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/
Things That Go Bump in the Night
The Tear Garden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cos the party's just begun
He holds the gun
Close to the temple
Of his lovely
One and only
Foaming from the balcony
No one's listening in
It's all been done before
He's kicking crap across the floor
He's kicking her across the floor
He's kicking walls and windows, closet doors
Five years
All the next day nurses cry out
What's the deal now what the hell
He'll smile and say politely
Just an accident, she fell
She surely falls a lot
Five years
He seemed like little Romeo
But now he's all she's got
Now he's all she knows
It's better than a life alone
Five years
One stormy sticky night
He came home a little late
She'd hung the chains up
Barred the windows
Built a barricade
A single finger
There was spray paint dripping down the door
She'd won the war and didn't need a second shot
She picked her spot and fired and we stood back and admired
Crowned her princess of our spire
We disposed of his remains
And when they ask me what became of romeo
I will tell them he's now playing as a flower on a grave
So very far away
So very far away
Five lives
The Tear Garden's song Things That Go Bump in the Night is a haunting and disturbing piece that tells the story of a young woman trapped in an abusive relationship with a man who ultimately meets a bloody end. The song begins with the ominous instruction to "synchronize your watches/ cos the party's just begun," suggesting that some violent act is about to take place. The lyrics then describe the man holding a gun close to his "lovely one and only" as she foams at the mouth on the balcony. The scene is one of escalating violence as the man kicks objects--and eventually his partner--across the room. The lyrics pick up again five years later, when nurses question the woman about her injuries and she covers for her abuser by saying she simply fell. She is trapped, believing that life with him is better than being alone, until one night she takes action herself. When her partner comes home late, she has prepared for this event with chains, barred windows, and a barricade. She then shoots him when he tries to enter. The song concludes by revealing that the couple had five lives together, suggesting that they had a tumultuous relationship that spanned years.
Line by Line Meaning
Synchronize your watches
Let's all make sure our watches have the same time
Cos the party's just begun
Because this event is just getting started
He holds the gun
He is in possession of a firearm
Close to the temple
Near to the side of the head
Of his lovely
Of someone he loves
One and only
The only person of this kind
Foaming from the balcony
He is experiencing a frothy discharge while standing outside on a balcony
No one's listening in
There is nobody eavesdropping on this conversation
We all tune out froth off and pull the blinds
We are ignoring the conversation and drawing the curtains closed
It's all been done before
This type of behavior is not new or original
He's kicking crap across the floor
He is violently throwing objects on the ground
He's kicking her across the floor
He is physically assaulting her by repeatedly kicking her
He's kicking walls and windows, closet doors
He is causing damage to the walls, windows, and doors by kicking them
Five years
A period of five years has passed
All the next day nurses cry out
The nurses are expressing emotional distress on the following day
What's the deal now what the hell
What happened and why is this situation so bad
He'll smile and say politely
He will give a fake smile and act polite
Just an accident, she fell
He will lie and claim that she accidentally fell
She surely falls a lot
She is frequently falling
He seemed like little Romeo
He initially appeared to be a romantic hero like Romeo from Shakespeare's play
But now he's all she's got
He is the only person she has left in her life
Now he's all she knows
He is the only person she is familiar with
It's better than a life alone
Being with him is preferable to being alone
One stormy sticky night
On a night with a thunderstorm and high humidity
He came home a little late
He arrived home later than usual
She'd hung the chains up
She had hung chains, possibly for protection
Barred the windows
She had secured the windows to prevent entry
Built a barricade
She had built an obstacle to make it difficult for him to enter
A single finger
She raised one finger in defiance or warning
There was spray paint dripping down the door
There was paint dripping from the door due to vandalism
She'd won the war and didn't need a second shot
She had emerged victorious and did not need to continue fighting
She picked her spot and fired and we stood back and admired
She chose her moment to act and we watched in awe as she took action
Crowned her princess of our spire
We regarded her as a victorious and admirable individual
We disposed of his remains
We got rid of his body
And when they ask me what became of Romeo
When people inquire about the violent man named Romeo
I will tell them he's now playing as a flower on a grave
I will claim that he is now dead and decaying on a burial site
So very far away
He is located at a great distance
So very far away
He is located at a great distance
Five lives
Five individuals have been affected by this series of events
Contributed by Max W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zorniod
Another stunning one! Very nice to hear this version - the one on Kollabaris is great as well. Cheers sir!
Coleostro
this one is brilliant!
ashasalany
One of the best b-sides EVER
onlyyesterday1967
So lovely
Napz Reacts
Sounds like David bowie playing in Depeche mode.
Eldeecue
@DistalMarrow Wild Planet. It's a collection of exclusive songs from many different bands on the Subconscious label. It's a VERY good CD, though, even if Tear Garden only has two tracks on it.
Globall Lampss
@Coleostro Which one is not brilliant?