Nick Cave's Love

I found her on a night of fire and noise
Wild bells rang in a wild sky
I knew from that moment on
I'll love her till the day that I died
And I kissed away a thousand tears
My lady of the Various Sorrows
Some begged, some borowed, some stolen
Some kept safe for tomorrow
On and endless night, silver star spangled
The bells from the chapel went jingle-jangle

Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Like I love you?

She was given to me to put things right
And I stacked all my accomplishments beside her
Still I seemed so obselete and small
I found God and all His devils inside her
In my bed she cast the blizzard out
A mock sun blazed upon her head
So completely filled with light she was
Her shadow fanged and hairy and mad
Our love-lines grew hopelessly tangled
And the bells from the chapel went jingle-jangle

Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Like I love you?

She had a heartful of love and devotion
She had a mindful of tyranny and terror
Well, I try, I do, I really try
But I just err, baby, I do, I error
So come find me, my darling one
I'm down to the grounds, the very dregs
Ah, here she comes, blocking the sun
Blood running down the inside of her legs
The moon in the sky is battered and mangled
band the bells from the chapel go jingle-jangle

Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Like I love you?

All things move toward their end
I knew before I met her that I would lose her
I swear I made every effort to be good to her
I made every effort not to abuse her
Crazy bracelets on her wrists and her ankles
And the bells from the chapel go jingle-jangle

Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Do you love me?
Do you love me? Like I love you?



The first time I heard Nick Cave was on a soundtrack called Until To The End of the World. The music featured U2, Can (who I just started liking), Elvis Costello, R.E.M, Talking Heads, Lou Reed and many great others. The movie was a very futuristic film and the director Wim Wenders wanted music that had a that futuristic feel to it. Can made a lasting impression because it sounded very futuristic. Nick Cave made the future sound bleak, but just enough light to make look like that there was some hope. Cave's vicious lyric combines fear and black humor perfectly, while his band The Bad Seeds' performance redefines "cinematic," a disturbing organ figure leading the subtle but crisp arrangement and Harvey's addition of a sharp bell ratcheting up the feeling of doom and judgment. His wonderful baritone sound makes it quite addicting to listen to.

I would play his song over and over on the tape and wonder where he got this wonderful gift of words. It was not long after that I became a fan of his work. I then saw him on a Alternative rock show on MTV called 120 Minutes. He came on with his band and put me into a trance. Not only did they show a live performance, but they showed a video. This man had a wonderful gift of telling great stories and giving us that creepy feeling to like it. It was great fun to hear this and got me on my Nick Cave fan base.



Nick Cave was somewhat popular when around the time I started hearing him. His voice and his wonderful band The Bad Seeds have this great feel around them. Nick does this with a live show too. His music is just got this way of sucking you in and not letting go, and on top of that his lyrics are just outstanding. Each of his albums have more then memorable words and great hooks to catch you when your not looking. The organ and eeriness of his music just creates this audio nightmare that you really don't want to be a part of and then you get caught in it and you love it and want your mind to make sure it's recorded so you can enjoy it again. Quite a feat for imagery and music.

I took the time to listen to his previous selections after hearing the soundtrack stuff. I did not even know where to begin at one point. Then in 1994 it all changed. MTV once again played them on 120 Minutes and the video for "Red Right Hand" came on and it put me in a trance like nothing ever before. I wanted this album at no cost. My friend who worked at another record store told me he had a promo of this album just waiting for me. It was like a dream come true. I got to finally hear all this great unusual music come to my brain. Every song was going to be exploration in new ways that would attack my skull.



When I got the CD home I quickly grabbed my headphones and listened to this wonderful album. On the full-on explosive front, "Jangling Jack" sounds like it wants to do nothing but destroy sound systems, strange noises and overmodulations ripping throughout the song. Songs like "Do You Love Me?" just wants you to tear down walls that you never heard in mood music. The Bad Seeds along with Nick do things that very few bands can do. When I put on "Red Right Hand" on the Stereo my father asked me if this was the X-Files of Music. He absolutly loved everything about it. It really felt like short story with a wonderful soundtrack to it. No band was doing this in 1994. They did not even know what to think. In 1995 and in 2001 I had a chance to see him perform and he was wonderful.

In all the music in my collection, no one more prolific is Nick Cave. I think I own most of his albums. His lyrics are few people can write and his ability to create some great emotion like no other. I suggest you start here and I am sure you will, like me have a great collection of his stuff. Don't stop at just his albums, check out his books, soundtracks, and surprisingly his B-sides. If you think his albums are great the B-sides should have not been leftovers, but just more stuff to enjoy and get a peak in a genius such as him. Enjoy!