Wire's debut album, Pink Flag (1977), contains songs which are diverse in mood and style, but most use a minimalist punk approach, unorthodox structures, and several songs are under a minute in length; "Field Day For The Sundays" is only 28 seconds long.
Chairs Missing followed in 1978, and found Wire stepping back from the stark minimalism of Pink Flag, with longer, more atmospheric songs and synthesizer parts added by producer Mike Thorne. The experimentation was even more prominent on 154 (1979). Many of the songs had bassist Graham Lewis on lead vocals.
In 1979, creative differences pulled the band in different directions, leading to the Document and Eyewitness LP (1981), a recording of a performance that featured, almost exclusively, new material. The LP came packaged with an EP of a different performance of more new material. Some of these songs, along with others performed but not included on the album, were included on Colin Newman's post-Wire solo albums ("5/10", "We Meet Under Tables"), while others were released by Gilbert and Lewis' primary post-Wire outlet Dome ("And Then...", "Ritual View"). The band disbanded for the first time in 1980
Between 1981-85 Wire ceased recording and performing in favour of solo and non-Wire collaborative projects such as Dome, Cupol, Duet Emmo, and several Colin Newman solo efforts. In 1985, the group reformed as a "beat combo" (a joking reference to early 1960s beat music or even possibly beatniks), with greater use of electronic musical instruments. It released It's Beginning To And Back Again (IBTABA) in 1989, a "live" album of mostly re-worked versions of songs from The Ideal Copy and A Bell Is a Cup...Until It Is Struck, heavily re-arranged, edited, and remixed. A new song from the album, "Eardrum Buzz", became the band's biggest charting single.
Gotobed left the band in 1990, after the release of the album Manscape. After his departure, the band dropped one letter from its name, becoming "Wir" (still pronounced "wire"), and released The First Letter in 1991. Once again, the band disbanded in 1992 There followed a further period of solo recordings, during which Newman founded the Swim ~ label, and later Githead with his wife (ex-Minimal Compact bassist Malka Spigel), while Wire remained an occasional collaboration. It was not until 1999 that Wire again became a full-time entity.
With Gotobed back in the line-up (now using his birth name, Robert Grey), the group initially reworked much of their back catalogue for a performance at Royal Festival Hall on 26 February 2000. Wire's reception during a short tour of the US, and a number of UK gigs, convinced the band to continue. Two EPs and an album Send (2003) followed, as well as collaborations with stage designer Es Devlin and artists Jake and Dinos Chapman. In 2004 the band split once more.
In 2006, Wire's 1970s albums were re-released with original vinyl track listings. Rumours abounded of a renewal of activity to mark the 30th anniversary of the band's debut as a 4 piece and the re-release of Pink Flag in 2007. A third Read & Burn EP was released in November, 2007.
A full-length album of new material entitled Object 47 was released in July 2008. Bruce Gilbert was not involved in this recording, although according to Colin Newman, he did feature in a minimal capacity on the third Read and Burn EP. 2011 saw the release of the band's twelfth studio album Red Barked Tree.
Silk Skin Paws
Wire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm just making enquiries
Dog bone hunting
Gives you back to yourself
Standing before me
The gargoyle turns
Jutting jaws and
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
I check-up the once over
Give yourself an opening
Keep your mouth shut
In the event of an accident
Contact the following
A certain air
An invading smile
Inbreeding seals the flaw
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
Silk skin paws
Hang by both feet
Embracing the world
Hang the expense
Breuel's cut corners
Wring out the senses
I have nothing like it
I've seen nothing like it
I shift the blame
To the worm in the bottle
I shift the blame
To anyone standing before me
Silk Skin Paws is an enigmatic song marked by obscure lyrics and cryptic symbolism. The song seems to be a commentary on the darker side of human nature, and the way in which we shift the blame for our misdeeds or twisted desires onto others, rather than taking responsibility for our actions. The opening lines, "You have nothing to fear, I'm just making enquiries, Dog bone hunting gives you back to yourself," suggest that the singer is some kind of detective, interrogating someone about their behavior. "Dog bone hunting" could be a metaphor for this process of seeking out hidden, animalistic desires within the human psyche.
The song takes a surreal turn in the second verse, where the image of a gargoyle with "jutting jaws" and "stubble burns" is introduced. The gargoyle could represent a kind of demonic force within the individual being interrogated, or perhaps the dark side of human society as a whole. The line, "Inbreeding seals the flaw," may suggest that the singer is investigating some kind of genetic or familial predisposition towards deviance or criminal behavior.
Throughout the song, the singer seems to be urging the person they're interrogating to take responsibility for their actions, rather than shifting the blame onto others. The repeated line, "I shift the blame to the worm in the bottle, I shift the blame to anyone standing before me," is a clear statement of the singer's frustration with this tendency to pass the buck. They seem to be saying that we need to confront our own demons if we're ever going to overcome them.
Line by Line Meaning
You have nothing to fear
There's no need for you to worry
I'm just making enquiries
I'm just asking some questions
Dog bone hunting
The process of searching for something elusive
Gives you back to yourself
Helps you rediscover your true self
Standing before me
Being present in my presence
The gargoyle turns
The statue of a grotesque figure rotates
Jutting jaws and
Protruding teeth and mouth, and
The stubble burns
The short facial hair is rough and uncomfortable
I shift the blame
I pass on the responsibility
To the worm in the bottle
To alcohol or other vices
To anyone standing before me
To anyone within the vicinity
I check-up the once over
I give a quick examination
Give yourself an opening
Allow yourself a chance to speak up
Keep your mouth shut
Don't say anything at all
In the event of an accident
If something goes wrong
Contact the following
Get in touch with the following people
A certain air
A particular atmosphere
An invading smile
A smile that intrudes or takes over
Inbreeding seals the flaw
Repeated inbreeding confirms the defect
Silk skin paws
Soft, smooth and delicate animal feet
Hang by both feet
Suspended upside down by both legs
Embracing the world
Taking in everything around you
Hang the expense
Ignore the cost
Breuel's cut corners
Reducing costs by compromising quality
Wring out the senses
Overstimulate the senses
I have nothing like it
I've never experienced anything similar
I've seen nothing like it
I've never witnessed anything similar
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
999klondike
Great song and great album. Why so underated?
Ivana Zepeda
Love his vocals
Kihm Sanders
A sleek and quicker version of the version on the LP, this song cranks!
Jon Lander
WIRE is everything
olivier dupire
The best second-period wire song. fascinanting
Ricky Johnston
2nd to Kidney Bingos, this album is so underrated!
komunicador
I like this song´s version is faster and tighter. I´m fan of the post punk's wire, but this song is simply fantanstic,thanks for the video
Terry Jones
This song is so good it almost makes me want to move to south London if it meant I could get inspired to write a song like this. ok, you can stop throwing rotten fruit now... :>
J.J. W
Either version - love the song. I want Colin's shirt!!
chris sirhc
that guitar riff at 3:03 and 3:11 makes the whole song.