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.
Lilith
The Legendary Pink Dots Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She hugged the sand; she cursed the storm for 16 days and no tomorrows.
Mourning friends who fled and loves that died stillborn... A lifetime
miming, hiding from the touch that claims... unchained her from the lie
that was her past. A hollow tear lay drying on the mask, behind the
veil, behind the mask, behind the vizor... And somewhere spiteful spirits
laughed at her - the last survivor. Because she'd always been alone, she'd
always be alone.
The Legendary Pink Dots' song "Lilith" is a haunting ode to loneliness and despair. The first stanza paints a desolate picture, with "sixteen shades of sorrow on a starless night" highlighting the bleakness of the singer's existence. She is trapped, unable to escape to the light of dawn. In the second stanza, the despair is compounded by the sense of loss that she feels. Her friends have left her behind, and her loves have all died stillborn. It is as if the universe is conspiring against her; she is being denied any chance at happiness or companionship.
The third stanza reveals that the singer has been living a lie, hiding from the touch that could unchain her from her past. She has been wearing a mask, a vizor, to protect herself from the world. The hollow tear she sheds betrays the emptiness that lies behind the mask. Despite her efforts to hide, there are spiteful spirits that laugh at her, mocking her for being the last survivor. The implication is that she is the last of her kind - someone who has been unable to connect with the world around her.
"Lilith" is a song that speaks to the darkest recesses of the human soul. It is a reminder that there are times when we all feel alone and disconnected. The singer's struggle is one that many can relate to, and the song serves as a powerful reminder that we are not alone in our despair.
Line by Line Meaning
Sixteen shades of sorrow on a starless night with no escape to dawn.
A feeling of sadness amounts to sixteen different levels on this night of darkness with no light in sight.
She hugged the sand; she cursed the storm for 16 days and no tomorrows.
She embraced the ground while blaming the malicious weather for causing her misery which lasted for about sixteen continuous days.
Mourning friends who fled and loves that died stillborn... A lifetime miming, hiding from the touch that claims... unchained her from the lie that was her past.
She grieves over people who left her and love affairs that never came to be... She lived her life pretending, avoiding contact and failed to feel the sensation that would've freed her from the falsehood of her past life.
A hollow tear lay drying on the mask, behind the veil, behind the mask, behind the vizor...
A dried-up tear rested on her mask that's covered by layers of cloth and a protective shield, preventing anyone from knowing her true self and the emotions she's trying to conceal.
And somewhere spiteful spirits laughed at her - the last survivor.
Somewhere, envious souls found humor in seeing her struggle and survive the harsh conditions.
Because she'd always been alone, she'd always be alone.
Since she has spent her entire life by herself, it's natural that her future would also consist of her solitary existence.
Contributed by Brody R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.