Heartland

In the course of one of my many researches, I recently stumbled across
this:

Isaiah 1:18 (King James Authorised Version)

'Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool.'

Obvious connection to the line 'Though your fins be scarlet'.

The scarlet in question is related to prostitution, presumably another
pun on sister of mercy.

The above Biblical quote also forms the chorus of Original Trinity Hymnal # 465:

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/h/thoyours.htm

Funky stuff!

The Devil can cite scripture in his own defence

Does anyone have the lyrics to 'Crash and Burn' figured out?

simond666 wrote:Does anyone have the lyrics to 'Crash and Burn' figured out?

Check the thread "Crash & Burn".

I meant 'Come Together' (ouch) It was a long day when I posted... If anybody tells me there already is a Come Together thread, I think I'll top myself! I've looked I tell thee!

It would seem not, so feel free to do it. Here are some lines to get you going:

Some wild idea and I head back home
Swing low, sweet Jesus
Come to carry me
Carry me home
Swing low
Carry me home

what the hell does 'Though your fins be scarlet' mean

Sometimes I hear 'Through your fins sweet scarlet' but that doesn't make sense either

l always heard it as sins.

The transcriptions for this song are quite possibly the dodgiest except for Still and it's been around for 13 years now

and it's my favourite "new" song

Little child look up at the sky
A white wedding dress and a black maria
Some wild idea and I head back home
Swing low, sweet Jesus
Come to carry me
Carry me home
Swing low
Carry me home

Come together, home
Come together, home

Interesting pun. "Come Together"/"come to get her"

From here it gets dodgy, but "Though your fins be scarlet" sounds absolutely bang on (wish I'd discovered this thread before!)

Carrion/Carry on/Carrying (????) angel
No one can (hold??? haunt???) you down
Though your fins, though your fins be scarlet

Come together, home
Come together, home

Various whispery bits:
"khhhahhhhhhhh....!" etc

Though your fins, though your fins be scarlet

Come together, home
Come together, home

According to the dictionary 'fins" can also mean : "The cardinal number that is the sum of four and one" And if you look up "Cardinal" you get; "A variable color averaging a vivid red" or (Roman Catholic Church) one of a group of more than 100 prominent bishops in the Sacred College who advise the Pope and elect new Popes. Still makes no sense, but great tune indeed, one of my faves..just wish I had a cd single of it ;>

Anyone know what he says in the first verse?

Approx:
A little child and a [cold missile]/[friendly smile]
I wipe her face, I dry her eyes
Some vile idea and head back home
To no sweet Jesus come to carry me home
Come to carry you home

Motz wrote:Approx:
A little child and a [cold missile]/[friendly smile]
I wipe her face, I dry her eyes

Sounds about right.

Motz wrote:Approx:
A little child and a [cold missile]/[friendly smile]
Some vile idea and head back home
To no sweet Jesus come to carry me home
Come to carry you home

I'm pretty sure its:
Some wild idea and I head back home,
Swing low, sweet Jesus...

Swing low sounds better, but I still think that the idea is "vile". Seems like a commentary on child abuse to me.

A little child and a friendly smile
I wipe her face, dry her eyes
Some vile idea, I head back home
Swing low, sweet Jesus...

Note the parallel to the Mish's "Amelia"

Daddy says "Dry your tears and give me a smile"
Daddy says "If you're good, I'll hold you a while"

Which incidentally is my favourite of Hussey's lyrical endeavours. When he cuts the pithy mystical crap, he can write damn fine songs

The "swing low, sweet Jesus" and "though your sins be Scarlet" seem to be regarding an "Oh sh!t, what have I done?" moment. Probably not a perfect interpretation, but certainly not one which requires major leaps of logic.

I believe there are more parallels to "Driven like the Snow" than to "Amelia".

I'll be damned. From UTR.

'"Come Together" is a new song. Words and music by Andrew Eldritch. It's about taking acid and "merging" with the traffic on the freeway. "Though your fins be scarlet..."'

http://www.myheartland.co.uk/gallery/de ... ode=search

I guess the statement of its being "about" something on a basic level still doesn't decipher what it's saying about/through it, though.

Isn't War On Drugs about the same thing, more or less?

I think you've linked the wrong page?

Anyway, for what it's worth, there is a chapter in 'fear and loathing' which seemed to me to fit the song very well. even to the specific wording, but it was a longtime ago now..

It seems to go to the right place (Correspondence Thing, UTR #11, page 8), for my browser anyway - the short comment about Come Together is on the top left, Andrew answering a question from the previous page about whether this was a new Sisters song or a Beatles cover.

It's some direction for interpreting the song, at least. I thought scarlet fins/sins was used in the sense of the crossword clue for kingfish, and some symbolism related to the animal. Now it's a proper Sisters lyric.

It's a very sweet and lovely song ... compared to facts that could emerge ... Eldritch in dreaming mode ... ...

I've listened to some different videos now and I hear these lines:

A little child and a cold Messiah (not Missile)
Lower your fence (not "Though your fins")

what do you think?

Sounds very reasonable ... ... I've put these as alternatives into the SistersWiki ... ...

This is one of those songs that I know will likely never find its way back into the setlist, even though I really wish it would.

sultan2075 wrote: ↑20 Apr 2023, 12:09 This is one of those songs that I know will likely never find its way back into the setlist, even though I really wish it would.

True, though hey, it wouldn't look too bad among the current new songs ... ...

I agree, it would fit quite nicely, actually.