Originally, the Australian band was called The Boys Next Door, comprising Cave, Howard, Mick Harvey (guitar, drums, organ, piano), bassist Tracy Pew, and drummer Phill Calvert. After the Door Door album and Hee Haw EP under that name, the band moved to London and switched its name to the deceptively benign Birthday Party. Once they arrived in Britain, their demented, knotty post-punk began to gel. They released their first international album, Prayers On Fire, in 1981, earning critical praise in the U.K. and U.S. While the band was preparing to record the follow-up, Pew was jailed for drunk driving; former Magazine member Barry Adamson, Harry Howard, and Chris Walsh filled in for the absent Pew on 1982's Junkyard.
After the release of Junkyard, Calvert joined Psychedelic Furs and the band moved to Germany, where they began collaborating with such experimental post-punk acts as Lydia Lunch and Einstürzende Neubauten. Harvey left in the summer of 1983. The group briefly continued with drummer Des Heffner, but it soon disbanded after a final concert in Melbourne, Australia. Cave had the most successful solo career, recording a series of albums in the '80s and '90s that maintained his status as a popular cult figure; Harvey joined Cave's band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Howard joined Crime & The City Solution, which also featured his brother Harry and Harvey. Tracey Pew toured with The Saints before dying of an epileptic seizure in 1986.
--Review from AMG Allmusic Guide
Capers
The Birthday Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
wither million blither tongues mounting bristling guilt frames
in the fake - ache of the gloomloom slippers slap me alive!
the hour hands down a miracle to spend with ugly types
so we can catch and thread a minstrel bleed a tower down to its ankles
so we can't go up or stay up find the thumb dumb in your ear brain
get unfunny! such as choirs do why the clocklock bought up this one
just when things seemed so paperparrent like my toothface? like my out-do?
capers... capers...
oh a streak, o'treacly ink-inks tied my knees all up in elbows
erase that lapsing smile tub lose the slip of the small soap-fellows
account the addups till I do-nots are we balanced? we're in business!
idle tidal, rush in, tried all with a limb's...all legs and armour
I had a dreadful diehood diehard, drunken, sunken, monk-heart
oh I had a wonderful diehood thanks to my fa, fa, family
The Birthday Party's song Capers is a twisted and abstract set of lyrics that is open to interpretation. The first stanza seems to be describing a sense of detachment from reality and a preoccupation with performance and the idea of being dubbed or labeled. The mention of guilt frames and the fake-ache of the gloomloom suggest a sense of existential angst or crisis. The idea of catching and threading a minstrel may be a metaphor for finding emotional connections or meaning in a chaotic and nonsensical world.
Line by Line Meaning
what has not got my heart in it shall we be dubbed sir names
If something fails to move me, should I still be accepted?
wither million blither tongues mounting bristling guilt frames
So many people talking nonsense, blaming others, and causing guilt.
in the fake - ache of the gloomloom slippers slap me alive!
I am awakened by the pain of the fake life I'm living.
the hour hands down a miracle to spend with ugly types
Time gives me the chance to be with outcasts and make something miraculous.
so we can catch and thread a minstrel bleed a tower down to its ankles
Let's find a musician and use their talent to bring down the establishment.
so we can't go up or stay up find the thumb dumb in your ear brain
We're stuck in a rut, unable to progress or even stay still, while our mind remains empty.
get unfunny! such as choirs do why the clocklock bought up this one
Stop being so serious; like choirs, we're empty vessels filling time and space with meaningless noise.
just when things seemed so paperparrent like my toothface? like my out-do?
When everything feels like a meaningless facade, like my fake smile or elaborate act.
oh a streak, o'treacly ink-inks tied my knees all up in elbows
I am overwhelmed by the sticky darkness that surrounds me, causing me to trip over myself.
erase that lapsing smile tub lose the slip of the small soap-fellows
Let's wipe away the fake smile and forget about insignificant things.
account the addups till I do-nots are we balanced? we're in business!
By adding up all of our accomplishments until there's no room for regrets, we can declare ourselves successful.
idle tidal, rush in, tried all with a limb's...all legs and armour
We've tried everything, with all our strength and resolve, yet still feel adrift and powerless.
I had a dreadful diehood diehard, drunken, sunken, monk-heart
My early years were filled with unpleasantness, marked by addiction and depression.
oh I had a wonderful diehood thanks to my fa, fa, family
But my family was there for me, making those tough years bearable by providing much-needed support.
capers... capers...
An exclamation, indicating a sense of wild abandon and irreverence.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TitusKrakenDesigns
What has not got my heart in it shall we be dubbed sir names
Wither million blither tongues mounting bristling guilt frames
In the fake - ache of the gloomloom slippers slap me alive!
The hour hands down a miracle to spend with ugly types
So we can catch and thread a minstrel bleed a tower down to its ankles
So we can't go up or stay up find the thumb dumb in your ear brain
Get unfunny! such as choirs do why the clocklock bought up this one
Just when things seemed so paperparrent like my toothface? like my out-do?
Capers... capers...
Oh a streak, o'treacly ink-inks tied my knees all up in elbows
Erase that lapsing smile tub lose the slip of the small soap-fellows
Account the addups till I do-nots are we balanced? we're in business!
Idle tidal, rush in, tried all with a limb's...all legs and armour
I had a dreadful diehood diehard, drunken, sunken, monk-heart
Oh I had a wonderful diehood thanks to my fa, fa, family
@Mr_Lupine
Love this song just pure nonsense, brilliant : )
@elizabethhann4028
You're so right! Nothing beats pure nonsense, does it? "Capers" sounds like a children's song gone berserk - the fairytale image of "so we catch and thread a minstrel", and the childlikeness of "thanks to my fa-fa-family." Many thanks to Genevieve McGuckin, who wrote this - did she ever write anything else?
@laurencesealey4123
@@elizabethhann4028 she co wrote some stuff with Rowland in These Immortal Souls, check out Hide
@elizabethhann4028
@@laurencesealey4123 [19 September 2020], Oh, I have. I just checked it out today. It's gorgeous. It's possibly better than "Capers."
@laurencesealey4123
@@elizabethhann4028 Glad to hear you enjoyed it, These Immortal Souls don't have that same chaotic off the cuff vibe that the birthday party have but they're still great in their own right. It's a shame Genevieve doesn't have too many writing credits, she's really talanted
@dia.6213
This track still does it for me all these years later.
@soundofsulfer
this song on acid was insane
@havreboll1
an absolute favourite song of mine
@manicbabyshambles123
Fucking song gives me chills. Twisted little beaut.
@lealwork4970
The song is completely drunk in its dna. So good