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
Before the Moon Falls
The Fall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We are private detectives onward back from a musical pilgrimage
We work under the name of the Fall
Who would suspect this? It is too obvious
Our office is secluded
Those there to suspect would not see the wood for the trees
We were six like dice but we're back to five
While young married couples
Discuss the poverties of their self-built traps
And the junior clergy demand more cash
We spit in their plate and wait for the ice to melt
I must create a new regime
Or live by another man's
Before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
I must create a new scheme
Get out of others' hands
Before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
I could use some pure criminals
And get my hands on some royalties
Before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
A problem of this new scheme
Is answering obscene phone calls
Before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
Gotta stop drifting around
Kill this ugly duckling
We've got the power
And must not misuse it 'cause life is short and full of thought
I use the power
I use the power
And I will forever
End this reign of terror
Before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
Before the tide subsides
Before the moon falls for the fifth time, before the moon falls
Before the moon falls
Before The Fall swoons
Before The Fall swoons
Before the Moon Falls is a song by The Fall that speaks about the band's journey as private detectives returning from a musical pilgrimage. The band operates under the name The Fall, which is cleverly hidden in the lyrics. The band speaks about their secluded office and how it is too obvious for anyone to suspect them. They were initially six in number but one member is missing, reducing them to five. The band talks about the lack of wage packet jobs in the North and how they spit in the plate of those discussing the poverty of their self-built traps. The song speaks on the need to create a new regime, rather than living by someone else's, before the moon falls.
There is a desire to create a new scheme and get some royalties before the moon falls. However, there is the challenge of answering obscene phone calls, which is a potential problem. The band decides to stop drifting around and kill the ugly duckling, referring to the need to stop procrastinating and take action. They acknowledge the power they have and vow not to misuse it because life is short and full of thought. The song ends on a positive note, with the band declaring that they will end the reign of terror before the moon falls for the fifth time and The Fall swoons.
Line by Line Meaning
Shhhh!
Let's keep our detective work private and undercover
We are private detectives onward back from a musical pilgrimage
We, the members of The Fall, have been traveling and performing music together like detectives on a mission
We work under the name of the Fall
We operate as a band named The Fall
Who would suspect this? It is too obvious
Our true purpose as detectives is hidden in plain sight, making it difficult for others to guess
Our office is secluded
We have a private and isolated workspace
Those there to suspect would not see the wood for the trees
Even if someone suspects our true nature as detectives, they might overlook it due to our seemingly normal appearance
We were six like dice but we're back to five
We used to have six members, but now we are down to five
Up here in the North there's no wage packet jobs for us, thank Christ
We are grateful that we don't have to work typical jobs in the North for a living
While young married couples discuss the poverties of their self-built traps and the junior clergy demand more cash
As young couples struggle financially and junior clergy members ask for more money, we do not concern ourselves with these monetary issues
We spit in their plate and wait for the ice to melt
We are independent and unapologetic, and we wait patiently for situations to improve
I must create a new regime or live by another man's
I need to establish a new system or live by someone else's rules
Before the moon falls, Before the moon falls
I need to act before it's too late
I must create a new scheme, Get out of others' hands
I need to come up with a new plan and not rely on others
I could use some pure criminals, And get my hands on some royalties
I could benefit from working with some unconventional people and earning royalties
A problem of this new scheme, Is answering obscene phone calls
A potential issue with the new plan is dealing with inappropriate phone calls
Gotta stop drifting around, Kill this ugly duckling
I must stop wandering aimlessly and eliminate this problem
We've got the power, And must not misuse it 'cause life is short and full of thought
We possess influential abilities and must use them wisely since life is precious and thought-provoking
I use the power, I use the power
I take action and utilize my power
And I will forever, End this reign of terror
I am determined to put an end to this era of fear and distress
Before the moon falls, Before the moon falls, Before the moon falls, Before the moon falls, Before the tide subsides, Before the moon falls for the fifth time, before the moon falls
Again, I must act quickly before it's too late
Before The Fall swoons
I must act before the band loses popularity or success
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Craig Anyony Scanlan, Marc Riley, Mark Edward Smith, Mike Leigh, Stephen Hanley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Leigh
I played drums on this and it's my brother's favourite Fall record of all time :-)
Boney Tony
It’s a great track.
Michael Leigh
@Johnny Deutschemark One or two 😉
Marcos Rojas Palencia
Good job, man. That's my favourite Fall album too.
Dan Holliday
You held it together well. Kudos.
sidDkid87
you part of something very special ... and thank you!! ...
"a problem of this new scheme /
is answering obscene phone calls" 🎶
hammies
This is heavy. Very heavy. Heavier than a lot of metal I have heard, and this isn't even metal. Amazing
Boney Tony
“We spit in their plates and wait for the ice to melt”
mrblue99999
I recently played Rowche Rumble for a friend who grew up on punk and he said, this is more punk than most punk and it’s not even punk.
boop zoop
Hurricane Edward by the Fall is even heavier. Love this band