Currently Martyn Jacques, Adrian Stout, Adrian Huge (Past member Phil Butcher)
Their surreal style has been described as dark, darkly humorous, strangely humorous, Brechtian, and gypsy cabaret. They are also notorious for singing controversial songs involving bestiality, prostitution and blasphemy.
The Tiger Lillies were originally buskers, playing songs about the criminals, pimps and whores of Soho, London, England. Over time, the band became involved in several theatrical productions around the world, including the critically acclaimed Shockheaded Peter. Known for their intense, outlandish, and dark performances, they have garnered both controversy and critical acclaim.
Also "The Tiger Lillies", "The Tigerlilies" and "The Tigerlillies" may refer to Indie rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio that formed in 1989.
Bio:
Cincinnati's power pop stalwarts the Tigerlillies formed in 1989 and set out to fuse glam rock, roots rock, and post-punk into an aesthetic they called "More Pop than Jesus." Led by vocalist/guitarist Pat Hennessy, the band also included former members of the Chrome Cranks, the Candy Snatchers, and G.G. Allin & the Murder Junkies before settling on the lineup of Hennessy, guitarist/vocalist William Weber, bassist Brian Driscoll, and drummer/vocalist Steve Hennessy.
Discography:
Deep (1992)
Space Age Love Songs (1997)
Ceci N'est Ces Pop (2003)
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Finale
The Tiger Lillies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who've put me here
Today.
May each one
Of you die,
In a nasty,
Painful way.
The whores,
A curse,
To all your flesh.
May the pox eat
Each one of you,
Lead you to a
Painful death.
The police who have
Betrayed me,
My friendships
They have betrayed.
On duty
In dark alleys,
May all of you
Be slayed.
May your family
Be fried,
In an arsonist's
Revenge.
May each one of you
Be consumed
In a painful end.
May the beggars
And the thieves
Who stand watching me today,
May each one of you die
In a nasty,
Painful way.
We're all rats
In the sewer,
And we all
End the same.
In this nasty,
In this nasty,
In this nasty,
Little ga-a-a-a-a-a-a-me.
The Tiger Lillies’ “Finale” is a haunting and dark song that tells the story of a person who forgives those who put them in a difficult situation. The lyrics of the song suggest a desire for revenge and a belief that all people end up in a nasty, painful way, making it a chilling and powerful condemnation of humanity.
The singer in the song seems to have been wronged by various people, including whores, police, beggars, and thieves. Despite this, the singer declares forgiveness for them all. However, the forgiveness is immediately followed by a curse calling for a painful death to the betrayers. The repetitive “May each one of you die, in a nasty, painful way” creates a profoundly unsettling effect on the listener. The lyrics suggest a person who has been driven to the brink by the actions of others, and who no longer sees any hope for redemption or justice.
The song concludes with the statement that we are all rats in the sewer and that we all end the same. This message emphasizes the nihilistic and bleak view of the world that is present throughout the song. “Finale” is a haunting and unsettling song that is sure to leave a profound impact on anyone who listens to it.
Line by Line Meaning
I forgive all of you bastards,
Despite being put in a difficult situation, I am choosing to forgive those who are responsible.
Who've put me here
The people responsible for my current situation are the ones being forgiven.
Today.
This forgiveness is happening at this moment in time.
May each one
I hope that every single person involved experiences the following consequences.
Of you die,
The consequence I hope they experience is death.
In a nasty,
This death should not be a nice experience.
Painful way.
The death should be filled with pain and suffering.
The whores,
Referring to individuals who are viewed as lacking morals or ethics.
Who have betrayed me,
These individuals have done something to betray or harm the artist.
A curse,
The artist is wishing bad things upon them.
To all your flesh.
This curse is meant to harm their entire physical being.
May the pox eat
The artist is using a metaphor to describe the consequences they hope the whores experience.
Each one of you,
Each individual who has wronged the singer deserves this fate.
Lead you to a
This fate will inevitably result in the following consequence.
Painful death.
The curse will eventually lead to a painful death.
The police who have
The artist is now addressing another group of individuals who have wronged them.
Betrayed me,
These individuals are responsible for causing harm or betraying the artist in some way.
My friendships
The police have taken advantage of the singer's trust in them as a friend.
They have betrayed.
The police's actions have caused a deep level of hurt and disappointment.
On duty
These individuals were in a position of power when they betrayed the artist.
In dark alleys,
The artist is likely referring to an event that occurred in a seedy or unsavory location.
May all of you
The artist is again wishing consequences upon this group of individuals.
Be slayed.
The consequence the singer wishes for is death.
May your family
The artist now extends their curse beyond the individual involved to their family.
Be fried,
The singer is using a metaphor to describe the consequence they hope for.
In an arsonist's
The individual wishes for the death to be caused in a specific way.
Revenge.
The singer feels wronged and wishes for the other individual to experience justice or consequences for their actions.
May each one of you
The artist now addresses another group of individuals and wishes for their consequences.
Be consumed
The consequence the artist wishes for is consumption, likely by a disease or illness.
In a painful end.
This consumption will lead to a painful death.
May the beggars
The singer is now addressing a group of bystanders or onlookers.
And the thieves
Referring to individuals who are viewed as lacking morals or ethics.
Who stand watching me today,
These individuals are witnessing the artist's current struggle or pain.
We're all rats
The artist is making a comparison between themselves and others.
In the sewer,
Referring to an unpleasant or undesirable situation.
And we all
Each individual, including the artist, will experience the following consequence.
End the same.
Regardless of who we are or what we have done, we will all experience the same fate.
In this nasty,
The situation is unpleasant or undesirable.
In this nasty,
The situation is unpleasant or undesirable.
In this nasty,
The situation is unpleasant or undesirable.
Little ga-a-a-a-a-a-a-me.
The artist is likely being sarcastic when they refer to the current situation as nothing more than a game.
Contributed by Aiden Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.