The Legendary Pink Dots are a Netherlands-based band formed in August 1980 … Read Full Bio ↴The Legendary Pink Dots are a Netherlands-based band formed in August 1980 in the UK who, although distinctly underground, have been musically influential over the years. The band name was derived from pink dots of nail varnish on the piano in their squat, where founding members Edward and April lived. The band has as its focal point vocalist Edward Ka-Spel, who is, along with Phil "The Silverman" Knight, one of the original remaining members of the band. In the mid eighties the band resettled in the Netherlands, where they still reside today. Apart from Edward and Phil, the line-up has gone through many changes. Members such as Ryan Moore, a Canadian bass player, who joined in 1991 after the recordings of the Last Man to Fly with the Tear Garden (he joined as a session musician), went on to form their own labels and musical projects. See Twilight Circus and M Records. Their music is nothing if not original and it is difficult to categorise, but comparisons may be drawn with bands like Pink Floyd and Can.

Their sound has been described as an amalgamation of psychedelic rock, industrial, synth-pop and avant-garde. They have released over 40 records and continuously tour the world.

Members of the band have also collaborated with Nurse With Wound, The Dresden Dolls, Jarboe, HNAS, Jim O'Rourke, Skinny Puppy's cEvin Key, forming The Tear Garden. Ka Spel accompanied Skinny Puppy for a small part of their 1988 European 'Head Trauma' tour in Sweden. Key also appears on the 1994 album 9 Lives to Wonder.

Godless
The Legendary Pink Dots Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

First of all, the ground vibrated Then there was a second wave, more intense: Pictures fell from the wall This wave persisted, getting steadily stronger: The cutlery in the kitchen drawer rattled, cracks appeared in the ceiling After approximately six minutes I crouched under the table with my hands on my ears The vibration kept on going, plagues of plaster piled up on the carpet It was a new carpet… The lights went out After eighteen minutes, the first wall collapsed - I was not injured I decided to crawl through the debris to get outside -- There was nothing outside A fragment detached from time and space, forgotten, rejected This unchained night bird, hungry for souls but finding none Memory blacked out on both sides, but still something's there Something lurking, flashing A face desperate for a name, but finding none Always on the point of recognition, hovering on an answer, but not finding one Thirsty for contact, finding none Weightless, directionless, a vacuum, with all sense functioning, acute in its pain No space that goes on forever, no time that goes on forever, removed, abandoned Nothing that goes on forever, removed, abandoned Were you ever there? Were you ever there?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Legendary Pink Dots' song Godless describe an experience of an earthquake or some other kind of disaster. The lyrics begin by describing the ground vibrating and then a second, more intense wave hitting. The wave is strong enough to cause pictures to fall from the wall, cutlery in a kitchen drawer to rattle, and cracks to appear in the ceiling. As the song continues, the situation gets more dire as the vibration keeps going and more damage occurs, with walls collapsing and the singer crouched under a table with their hands over their ears. The song then takes a more abstract turn, describing a fragment detached from time and space, memory blackouts, and a face desperate for a name but finding none. The song ends with the repeated question "Were you ever there?".

The lyrics to Godless can be interpreted in a few ways, depending on how poetic or metaphorical one wants to get. At a surface level, the song is describing the experience of a disaster, possibly an earthquake, and the aftermath of trying to come to terms with what just happened. The abstract turn in the second half of the song suggests that there's more going on than just a literal disaster, and the repeated question "Were you ever there?" could be read as existential or philosophical, asking whether we're truly present in our own lives, or whether reality is just a construct that we're disconnected from.

Line by Line Meaning

First of all, the ground vibrated
The beginning of a catastrophic event, where the ground starts shaking

Then there was a second wave, more intense: Pictures fell from the wall
The shaking gets stronger and more violent, causing items on the walls, like pictures, to fall

This wave persisted, getting steadily stronger: The cutlery in the kitchen drawer rattled, cracks appeared in the ceiling
The shaking continues to increase in intensity, causing objects in the kitchen to shake, and cracks forming in the ceiling

After approximately six minutes I crouched under the table with my hands on my ears
The artist takes cover under a table to protect themselves from the shaking, which has been going on for about six minutes

The vibration kept on going, plagues of plaster piled up on the carpet
The shaking does not stop, causing plaster to fall from the ceiling and pile up on the floor

It was a new carpet… The lights went out
The shaking has caused a power outage, leaving the singer in darkness, and ruining their new carpet

After eighteen minutes, the first wall collapsed - I was not injured
After a long time of continuous shaking, the first wall finally collapses, but the singer emerges unharmed

I decided to crawl through the debris to get outside -- There was nothing outside
The artist tries to leave the building, only to find out that there is nothing outside

A fragment detached from time and space, forgotten, rejected
A piece of reality breaks away from space and time, becoming lost and rejected

This unchained night bird, hungry for souls but finding none
A supernatural being, searching for souls to feed on but not finding any

Memory blacked out on both sides, but still something's there
The memory of what happened before and after the earthquake is lost, but the feeling of something lingering remains

Something lurking, flashing
Something dangerous and unpredictable, with sudden flashes of violence

A face desperate for a name, but finding none
A recognizable face that cannot be identified or named

Always on the point of recognition, hovering on an answer, but not finding one
The face is familiar, but its identity remains unknown and elusive

Thirsty for contact, finding none
The being craves for human contact, but never finding any

Weightless, directionless, a vacuum, with all sense functioning, acute in its pain
Feeling lost and empty, with all senses still active, but the pain is even more intense

No space that goes on forever, no time that goes on forever, removed, abandoned
No infinite space or time, just the feeling of being separated and forgotten

Nothing that goes on forever, removed, abandoned
Nothing lasts forever, and everything eventually becomes abandoned and forgotten

Were you ever there?
The singer questions if anyone else experienced the same events

Were you ever there?
The artist repeats the question, still searching for anyone who may have gone through the same experience

Contributed by Elizabeth N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS