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.
Behind the Moon
The Fatima Mansions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bare head of drunk man, the beads of sweat go dry
He says he's sorry, tender as a lamb
She says, "go", meaning, "stay", meaning, "You have to pay"
Behind the moon / In the dead zone
In the darkness where lovers all are blind
Sources of light in this land of the dead
Are electric shocks and blows to the head
Saying, "yes", meaning, "no", as he tears down their home
Behind the moon / In the dead zone
I'll still be calling, calling out for you
Behind the moon, when all hope has gone
Well, what else would you have me do?
Green bed of bottles
Green bed of bottles and bottles and...
--
Dave Watson, Severed Heads Liberation Front (Re-release the _Stretcher_ EP!)
Frezier Balzoff (Ottawa), Ontario, Canada Email--aj153@Freenet.carleton.ca
"A man is measured by the depth of his anger."--Eddie
"So he sanded off his winkle with his Black & Decker drill."--Ian Dury
The Fatima Mansions' "Behind the Moon" appears to be a tragic story about a dysfunctional, destructive relationship. The opening line describes a green bed of bottles, which suggests that the couple has been drinking heavily. The following line describes a bare-headed drunk man whose sweat has dried up. This suggests that he might be feeling anxious or nervous, which makes sense considering that he apologizes tenderly like a lamb. The woman, on the other hand, tells him to go, but her real intention is for him to stay and pay for what he has done wrong.
The chorus of the song refers to a place behind the moon in the dead zone where lovers are blind. This could mean that the couple is in a state of emotional numbness where they cannot see or feel anything. The sources of light in this land of the dead are electric shocks and blows to the head, suggesting that the couple is incapable of being gentle with one another. The man's voice breaks the silence with him saying "yes" but meaning "no" as he tears down their home. The final lines suggest that even when all hope is gone and everything has fallen apart, the singer will still be calling out for the person they love, even if it means calling out in a place like behind the moon.
Line by Line Meaning
Green bed of bottles, open to the sky
A bed made of empty bottles is visible under the sky
Bare head of drunk man, the beads of sweat go dry
A sweating, sober man apologizes while a drunk man stands uncovered under the sun
He says he's sorry, tender as a lamb
The sober man apologizes gently
She says, "go", meaning, "stay", meaning, "You have to pay"
The woman tells the man to leave but really wants him to stay and face consequences for his actions
Behind the moon / In the dead zone
The events are happening in a hidden, isolated place
In the darkness where lovers all are blind
The situation is bleak and love is not a factor
Sources of light in this land of the dead
The only light sources in this dark place come from electrical shocks and hits to the head
Are electric shocks and blows to the head
Electric shocks and hits to the head serve as the only light sources in this setting
The silence broken by his voice alone
The quiet is only broken by the man's spoken agreement
Saying, "yes", meaning, "no", as he tears down their home
The man agrees quietly, but means the opposite as he destroys their dwelling
I'll still be calling, calling out for you
The woman will continue to call for the man
Behind the moon, when all hope has gone
The woman will call for the man from a distant, hidden location
Well, what else would you have me do?
The singer asks what other course of action the listener might suggest
Green bed of bottles
The bed made of empty bottles is visible again
Green bed of bottles and bottles and...
The singer repeats and emphasizes the presence of the bed made of empty bottles
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
paul thompson
RIP. I've been through all the bangers and now i'm on the Scott Walker inspired ballads.
Brian Heneghan
The lyrics in this song are probably the most beautiful Cathal has ever written.
Georges Dimopoulos
Every track on Viva Dead Ponies is awesome, indeed!!
saxfreak01
Thanks for the comment, glad you enjoyed it. I love CC's melodic ballad type songs too. One of the reasons why FM were such a great band is that they could do songs like this (or Bertie's Brochures, Scarecrow etc) just as well as they could do furious, blistering tracks like Ceausescu, Evil Man or Angel's Delight. As you might have guessed, I'm kinda messianic about their greatness, lol.
Narv Dogg
I only just learned of his passing. Viva Dead Ponies was my introduction to a world of unrecognized musical brilliance, and was a shining example of Mr. Coughlan’s interest in varying styles and tones. I breeze through tons of artists but regularly return to his solo works, his Sean O’Hagan collaborations, and his standout roles in Microdisney and Fatima Mansions. Whether it’s Behind The Moon or not, he’s somewhere up there now.
Kelvin Tain
One of Irelands best singer songwriters of the last 30 years. Just love the man.
June Grant
nice song,i love the more ballady type songs by cathal coughlan,a great writer
Bald_Bull_4
slays me everytime.
matthewcarmichaels
Thanks for posting. Out of print, wish I could buy this somewhere.
ambabeuf
i love youtube. i was dying to listen to this song again, after so long. thanks a lot. i've been looking for this album forever.