With the sudden news of the passing of Mark E Smith, how can we choose a song to exemplify this force of nature, this difficult genius, this guttural great, this prince of post-punk lyricists inspired by HP Lovecraft, William Blake, Wyndham Lewis, Gene Vincent, Captain Beefheart, The Monks and krautrock? Well for now here's Blindness, from 2005's Fall Heads Roll album, a searing bass blast of relentless surrealism. Rest in peace you brilliant, difficult bastard. I bought you that pint in 1987, asking if you wanted the same again, and you looked back it me, paralytic, gimlet-eyed, and with elliptical philosophy retorted with shocking sharpness: "OK then, ta, but how can yer 'ave 'the same' again?"
The flag is evil
Welcome: living leg-end
I was walking down the street
I saw a poster at the top
I was only on one leg
The streets were fucked
And the poster at the top of street said:
"Do you work hard?"
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 (?)
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
And calvary and cavalry
"Do you work hard?"
It said, "I am from Hebden Bridge
Somebody said to me: I can't understand a word you said."
Said: " 99% of non smokers die"
"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 a ?
My blues eye get...ID/I get
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
Want to suggest songs for Song of the Day or to say anything about it? Does this song make you think of something else? Then feel free to comment below, on the contact page, or on social media: Song Bar Twitter, Song Bar Facebook. Song Bar YouTube. Please subscribe, follow and share.
New to comment? It is quick and easy. You just need to login to Disqus once. All is explained inAbout/FAQs ...