the firstborn is dead

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds reaped what they sowed with the longsuffering black crow blues of this fierce funereal flood.  Following the breakup of The Birthday Party, Cave had formed a new band and recorded their debut album 'From Her to Eternity' in London.   The group relocated to Germany to record 'The Firstborn Is Dead' at Hansa Studios in Berlin with producer Flood (Mark Ellis).  The sessions featured  Nick Cave on vocals and harmonica;   Barry Adamson on bass, guitar, organ, drums, and backing vocals;   Blixa Bargeld on guitar, slide guitar, piano, and backing vocals;   and  Mick Harvey on drums, piano, guitar, organ, bass, and backing vocals.   

Cave would reveal:    "Berlin gave us the freedom and encouragement to do whatever we wanted. We'd lived in London for three years and it seemed that if you stuck your head out of the box, people were pretty quick to knock it back in. Particularly if you were Australian. When we came to Berlin it was the opposite. People saw us as some kind of force rather than a kind of whacky novelty act."

'The Firstborn Is Dead' went to number fifty-three on the UK album chart and number two on the UK independent album chart.  






http://nickcave.com/






The apocalyptic "Tupelo" references the song by John Lee Hooker and the stillborn twin brother of Elvis Presley,  Jesse Garon Presley.   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=oSl4KX7zBTQ



Looka yonder! Looka yonder!
Looka yonder! A big black cloud come!
A big black cloud come!
O comes to Tupelo. Comes to Tupelo

Yonder on the horizon
Yonder on the horizon
Stopped at the mighty river
Stopped at the mighty river and
Sucked the damn thing dry
Tupelo-o-o, O Tupelo
In a valley hides a town called Tupelo

Distant thunder rumble. Distant thunder rumble
Rumble hungry like the Beast
The Beast it cometh, cometh down
The Beast it cometh, cometh down
Wo wo wo-o-o
Tupelo bound. Tupelo-o-o. Yeah Tupelo
The Beast it cometh, Tupelo bound

Why the hen won't lay no egg
Can't get that cock to crow
The nag is spooked and crazy
O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!
O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!

Ya can say these streets are rivers
Ya can call these rivers streets
Ya can tell ya self ya dreaming buddy
But no sleep runs this deep
No! No sleep runs this deep
No sleep runs this deep
Women at their windows
Rain crashing on the pane
Writing in the frost
Tupelos' shame. Tupelo's shame
O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!

O go to sleep lil children
The sandmans on his way
O go to sleep lil children
The sandmans in his way
But the lil children know
They listen to the beating of their blood
listen to the beating of their blood
listen to the beating of their blood
listen to the beating of their blood
They listen to the beating of their blood
The sandman's mud!
The sandman's mud!
And the black rain come down
the black rain come down
the black rain come down
Water water everywhere
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
Where no bird can fly no fish can swim
No fish can swim
Until The King is born!
Until The King is born!
In Tupelo! Tupelo-o-o!
Til The King is born in Tupelo!

In a clap-board shack with a roof of tin
Where the rain came down and leaked within
A young mother frozen on a concrete floor
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw
Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo!
With a bottle and a box and a cradle of straw

Well Saturday gives what Sunday steals
And a child is born on his brothers heels
Come Sunday morn the first-born dead
In a shoebox tied with a ribbon of red
Tupelo-o-o! Hey Tupelo!
In a shoebox buried with a ribbon of red

O ma-ma rock you lil' one slow
O ma-ma rock your baby
O ma-ma rock your lil' one slow
O God help Tupelo! O God help Tupelo!
Mama rock your lil' one slow
The lil one will walk on Tupelo
The lil one will walk on Tupelo
Black rain come down, Black rain come down
Tupelo-o-o! Yeah Tupelo!
And carry the burden of Tupelo
Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo! Yeah!
The King will walk on Tupelo!
Tupelo-o-o! O Tupelo!
He carried the burden outa Tupelo!
Tupelo-o-o! Hey Tupelo!
You will reap just what you sow






'The Firstborn Is Dead'
full album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TVGira8RJo




All lyrics by Nick Cave

00:00 "Tupelo" – 7:17 (Adamson, Harvey)
07:19  "Say Goodbye to the Little Girl Tree" – 5:10 (Harvey)
12:29  "Train Long-Suffering" – 3:49 (Cave)
16:18  "Black Crow King" – 5:05 (Bargeld, Cave)
21:24  "Knockin' on Joe" – 7:38 (Cave)
29:03  "Wanted Man" – 5:27 (Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash)
34:32  "Blind Lemon Jefferson" – 6:10 (Adamson, Bargeld, Harvey, Cave)

bonus
40:41 The Six Strings That Drew Blood
45:31 Tupelo [Single Version]