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/
Perforated Man
The Tear Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See the wings upon his ankles
Here's the chariot
The angels five long years but worth the wait
Further down you have the serpent
I'm the master he's the servant
I keep him caged because he's nervous
For the dragon sleeps below
This one is for my sweet beloved
Died at childbirth undiscovered
This one's why I'm here
I suffered covered every wall with tears
Now there's nothing left to see
Tell your children you met me
The perforated man
Don't spring your camera
While I flee
A picture's all I can bequeath
You wont be disappointed I guarantee
Tell your children you met me
The perforated man
The Tear Garden's song "Perforated Man" features dark, haunting lyrics that paint a vivid picture of a mysterious, otherworldly figure. The opening lines describe the "dear lord" at heaven's gate, complete with wings on his ankles and a chariot. However, the lyrics quickly turn more sinister with the introduction of "the serpent" and "the dragon" lurking far beneath the surface. The singer appears to have some kind of power over these dark forces, as they keep the serpent caged and under control.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more personal. The singer references a lost love who died in childbirth, and implies that this loss is what brought them to their current state. The singer has "covered every wall with tears" and has nothing left to give, except perhaps a photograph. The final lines simply urge the listener to remember the perforated man and tell their children about him.
Overall, the lyrics of "Perforated Man" are shrouded in mystery and darkness, but they also convey a sense of sorrow and vulnerability. The singer seems to be in command of some kind of supernatural power, but is ultimately powerless to prevent the loss and pain that has driven them to this point.
Line by Line Meaning
This is our dear lord at heaven's gate
We see a figure at the gate of heaven who we assume is our god.
See the wings upon his ankles
We notice the figure has wings on their ankles, further solidifying our assumption that this is our lord at heaven's gate.
Here's the chariot, the angels five long years but worth the wait
We see a chariot, and though it took five years for the angels to bring it, it was worth the wait to see our lord again.
Further down you have the serpent, I'm the master he's the servant
There's a serpent further down below, and we, as the performers of this song, are its master while the serpent is our servant.
I keep him caged because he's nervous, for the dragon sleeps below, far down below
We keep the serpent caged because it's nervous and afraid of the dragon that sleeps even further below.
This one is for my sweet beloved, died at childbirth undiscovered
We dedicate this song to someone we loved who died while giving birth and was never discovered.
This one's why I'm here, I suffered covered every wall with tears, now there's nothing left to see
We are here performing this song because we have suffered greatly and cried so much that there's nothing left within us to see.
Tell your children you met me, the perforated man
We ask the listener to tell their children that they've met us, the perforated man.
Don't spring your camera, while I flee, a picture's all I can bequeath, you won't be disappointed I guarantee
We ask the listener not to take a picture of us as we flee, as a picture is all we can leave them, but we guarantee they won't be disappointed.
Tell your children you met me, the perforated man
We repeat our request for the listener to tell their children that they've met us, the perforated man.
Contributed by Leo E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Room 101
The music is so goddamned good in this.
Exrnity
Beautiful music.