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
She's Hit
The Birthday Party Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
mr. evangelist says she's hit
the best cook ya ever had
ya can't blame the good woman now, dad
and ya locked him up for twenty years
now there's action on the basement stairs now
a monster half-man half-beast grind
hear the hatchet (grind grind)
and all we get are forty hack reporters
uptown one hundred skirts are bleeding
and mr. evangelist says
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit she's hit
now if only we could all grow wings and fly
sweet hatchet SWING low son
I'm feeling mighty lonesome
christen the bastard jack dad
the head-shrinker is a quack
anyone 'anyone who'd wear their hair like that'
the vinyl is so cool but the conversation's cruel
hold my head romeo it's in a rodeo
hold my heart daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
hold my heart romeo it's in a rodeo
hold my head daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
and all the girls across the world
and all the girls across the world
are hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit she's hit
and she won't get up
she's hit ev'ry little bit she's hit
she's hit she's hit she's hit yeah
she's hit she's hit she's hit
and she won't get up! and she's hit she's hit
she's hit ev'ry little bit
she's hit she's hit she's hit
goodbye.
The lyrics to The Birthday Party's song She's Hit are complex and not easily interpreted. The song begins with a reference to a woman who is a great cook but has apparently been hit, as Mr. Evangelist asserts. The next line suggests that the woman was not to blame for her circumstances, and perhaps someone else is responsible. The lyrics then shift to a scene of violent action in a basement, with a "monster half-man half-beast grind" and the sound of a hatchet being wielded. The violence extends beyond the basement to the city, where "one hundred skirts are bleeding." Throughout the song, there are various allusions to sex, violence, and mental illness, but it is unclear what the overall message or theme of the song might be.
Line by Line Meaning
there is woman - pie in here
There is a woman here who is as satisfying as a freshly baked pie.
mr. evangelist says she's hit
Mr. Evangelist claims that the woman is in trouble.
the best cook ya ever had
The woman is an excellent cook.
ya can't blame the good woman now, dad
The woman should not be blamed for anything.
and ya locked him up for twenty years
Someone was imprisoned for a long time.
now there's action on the basement stairs now
Something is happening in the basement.
a monster half-man half-beast grind
A frightening creature that is part human and part animal is making a grinding sound.
hear the hatchet (grind grind)
The sound of a hatchet being used can be heard.
the pilgrim gets one hacked daughter
Someone who is on a religious journey has a daughter who was attacked.
and all we get are forty hack reporters
Instead of accurate information, all we receive are poorly-written news stories.
uptown one hundred skirts are bleeding
Many women are bleeding in the city.
and mr. evangelist says she's hit ev'ry little bit
Mr. Evangelist continues to claim that the woman is in trouble.
now if only we could all grow wings and fly
If only we could escape this situation.
sweet hatchet SWING low son
The sound of the hatchet is again heard.
I'm feeling mighty lonesome
I am extremely lonely.
christen the bastard jack dad
A father is asked to christen his illegitimate son.
the head-shrinker is a quack
A mental health professional is thought to be incompetent.
anyone 'anyone who'd wear their hair like that'
Someone has an unusual hairstyle.
the vinyl is so cool but the conversation's cruel
The background music is enjoyable, but the conversation is unpleasant.
hold my head romeo it's in a rodeo
I am struggling to keep my head steady, as if I were at a rodeo.
hold my heart daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
My heart is racing or pounding and I can't control it.
hold my heart romeo it's in a rodeo
My heart is still racing or pounding.
hold my head daddy-o it just won't go-o-o-o
I still can't keep my head steady.
and all the girls across the world are hit ev'ry little bit
Women all over the world are suffering.
and she won't get up she's hit ev'ry little bit
The woman who was mentioned previously is unable to get back up.
she's hit she's hit she's hit yeah she's hit she's hit she's hit
The repetition emphasizes the woman's vulnerability and suffering.
and she won't get up! and she's hit she's hit
The woman is still struggling and in pain.
she's hit ev'ry little bit she's hit she's hit she's hit
The woman's condition is dire and will not improve.
goodbye.
The song concludes abruptly with this farewell.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@EvilCat-EnergyCatalyst
I always stay up too late because I'm busy listening to these guys!
@evamatyskova2540
Same, that's what I am doing right now 😂
@benjones4389
one of the best bands of the whole post punk era, fucking brilliant
@paddymullen6197
Ben Jones Couldn't agree more!!!
@leslieschmidt4744
One of the greatest songs, ever!
@kdante6639
Just found these guys, it’s what I’ve been looking for!
@KVeneris
Beautiful Nick Cave in his youth
@elizabethhann4028
I think this is the best song Nick Cave ever did with The Birthday Party. They sound a little bit like The Velvet Underground here; it's that low slow roilling bass-guitar line.
@borbetomagus
Curiously, Mick Harvey's lead guitar here reminds me of 'Rope Bridge Crossing' by John Parish & PJ Harvey from their album "Dance Hall at Louse Point". Though, now I read that Mick Harvey played guitar on that album!
@elizabethhann4028
Cool! I'll have to check that out; I've never listened to DANCE HALL AT LOUSE POINT. It sounds really good, though. Thanks for telling me about it.