In a state of disillusionment, Cathal Coughlan walked out of the wonderful and melodically rich - but lyrically barbed - Microdisney and formed the Fatima Mansions, setting up stall in 1989. His former Microdisney partner, Sean O'Hagan, went off to form the High Llamas and perfected his obsession with 'Smile'-era Beach Boys drenched tunefulness but Cathal had other ideas and there were times when the Mansions' screaming indignation and eclectic belligerence went off the scale.
Underneath it all was his dry and off-centre humour that many may have missed in highlights like the viciously compulsive rant 'n' roll epic 'Blues for Ceausescu' and the truly schizoid 'Angels Delight'. Other tracks veered in all kinds of unpredictable directions and styles - savage electronics, pure dance pop, soaring balladry, scabrous industrial noise, acoustic grandeur, hellish Wagner-esque vaudeville, crazed psychobilly, traditional folk, etc.... The Fatima Mansions at their mightiest were an incredible tour de force that simply refused to be pigeonholed! Indeed, very few bands at the time were in quite the same league.
Aided and abetted by a chillingly intense group of musicicans including Andreas O'Gruama, Nick Allum, Nick Bagnall, and Hugh Bunker, the Mansions captivated, thrilled, provoked and confounded through 3 full albums and a couple of mini albums. Their live gigs were often equally cathartic rituals which met with critical approval and rave reviews. They even scored an unlikely hit [on the back of the Manic Street Preachers' cover of the Theme From M*A*S*H] with their irreverently skewed take on Bryan Adam's eternal number 1 hit Everything I Do (I Do It For You).
Since their demise in 1995/6, Coughlan has been recording and performing solo and, with a much more acoustic and controlled sound allied to his ever caustic lyrics and fantastic voice, remains a true one-off. He is still awaiting a more widespread critical appraisal and overdue recognition that his rare talent truly deserves.
A Singer Must Die
The Fatima Mansions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is it true you betrayed us? The answer is Yes.
Then read me the list of the crimes that are mine,
I will ask for the mercy that you love to decline.
And all the ladies go moist, and the judge has no choice,
a singer must die for the lie in his voice.
And I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty,
you keepers of truth, you guardians of beauty.
I'm sorry for smudging the air with my song.
Oh, the night it is thick, my defences are hid
in the clothes of a woman I would like to forgive,
in the rings of her silk, in the hinge of her thighs,
where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise.
Oh goodnight, goodnight, my night after night,
my night after night, after night, after night, after night, after night.
I am so afraid that I listen to you,
your sun glassed protectors they do that to you.
It's their ways to detain, their ways to disgrace,
their knee in your balls and their fist in your face.
Yes and long live the state by whoever it's made,
sir, I didn't see nothing, I was just getting home late.
The Fatima Mansions definitely do not mince their words in their song "A Singer Must Die". The lyrics, though intense, are layered with meaning and ripe for interpretation.
The song seems to begin with a courtroom scene. The courtroom is silent, waiting for a confession. The singer is asked if he betrayed them, to which he admits guilt. He is then asked to recite the list of his crimes, but knows that asking for mercy from the jury is pointless. The courtroom is filled with ladies who are moved to tears and the judge has no choice but to sentence the singer to death for the lie in his voice. The singer in turn thanks the courtroom for doing their duty and admonishes them as "keepers of truth, guardians of beauty."
The lyrics take a twist in the next stanza, in which the singer seems to be seeking refuge in the embrace of a woman. He hides his defenses in her clothes, and seeks forgiveness while he begs in "beauty's disguise." The final stanza takes on a more political, critical tone. The singer is afraid and listening to his "sun glassed protectors." These protectors use their power to detain and disgrace, essentially turning a blind eye to justice. The singer witnesses the suppression of the state and is forced into silence, unable to speak out against the injustices he sees.
Overall, the song seems to touch on themes of justice, beauty, and power. The singer has been sentenced to die because of the lies he has spoken, yet he acknowledges the beauty of those who pass judgment. He seeks forgiveness and refuge in the embrace of a woman, but even that seems to be a disguise. The final stanza is a critique of the state, where suppression and silence are the norm in the face of injustice.
Line by Line Meaning
Now the courtroom is quiet, but who will confess.
Despite the quietness of the courtroom, who will come forward and confess?
Is it true you betrayed us? The answer is Yes.
Did you really betray us? The answer is yes.
Then read me the list of the crimes that are mine,
Provide me with a list of the crimes that I am accused of committing.
I will ask for the mercy that you love to decline.
Even if you refuse mercy, I will still plead for it.
And all the ladies go moist, and the judge has no choice,
The ladies are arousing and the judge has no option,
a singer must die for the lie in his voice.
A singer must die because his voice tells lies
And I thank you, I thank you for doing your duty,
I thank you for carrying out your duties.
you keepers of truth, you guardians of beauty.
The ones who uphold the truth and beauty are you guardians.
Your vision is right, my vision is wrong,
Your vision might be right, but it contradicts mine.
I'm sorry for smudging the air with my song.
I regret offending people with my music.
Oh, the night it is thick, my defences are hid
The night is dense, and my defenses are well hidden.
in the clothes of a woman I would like to forgive,
I would forgive a woman if only she absolves me of my sins.
in the rings of her silk, in the hinge of her thighs,
Between the folds of her silk, and her thighs, which are like a hinge.
where I have to go begging in beauty's disguise.
I must beg in disguise of beauty, at that place.
Oh goodnight, goodnight, my night after night,
Goodnight, every night.
my night after night, after night, after night, after night, after night.
Goodnight, every single night.
I am so afraid that I listen to you,
I am very apprehensive hence I heed your advice.
your sun glassed protectors they do that to you.
The ones securing you with dark glasses torment you.
It's their ways to detain, their ways to disgrace,
Their manners involve detaining and insulting people.
their knee in your balls and their fist in your face.
Their knee is in your groin and their fist is in your face.
Yes and long live the state by whoever it's made,
The state that is made by anyone should exist forever.
sir, I didn't see nothing, I was just getting home late.
Sir, I didn't witness anything. I was just returning home late.
Contributed by Avery J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@seancreed5975
You are a great loss to us all Cathal , thanks for sharing all your musical adventures with us . RIP 😔
@ThePurityControl
Oh f*cking hell!
@eladlev1
The most perfect version of this masterpiece song!
@chatsworthosbornejr6475
A fabulous version of this song...they make it their own...
@meealan
The convergence of two great creatives, separated by time, by style but sharing common foci. Also two men.
@platypux
No more strange and haunting song exists or was ever more wonderously sung
@wmperry2790
yeah-its perfect. As though it were written in anticipation of Cathal coughlin finding it. I imagine him both slighlty pissed off and exhilirated at the same time- "I'M supposed to write this song!...but someone's done it for me?"
@michaelburke445
I feel that Mr Cohen would have approved. Cracking rendition.