Blindness
Lyrics
Fall Heads Roll
The flat is evil
Welcome: living leg-end (2)
I was walking down the street
I saw the poster at the top
I was all on one leg (3)
The streets were flagged (4)
And the poster at the top of street said:
“Do you work hard?” (5)
I was only on one leg
The road hadn't been fixed
I had to be in for half six
I was only on one leg
My blue eyelids were not active
There was a curfew at half nine
For my kids
There was a poster at the top of the street
Encapsulated in plastic
It had a blind man
So I said: “Blind man, have mercy on me.”
I said: “Blind man, have mercy on me.”
The flat is evil and full of Cavalry and calvary (6)
And Calvary and cavalry.
“Do you work hard?”
It said, “I am from Hebden Bridge. (7)
Somebody said to me: I can't understand a word you said."
Said: “99% of non smokers die” (8)
“Do you work hard?”
“Do you work hard?”
I was walking down the street
And saw a picture of a blind man
The flat is evil
Of core(?) cavalry and calvary
Of core(?)
Blind man, have mercy on me
Said, blind man, have mercy on me
I am looking at my feet
My blues eyes get ID'd
My curfew was due half eight
Now its half past six
My curfew is at 9:30
I said. “Do you?”
Blind man! Have mercy on me
Blind man! Have mercy on me
Blind man! Have mercy on me
I’m on one leg
My eyes can’t get fixed
And my kids
Can’t blue eyes get fixed?
Blind man! Have mercy on me
Blind man! Have mercy on me
Peel Version
And all humans
Cavalry or calvary (9)
And not a drop of water (10)
Or paper
Or paper
J.W. said "walking bass, walking bass" (11)
Don't forget, don't forget
You expected Aristotle Onassis
But instead you got Mr James Fennings from Prestwick, in Cumbria (12)
Do you...
The flat is evil
Full of cavalry and calvary
His first appearance was on Moscow Road (13)
The poster came first
At first I thought it was just a poster
I was talking to Jane Seymour (14)
Eyes wide open
The neck was slightly dislocated
But then I walked up the street
There was a repellent plastic
Said poster with a picture:
"Do you work?"
I was on one leg
At the top of the street
There was a poster
A plastic front
From Moscow Road it came
From Deansgate it came
From Narnack Records it came (15)
I was on one leg
I had to be in by 9:30
I said walking bass
Paper times 2
Paper times 2
Paper everywhere and not a drop of water to be seen
I said
I was by the ocean
I saw a poster
I am [?]
I am [?]
Everywhere I look I see a blind man
I see a blind man
Everywhere I look
I see a...
I can't get my eyes checked
My blues eyes can't get checked
I'm only on one leg
I said to poster, "When's curfew over?
I said, "Blind man, have mercy on me."
I said, "Blind man, have mercy on me."
Blind man have mercy on me
Oh Great One I am a mere receptacle
The egg tester for your sandlewood and other assorted woods
In dark green
Blind man have mercy on me!
I got a metal leg - truth
Flat is the evil of calvary and cavalry
Blind Man (Demo) (17)
Is it in Cavalry?
And J. Wilson said,
"I can't stand, I can't stand"
The first one on the walking bass, it's...
Paper times two
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-paper times two
Everywhere
And not a scrap,
A drop of water
Don't forget
The sea
Don't forget
Or the ICS
Don't forget it
They think they've got
Aristotle Onassis
But in fact they've got James Fennings
Of Prestwick, in Cumbria, and Lancs.
Do you... work hard?
Do you?
Work hard in Malmaison? (18)
Uncovered in time
Getting down
Getting down
Getting get on down
Get on down
Hurricane
The flat is evil
It is full of cavalry
And calvary
J. Wilson, he couldn't stand
Don't forget the cassette
On ICS
Do you...
Midnight dump is overtime
Double time
Is precious time
Chair is on the… gilded
The first disappearance
Was talking about contentment
And Anne
The first king of Moscow Road
The first king of Moscow Road
He was talking to Jane Seymour
With eyes open wide
Of course there was no chair
First she disappeared
Notes
1. In a 1991 New Musical Express "Portrait of the Artist as a Consumer" (a weekly feature in which the NME asked various musicians to list their favorite cultural artifacts such as music, books, movies, etc.) MES lists the Panther Burns as one of the bands he is interested in. The Panther Burns, also known as Tav Falco's Panther Burns, were formed by Falco and Alex Chilton in Memphis in the late '70s, and in 1981 they were the Fall's labelmates at Rough Trade. Their mission was to bring roots music--particularly, but by no means limited to, rockabilly and blues--together with punk and avant-garde sensibilities. The Panther Burns recorded a song called "Blind Man" on their debut album, Behind the Magnolia Curtain; "Blind Man" had earlier been recorded by Muddy Waters, although I am not sure of the ultimate source (the song is not the same as "Blind Man Blues," which Muddy also recorded). The song has the repeated refrain "Lord, have mercy on me." The Panther Burns also covered Leadbelly's "Bourgeois Blues" on the same album, which the Fall were to record for 2003's Are You Are Missing Winner, and the Fall did "Funnel of Love" (originally popularized by Wanda Jackson), which the Panther Burns recorded in 1995 for Shadow Dancer, on Your Future Our Clutter in 2010.
On the Fall's appearance on Later...With Jools Holland, MES paraphrases Glenn Campbell's "Try A Little Kindness," which runs "'And if you try a little kindness/Then you'll overlook the blindness/Of narrow-minded people on the narrow-minded streets".
"Why dont you try a little kindness/(to compensate?) for the blindness..."
The drum part resembles "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder (who is, of course, blind). In Renegade, MES praises the song: "Anyway, I was more influenced by [Gary Glitter] than the stuff Friel and Baines were listening to. It had more edge. Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" was another. Unlike Weather Report it doesn't force its quality, it isn't false; it's very much a record that's aware of its own strengths. I like the direct poetry of its lyrics, too, the economy. Journalists ramble on about Dylan being a poet and all that, how his words have the ability to do this and that--totally overlooking stuff like "Superstition"; probably because most of the journalists writing that stuff are white males who grew up trying to be Dylan and now can't move on from that same wave of thought."
The bassline closely resembles "Witness" by Roots Manuva (in turn inspired by the Doctor Who theme; also see Russel Richardson's excellent comment below, and Dan's comment with Manuva's remarks).
According to Jim Watts on the Fall Online Forum:
According to Jim Watts on the Fall Online Forum:
"We took a break from Tuff Gong to go for a drink in The Original Wire pub. Pretty much the worst pub in warrington. I remember a cloud of flies buzzing around in there.
And in the car on the way back we heard witness by Roots Manuva and Spencer got very excited. We were inspired by the groove and I think Spencer started the beat, then Steve came up with the bass and me and Ben came in with our guitar parts.
Then it was put forward to Mark as a demo and he went in to do his vocal sessions and he made it a Fall song. I remember the sessions were pretty much -day one band recording - day two vocals - day three mixing. Or something close to that, wasnt a long recording.
I dont even know how it is credited as by that point I had lost the will to battle over credits. But the above is exactly as I remember it."
And in the car on the way back we heard witness by Roots Manuva and Spencer got very excited. We were inspired by the groove and I think Spencer started the beat, then Steve came up with the bass and me and Ben came in with our guitar parts.
Then it was put forward to Mark as a demo and he went in to do his vocal sessions and he made it a Fall song. I remember the sessions were pretty much -day one band recording - day two vocals - day three mixing. Or something close to that, wasnt a long recording.
I dont even know how it is credited as by that point I had lost the will to battle over credits. But the above is exactly as I remember it."
Note it isn't the exact bass line as the notes are a bit different (not just the key, but the intervals).
MES has claimed that this is about blind British Labour Party politician David Blunkett (via Reformation):
It's about the blind politician [David Blunkett] we've got here in Britain. He wants to set up camps for people, camps for dysfunctional fathers, and camps for dysfunctional kids. Luckily they got rid of him, but he's come back now, so that's quite timely. And he's blind, as well. From Sheffield. [laughs]"
It is difficult to explain all of the lyrics as being about Blunkett in any straightforward way, but because of MES's statement this is the jumping off point for any interpretation. Certain parties insist that the song is at least partly about Masonic intiation, in which the candidate is blindfolded and made to kneel on one leg at the altar. There is a certain elegance to this theory, which identifies a formal symmetry in the power relations displayed in the song: Blunkett, the blind politician, as Home Secretary initiated anti-terrorism measures which earned him the enmity of proponents of civil liberties (a concern he seems to have contemptuously dismissed; despite his relatively left-leaning background, he was one of many politicians who veered to the right on civil liberties in the face of the terrorist threats of the first decade of the 21st century). According to Wikipedia:
A controversial area for Blunkett was civil liberties, which he famously described as "airy fairy". As Education Secretary, he had repeatedly expressed the intention that, were he to become Home Secretary, he would make the then-incumbent Jack Straw, who had been criticised for being hard-line, seem overly liberal. An indication of what he meant came in October 2002, when there was a serious riot at Lincoln Prison. Martin Narey, then Director General of HM Prison Service, later claimed that when informed of the riot, Blunkett became hysterical and 'shrieked' that the prison must be re-taken without regard to loss of life and that rioters should be machine-gunned if necessary. Narey concluded that Blunkett was not up to the job. Blunkett denied this version of events.
The candidate in a Masonic initiation, on the other hand, is not genuinely blind, but is blindfolded and helpless. According to R. Totale on the Fall online forum:
It's about at least two things - David Blunkett and the Freemasonic initation ritual. The two are quite separate - as often in Fall songs - but have a literary and symbolic effect on each other. It's about forms and images of domination. The blind man has been blindfolded in a masonic ritual, he was on one leg. He's being threatened with death, but in Blunkett's case, is threatening death.
Whether or not Totale is on the money about MES's source of inspiration, it is an attractive interpretation (although, like the Blunkett element, it leaves much unaccounted for). As Totale suggests, juxtaposed images of power and powerlessness abound in this song, even as they continually reverse polarity: in the Peel version James Fennings of Prestwick is substituted for Aristotle Onassis (see note 10 below), and somehow the geographical reference to Cumbria seems to me to be a mundane detail that underscores the modesty of an ordinary man as compared to a Greek billionaire. At the same time, we could see "James Fennings" as a synechdoche for the Fall as pure advent: a pre-show DJ for the band in the early 2000s, Fennings' tracks heralded the arrival of the group onstage, so the line boastingly suggests the hubris of a rock event, with "Fennings" indicating the moment of adumbration in which the event is all potential, a synesthetic thought-image of angry superheroes looming over the venue. Onassis is the money shot, which is vulgarly redundant at the point of its arrival.
(Kufisks points out that MES refers to James Fennings as ”a mate of mine” in Renegade).
Blunkett's blind eyes look down on the city from what is presumably a campaign poster. Although he cannot see, his power lies in being seen; his image functions as a symbol of an all-seeing power introjecting itself into the psyche of the population. One such poster, created by the opposition, alludes to the '60s tv show The Prisoner: dubbing Blunkett The Imprisoner, it warns that "Compulsory ID cards will mean you are presumed guilty, until proven innocent." Blunkett's sightless glare conveys the threat of a curfew ("I had to be in by 9:30") backed by the threat of government violence in the name of preventing terrorism, the violence of the powerless. Such violence is most brutally effective when it is not being exercised, wagering in its desperation that the power of fear can overcome the fear of power. Calvary, the place of Christ's passion and thus a symbol for the power of undergoing rather than performing violence, is paired with "cavalry," as the passive violence of religion is both in opposition to and supplemented by the active violence of the State. In another reversal, this same juxtaposition reappears as religious terrorism, which further blurs the distinction between active and passive, or actual and potential, power (the State is powerful enough to preach non-violence and religious tolerance, while the terrorist impotently trumpets violence in the name of religion, and in the name of resistance to the violence of the State). MES himself, finally, is a supplicant "on one leg," as opposed to the so-called "walking bass," which is, as it so happens, the actual protagonist of the song; on the Peel version, the litany "From Moscow Road it came, from Deansgate it came, from Narnack Records it came" seems to be about nothing so much as the relentless bass line, which is not in fact a "walking bass" in the usual sense, but it certainly marches.
Blunkett's blind eyes look down on the city from what is presumably a campaign poster. Although he cannot see, his power lies in being seen; his image functions as a symbol of an all-seeing power introjecting itself into the psyche of the population. One such poster, created by the opposition, alludes to the '60s tv show The Prisoner: dubbing Blunkett The Imprisoner, it warns that "Compulsory ID cards will mean you are presumed guilty, until proven innocent." Blunkett's sightless glare conveys the threat of a curfew ("I had to be in by 9:30") backed by the threat of government violence in the name of preventing terrorism, the violence of the powerless. Such violence is most brutally effective when it is not being exercised, wagering in its desperation that the power of fear can overcome the fear of power. Calvary, the place of Christ's passion and thus a symbol for the power of undergoing rather than performing violence, is paired with "cavalry," as the passive violence of religion is both in opposition to and supplemented by the active violence of the State. In another reversal, this same juxtaposition reappears as religious terrorism, which further blurs the distinction between active and passive, or actual and potential, power (the State is powerful enough to preach non-violence and religious tolerance, while the terrorist impotently trumpets violence in the name of religion, and in the name of resistance to the violence of the State). MES himself, finally, is a supplicant "on one leg," as opposed to the so-called "walking bass," which is, as it so happens, the actual protagonist of the song; on the Peel version, the litany "From Moscow Road it came, from Deansgate it came, from Narnack Records it came" seems to be about nothing so much as the relentless bass line, which is not in fact a "walking bass" in the usual sense, but it certainly marches.
In a reversal of the Masonic ritual, Blunkett, the blind man, occupies a position of power while the sighted protagonist asks for mercy, the politician who cannot see compelling the hobbled pedestrian to look at him, his own power of sight betraying him into weakness before the sightless one. Sight is traditionally figured as a capacity or a potency, but here it is an impotent potency, the capacity to be dominated. The politician's incapacity in a certain way makes him invulnerable. Blunkett reverses the polarity of sight, turning blindess into strength and sightedness into weakness, just as Christ reverses the polarity of violence, turning the water of martyrdom into the wine of salvation and, ultimately, world domination in the form of the triumphant Church. Most explicitly, work ("Do you work hard?", the "New Puritan"'s credo turned into an accusation by the singer of "Chicago Now!", here becomes a politician's unrefusable demand, ratifying economic coercion with guilt) is now the utmost weakness, since those who do so, do so for those who do not, as Marx recognized long ago. To work is to literally create the world--and in that sense work is power as such--and to effectively lose one's power over it in the same blow. This is a surprising enough message in a song by a lyricist whose contempt for Marxism has always been paired with the glorification of work, in fact for whom the two have often been inseparable ("Communists are just part time workers"). And yet, "Blindness" is not so much a departure from the ethos of the "New Puritan" as it is a continuation and broadening of the latter's themes: "New Puritan"'s convolutions of disipline and decadence become the labyrinth of power and impotence through which the protagonist of "Blindness" blindly winds, but which the lyricist sees quite clearly. (Or is it the protagonist and not the lyricist who sees? MES may say more than he means here which is, after all, the goal of pretty much every Fall lyric.)
See More Information below for more on the Blunkett connection.
2. "What About Us" from the same album (Fall Heads Roll) and the same Peel session (#24) begins: "Well, leg-end...living/We are living leg-ends/The living leg-end." In both cases the word is pronounced with a hard 'g,' like "leg end." Henry Cow's first album is called Leg End (or, depending on the source, Legend); the Fall covered Henry Cow's "War" on Middle Class Revolt, a song not from Leg End but from the later In Praise of Learning. This is probably a punning reference to the line, "I was on one leg."
3. In March, 2004, Smith broke both his leg and his hip when slipping on some ice, and toured in a wheelchair for awhile (which he would do again in 2009).
Ian F submits:
'I was listening to Blindness on the way home in the car and had a mini-revelation. As yet unmentioned is the connection to Oedipus. The name 'Oedipus' means 'Lame Foot'. In an attempt to prevent the fulfillment of the property whereby their son would kill their father and marry his mother, when Jocasta indeed bore a son, Laius had his ankles pierced and tethered together so that he could not crawl; Jocasta then gave the boy to a servant to expose on the nearby mountain. He was rescued by a kind-hearted shepherd and by a strange twist of fate ended up fulfilling the prophecy. When his investigations revealed the truth Oedipus blinded himself. Hysterically, 'I was only on one leg.' Many years later, angry that his son did not love him enough to take care of him, Oedipus curses his son Eteocles and his brother, condemning them both to kill each other in battle. Thus, as the curse is delivered, Eteocles: 'Blind man, have mercy on me.'"
See comment 48 below for more.
This could mean decorated with flags, which in the context of giant posters of politicians seems plausible, but perhaps more straightforwardly it could refer to flagstones. Or it could be a pun on both.
5. This lyric first appeared in "Chicago, Now!" in 1990.
6. Cavalry is mounted artillery. Calvary was the mount in Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. The hill is called Golgotha ("place of the skull") in the Gospels; the Latin calque Calvariae Locus is the proximate origin of the English "Calvary."
7. Hebden Bridge is a town in West Yorkshire. Apparently it was culturally very isolated, at least in the early part of the 20th century, to the extent that residents had a distinctive accent that was not shared even by people from neighboring towns.
According to Russell, "Hebden Bridge is indeed that village - but in the 1980s it had been largely abandoned, and (for what reason I know not) bought up by whole swathes of media and 'alternative' people from London. It very swiftly became an enclave of Southern middle-class (bohemian?) life in a desolate Northern emptied countryside. As such - especially re the accents - a perfect target for the wrath of MES."
10. This echoes Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner": "Water, water everywhere/Nor any a drop to drink" (thanks to Clay for pointing this out).
11. "J.W." could be Jim Watts, who had been the bass player in the Fall, but was playing guitar by the time this session was recorded (Steve Trafford plays bass on the song--"Blindness" does not, in fact, feature what is usually termed "walking bass"). But see the Demo version below, "And J. Wilson said, 'I can't stand, I can't stand'" which suggests this may not refer to Watts.
12. Aristotle Onassis was a Greek shipping magnate who was perhaps most famous for being Jacqueline (Bouvier) Kennedy's second husband. As for James Fennings, I am indebted to Smudger from the Fall online forum for unearthing the following (see also note 1 above):
And so we spent a day in the company of Marshall Jefferson, one of Bacardi’s ‘ambassadors’, who are on hand to take the great tracks that today’s up-and-coming talents have produced to the next level. The winner of the Bacardi Remix competition (in the funky house genre) was James Fennings of Prestwich, Manchester. James, already a tour DJ for The Fall for the best part of a decade in his non-house guise, won himself the chance to remix his track – which had been composed with elements laid out on the Bacardi DJ website – with Marshall’s fabled assistance.
Prestwick is in Scotland, close to Glasgow and not very close to Cumbria, although it is possible that Cumbria is also a street or neighborhood in Prestwick.
Prestwich is in Bury, in Greater Manchester, and is where MES hangs his hat. Cumbria is about 90 miles to the north of Prestwich, and around 130 miles northwest of Prestwick.
Fennings is from Prestwich, and MES seems to be playing on Prestwich/Prestwick.
13. There is a Moscow Road in Greater Manchester.
From Huckleberry:
"There is also a Moscow Road in Bayswater, London W2, on the fringes of Notting Hill. It is just around the corner from Colin Wilson's house in Chepstow Villas (see Deer Park). It is also the location of London 's Greek Orthodox cathedral, which could be a nod to EP."
MES was known to have had an interest in Colin Wilson...
14. Or maybe "James Seymour," as the Lyrics Parade has it. Jane Seymour was the Queen of England for about a year in the 16th century, as the third wife of Henry VIII. There is also a famous English actress named Jane Seymour who was in Live and Let Die, among other things, and who incidentally has one green eye and one brown eye. James Seymour was an 18th century English painter who mainly painted horses, and the people who ride them.
Either way, as Adrian points out in the comments, this is probably a pun--"see more"--as it's followed by "eyes wide open." Rob suggests that the lyric is a gibe about plastic surgery...
Either way, as Adrian points out in the comments, this is probably a pun--"see more"--as it's followed by "eyes wide open." Rob suggests that the lyric is a gibe about plastic surgery...
15. Deansgate is one of the main streets of Manchester and, incidentally, dates back to Roman times. Narnack Records was the American distributor of Fall Heads Roll.
There's an alternate version of "Blindness" on the US vinyl edition of FHR. This version, much like "Sparta FC #2", seems to be an attempt to recapture the magic of an earlier Peel Session recording. Significant lyrical variations include "You expected the ancient brain boxes like Aristotle Onassis - Do you work hard? - But instead you got Mr. J. Fennings from Prestwich. His first appearance was on Moscow High Road" and "The flat is evil and is the epitome of calvary and cavalry."
"Brain box" is sometimes used in England to denote someone who is intellectual or intelligent. It's not clear why Aristotle Onassis is a "brain box" but MES could be thinking of the older, even more famous, Aristotle. Neither the ancient Aristotle nor Onassis were ever blind, as far as we know, but there was a blind puppet on Sesame Street named "Aristotle."
"Brain box" is sometimes used in England to denote someone who is intellectual or intelligent. It's not clear why Aristotle Onassis is a "brain box" but MES could be thinking of the older, even more famous, Aristotle. Neither the ancient Aristotle nor Onassis were ever blind, as far as we know, but there was a blind puppet on Sesame Street named "Aristotle."
18. Malmaison (if this is correct) is a district in Paris with a famous chateau. But it is also a hotel in Manchester where interviews with MES took place (thanks to Dan).
More Information
An Account of Why "Blindness" is About Freemasonry can be found here
From albtwo, more on the David Blunkett connection:
David Blunkett was Home Secretary until late 2004 and his period in office did indeed coincide with a marked downwards pressure on civil liberties in the UK. To some degree this was consistent with a trend in "Western" nations in general, post 9/11; to some degree it was specific to local UK politics - the Blair Labour government put great store in emphasizing/promoting the defence of the nation at this time to maintain the support of traditionally right-wing media, in particular the Sun, arguably as a tactic to help create space to pursue a Left-of-centre agenda in other policy areas. Blunkett and his approach to civil liberties were central to this. One of the major features of domestic security legislation at the time was the introduction of "control orders" for those suspected of terrorist activity but who had previously been detained without charge owing to insufficient evidence. Control orders were introduced as part of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 which, although it became law post-Blunkett's term as Home Secretary, was very much developed on his watch. Voted through Parliament in March 2005, control orders gave sweeping powers of oversight of the ability of terror suspects to move and associate freely and I think it highly likely that the repeated references to curfews in the various versions of Blindness are informed by this. Blunkett soon resurfaced (albeit briefly) in mid-2005 as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where he maintained his right of centre approach - although the chronology doesn't quite add up, it is tempting to suggest that the "Do you work hard?" idea suggests a poster from this period. Against this argument, there is an interesting aside in the Last Night at the Palais version of "Blindness" where MES sings "I was going to a camp... in the Lake District." This dates to 2007 and surely works on two levels - first, the camps for dysfunctional kids and fathers claimed by MES above; second, a well-reported trip to a "training camp" in the Lake District by a number of individuals who were subsequently convicted of planning failed bombings in London on 21 July, 2005. This story rumbled on in the UK from 2005 through to their conviction in 2007- i.e., contemporary with the period of "Blindness"'s recording and subsequent live performance, and I think this is consistent, particularly in light of the Palais line, with themes of both indoctrination, masonic or otherwise, and the Blunkett-led crackdown on civil liberties linked to/reflecting heightened terrorist activity in this period.
Comments (77)
- 1. | 26/04/2013
- 2. | 26/04/2013
.. although, having said that, I just listened again to the Peel version and the line is definiteluy "Prestwick", not "Prestwich".
It's all very disorientating.
It's all very disorientating.
- 3. | 15/12/2013
Just bunged this on the Fall Forum:
MES likes Tav Falco's Panther Burns (see: Portrait of the Artist as a Consumer: i.e. http://www.culturewars.org.uk/images/mesconsumer.jpg)
On the Panther Burns' first album, "Behind the Magnolia Curtain" is a track entitled "Blind Man".
http://youtu.be/ICiFKKg6jsk
One of the lyrics of which is:
"Lord have mercy on me"
And of course another track on that album is a cover of "Bourgeois Blues".
MES likes Tav Falco's Panther Burns (see: Portrait of the Artist as a Consumer: i.e. http://www.culturewars.org.uk/images/mesconsumer.jpg)
On the Panther Burns' first album, "Behind the Magnolia Curtain" is a track entitled "Blind Man".
http://youtu.be/ICiFKKg6jsk
One of the lyrics of which is:
"Lord have mercy on me"
And of course another track on that album is a cover of "Bourgeois Blues".
- 4. | 03/05/2015
re note 6:
Hebden Bridge is indeed that village - but in the 1980s it had been largely abandoned, and (for what reason I know not) bought up by whole swathes of media and 'alternative' people from London. It very swiftly became an enclave of Southern middle-class (bohemian?) life in a desolate Northern emptied countryside. As such - especially re the accents - a perfect target for the wrath of MES.
Hebden Bridge is indeed that village - but in the 1980s it had been largely abandoned, and (for what reason I know not) bought up by whole swathes of media and 'alternative' people from London. It very swiftly became an enclave of Southern middle-class (bohemian?) life in a desolate Northern emptied countryside. As such - especially re the accents - a perfect target for the wrath of MES.
- 5. | 21/10/2015
There is no mention of this 'up there', but sn't 'Blindness' bass-line the same as the Dr. Who theme? The series had been abandoned, but restarted and upgraded after a decade long hiatus right before the release of 'Fall Heads Roll'. The first 'new' Dr. Who in this more adult oriented show (the original was classic kids tea-time TV) was Christopher Ecclestone, of Manchester, an ultimately successful but at the time rather surprisingly gritty & northern choce to kick start the re-boot.
I would imagine the show got a lot of interest in Manchester.
For pure fun, listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkcHgI_TIYQ
and pay especial attention to the segue between the original 1963 version and it's remixed 1966 version. The changeover sounds like its own pre-cog of typical Fall mixing, not least of the splicing in 'Blindness' (of, more markedly in 'Bury'). Food for thought.
I would imagine the show got a lot of interest in Manchester.
For pure fun, listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkcHgI_TIYQ
and pay especial attention to the segue between the original 1963 version and it's remixed 1966 version. The changeover sounds like its own pre-cog of typical Fall mixing, not least of the splicing in 'Blindness' (of, more markedly in 'Bury'). Food for thought.
- 6. | 23/11/2015
Thanks, Russell, I put in a brief mention and directed readers down to your comment--damn, these notes are too long, I have to come back and pare them down some time.
- 7. | 04/12/2015
This is a test.
- 8. | 04/12/2015
Fantastic job you are doing here. My first post having only recently joined the Fall forum despite being a listener from the long, long days.
From first hearing Blindess, what immediately stood out for me was the Freudian, surrealist motif of the blind man and blindness. In his 1919 essay Das Unheimliche, translated as The Uncanny, Freud links the motif of blinding in Hoffmann's story 'The Sandman' to the threat and act of castration. The essay is long and moves ultimately towards his theory of the uncanny as a post-sacred recognition of mortality. The importance for our song here is the overwhelming dread and uncanny power that becomes associated with Blindness. When I hear 'Blind man, have mercy on me', that's my immediate connection. I'd be surprised if MES wasn't aware of this when writing it though I guess we'll never know that. Freud underpins surrealism and a host of surrealist art plays on the impact and meanings of blinding. Anyone familiar with Buñuel and Dalí's Un chien andalou and L'Âge d'or, for example, will know what I'm talking about. The first scene of the eye slashing in Un Chien andalou is both a threat and challenge to the viewer and a forerunner to the Oedipal scenario that follows. In L'Âge d'or, the character M. X kicks over the blind man, who is a reference to the extreme right wing forces of Patriot League.
It goes without saying that there is a surrealist quality to Smith's writing but the Blind man along with being 'on one leg' and the mention of the (prosthetic?) metal leg in the Peel version - classically surrealist/Freudian images of castration - both point to this dimension to me. Within this context it's perfectly understandable why the voice in the song might entreat the blind man to 'have mercy'. There's no explanation of the whole song in this connection, of course, but there might be more to it and the above is as far as I've got!
From first hearing Blindess, what immediately stood out for me was the Freudian, surrealist motif of the blind man and blindness. In his 1919 essay Das Unheimliche, translated as The Uncanny, Freud links the motif of blinding in Hoffmann's story 'The Sandman' to the threat and act of castration. The essay is long and moves ultimately towards his theory of the uncanny as a post-sacred recognition of mortality. The importance for our song here is the overwhelming dread and uncanny power that becomes associated with Blindness. When I hear 'Blind man, have mercy on me', that's my immediate connection. I'd be surprised if MES wasn't aware of this when writing it though I guess we'll never know that. Freud underpins surrealism and a host of surrealist art plays on the impact and meanings of blinding. Anyone familiar with Buñuel and Dalí's Un chien andalou and L'Âge d'or, for example, will know what I'm talking about. The first scene of the eye slashing in Un Chien andalou is both a threat and challenge to the viewer and a forerunner to the Oedipal scenario that follows. In L'Âge d'or, the character M. X kicks over the blind man, who is a reference to the extreme right wing forces of Patriot League.
It goes without saying that there is a surrealist quality to Smith's writing but the Blind man along with being 'on one leg' and the mention of the (prosthetic?) metal leg in the Peel version - classically surrealist/Freudian images of castration - both point to this dimension to me. Within this context it's perfectly understandable why the voice in the song might entreat the blind man to 'have mercy'. There's no explanation of the whole song in this connection, of course, but there might be more to it and the above is as far as I've got!
- 9. | 06/12/2015
Thanks for that, PP. There is a heap of speculation in these long notes already...I wonder if I could do something like keep clarifications, references and allusions identified, facts, etc., in the notes, and then add another section for more speculative stuff so readers who were not interested in our interpretations wouldn't have to wade through all that? I'm kind of bugged by how long some of the notes are lately, and worry that it's not sufficiently user-friendly. Anyway, just an (for now, at least) idle thought...
- 10. | 06/12/2015
Please, do anything you like with this. For what it's worth, I enjoy the longer, speculative commentary. It may be useful to separate out the more substatiated, 'factual' notes.
- 11. | 12/01/2016
This might be too obvious to be worth mentioning, but for the sake of thoroughness: "Paper everywhere and not a drop of water" in the Peel version is a blatant perversion of Coleridge's famous "Water, water everywhere/Nor any drop to drink" from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".
- 12. | 16/01/2016
in "I am [?]" I think Mark says "I am looking at my feet" but really fast like "loogyamafeet"
Nothing else would really make sense with the rest of the lyrics anyway
Nothing else would really make sense with the rest of the lyrics anyway
- 13. | 19/01/2016
It's not too obvious to be worth mentioning (or adding a note), it's just too obvious for me to have noticed there was a need for a note but now it's pointed out it should absolutely be there (and in fact now is).
- 14. | 19/01/2016
Thanks, Jeff. I'm not going to check it tonight, I just ran it and if anyone thinks it's wrong I'll revisit it.
- 15. | 24/05/2016
Is the chorus a deliberate reversal of a line in the Bible, where a blind man asks Jesus to have mercy on him?
- 16. | 24/06/2016
Yeah man, I hadn't thought of that but it seems patent once it's pointed out. Of course the reversal happened long before MES, which adds another layer of uncertainty in a sense, at least if we're worried about authorial intentions...
- 17. | 06/12/2016
"Blindness" does not feature a walking bassline but "Clasp Hands" from the same Peel Session does.
Jim Watts is credited with playing both guitar and bass on Peel Session #24. When I asked him which song(s) featured his bass playing (see link above), Jim said he "probably" played bass on "Clasp Hands."
Jim Watts is credited with playing both guitar and bass on Peel Session #24. When I asked him which song(s) featured his bass playing (see link above), Jim said he "probably" played bass on "Clasp Hands."
- 18. | 27/12/2016
I finally figured out where your "links" are, this is so confusing
- 19. | 01/03/2017
There's an alternate version of "Blindness" on the US vinyl edition of FHR. This version, much like "Sparta FC #2", seems to be an attempt to recapture the magic of an earlier Peel Session recording. Significant lyrical variations include "You expected the ancient brain boxes like Aristotle Onassis - Do you work hard? - But instead you got Mr. J. Fenning from Prestwich. His first appearance was on Moscow High Road" and "The flat is evil and is the epitome of calvary and cavalry."
- 20. | 26/04/2017
Comment #5:
The similarity of Blindness to the Doctor Who theme is attributable to the similarity of Roots Manuva's "Witness (1 Hope)" to the Doctor Who theme:
See this 2013 interview with Roots Manuva: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/24/roots-manuva-whole-career-massive-mistake
5. russell richardson | 21/10/2015
There is no mention of this 'up there', but sn't 'Blindness' bass-line the same as the Dr. Who theme?
The similarity of Blindness to the Doctor Who theme is attributable to the similarity of Roots Manuva's "Witness (1 Hope)" to the Doctor Who theme:
See this 2013 interview with Roots Manuva: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/24/roots-manuva-whole-career-massive-mistake
Is it true the beat on Witness (1 Hope) came about because you were trying to recreate the Doctor Who theme tune?
Yeah, how did you know that?
I've been doing my research.
Good on you, man. Most journalists are just rubbish. I've got a different quality of journo here. I would never have thought.
This is The Guardian, you know.
But you're all supposed to be resting on your laurels. You've all become designer socialists, wearing Clarks and going to Bestival every year.
Amazing. How close do you come to recreating the Doctor Who theme?
That's the glory of my production-making and my musicality. I'm really rubbish at recreating things so I always go miles off the mark, but I ended up sticking with it.
- 21. | 13/05/2017
I know there are a lot of notes here, but the "Doctor Who" connection is mentioned in the first note, and has been there since 2015.
- 22. | 13/05/2017
I shifted it up a little now to make the direct connection with Roots Manuva.
- 23. | 13/05/2017
Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you were quoting the old comment from 2015, Dan. Didn't mean to get snippy, I thought you were quoting a new comment so anyway any snippiness was directed at whoever that would have been.
- 24. | 13/05/2017
It's alright, I don't take such things personally anyway.
- 25. | 11/08/2017
Another dead link, no more tale of James Fennings...
- 26. | 30/10/2017
MES refers to James Fennings as ”a mate of mine” in Renegade.
- 27. | 31/10/2017
Comment: #26. Yes, it's in the context of a story about Alan Wise, who after a tour with The Fall said:
Of course, it turns out to not to be plain sailing. MES saw the tour in Manchester:
‘I’m glad to get rid of you lot, drinking whisky all the time. Bastards, The Fall. Ignorant north Mancunians. I’m going on tour with Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry: a nice tour.’
Of course, it turns out to not to be plain sailing. MES saw the tour in Manchester:
This is just after I’d fucked my leg up in Newcastle. The funny thing was I went to see it with Shaun Bainey, our manager at the time, and a mate of mine, James Fennings, who DJs for us. Both of them were freaking out – they couldn’t handle it. I loved it.
- 28. | 08/11/2017
The Doctor Who theme, via Roots Manuva. Yes. But I've just been listening to Prince Jazzbo's "Freedom" and I can hear some slight resemblance in that too. Someone will now tell me it's a common thing.
- 29. | 11/11/2017
I can't believe, not only that I wrote something this preposterous and wordy, but also that it's a good note and perfectly expresses a good thought, although I ain't claiming it's a work of art:
At the same time, Fennings is a synechdoche for the Fall as pure advent: a pre-show DJ for the band in the early 2000s, Fennings' tracks heralded the arrival of the group onstage, so the line boastingly suggests the hubris of a rock event, with "Fennings" indicating the moment of adumbration in which the band is all potential, a synesthetic thought-image of angry superheroes looming over the venue. Onassis is the money shot, vulgarly redundant at the point of its arrival.
That is hilarious to me.
At the same time, Fennings is a synechdoche for the Fall as pure advent: a pre-show DJ for the band in the early 2000s, Fennings' tracks heralded the arrival of the group onstage, so the line boastingly suggests the hubris of a rock event, with "Fennings" indicating the moment of adumbration in which the band is all potential, a synesthetic thought-image of angry superheroes looming over the venue. Onassis is the money shot, vulgarly redundant at the point of its arrival.
That is hilarious to me.
- 30. | 11/11/2017
Inspired, bzfgt, inspired.
- 31. | 02/12/2017
By Satan! It's a horrible passage...
- 32. | 02/12/2017
Actually now I think I like it, again. Fuck. Don't tell anyone.
- 33. | 02/12/2017
Anyway, I don't hear a smoking pistol-type resemblance in the Jazzbo thing.
- 34. | 26/01/2018
Jane Seymour is maybe some kind of pun (see more). It's followed by 'eyes wide open'
- 35. | 04/02/2018
Yeah, why didn't I think of that?
- 36. | 20/02/2018
There is also a Moscow Road in Bayswater, London W2, on the fringes of Notting Hill. It is just around the corner from Colin Wilson's house in Chepstow Villas (see Deer Park). It is also the location of London 's Greek Orthodox cathedral, which could be a nod to EP.
- 37. | 24/02/2018
I think the Colin Wilson connection makes that impossible to ignore...
- 38. | 22/03/2018
David Blunkett was Home Secretary until late 2004 and his period in office did indeed co-incide with a marked downwards pressure on civil liberties in the UK. To some degree this was consistent with a trend in 'western' nations in general, post 9/11; to some degree it was specific to local UK politics - the Blair Labour government put great store by emphasising/promoting the defence of the nation at this time to maintain the support of traditionally right-wing media, in particular the Sun, arguably as a tactic to help create space to pursue a left of centre agenda in other policy areas. Blunkett and his approach to civil liberties were central to this. One of the major features of domestic security legislation at the time was the introduction of 'control orders' for those suspected of terrorist activity but who had previously been detained without charge owing to insufficient evidence. Control orders were introduced as part of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 which, although it became law post-Blunkett's term as Home Secretary, was very much developed on his watch. Voted through Parliament in March 2005, control orders gave sweeping powers of oversight of the ability of terror suspects to move and associate freely and I think it highly likely that the repeated references to curfews in the various versions of Blindness are informed by this. Blunkett soon resurfaced (albeit briefly) in mid-2005 as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where he maintained his right of centre approach - although the chronology doesn't quite add up, it is tempting to suggest that the 'Do you work hard..?' idea suggests a poster from this period. Against this argument, there is an interesting aside in the 'Last Night at the Palais' version of Blindness where MES sings 'I was going to a camp... in the Lake District'. This dates to 2007 and surely works on two levels - first, the camps for dysfunctional kids and fathers claimed by MES above; second, a well-reported trip on a 'training camp' to the Lake District by a number of individuals who were subsequently convicted of planning failed bombings in London on 21 July 2005 - see https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/jan/18/terrorism.world1 This story rumbled on in the UK from 2005 through to their conviction in 2007 i.e. contiguous with the period of Blindness's recording and subsequent live performance, and I think is consistent, particularly in light of the 'Palais' line, with themes of both indoctrination, masonic or otherwise, and the Blunkett-led crackdown on civil liberties linked to/reflecting heightened terrorist activity in this period.
- 39. | 20/06/2018
'Do You Work Hard' has a variety of meanings
- It comes from Chicago Now, where it references networking bands who want overnight acclaim and to be American rather than British - Blair was often accused of his dream job being Mick Jagger.
- To New Labour, this talk is supposed to be aspirational but for those at the bottom it could be likened to the Home Office's use of fascist iconography, and the 'Work Makes You Free' nazi slogan (which was almost directly quoted by Iain Duncan Smith as Home Secretary)
- It references the fact that asylum seekers are often seen as unemployed when they are usually banned from working indefinitely upon arrival or under detention.
- It's just a general view New Labour had of the working classes being slovenly. New Labour, down to the name, was built on the idea that a lot of meetings and policy papers amounted to hard work. This led to the hostility to any passing interests of the working classes they were supposed to represent (alcohol, cigarettes, tradesmen and the self employed, drugs, family values, people on benefits anything of any fun). While the middle classes all decided that marketing was a viable career path rather than white noise, the working classes were looked down upon and any questioning they had of Europe, Asylum Seekers, Minorities was treated as 'I'm not racist but...' language. Blair created 'Generation 'i have black friends y'know''
- It comes from Chicago Now, where it references networking bands who want overnight acclaim and to be American rather than British - Blair was often accused of his dream job being Mick Jagger.
- To New Labour, this talk is supposed to be aspirational but for those at the bottom it could be likened to the Home Office's use of fascist iconography, and the 'Work Makes You Free' nazi slogan (which was almost directly quoted by Iain Duncan Smith as Home Secretary)
- It references the fact that asylum seekers are often seen as unemployed when they are usually banned from working indefinitely upon arrival or under detention.
- It's just a general view New Labour had of the working classes being slovenly. New Labour, down to the name, was built on the idea that a lot of meetings and policy papers amounted to hard work. This led to the hostility to any passing interests of the working classes they were supposed to represent (alcohol, cigarettes, tradesmen and the self employed, drugs, family values, people on benefits anything of any fun). While the middle classes all decided that marketing was a viable career path rather than white noise, the working classes were looked down upon and any questioning they had of Europe, Asylum Seekers, Minorities was treated as 'I'm not racist but...' language. Blair created 'Generation 'i have black friends y'know''
- 40. | 27/06/2018
Comment #39, Joshua Ross.
I enjoy the anti-New Labour stuff, but just to correct a couple of points: Iain Duncan Smith was Tory, not Labour. And he was never Home Secretary - though he was Secretary of State for Work & Pensions. I think you're thinking of David Blunkett, who was Labour Home Secretary around the time of the first release of the song. Blunkett is I think one of the intended subjects.
"Chicago Now" doesn't reference networking bands etc at all - there's nothing in the text to support that interpretation, although you're free to make that interpretation. Furthermore, whatever Blair was later accused of, in 1990, when "Chicago Now" was debuted, Blair was not even leader of the Labour Party yet, let alone Prime Minister.
I enjoy the anti-New Labour stuff, but just to correct a couple of points: Iain Duncan Smith was Tory, not Labour. And he was never Home Secretary - though he was Secretary of State for Work & Pensions. I think you're thinking of David Blunkett, who was Labour Home Secretary around the time of the first release of the song. Blunkett is I think one of the intended subjects.
"Chicago Now" doesn't reference networking bands etc at all - there's nothing in the text to support that interpretation, although you're free to make that interpretation. Furthermore, whatever Blair was later accused of, in 1990, when "Chicago Now" was debuted, Blair was not even leader of the Labour Party yet, let alone Prime Minister.
- 41. | 12/07/2018
Dannyo, references to IDS and Chicago now were more directed at general british welfare discussion rather than a partisan debate, same with gut of the quantifier
- 42. | 15/07/2018
So who almost directly quoted the Auschwitz motto, Blunkett or Smith? Can we hammer something out of that comment and use it, or what? Some of it seems pretty acute. I don't know anything about British politics, though.
- 43. | 18/07/2018
Iain Duncan Smith said, "work actually helps free people", in May 2010:
Documented here: https://web.archive.org/web/20180718194250/http://garysoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/10/did-ian-duncan-smith-say-work-makes-you.html
Documented here: https://web.archive.org/web/20180718194250/http://garysoapbox.blogspot.com/2015/10/did-ian-duncan-smith-say-work-makes-you.html
- 44. | 18/08/2018
The streets were flagged
This could means decorated with flags, which in the context of giant posters of politicians seems plausible but perhaps more straightforwardly it could refer to flagstones. Or it could be a pin on both.
- 45. | 25/08/2018
This might be a bit of a stretch but further to my earlier comments about home office policy in the early 2000s, (and assuming no-one has any better ideas...) could the 'blue eyelids' motif in the original version refer to the introduction of biometrics at passport control. Was around about the time, is consistent with the theme of control/surveillance, and also has a ring of MES' observational-of-the-mundane MO in later years? See 'Jetplane' for an obvious but perhaps too simple analogue but there are plenty others. Think the blue might be something to do with the spectrum. 'Not active' makes me wonder if he made his way to the biometric queue on arrival at the airport only to be turned away and made to wait in the ordinary mortals' line, which would surely have gone down badly..
- 46. | 25/08/2018
Good comment with "flagged."
With "blue eyelids," I'm not sure, but it's a good speculation to have here, and to let percolate for a little while...
With "blue eyelids," I'm not sure, but it's a good speculation to have here, and to let percolate for a little while...
- 47. | 04/10/2018
I was listening to Blindness on the way home in the car and had a mini-revelation.
As yet unmentioned is the connection to Oedipus. The name 'Oedipus' means 'Lame Foot'. In an attempt to prevent the fulfillment of the property whereby their son. would kill their father and marry his mother, when Jocasta indeed bore a son, Laius had his ankles pierced and tethered together so that he could not crawl; Jocasta then gave the boy to a servant to expose on the nearby mountain. He was rescued by a kind-hearted shepherd and by a strange twist of fate ended up fulfilling the prophecy. When his investigations revealed the truth Oedipus blinded himself.
Hysterically, "I was only on one leg".
Many years later, angry that his son did not love him enough to take care of him, Oedipus curses his son Eteocles and his brother, condemning them both to kill each other in battle.
Thus, as the curse is delivered, Eteocles: "Blind man, have mercy on me".
As yet unmentioned is the connection to Oedipus. The name 'Oedipus' means 'Lame Foot'. In an attempt to prevent the fulfillment of the property whereby their son. would kill their father and marry his mother, when Jocasta indeed bore a son, Laius had his ankles pierced and tethered together so that he could not crawl; Jocasta then gave the boy to a servant to expose on the nearby mountain. He was rescued by a kind-hearted shepherd and by a strange twist of fate ended up fulfilling the prophecy. When his investigations revealed the truth Oedipus blinded himself.
Hysterically, "I was only on one leg".
Many years later, angry that his son did not love him enough to take care of him, Oedipus curses his son Eteocles and his brother, condemning them both to kill each other in battle.
Thus, as the curse is delivered, Eteocles: "Blind man, have mercy on me".
- 48. | 04/10/2018
...and I might add that 'Calvary' feels like the apotheosis of Oedipus.
In old age Oedipus interprets a thunderstorm as a sign from Zeus of his impending death. Filled with strength, the blind Oedipus stands and walks, calling for his children to follow him. His death has many resemblances to the crucifixion at Calvary, the sub sequent ascension, and the empty tomb..
[/i]When the messenger turned back to look at the spot where Oedipus last stood, he says that "We couldn't see the man- he was gone- nowhere! And King Theseus, alone, shielding his eyes, both hands spread out against his face as if some terrible wonder flashed before his eyes and he, he could not bear to look." Antigone and Ismene mourn their father. Antigone longs to see her father's tomb, even to be buried there with him rather than live without him. The girls beg Theseus to take them, but he reminds them that the place is a secret, and that no one may go there.
In old age Oedipus interprets a thunderstorm as a sign from Zeus of his impending death. Filled with strength, the blind Oedipus stands and walks, calling for his children to follow him. His death has many resemblances to the crucifixion at Calvary, the sub sequent ascension, and the empty tomb..
[/i]When the messenger turned back to look at the spot where Oedipus last stood, he says that "We couldn't see the man- he was gone- nowhere! And King Theseus, alone, shielding his eyes, both hands spread out against his face as if some terrible wonder flashed before his eyes and he, he could not bear to look." Antigone and Ismene mourn their father. Antigone longs to see her father's tomb, even to be buried there with him rather than live without him. The girls beg Theseus to take them, but he reminds them that the place is a secret, and that no one may go there.
- 49. | 13/10/2018
Excellent stuff! That's most of note 3 now.
- 50. | 24/02/2019
The only Moscow Road in greater Manchester is in Stockport - I know it, it's on the estate where I live. I have no idea who this Fennings person is - is he from Stockport ? I don't know if MES has any links to Stockport or any stories about him \ here other than the thing about him thinking Badly Drawn Boy's car always a taxi and asking him to drive him to Stockport.
- 51. | 13/04/2019
Of course you'd be more likely to know if you lived everywhere else but Stockport...
- 52. | 16/04/2019
Comment #50: Fennings is James Fennings, aka James Fennings stern, who was a friend of MES. He popped up on Facebook at one point after MES' death.
This is him: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/james-fennings-stern-27a95749
He did some DJing for the group live from time to time.
MES wrote in Renegade: "a mate of mine, James Fennings, who DJs for us"
I don't know where he's from.
This is him: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/james-fennings-stern-27a95749
He did some DJing for the group live from time to time.
MES wrote in Renegade: "a mate of mine, James Fennings, who DJs for us"
I don't know where he's from.
- 53. | 18/04/2019
Always had the “Jean Seymour” reference to be the actress Jane Seymour, and the eyes and neck references to be accusational plastic surgery. She is stunningly well-preserved, it has to be said (3rd Playboy cover at 67), although I believe is on record as having a) nothing and b) her eyes / breasts and some Botox “done”.
- 54. | 02/01/2021
Elton Raynor sent me the lyrics to "Blind Man" and I added them above. There are a few lines I'm unsure about, anyone checking is appreciated.
Anyone--what is ICS?
Anyone--what is ICS?
- 55. | 02/01/2021
Also "J WIlson said 'I can't stand...'"
This would explain it perfectly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcGmeW3hAQk&ab_channel=jazzstandar
but as far as I can tell it was unreleased until 2015.
Otherwise, who is J Wilson?
This would explain it perfectly:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcGmeW3hAQk&ab_channel=jazzstandar
but as far as I can tell it was unreleased until 2015.
Otherwise, who is J Wilson?
- 56. | 02/01/2021
Sorry, maybe this will work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCFaC0E8i5w&ab_channel=DavidHannah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCFaC0E8i5w&ab_channel=DavidHannah
- 57. | 02/01/2021
- 58. | 02/01/2021
I have "Prestwick" in the lyrics, and "Prestwich" in the notes. I changed the note to Prestwick, which the transcribers of both the Peel and Interim versions seem to agree on. If this agreement is just phonetic, it seems right as far as I can hear...both Prestwick and Cumbria are in Scotland, but Prestwick is further from Cumbria than Prestwich is...and my notes have James Fennings hailing from Prestwich, according to Smudger who met him...of course, MES could still say "Prestwick," as it could have been an inside joke for instance...
I encountered a problem here I find a lot, my writing in 2013 or so was really overwrought at times, but at the same time it expresses a lot economically so I'm loathe to change it...anyway that's neither here nor there
I encountered a problem here I find a lot, my writing in 2013 or so was really overwrought at times, but at the same time it expresses a lot economically so I'm loathe to change it...anyway that's neither here nor there
- 59. | 02/01/2021
There are a lot of possibilities for ICS, but none of them seem that promising, and I don't know what the ordinary Joe thinks when he hears it, as it doesn't make me think of anything at all
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICS
- 60. | 07/01/2021
Cumbria is not in Scotland. It is one of two English counties which border Scotland, the other being Northumberland.
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire in Scotland, 33 miles south of Glasgow and more than 80 miles from the English border at Gretna. It is best known for being the home of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport.
MES's pronunciation of 'Prestwich' as 'Prestwick' sounds like another of his private jokes.
Prestwick is a town in South Ayrshire in Scotland, 33 miles south of Glasgow and more than 80 miles from the English border at Gretna. It is best known for being the home of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport.
MES's pronunciation of 'Prestwich' as 'Prestwick' sounds like another of his private jokes.
- 62. | 01/03/2021
bzfgt appears on The Puritan's Guide to Fall Songs Guide, talking about this song:
https://puritansguidetofallsongsguide.podbean.com/e/27-blindness/
One for the additional information!
p.s. "leg end" definitely not English slang for dick!
https://puritansguidetofallsongsguide.podbean.com/e/27-blindness/
One for the additional information!
p.s. "leg end" definitely not English slang for dick!
- 63. | 20/11/2021
Live version, Knitting Factory, New York, 1 June 2006:
Start about 3
11 Downing Street has traditionally (since 1828) been the official residence of the British Chancellor of the Exchequer. Blunkett was never that, but he was Home Secretary, and apparently it was originally intended for that position! Whether or not MES knew that, I cannot say.
Tony Blair lived in the no.11 flat, because he had kids and it's bigger than the flat above no.10. David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson have also occupied no.11.
Anyway, so while the reference in this live lyric must surely be to Blunkett, it's simultaneously confused or confusing. Unless MES is actually calling Blair metaphorically blind (Blair was Prime Minister until 2007).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11_Downing_Street
https://www.gov.uk/government/history/11-downing-street
Start about 3
Blind man, have mercy on me
I said blind man, have mercy on me
You got [two something legs]
You live in 11 Downing Street
You're a fucking blind bastard
In the Labour Party, so-called
11 Downing Street has traditionally (since 1828) been the official residence of the British Chancellor of the Exchequer. Blunkett was never that, but he was Home Secretary, and apparently it was originally intended for that position! Whether or not MES knew that, I cannot say.
Tony Blair lived in the no.11 flat, because he had kids and it's bigger than the flat above no.10. David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson have also occupied no.11.
Anyway, so while the reference in this live lyric must surely be to Blunkett, it's simultaneously confused or confusing. Unless MES is actually calling Blair metaphorically blind (Blair was Prime Minister until 2007).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11_Downing_Street
https://www.gov.uk/government/history/11-downing-street
- 64. | 20/11/2021
So, I wonder if we can allow ourselves to think that "the flat", which is "evil", is the flat at #11 Downing Street.
- 65. | 20/11/2021
Also, by the time of that 2006 performance, Blunkett was not Home Secretary - he resigned in December 2004.
- 66. | 20/11/2021
In which case, should we think that the "blind" politician was in fact Gordon Brown, still Blair's Chancellor the Exchequer in June 2006 (taking over as Prime Minister from Blair in 2007), and therefore theoretically the inhabitant of 11 Downing Street (although as already explained, Blair actually was).
Brown is blind in his left eye as a result of a teenage rugby injury.
Perhaps the song concerned Blunkett at first, but could also be put to service against Brown.
Brown is blind in his left eye as a result of a teenage rugby injury.
Perhaps the song concerned Blunkett at first, but could also be put to service against Brown.
- 67. | 08/05/2022
is "J. Wilson" the bloke out of HOUSE MD ? probably not , who else might Smith be referring to ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wilson_(House)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Wilson_(House)
- 68. | 08/05/2022
"i was on one leg" - the Hugh Laurie titular character on his walking stick - "leg end" - i dunno . tenuous !
- 69. | 19/05/2022
Joincey, comment #67 and #68.
The reference cannot possibly be to HOUSE MD, for the simple reason that HOUSE MD first aired on 16 November 2004, and Blindness, mentioning "J Wilson", was first released on Interim on 1 November 2004.
The reference cannot possibly be to HOUSE MD, for the simple reason that HOUSE MD first aired on 16 November 2004, and Blindness, mentioning "J Wilson", was first released on Interim on 1 November 2004.
- 70. | 02/08/2022
I dont know that there is a direct connection ( although if MES knew about BLAST he probably was aware of the Dada publications) but the writing style sure seems similar, especially the poems.
http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/dada/blindman/2/
http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/dada/blindman/2/
- 71. | 20/02/2023
Neal Stephenson's epic novel Cryptonomicon (1999) features a couple of instances of confusion between the words "cavalry" and "calvary".
eg:
(p.883 of the Arrow paperback)
p.636 & 637.
No particular reason to think there's a connection to the song, I just thought it was interesting.
eg:
Rudy von Hacklheber heaves a big sigh. "So. You win," he says. "Where is the cavalry?"
"Cavalry, or calvary?" Waterhouse jokes.
Rudy smiles tolerantly. "I know where Calvary is. Not far from Golgotha."
"Why do you think the cavalry is coming?"
(p.883 of the Arrow paperback)
Calvary is an old cinder code. It started as a fissure from which ash and scoria were ejected, one fragment of a time, for thousands of years....
<snip>
Ninomiya centers his transit on this signal and takes down more figures. In combination with various other data from maps, aerial photos and the like, this should enable him to make an estimate of the main shaft's latitude and longitude.
"I don't know how accurate this will be," he frets, as they trudge down the mountain. "I have the peak exactly - what did you call it? Cavalry?"
"Close enough."
"This means soldiers on horseback, correct?"
"Yes."
p.636 & 637.
No particular reason to think there's a connection to the song, I just thought it was interesting.
- 72. | 27/09/2023
ICS = I can't stand ?
- 73. | 16/02/2024
Kind of a weird interpretation, but I feel like this has some connection to The N.W.R.A.
NWRA mentions the protagonist having used to be in something which sounds like "cavalry." It could be "cabaret" but it's rather hard to make out. Furthermore, both have themes of action against criminals and government crap, and the Peel Blindness mentions some sort of great one, possibly Totale?
NWRA mentions the protagonist having used to be in something which sounds like "cavalry." It could be "cabaret" but it's rather hard to make out. Furthermore, both have themes of action against criminals and government crap, and the Peel Blindness mentions some sort of great one, possibly Totale?
- 74. | 02/04/2024
Jane Seymour the actress had a recording studio in her Tudor Mansion House ( St. Catherine's Court near Bath) up to 2007 when she sold it on. Maybe the "talking to Jane Seymour" is a reference to someone communicating with her regarding the studio, facilities etc?
- 75. | 11/04/2024
Bit of a stretch maybe, but if the poster is "on top of street" and the narrator is "walking down the street", he is walking away from the poster and cannot actually see it. He is, as it were, blind to it.
- 76. | 15/04/2024
I see no particular reason why you can't walk down to the top of the street.
- 77. | 23/04/2024
I have consulted with experts on the matter and they are very clear that if "walking down the street" refers to, as is common, a decent in terms of topography, the term "walking down to the top of the street" is only true if there are two different streets involved, one that is walked down and another immediately below. The same applies to "I was walking down the street and saw a poster at the top [of street]". The only other possibility being that the narrator is walking down the street backwards, which would imply a heightened danger of tripping over. Mr Smith, however, makes neither mention of there being two different streets nor of said danger, which as we know from other sources he was well aware of ("I was walking down the street when I tripped up on a discarded banana skin" - Jerusalem, 1988).
Prestwick is in Scotland. Surely Prestwich?