The Communards formed in 1985 after singer Jimmy Somerville left his earlie… Read Full Bio ↴The Communards formed in 1985 after singer Jimmy Somerville left his earlier band Bronski Beat to team up with classically-trained musician Richard Coles. Though mainly a pianist, Coles played a number of instruments and had been seen previously performing the clarinet solos on the Bronski Beat hit "It Ain't Necessarily So". They were joined by bass player Dave Renwick who had also played with Bronski Beat. Somerville was well-known for his falsetto singing style, and that he was openly gay during a period of increasing socio-political debate and conflict in the UK regarding homosexuality.

The band had their first UK Top 30 hit in 1985 with the piano-based #30 single "You Are My World". The following year they had their biggest hit with an energetic cover version of Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes' soul classic "Don't Leave Me This Way" (in a version inspired by Thelma Houston's cover) which spent four weeks at number one and became the UK's biggest selling single of 1986. It also made the US Top 40. It featured Sarah Jane Morris as co-vocalist, taking advantage of the contrast between Morris' deep and rounded contralto and Somerville's soaring falsetto. Morris performed both backing and co-lead vocals on many of the Communards' other recordings, and appeared in group photos as an unofficial third member.

Later that year The Communards had another UK Top 10 hit with the single "So Cold the Night," which reached number 8. In 1987, they released an album titled Red, which was partly produced by Stephen Hague. Red featured a cover version of the Jackson 5's hit "Never Can Say Goodbye" (in a version inspired by Gloria Gaynor's cover), which the Communards took to Number 4. Their last released single was "There's More to Love Than Boy Meets Girl" in 1988, which reached Number 20 and was, consequently, their final Top 20 hit.

They split in 1988 and Somerville began a solo career. Coles followed his Christian leanings and, after periods as a journalist for the Times Literary Supplement and Catholic Herald, he was ordained in the Church of England, spending time as the curate of St Botolph's (The Stump) in Boston, Lincolnshire. He is now the assistant priest at St Paul's Knightsbridge and Chaplain to the Royal College of Music and is a frequent contributor to BBC Radio 4.

Reprise
The Communards Lyrics

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Now I know the truth about you
The lie you lived deceiving me
All the dreams you will destroy
And leave me lost and vulnerable.

Hush now baby don´t you cry
Mother loves you only pressure heavy
On her mind

Every day brings one more debt
Nothing left to pay only tears and
Sweat
Life goes down, down, down, down
Life goes down.

Life goes down, down, down, down
Life goes down
Why do you abuse your friend?
It´s not her fault that you can´t find a
Means to an end
Can´t you see it´s working well,
The way they turn you against
Yourself?

Life goes down, down, down, down
Life goes down

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Communards's song Reprise seem to be directed towards someone who has been living a lie and deceiving the singer. They have caused destruction to the dreams that were shared and left the singer feeling vulnerable and lost. The second verse seems to be directed towards someone else, as if the singer is offering consolation to them. They tell them not to cry and that they are loved, but that their mother is under constant pressure and debt, with nothing left but tears and sweat. The final verse seems to be directed once more towards the first person, asking why they abuse their friend, and suggesting that the way they are turning against themselves isn't working out. The repeated lyrics of "Life goes down, down, down, down" drive home the message that things are not getting better.

Overall, the lyrics of the song suggest a feeling of hopelessness and despair. The singer seems to be watching as those around them suffer, unable to make things better. The repeated line "Life goes down" suggests a kind of fatalism, as if things will inevitably get worse.

Line by Line Meaning

Now I know the truth about you
I have discovered the truth about you

The lie you lived deceiving me
You deceived me by living a lie

All the dreams you will destroy
You will destroy all of my dreams

And leave me lost and vulnerable.
You will leave me feeling lost and vulnerable

Hush now baby don´t you cry
Please stop crying

Mother loves you only pressure heavy
Your mother loves you but is burdened with pressure

On her mind
She has a lot on her mind

Every day brings one more debt
Every day she accumulates more debt

Nothing left to pay only tears and Sweat
She has nothing left to pay and is left crying and exhausted

Life goes down, down, down, down
Life is going downhill

Life goes down.
Life is not going well

Why do you abuse your friend?
Why are you mistreating your friend?

It´s not her fault that you can´t find a Means to an end
It's not her fault that you can't find a solution

Can´t you see it´s working well, The way they turn you against Yourself?
Can't you see that it's causing you harm when they turn you against yourself?

Life goes down, down, down, down
Life is deteriorating

Life goes down
Life is not positive

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RICHARD COLES, JIMMY SOMERVILLE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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