Great Old Ones will awaken
And CTHULHU with his legions
And CTHULHU with his followers
Will return to the earth
Will come back to the physical world
And his Kingdom shall last eternally...
And CTHULHU's reign will go on forever
At the beginning of time, in HAOSTOSH
Long ago, in the ancient land of HAOSTOSH
They lied in absolute equilibrium
The Ancient Ones existed in perfect balance
Until the first race of mortal men appeared...
Until humans came into existence
They profaned and committed barbarous deeds
Humans defiled and did cruel things
So the Gods punished them for the sacrilege...
So the Ancient Ones punished humans for their wrongdoing
HASTUR... the voice of the Ancient Ones - avenger and destructor
HASTUR is the Ancient Ones' representative of vengeance and destruction
Who inhabits within the dark cosmic spaces said it...:
From the vast darkness of the cosmos, HASTUR declared...
"The Old Ones will rule the World in all their magnificent splendour..."
"The Ancient Ones will dominate the world in all their glory..."
Listen! Oh you mortals! The Great Sign!
Hear this, humans! The Great Sign!
Since men will render wild beings
Because humans will cause wild creatures to become insane
And will blaspheme to those who destroyed them forever!!!
And will insult the Ancient Ones who they fear destroyed them!
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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