Their music is clearly influenced by bands like R.E.M., although their sound is distinctively brighter and janglier, featuring contrast-filled intrumentation and catchy and crisp hooks and unusual chord progressions, giving vivid life to Don McGlashan's lyrics, dominated by poetic imagery and everyday themes.
Their debut The Mutton Birds (1992) was followed by Salty in 1993. In 1995 a compilation of their two first albums, titled Nature, was released outside of New Zealand. Also around this time the first two albums were re-released within NZ as a box set entitled Box of Birds. After moving to England the band released Envy of Angels in 1996, and it is perhaps their strongest album in terms of songwriting and arrangements. After a limited-edition collection of singles and B-sides (Too Hard Basket) and a live album (Angle of Entry), they released Rain, Steam and Speed in 1999.
Flock - The Best of The Mutton Birds was later released in New Zealand and Australia.
DON'T FEAR THE REAPER
The Mutton Birds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper Baby I'm your man...
Valentine is done Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet Are together in eternity...Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Redefine happiness
Another 40,000 coming everyday...We can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper Baby I'm your man...
Love of two is one Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared...saying don't be afraid
Come on baby...and she had no fear And she ran to him...then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodby...she had become like they are
She had taken his hand...she had become like they are Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
The Mutton Birds’ “Don’t Fear the Reaper” is a cover of the famous Blue Öyster Cult song, and it features a relatively straightforward message. The song encourages people not to fear death or the unknown, as life is something precious, but ultimately fleeting. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the message as “All our times have come / Here but now they’re gone,” which emphasizes the fleeting nature of life. The following lines of “Seasons don't fear the reaper / Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain…” compare the continuity of nature with the transience of human life, emphasizing the fact that while humans may be limited by their lifespans, life goes on regardless.
“Don’t Fear the Reaper” draws its power from the central idea that all people will eventually die, but that this fact shouldn't prevent us from living our lives to the fullest. The lyrics point to figures like Romeo and Juliet as examples of love that persisted beyond death, and associated them with the idea that happiness can be redefined in many different ways depending on the individual. In the lyrics “Another 40,000 coming everyday / We can be like they are / Come on baby...don't fear the reaper / Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper/ We'll be able to fly... don't fear the reaper/ Baby I'm your man,” the song attempts to provide reassurance, suggesting that everyone could be like those 40,000 people who look death squarely in the eye and continue to lead their lives with grace and purpose.
Overall, the message of “Don't Fear the Reaper” is one of positivity, urging listeners to embrace life as fully as possible, and not to be afraid of the finality of death.
Line by Line Meaning
All our times have come Here but now they're gone
We have had our moments in life, but they have passed and are not coming back
Seasons don't fear the reaper
The changing of the seasons is natural and not something to be afraid of
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are
Even the forces of nature don't fear death, and we can be like them in not fearing it either
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
Embracing death doesn't have to be scary, and we can face it together
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper Baby I'm your man...
In death, we'll be freed from our bodies and able to soar, and I'll be there for you
Valentine is done Here but now they're gone
The day of love has come and gone, and so have the people who celebrated it
Romeo and Juliet Are together in eternity...Romeo and Juliet
The iconic lovers from Shakespeare's play are now united forever in death
40,000 men and women everyday...Like Romeo and Juliet
Thousands of people die every day, just like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Redefine happiness
These deaths make us question what happiness truly is
Another 40,000 coming everyday...We can be like they are
More deaths are coming every day, and we too can face death without fear
Love of two is one Here but now they're gone
Two people in love became one, but now they have passed away
Came the last night of sadness And it was clear she couldn't go on
The last night of a loved one's life is full of sadness, and they knew they could not continue living
Then the door was open and the wind appeared The candles blew then disappeared
As death approached, the door opened and a gust of wind blew out the candles
The curtains flew then he appeared...saying don't be afraid
A comforting presence appeared and told the person not to be afraid
Come on baby...and she had no fear And she ran to him...then they started to fly
The person found peace in death and ran towards their loved one, ready to soar together
They looked backward and said goodby...she had become like they are
As they left their earthly lives behind, they said goodbye and became like the forces of nature - unafraid of death
She had taken his hand...she had become like they are Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
In death, the person had become like their loved one and the forces of nature, and encourages others not to be afraid of it either
Contributed by Vivian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@keis93
All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...
Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity...Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday...Redefine happiness
Another 40,000 coming everyday...We can be like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand...don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly...don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...
Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared...saying don't be afraid
Come on baby...and she had no fear
And she ran to him...then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodby...she had become like they are
She had taken his hand...she had become like they are
Come on baby...don't fear the reaper
@softballhumanoid
I only posted this song in 2010 because I wanted it on my YouTube playlist and was having a hard time finding it. It tickles me that so many of you have enjoyed it as well. Props to the Mutton Birds for a cover of a rock classic that's worthy of the original.
@jordancampos3639
I love this cover more than the original lol
@jakbparish
Some songs you keep coming coming back to, because they speak to you on some significant intangible level. I know it's a cover, but even the name of this band means something to me. Mutton Birds, or Shearwaters are an amazing creatures. Brilliant song.
@Batwing20293
"Got me a score of 12, that's 1 more than Starkweather!"
Love the Frighteners
@melzyb
"Sheriff! You are violating my territorial bubble!" Combs was amazing in this film
@dinkyg1830
Great movie and that's where I first heard this song and fell in love with it instantly.
@MalcolmNessGranger
Frank : "Johnny Bartlett. I thought guys like you fried in Hell."
Johnny : "I got out Frank. I've been carrying on the good work. Got me a score of forty."
@DiscoTimelordASD
I love this version soooo much❤
@DemonicAkumi
When I was a child, I only bought The Frighteners soundtrack because I heard this song in the ending.
@rubenpunk1983
***** Yo la acabo de ver y es la primera vez que la veo hasta el final y me encuentro sin querer con este tema.
No puedo dejar de escucharlo.