An excerpt from a Nettwerk Records press release, July 1996:
The roots of The Tear Garden extend back to 1983 when Cevin Key, on the verge of forming Skinny Puppy, struck up a trans-Atlantic correspondence with Edward Ka-Spel, the lead vocalist and driving force behind The Legendary Pink Dots. Three years later, Ka-Spel visited Vancouver for a series of three live performances with Key as sound technician, and during his visit, they recorded The Tear Garden's self-titled debut EP.
In 1987, Ka-Spel returned to open for Skinny Puppy on their North American tour, after which the duo retreated to the studio for two weeks to produce the now classic electronic-psychedelic album, Tired Eyes Slowly Burning. It was during these sessions that the project's ranks began to expand, with guest appearances by Key's fellow Puppies Dwayne Goettel and Nivek Ogre.
Four years later, the Garden bloomed again, this time growing well beyond the Key/Ka-Spel partnership to include not only Goettel, but a wide assortment of friends, including most of the Pink Dots. This fruitful month-long collaboration spawned two releases: an album called The Last Man To Fly, and a (very long) EP called Sheila Liked The Rodeo.
Another four years passed. Four years that saw literal and figurative deaths (the departure of both Skinny Puppy and LPD from their long-time labels; the subsequent break-up of SP; the tragic passing of Dwayne Goettel) and births (Edward's son, Calyxx; Download; Key's return to Nettwerk).
In late December, 1995, in the midst of this turbulence, The Tear Garden gathered once more, perhaps to attempt to trigger the dawn of a tranquil new era. The result was To Be An Angel Blind, The Crippled Soul Divide, an album of fragile and powerful beauty that digs even deeper into the psychedelic underground than its predecessors, adding a range of influences from dub bass to country slide guitar, all the while retaining the dark electronic melancholy that has become the project's signature.
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Four more years passed. Tear Garden got back together in 1999 and in 2000, Crystal Mass was released. In 2001, a "best of" collection was issued by the Russian label Brudenia, Для Тех, Ҡто Прогулялся Бьі С Богами (which translates to "For Those Who Would Walk with the Gods") as well as an "outtakes" collection released by Cevin Key's Subconscious Communications label, Eye Spy with My Little Eye.
2007 saw the release of The Secret Experiment, once again on Subconscious Communications. This is from the "Vault 2" series but features new music.
Currently, Edward and cEvin wrapped up their sessions of 13 tracks, compiled into a brand new upcoming TG release, available through Subcon.
Discography
* Tired Eyes Slowly Burning (1987)
* Last Man to Fly (1992)
* Sheila Liked The Rodeo (1993)
* Bouquet of Black Orchids (1993)
* To Be an Angel Blind, The Crippled Soul Divide (1996)
* Crystal Mass (2000)
* Eye Spy With My Little Eye (2002)
* The Secret Experiment (2007)
http://brainwashed.com/teargarden/
Do It Yourself from A-Z Part 2
The Tear Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Calling me James Spleen
Without a cause of death I be the reaper with the black hood on his head
Yung Snow with the blood red sled
Puppet master
Bodies hanging on a thread motherfucker
Got a grey blade tatted on my wrist
I don′t really need to cut it anymore and I don't really need a bitch
Months later she was found just a skull
She was missing all her bones
Got her headless skeleton hanging on my wall looking elegant
Black suede element
Packing blades
Lacking Benjamins
Horns on my head looking like the tusks of a grey elephant
Looking for my medicine
Plucking the bud off of a nug
Roll it up in a blunt
Now I feel fucking dead again
Looking for a place to belong
So i say fuck God fuck the motherfucking President
Address the American residence with just a knife and the help of a relative
Yeah that′s Slick Sloth
Both of us buried Ruby da Cherry under a criss-crossed cross
Covered up with a little bit of moss
Looking like a glossed out Yung Jack Frost
Paid the cost to be the boss
Now I ain't fucking dead but my life has been lost
Isn't it so convincing how I′m breathing down your neck?
Junkies in the back loading up the tec
Fuck her one time now I′m done
Homicide any time for the thrill
One, two, three, four pills
You know a junkie can't afford to get ill
See me I don′t fuck with you suckas
They call me the shooter like I play for Rucker
Smokey on Friday they call me Chris Tucker
I swear on my life I don't fuck with you fuckers
$uicide cock it back one time and I shoot it
Keep it low key always gotta keep it moving
Bitches be worried bout what I am doing
Cuz they love $licky so much all because of my music
It′s the Mac with the gat that goes click clack shoot a mother fuckers back
Brains go splat
No time for a rat ho
The lyrics to The Tear Garden's song Do It Yourself from A-Z Part 2 are dark and disturbing, with references to murder, drugs, and a general lack of regard for human life. The singer refers to themselves as a "dead motherfucker" and "James Spleen," declaring their identity as someone with no cause of death who now functions as the reaper with a black hood on their head. They speak of their twisted desires, including their use of a grey blade tattooed on their wrist and their possession of the headless skeleton of a woman hanging on their wall. The singer also expresses their lack of respect for authority figures, including God and the president, and their propensity for violent behavior.
Line by Line Meaning
They figured me a dead motherfucker
People assumed I was dead
Calling me James Spleen
Referring to me by a false name
Without a cause of death I be the reaper with the black hood on his head
Since there is no known cause of my death, people see me as the personification of death, wearing a black hood
Yung Snow with the blood red sled
I go by the name Yung Snow and my weapon of choice is a blood-red sled
Puppet master
I am in control of everything that's going on
Bodies hanging on a thread motherfucker
I have people under my influence, and their fates are uncertain
Got a grey blade tatted on my wrist
I have a tattoo of a grey blade on my wrist
I don't really need to cut it anymore and I don't really need a bitch
I have no more use for the blade or for women
Let her rot in the hole
I left a woman to die
Months later she was found just a skull
Only her skull was found months after her disappearance
She was missing all her bones
The rest of her body was not found
Got her headless skeleton hanging on my wall looking elegant
I kept her headless skeleton as a trophy on my wall
Black suede element
I have an air of darkness and sophistication
Packing blades
I carry weapons
Lacking Benjamins
I don't have a lot of money
Horns on my head looking like the tusks of a grey elephant
I have horns on my head resembling elephant tusks
Looking for my medicine
I am searching for drugs
Plucking the bud off of a nug
I am taking the buds off a marijuana plant
Roll it up in a blunt
I am preparing the marijuana to be smoked
Now I feel fucking dead again
The drugs have numbed me out
Looking for a place to belong
I am searching for a sense of purpose
So I say fuck God, fuck the motherfucking President
I have a deep resentment towards religion and political leaders
Address the American residence with just a knife and the help of a relative
I would attack the President's residence with nothing but a knife and the help of a friend or relative
Yeah that's Slick Sloth
Referring to a person named Slick Sloth
Both of us buried Ruby da Cherry under a criss-crossed cross
Slick Sloth and I buried Ruby da Cherry underneath a cross of intersecting lines
Covered up with a little bit of moss
We hid the grave with some moss
Looking like a glossed out Yung Jack Frost
The grave site appeared shiny and reflective like Yung Jack Frost
Paid the cost to be the boss
I have made difficult decisions and sacrifices to be in charge
Now I ain't fucking dead but my life has been lost
I am not physically dead but I have lost a sense of who I am
Isn't it so convincing how I'm breathing down your neck?
I am right behind you, making my presence known
Junkies in the back loading up the tec
There are drug addicts behind me preparing guns
Fuck her one time now I'm done
I had sex with her once and that was it
Homicide any time for the thrill
I would commit murder just for the excitement
One, two, three, four pills
I am taking four pills
You know a junkie can't afford to get ill
A drug addict cannot afford to get sick
See me I don't fuck with you suckas
I do not associate with weak, stupid people
They call me the shooter like I play for Rucker
People refer to me as a shooter, as if I were a basketball player from the Rucker league
Smokey on Friday they call me Chris Tucker
People compare me to Chris Tucker's character from the movie Friday
I swear on my life I don't fuck with you fuckers
I am serious when I say I do not associate with certain people
$uicide cock it back one time and I shoot it
I pull the trigger of my gun and shoot once
Keep it low key always gotta keep it moving
I avoid drawing attention to myself and always keep moving
Bitches be worried bout what I am doing
Women are concerned about my actions
Cuz they love $licky so much all because of my music
Women are attracted to me because of my music
It's the Mac with the gat that goes click clack shoot a mother fuckers back
I have a gun that makes a clicking sound when I pull the trigger and can shoot someone in the back
Brains go splat
I shoot someone in the head, causing their brains to scatter
No time for a rat ho
I don't have time for a liar or a snitch
Contributed by Mateo S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rotgutshogun
Fuck you downvoter! Fuck you and the house you live in! Bitch!