The one permanent fixture amidst the Fall's ever-changing line-up was Mark E. Smith (1957 – 2018). Smith's lyrics are free, unboxed and unpredictable, touching on an extremely wide range of subjects and places, and caring little for being tied down to easily digestible messages.
Smith's singing could put off some people, but others find it a uniquely expressive instrument. Smith was not a conventionally great vocalist, but his keen sense of rhythm, his energy and personality more than made up for this.
The Fall's music changed depending on the line-up at a given time. Always experimental, Mark E. Smith claimed to invent several musical genres, including house music; "we were doing that years ago" and even the internet. "He told me I didn't understand, that we were from the bleak industrial wastes of North England, or something, and that we didn't understand the Internet. I told him Fall fans invented the Internet. They were on there in 1982." One thing that is for sure is that The Fall (and their fans) always pushed the boundaries, and were never afraid to experiment.
The Fall were a favorite group of DJ John Peel, recording 24 sessions for his BBC1 radio program over the years.
The Fall's back catalogue consists of 29 studio albums, and is very fragmented with a seemingly endless number of compilations and semi-official live albums.
In 2006, British music-critic Dave Simpson published an entertaining account of a journalist's attempt to track down all 43 former members of The Fall in the Guardian. Many previous members have been fired, often with little or no notice. Simpson's ongoing effort was subsequently described at greater length in his book "The Fallen" (2008). His effort to track down the final unaccounted stragglers of at least 50 previous members of The Fall - including drummer Karl Burns - continues in his blog. Having decried Simpson's book as a "hatchet job" in the pages of Pseud. Mag., a Fall fan-mag, Mark E. Smith countered in short order with his autobiography "Renegade: The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith" (Viking, 2008/Penguin 2009).
Mark E. Smith died on 24 January 2018, aged 60.
Key Albums include:
# Live At the Witch Trials (debut)
# Dragnet
# Totale's Turns (It's Now Or Nevr)
# Grotesque (after the Gramme)
# Perverted By Language
# Hex Enduction Hour
# This Nation's Saving Grace
# Middle Class Revolt
# Bend Sinister
# Extricate
# The Infotainment Scan
# Country on the Click aka The Real New Fall LP
# Fall Heads Roll
# Reformation Post TLC (new)
Compilations/Singles/B-Sides:
# 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong: 39 Golden Greats
# The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004
# Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 1) and Totally Wired: The Rough Trade Anthology (disc 2)
# 458489 A-Sides
# 458489 B-Sides
A Figure Walks
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
Figure walks behind you
Days of booze and roses
Shine on us, free us all
Who is not irascible
A figure walks behind you
A figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
Figure walks behind you
The old golden savages
Killed their philosophers
Thought brought the drought about
Something followed me out
Go out again
A figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
A figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
And if it grabs my coattail
I will turn and hit it
It may remove the pegs
Keeping my eyes open
And a figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
Figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
It's got eyes of brown, watery
Nails of pointed yellow
Hands of black carpet
It's a quick trip to ice house
Quick trip to ice house
Quick trip to ice house
Quick trip to ice house
A figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
Figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
You
You
You
You
You
You
You
A figure walks behind you
Shadow walks behind you
Figure walks behind you
A shadow walks behind you
You
You
You
And now tales of terror
Which my father told me
They never scared me
But not only is it the blind who cannot see
That figure behind you
Behind you
Behind you
Behind you
You
You
That figure kept on walking
That figure kept on walking
That figure kept on walking
That figure kept on walking behind you
Behind you
Behind you
Behind you
Who's the man on my trail?
There's a man on my trail
There's a man on my trail
There's a man on my trail and it's also behind you
Behind you
Behind you
Behind you
That figure kept on walking
That figure kept on walking
That figure kept on walking
That figure kept on walking behind you
Behind you
Behind you
A figure walks
A figure walks
A figure walks
A figure walks
The Fall's song A Figure Walks is a haunting ode to something that lurks just behind us, a shadowy figure that we cannot escape. Mark E. Smith's deadpan voice adds to the eerie quality of the song, and the repetition of the lyrics only adds to the sense of unease. The lyrics suggest that this figure is always there, watching and waiting, and that even if we turn and confront it, it will never go away.
The lyrics of A Figure Walks are open to interpretation, but one possible reading is that this figure represents our fears, anxieties, and insecurities, which are always close to us, even when we are not aware of them. The line "and if it grabs my coattail, I will turn and hit it" suggests that we are not completely powerless in the face of our fears, but at the same time, it is clear that they can never be fully defeated. The song's final lines, "that figure kept on walking, behind you" drive home the point that this is something that will always be with us, even as we try to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
A figure walks behind you
A constant presence, perhaps a threat, is following closely behind the subject.
A figure walks behind you
The presence behind the subject is unrelenting and unchanged.
Shadow walks behind you
The presence behind the subject is perceived as a shadow.
Figure walks behind you
The presence behind the subject is indistinct or not fully seen.
Days of booze and roses
A past filled with pleasurable and reckless behavior.
Shine on us, free us all
A desire for illumination and liberation.
Who is not irascible
An assertion that a person without anger and passion is not exceptional.
He is no genius
The artist believes that a lack of emotion and conflict precludes true genius.
The old golden savages
A reference to ancient cultures that destroyed their intellectual leaders.
Killed their philosophers
These cultures were complicit in the death of intellectuals.
Thought brought the drought about
The pursuit of knowledge and understanding led to a dearth of creativity.
Something followed me out
An unknown force or energy accompanied the artist.
Go out again
The singer desires to experience this force again.
And if it grabs my coattail
The presence following the subject is perceived as potentially harmful.
I will turn and hit it
The subject is prepared to retaliate if provoked.
It may remove the pegs
The presence may disrupt the subject's routine or sense of security.
Keeping my eyes open
The subject remains vigilant against the presence.
It's got eyes of brown, watery
The singer provides a description of the presence.
Nails of pointed yellow
Another characteristic of the presence is revealed.
Hands of black carpet
The description of the presence continues.
It's a quick trip to ice house
The artist perceives the presence as leading to danger or trouble.
You
The subject is addressed directly.
You
The subject is addressed directly.
You
The subject is addressed directly.
You
The subject is addressed directly.
And now tales of terror
The singer shifts to discussing personal anecdotes of fear.
Which my father told me
These stories were passed down from a family member.
They never scared me
The artist was not initially frightened by these tales.
But not only is it the blind who cannot see
A paradoxical observation; it is not only those without sight who may be unaware of danger.
That figure behind you
A return to the presence following the subject.
Behind you
A repetition of the location of the presence.
Behind you
Another repetition of the location of the presence.
Behind you
Yet another repetition of the location of the presence.
You
The subject is addressed directly.
You
The subject is addressed directly.
You
The subject is addressed directly.
That figure kept on walking
The presence continues to trail the subject.
That figure kept on walking
The persistence of the presence is reinforced.
That figure kept on walking
The present continuous tense emphasizes the continuous, unfaltering state of the presence.
That figure kept on walking behind you
The location of the presence is reiterated with a slight modification.
Behind you
The location of the presence is repeated.
Behind you
The location of the presence is repeated again.
Behind you
The location of the presence is repeated once more.
Who's the man on my trail?
A rhetorical question asked by the artist.
There's a man on my trail
An assertion that the presence following the subject is malevolent.
There's a man on my trail
Reiteration of the presence's pursuit.
There's a man on my trail and it's also behind you
The singer implies that the presence may also be following the subject addressed in the second person.
Behind you
The location of the presence is reiterated.
Behind you
The location of the presence is reiterated.
Behind you
The location of the presence is reiterated.
That figure kept on walking
The persistence of the presence is reinforced.
That figure kept on walking
The persistence of the presence is reinforced.
That figure kept on walking
The persistence of the presence is reinforced.
That figure kept on walking behind you
A reminder of the location of the unrelenting presence.
Behind you
The location of the presence is reiterated.
Behind you
The location of the presence is reiterated.
Behind you
The location of the presence is reiterated.
A figure walks
The final line repeats the opening lines, ending the song with the same ominous presence that opened it.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Mark Edward Smith
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind