The group takes its name from Shakespeare. In particular Hamlet's soliloquy To be, or not to be, where it refers to dying; "coil" is used in its archaic sense of "disturbance, trouble":
"What dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause."
Hamlet, Act III, Scene 1, line 67.
Morning Glory
This Mortal Coil Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoping it would catch the eye of any vagabond that passed it by.
And I'm waiting in my fleeting house.
Before he came, I felt him drawing near.
As he neared, I felt the ancient fear.
That he had come to wound my door and jeer.
And I waited in my fleeting house.
"Stories of cold," I smiled at the hobo.
"Stories of old," I knelt to the hobo.
And he stood before my fleeting house.
"No" said the hobo, "No more tales of time."
"Don't ask me now to wash away the grime."
"I can't come in 'cause it's too high a climb."
And he walked away from my fleeting house.
"Then you be damned!" I screamed to the hobo.
"Leave me alone." I wept to the hobo.
"Turn into stone," I knelt to the hobo.
And he walked away from my fleeting house.
The opening lines of This Mortal Coil's song "Morning Glory" introduce a scene of anticipation and hope as the singer lights a pure candle by the window, hoping that it would catch the attention of any stranger passing by. The singer is waiting, possibly for someone or something to arrive, with a sense of fleetingness - a feeling of impermanence, transience, or even mortality. Despite the hopeful gestures, as the stranger draws near, the singer feels a primal fear, sensing that this person may bring harm or ridicule. But before he does, the singer calls out to him, "Tell me stories," hoping to hear tales of the past and of cold weather, perhaps in an effort to distract from the impending danger.
However, the hobo refuses, saying that he has no more stories of time and is unable to come inside due to the height of the climb. The singer lashes out, damned and weeping, wishing for the hobo to turn into stone. In these lyrics, there is a sense of sadness and loneliness, a longing for human connection, and a fear of the unknown. The fleeting house the singer describes could represent the temporary nature of life and how connections and opportunities can easily pass us by.
Line by Line Meaning
I lit my purest candle close to my window.
I hope to be noticed by strangers by showing I am at home and friendly.
Hoping it would catch the eye of any vagabond that passed it by.
I am specifically looking for strangers or wanderers to cross my path.
And I'm waiting in my fleeting house.
I am eagerly waiting inside my temporary shelter for someone to approach me.
Before he came, I felt him drawing near.
I sensed that someone was close by and would soon approach me.
As he neared, I felt the ancient fear.
I began to feel a deep-seated anxiety as the stranger approached me.
That he had come to wound my door and jeer.
I suspected that the stranger might be a threat and intended to harm me or ridicule me.
And I waited in my fleeting house.
I remained inside my temporary shelter, ready to defend myself if necessary.
"Tell me stories," I called to the hobo.
To ease my fears, I asked the stranger to share some tales with me.
"Stories of cold," I smiled at the hobo.
I specifically requested for the hobo to tell me stories about harsh living conditions.
"Stories of old," I knelt to the hobo.
I bowed my head and asked the hobo to share tales of times long gone by.
And he stood before my fleeting house.
The hobo remained just outside my temporary shelter.
"No" said the hobo, "No more tales of time."
The stranger rejected my request and refused to share more stories with me.
"Don't ask me now to wash away the grime."
The hobo declined my invitation to enter my shelter and clean himself up.
"I can't come in 'cause it's too high a climb."
The hobo refused my invitation to enter my temporary shelter on account of it being too difficult to access.
And he walked away from my fleeting house.
The stranger departed from my presence and moved on to a new location.
"Then you be damned!" I screamed to the hobo.
I cursed the stranger for his refusal to share stories with me and interact with me.
"Leave me alone." I wept to the hobo.
I begged the stranger to stop bothering me and to simply leave me be.
"Turn into stone," I knelt to the hobo.
In desperation, I begged the hobo to become motionless in order to alleviate my anxieties.
And he walked away from my fleeting house.
The stranger departed from my presence, leaving me to deal with my emotions on my own.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Larry Beckett, Tim Buckley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind