Heartland

I've searched for any other threads on this song and couldn't see any.

I was just looking at the lyrics in the Sisters Wiki and noticed it has "And every fool will see his madness drowned."

Does this definitely originate from an official source? I've always heard it as "And every fool will see his madness crowned."

To me this makes more sense in the context of the rest of the song - eg truth is swallowed up, words are dust, reason is turned around, so it would seem that madness is increasing and gaining power, not being drowned.

I've always heard it as "see his madness frown".

The lyrics on the wiki (and every other lyrics site) seem wrong in the third verse too:

I stood but you just could not wait
Behind
Because I know you cannot be
All that your flight has been

The 7" version makes it seem clear that it should be "These lines...." instead of "behind".

I can't even find the lyrics link to it in the wiki

Thanks chief. I should have read the whole page
*hides under duvet*

Okay. My take on the RSV version

I think it's more likely "Will see his madness crown" as in "break out" like when a baby "crowns"

I also feel "To sirens' loving screams" makes a bit more sense than "To silence-loving screams".

Those seem to fit the song better to me

But "crowned" makes a better rhyme with "around," "ground" etc.

I was assuming it was in the sense of being crowned king, ie madness triumphant.

In the place through which we wander
Reason is turned around
And every fool who scuttles up
Will see his madness drowned

And every truth is swallowed up
By gently giving ground
What you have lost can never be found
Words are just dust in deserts of sound
Everything is lost and your trust lies broken
And the truth is drowned

I watch as you surrender
To silence-loving screams (replaced by "Because I know")
And now I know you will not see
The madness we have seen
And now I know you can not be
All that your flight has been

What you have lost can never be found
Words are just dust in deserts of sound
Everything is lost and your trust lies broken
And the truth is drowned

I stood but you just could not wait

These lines are driven straight
Through the circles of your hate
Because I know you can not be
All that your flight has been

What you have lost can never be found
Words are just dust in deserts of sound
Everything is lost and the truth is drowned
Everything is lost in the giving ground

Everything is lost in the giving ground

In the giving ground
Everything is lost

In the Giving Ground

Found those buried in the forum. I think they're based on the 7" version. IIRC the EP version has slightly altered lyrics.

Pista wrote:Okay. My take on the RSV version

I think it's more likely "Will see his madness crown" as in "break out" like when a baby "crowns"

I also feel "To sirens' loving screams" makes a bit more sense than "To silence-loving screams".

Those seem to fit the song better to me

Sounds plausible, indeed. I think I'll change especially the latter one ... ...

Best were of course, Eldritch (we might even say please) gave us the proper lyrics,

since he doesn't seem to be all that busy with other things on this wonderful day in May ...

Pista wrote:I also feel "To sirens' loving screams" makes a bit more sense than "To silence-loving screams".

Those seem to fit the song better to me

This one makes sense, yeah.

Jeremiah wrote:But "crowned" makes a better rhyme with "around," "ground" etc.

I was assuming it was in the sense of being crowned king, ie madness triumphant.

And this definitely makes sense - makes the song seem a good deal nastier with this reading.

mh wrote:
I was assuming it was in the sense of being crowned king, ie madness triumphant.
And this definitely makes sense - makes the song seem a good deal nastier with this reading.

I went for "crown" as opposed to "crowned" as it sort if inferred the "fool" could see the prize, but never actually got it.
That makes it a bit nastier to me

Crowned and sirens both sound pretty clear to me on RSV.

Pista wrote:

mh wrote:
I was assuming it was in the sense of being crowned king, ie madness triumphant.
And this definitely makes sense - makes the song seem a good deal nastier with this reading.

I went for "crown" as opposed to "crowned" as it sort if inferred the "fool" could see the prize, but never actually got it.
That makes it a bit nastier to me

Both are valid; I still hear "frown" meself but must dig out RSV and give it a re-listen.

For "crown" versus "crowned" I suppose it depends on if the fool even recognises the value (or lack thereof) of the prize once he's (if he's) won it. I like "crowned" because it reads as if the song is saying "you think you've won the prize but you haven't really, and you don't even know what the prize is worth anyway, if it's even worth anything" - a futile battle for a meaningless non-victory, in other words.

Good point.
Well made.

According to _Paint My Name..._, Boyd Steemson wrote the words to Giving Ground because it was a rush job to get the single out and Eldritch was off trying to get Werner Herzog to produce the next album?

H. Blackrose wrote: ↑22 Nov 2021, 22:13 According to _Paint My Name..._, Boyd Steemson wrote the words to Giving Ground because it was a rush job to get the single out and Eldritch was off trying to get Werner Herzog to produce the next album?

I've just read this part in the book this morning and then saw your post.
It surprised me too but then looking at the album vinyl, it does say 'Words & Music written by Eldritch except for Giving Ground. Words: Copyright Control. Music: (Andrew Eldritch)'

Interesting!

Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things however I have long associated the song with King Lear and therefore madness crowned

Wayne and Craig as Goneril and Regan?

I always liked the words on the album version; when I heard the original single version I thought "hmmm, not Von's best work, kind of too gothy if you know what I mean, I can see why he edited them on the album". It becomes even more clear now.