Talking Heads first appeared on the New York music scene as a trio in 1974. At the time, the band consisted only of Byrne and Frantz, and was initially called The Artistics. By 1975, the band had recorded a demo album for CBS Records and landed a gig opening for the Ramones at CBGB in June 1975, which was the first time the band used the name Talking Heads. The band was signed to Sire Records in late 1976 and the group released their first single, "Love → Building on Fire" in February 1977. In March 1977, the band added Jerry Harrison, formerly of Jonathan Richman's band The Modern Lovers.
Their first album, Talking Heads: 77 was released soon afterward and did not contain the earlier single, although it did include the underground singles Psycho Killer and Uh-Oh, Love Comes To Town. Despite being regulars at New York's legendary CBGB, the band only began to break through further with the landmark Brian Eno-produced, 1978 album More Songs About Buildings And Food, an album which continued in the same vein, but with a more accessible style, wittier lyrics, and ultimately better songs. It was a great critical hit with subject matter ranging from home movies to the art world. It also included their cover of Take Me To The River. On the following year's Fear Of Music the band started to dabble in African rhythms, notably on I Zimbra, and more straightforward pop styles, on Life During Wartime and Cities.
1980 brought the band's fourth and most innovative effort Remain In Light. Notable for the single Once In A Lifetime, which became an early MTV staple, Remain In Light saw the band experiment with ambient sounds, fugal structures, polyrhythms, and about everything under the sun to make the body groove. Following this, the group split with Brian Eno, enjoying greater commercial success with 1983's Speaking In Tongues. It took the musical innovations of its predecessor and refined them into pop songs, most notably Burning Down The House, Girlfriend Is Better and This Must Be The Place. This period was topped off with a live album, from Jonathan Demme's documentary, Stop Making Sense. The documentary, with its name taken from a line in Girlfriend Is Better, was a great success, and took their inimitable style to a wider audience.
1985's Little Creatures was an even bigger hit, and exhibited another stylistic shift for the band. It saw the punk styles of '77 almost completely abandoned for simple, three or four chord pop songs. The album produced the singles And She Was, and Road To Nowhere. The following two albums, True Stories and Naked, were both moderate successes, the former producing their biggest radio hits, Love For Sale and Wild Wild Life, and the latter focusing more on Latin influences with hits like (Nothing But) Flowers. After this, a long quiet period followed, with the band eventually officially announcing their break up in 1991. Since the split, Byrne continued his solo career and Weymoth and Frantz continued to record and tour as Tom Tom Club. Weymouth, Harrison and Frantz reunited for an album, "No Talking, Just Head", recorded under the name The Heads in 1996.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. The band reunited for a three song performance at the ceremony. Due to personality conflicts between Byrne and the other members, further reunions are unlikely.
www.talking-heads.net
Cool Water
Talking Heads Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whistle while you work
Our backs are breaking
Up from hollow earth
From end to end
The noise begins
In the human battle stations
And the big one's coming in
Work, work, work, work
Work till holes are filled
Work, work, work, work
Bags of bone and skin
Lovers hold hands
Tossing their heads
Tangled in hair
Tied to earth
With skin and glue
But their skin is the same as yours
Coming in for the world to see
They can sit at the table, too
The same blood as you and me
Speak very softly
Hold my hand
Someone is sleeping in my bed
Priests pass by
Worms crawl in
One dreams to be
One dream for all
His skin is the same as yours
Is he not made the same as you?
And some have fallen down
And blood spilled on the ground
Work, work,work
Till his life is done
The old man is at our door
And he's knocking...knocking
As his neighbors weep
Each day repeats
Are we nothing in your eyes?
Someone answer, someone answer
This rusted garden gate
Can barely even stand
Their work is over now
And rest will be at hand
Is their skin not the same as yours?
Can they sit at the table to drink
Cool water
Cool water
And his lungs are filled with rain...
And the water's rushing in...
The song "Cool Water" by Talking Heads, talks about the daily grind of human existence - the daily chores, the work that needs to be done to make ends meet, and the struggles that people go through to survive. The lyrics talk about holding hands, loving, and the inevitability of death, as represented by the old man who is knocking at the door. Despite the hardships and the struggles, people are all the same, their skin, blood and dreams are no different from anyone else's, and we are all connected to each other in some way.
The lyrics in the first verse depict the daily act of working hard and exhausting oneself. The line "From end to end, the noise begins, in the human battle stations" describes the daily struggle of people going to work, where they face new challenges every day. The chorus "Work, work, work, work, work till holes are filled, bags of bone and skin" talks about the physical labor that people go through every day, and how their bodies get weary from the effort. The lovers in the song are a contrast to the weariness, as the lines "Lovers hold hands, tossing their heads, tangled in hair, tied to earth with skin and glue" describe the love and connection between people that keeps us grounded.
The song's verses also share a political message. The lines "Is he not made the same as you?" and "Can they sit at the table to drink cool water?" are rhetorical questions aimed at people who might discriminate against others based on race, ethnicity, or occupations. The lyrics remind us that we are all equal and should be treated as such.
Line by Line Meaning
Day by day
Every day, without delay
Whistle while you work
Make the most of your daily grind with a positive outlook
Our backs are breaking
Our hard work is causing us immense physical strain
Up from hollow earth
Suggests something is coming or emerging from deep beneath the ground
From end to end
Beginning to end or all over
The noise begins
Speaks of the start of a noisy commotion
In the human battle stations
A place where people are involved in difficult and contentious situations
And the big one's coming in
A big event or occurrence is looming
Work, work, work, work
Repeated to emphasize the exhaustive nature of work
Work till holes are filled
Keep working hard until the job is done
Bags of bone and skin
Human beings are made up of nothing more than flesh and bone
Lovers hold hands
A romanticized image of love and affection
Tossing their heads
Gestures of excitement or joy
Tangled in hair
The lovers are enmeshed in each other's physicality
Tied to earth
Human beings with all their complexity are still tethered to the earth
With skin and glue
Our bodies are made up of skin, tissue and joints
But their skin is the same as yours
Everyone is equal regardless of physical appearance
Coming in for the world to see
Being seen, exposed, and treated as public property
They can sit at the table, too
Everyone deserves equal treatment and respect
The same blood as you and me
Human blood is of the same type
Speak very softly
Be gentle and kind in your approach
Hold my hand
Seeking warmth and comfort
Someone is sleeping in my bed
Suggests a loss or a sense of loneliness
Priests pass by
Religious figures in between good and evil
Worms crawl in
The inevitability of death and decay
One dreams to be
The desire to achieve something great or to change one's status in life
One dream for all
The collective desire of humanity for a better future
His skin is the same as yours
Once again emphasizing the notion of equality
Is he not made the same as you?
A rhetorical question asking for validation of the equal worth of every human being
And some have fallen down
Depicts the tragedy of lost lives
And blood spilled on the ground
Images of death and mortality
Work, work, work
Repetition once again emphasizes the toll hard work takes on people
Till his life is done
Working until your body can no longer function
The old man is at our door
A metaphor for death knocking at our door
And he's knocking...knocking
Reinforces the inevitability of death
As his neighbors weep
People are affected by death even if it's someone they don't know
Each day repeats
Life is cyclical and monotonous
Are we nothing in your eyes?
A question asking whether or not human life has any value
Someone answer, someone answer
A call for a response or a solution to the problem being discussed
This rusted garden gate
A symbolic representation of time and age
Can barely even stand
Reminds us of the frailty of human life
Their work is over now
The end of a person's life and their lifelong labors
And rest will be at hand
Implying that in death lies the promise of eternal rest
Is their skin not the same as yours?
The line repeats the earlier motif of equality
Can they sit at the table to drink
Again, emphasizes equal treatment for all regardless of race, gender, or economic status
Cool water
A symbol of something desirable or refreshing that people long for
And his lungs are filled with rain...
A metaphorical depiction of drowning or running out of time
And the water's rushing in...
The flow of time is relentless and inevitable
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS FRANTZ, DAVID BYRNE, JERRY HARRISON, TINA WEYMOUTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind