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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Mad Hamlet
The Tiger Lillies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You torture every fibre of your soul for what?
A blow-job a hand-job a bead of snot
This world is filled with things corrupt
You know it's poisoned in its guts
Weak is the flesh weak is the soul
Nothing is pure nothing is clean
This world it is dirty and obscene
You cannot escape from the blame
Each one of us a whore is the name
Are you going mad Hamlet?
A whore wants to kill
Insanity is eating you do our guts want to spill
We live this way because there is no other way to live
For we are weak and greedy beings us you must forgive
Are you too mad Hamlet to see each of us is flawed
Each lives in a brothel each one is a whore
But Hamlet will not them forgive
Human frailty live let live
His love for father does consume
All hope for peace it is doomed
For Hamlet the disease of hate
No hope for peace just heartbreak
From all around he feels betrayed
His heart and soul are cut and flayed
Are you going mad Hamlet?
In this song, The Tiger Lillies ask Hamlet, the singer of Shakespeare's play, if he is going mad. The lyrics suggest that the world is corrupted and full of impurities, and that everyone is flawed and weak in flesh and soul. Hamlet is consumed by his love for his father, and the disease of hate has taken over him, leaving no hope for peace. He feels betrayed by those around him, and his heart and soul are cut and flayed. Despite the flaws and corruption around him, he cannot forgive those who have wronged him.
The Tiger Lillies' lyrics capture the dark themes of Shakespeare's play, such as betrayal, corruption, and madness. The use of vulgar and gory imagery, such as "a blow-job a hand-job a bead of snot" and "our guts want to spill," adds to the grotesque atmosphere of the song. The repetition of the question "Are you going mad Hamlet?" emphasizes the character's mental state, as well as the futility of his struggle against the corrupt world.
Line by Line Meaning
You torture every fibre of your soul for what?
Why are you tormenting yourself so much?
A blow-job a hand-job a bead of snot
Are these really worth all the trouble?
This world is filled with things corrupt
The world is full of corrupt and sinful things.
You know it's poisoned in its guts
The world is rotten from within.
Weak is the flesh weak is the soul
Our bodies and souls are weak.
You must succumb and play a role
You have no choice but to play your part in this world.
Nothing is pure nothing is clean
There is no purity or cleanliness in this world.
This world it is dirty and obscene
The world is disgusting and indecent.
You cannot escape from the blame
Everyone is responsible for their part in this world.
Each one of us a whore is the name
We are all sinful and immoral.
A whore wants to kill
Our sinful nature leads us to violence and destruction.
Insanity is eating you do our guts want to spill
Your madness is making us sick and scared.
We live this way because there is no other way to live
We have no choice but to live in this corrupt world.
For we are weak and greedy beings us you must forgive
We are all flawed and sinful, please forgive us.
Are you too mad Hamlet to see each of us is flawed
Are you too consumed with madness to see that we are all imperfect?
Each lives in a brothel each one is a whore
We are all living in a sinful world and unable to escape its corruption.
But Hamlet will not them forgive
Hamlet cannot find it in himself to forgive those who have wronged him.
Human frailty live let live
We are all imperfect, so we must accept each other's flaws and learn to coexist.
His love for father does consume
Hamlet's love for his father has taken over his life.
All hope for peace it is doomed
There is no hope for peace in this corrupt world.
For Hamlet the disease of hate
Hate has consumed Hamlet.
No hope for peace just heartbreak
There is no hope for peace, only heartbreak and sadness.
From all around he feels betrayed
He feels betrayed by everyone around him.
His heart and soul are cut and flayed
He is torn apart inside.
Are you going mad Hamlet?
Is Hamlet losing his mind?
Contributed by Austin G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.