The Damned is a punk rock band started in 1976 in London, UK. Despite being… Read Full Bio ↴The Damned is a punk rock band started in 1976 in London, UK. Despite being one of the definitive early punk bands they were also one of the most ambitious; with their later albums moving away from gothic rock to psychedelic rock.

They are notable for being the first of the British punk bands to release a single, put out an album, and tour the United States. Their debut album, Damned Damned Damned, was released six months before The Sex Pistols' debut, Never Mind The Bollocks.

The Damned have dissolved and reformed many times, with singer Dave Vanian remaining the sole constant. They have incorporated many styles in their music, most notably garage rock, psychedelic music, the British theatrical rock of Screaming Lord Sutch and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, and New Romantic.

In addition to serving as inspiration for many of the young bands who created hardcore punk in the US, The Damned are also generally regarded as one of the founders of goth music.

Original members Dave Vanian (David Lett), Captain Sensible (Raymond Burns), and Rat Scabies (Chris Millar) were all members of the semi-legendary Masters of the Backside which included future Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde.

Original guitarist Brian James (Brian Robertson) was a member of the early punk band London SS, a unit that never played live, but whose members later found fame in bands including The Clash and Generation X. Rat Scabies was also tried as the drummer for London SS, but was rejected.

Maintaining the goth connection, between 1996 and 2004 the bass guitarist of the Damned was one-time the Sisters of Mercy / the Sisterhood / Gun Club member Patricia Morrison. Morrison married Dave Vanian in 1996 but left the band after the birth of their daughter Emily. She originally joined the band after bassist Paul Grey was injured during a concert.

Discography:

Damned, Damned, Damned – February 25, 1977 (# 36)
Music For Pleasure – November 18, 1977
Machine Gun Etiquette – November 2, 1979 (# 31)
The Black Album – October 20, 1980 (# 29)
Strawberries – October 1, 1982 (# 15)
Phantasmagoria – July 15, 1985 (# 11)
Anything – December 5, 1986 (# 40)
Not of This Earth – November 11, 1995 (Retitled I'm Alright Jack & The Beanstalk in the UK, Germany and Sweden)
Grave Disorder – August 21, 2001
So, Who's Paranoid? – October 28, 2008
Evil Spirits – April 13, 2018
Darkadelic - April 28, 2023

My Desire
The Damned Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My desire is your frustration
It's hard for you to take
The way I've changed
Your strange ways
Have left me cold and hollow
I know you never cared
But it scared the hell out of me

Now it's coming clear to me
This fear is in my mind
It's opened up a can of worms
Open up my mind

Well! curse this town
It's just no good for me
I'm gonna leave it all behind in pieces
I'm gonna walk a line
Yeah, get right out of here
If it's the last thing
I do I am leaving

Now it's coming clear to me
The fear is in my mind
It's opened up a can of worms
Open up my eyes

Now it's coming clear to me
The fear is in my mind
It's opened up a can of worms

Now it's coming clear to me
The fear is in my mind
It's opened up a can of worms
Open up my eyes

Now it's coming clear to me
The fear is in my mind
It's opened up a can of worms

My desire

My desire
My desire

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Damned's song "My Desire" are about a person who is frustrated and hurt by a former lover's rejection. The singer's desire is the other person's frustration, as they struggle to understand why they've changed and become distant. The other person's "strange ways" have left the singer feeling "cold and hollow" and they know deep down that the other person never really cared about them. This realization scares the singer, but they also see that it's all in their mind and they need to move on.

The second verse begins with the singer cursing their town and deciding to leave it all behind. The singer is determined to walk a new path, and getting out of town is essential to this process. Despite this, the fear and doubt from the previous verse persist, and the singer realizes that their fear is simply in their mind. Once they open their mind and their eyes to see the situation clearly, they can move forward and find their desire, whatever that may be.

Overall, the lyrics of "My Desire" are about the personal struggles we face when we realize that things are not going as planned in our relationships or our lives. The fear and doubt we carry with us can hold us back, but once we confront them head-on and see them for what they are, we can find the strength to move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

My desire is your frustration
I take pleasure in causing you to feel frustrated

It's hard for you to take
Your inability to handle my changes causes you distress

The way I've changed
I have transformed myself into someone new

Your strange ways
You are abnormal in your behavior, attitudes, or beliefs

Have left me cold and hollow
Your unusual ways have caused me to feel empty and emotionally distant from you

I know you never cared
I understand that you were never concerned about my feelings

But it scared the hell out of me
Your disinterest in me terrified me

Now it's coming clear to me
I am beginning to comprehend something that was previously unclear

This fear is in my mind
My apprehension is a product of my own thoughts

It's opened up a can of worms
It has revealed a complicated and unpleasant situation

Well! curse this town
I have grown to despise this place