| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Avid-Fan |
Posted - 06/07/2004 : 02:52:40
FB+C [all my ghosts] has Frank exclaiming a tour of the eight horrors. Any ideas what the first seven were/are or could be?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. a duplicated man
(( I talk plain talk )) |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| VoVat |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 15:13:22
Maybe people were so interested in the election that they didn't notice the fact that Henry VIII was cloned that day.
Cattle in Korea / They can really moo. |
| jmcgeady |
Posted - 07/02/2004 : 00:10:48
Follow-up: On November 8, 1988, George H.W. Bush and Dan Quayle were elected President and Vice-President of the United States. FB never gets political tho. |
| jmcgeady |
Posted - 07/01/2004 : 23:59:58
I had a date for the eleventh hour
And we took a tour of The Seven Horrors
Plus just one more
Hank the Eighth was a duplicated man
This is numerical code, typical of FB who as we know uses a lot of tricks like this.
My guess is that it represents a date: first line = 11, second and third = 7+1 or 8, fourth line = 82 (8 and duplicated, or 2) or possibly 88 (8 duplicated).
So that would give us November 8, 1982 or November 8, 1988. Perhaps something significant in FB's personal life or relevant to the Pixies?
Course I could be way off.
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| VoVat |
Posted - 07/01/2004 : 15:13:59
quote:
um speaking of horrors I found two beetles in my bed...
Paul and Ringo?
Cattle in Korea / They can really moo. |
| Opaque |
Posted - 07/01/2004 : 09:18:18
quote:
Originally posted by twist
His lyrics are not only densely Byzantine, they're also a kalidescopic smorgasbord of multifaceted hidden meanings.
Hey! Nice imagery there!
Those websites about giants are pretty entertaining. What a great read. But I am baffled as to why there would be a conspiracy to cover up the existence of giants. I mean, it's not like the government wants to hide midget bones. But if they do start hiding them, we can all probably safely conclude that they were really Hobbits and as such, the world must be protected from such knowledge. Hehehehehehehehe.
"You've gotta listen for a weird, strange noise. Something out of the ordinary." - John Crichton |
| n/a |
Posted - 06/30/2004 : 18:40:19
um speaking of horrors I found two beetles in my bed... it's why I'm still awake.. thats pretty horrible isn't it
Frank Black ate my Hamster
|
| fumanbru |
Posted - 06/30/2004 : 15:27:23
i would agree that you had a different take entirely- which i really enjoyed. i think you had used the term "ghost tour". i was just referring to that term in my last comment, which is in a slightly different context. i kind of see it as henry is going on a ghost tour of his whole life and he sees how freaky and disturbing it was.
 "I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it." |
| apl4eris |
Posted - 06/30/2004 : 14:53:54
Did I say that? I think that may have been someone else, because I had a different take on it entirely.
Seems like the points he makes/metaphors he uses are pretty universal -the interpretations are (arguably) endless, which is mystifying and exciting at the same time.
 |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 06/30/2004 : 14:47:11
watched the henry the eighth miniseries on tv last night. good flick. lots of sex and violence. however, mrs. fumanbru didn't appreciate the movie as much as she thought it was slightly disturbing but she did enjoy the history lesson.
here's my take on all my ghosts after watching the movie. i'm looking at the song from the perspective of henry the eighth.
If I could live to be several hundred
I could take a walk and really wander
Really wonder
henry is dead and is reflecting on his life on earth. i like how frank has the line "really wander", then "really wonder".
Have you heard about the heavenly angels
How they came to earth and met some ladies
With whom they mated?
And their young became giants every one
this was discussed before. angels from heaven, lusted women of the earth, mated with them, and then were kicked out of heaven by god and sent to hell "...These are the angels who mated with humans, producing 'god kings' (ie. hank the eighth) who wrought havoc upon the earth with their misuse of advanced science.."
I was driving across the valley floor
Going past a scene of gore
in the movie when his dad was dying and henry was about to become king, his dad asked him what is the role of the king. henry responded by saying to make glorious war and expand our borders....and to have a son. got to make sure there's a new king to carry on the family tradition. henry loved to use his army to kill his enemies and wage war on other countries.
Then I stopped in at a porno store
And I found among the pictures there
A vision that was very fair
Just a moment from yesteryear
All I could do was stare
henry viewed women as sex objects. he had no respect for women and thought their sole purpose was to gratify him sexually and provide a son for him. he had 6 wives and many mistresses and he had 2 of his wives beheaded.
I had a date for the eleventh hour
And we took a tour of The Seven Horrors
Plus just one more
Hank the Eighth was a duplicated man
then maybe, as apl4eris was sort of saying, at the time of his death he is seeing his life go by -all my ghosts, a ghost tour, seeing all the pain and misfortune he caused.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it." |
| twist |
Posted - 06/30/2004 : 07:47:54
I'd always thought it was a warning against cloning plus a bunch of other deep stuff that I didn't get but sounded good. I'm glad I conquered my fear of cyber world to sit in on FB101. Sometimes I feel like I wound up in a more advanced class by mistake. His lyrics are not only densely Byzantine, they're also a kalidescopic smorgasbord of multifaceted hidden meanings. |
| Opaque |
Posted - 06/30/2004 : 00:55:37
quote:
Originally posted by Jason
It started out with interviews with Robert Zubrin and Richard Hoagland and now there's a guy on talking about the existence of giants (http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/index2.html), specifically the giants of the Solomon Islands (http://www.thesolomongiants.com/), and the story of fallen angels mating with human women to produce giants has been brought up.
Ah... yes! The ol' alien/human hybrid philosophy. Worth pondering. 
"You've gotta listen for a weird, strange noise. Something out of the ordinary." - John Crichton |
| Jason |
Posted - 06/30/2004 : 00:16:01
The rerun of a Coast to Coast AM show (http://www.coasttocoastam.com/) from earlier this year going on right now has been chock full of stuff Frank's referenced in songs.
It started out with interviews with Robert Zubrin and Richard Hoagland and now there's a guy on talking about the existence of giants (http://www.stevequayle.com/Giants/index2.html), specifically the giants of the Solomon Islands (http://www.thesolomongiants.com/), and the story of fallen angels mating with human women to produce giants has been brought up.
It's kinda fun. |
| VoVat |
Posted - 06/25/2004 : 19:48:00
Were they playing that Herman's Hermits song?
Cattle in Korea / They can really moo. |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 06/25/2004 : 16:50:47
on a side note, i just saw a commercial on cbc tv that there will be a movie on henry the eighth on sunday night on cbc. they were playing all my ghosts in the background.......no, but that would be cool.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it." |
| Opaque |
Posted - 06/23/2004 : 20:51:05
Places Named After Numbers is a great song. All of that stuff about the cosmos. I'd go if I could. If they got the technology down and said, "All aboard, we're heading 'out there,'" I'd be on my way. And I wouldn't even pack. I'd just go.
"You've gotta listen for a weird, strange noise. Something out of the ordinary." - John Crichton |
| The Calistanian |
Posted - 06/11/2004 : 06:42:07
quote:
Originally posted by VoVat
Didn't Frank say something about the "ghosts" being the various effects that Frank's near-immortal self would have had on the world? Even if he didn't, I think it fits.
quote:
I know this answer avoids the question but - 8 represents eternity, hence the eternal interpretations of Frank Black's densely Byzantine lyrics.
So, if man is five, and the Devil is six, and God is seven, then eight is eternity? Makes sense, I guess.
Revelation 13:3 mentions that one of the Beast's heads had healed from a deadly wound. Maybe, within the context of the song, this head is represented by a revived Henry VIII? Okay, I guess that's kind of ridiculous.
Cattle in Korea / They can really moo.
Actually, it may be less ridiculous than you might think.
The wild beast in Revelation is often perceived as world powers through history. So a revival of Henry VIII and the healing of the wild beast is kind of a good correlation. However, I doubt that was the intention of the song.
1. I am a fsh with no i's.
2. You must be wearing Zubaz, 'cause you're daring to be different.
3. I am a man with 3 fingers...but that doesn't count my index finger nor my thumb. |
| VoVat |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 21:17:45
I thought PNAN was specifically about black holes. My suggestion about numbered streets was a joke, although I'll admit that it WAS the first think I thought of when I originally saw the song title.
Cattle in Korea / They can really moo. |
| broken part |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 19:56:09
Places named after numbers refers to stars. Astronomers catalogue every known star by giving it a number (and also some letters). Then if you read the lyrics knowing this everything becomes clear:
gravity that slumbers/ at the center of - at the center of a star gravity is null (though pressue is gianormous)
collapsing all the way/ and though it seems from here/ that she was never there - a collapsed star makes (sometimes) a black hole, hence:
light beams disappear/ into her blackened hair
but now, can anyone guess which star he's singin about.....? |
| apl4eris |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 19:54:14
I wonder if the Seven Horrors might be a wax museum? Would also explain the juxtaposition of Henry VIII - most wax museums are terrificly jumbled up, the strangest pairings of characters. The eleventh hour could be a "ghost tour" (ever been on one of those?) which includes 7 horrors (in this case, wax museums and freak shows like to name their exhibits after Biblical and other larger than life things) in the wax museum.
The whole song moves like a road trip, relating accounts of things he's seen on the way, responses to different aspects of humanity, almost a freak show ("Superabound"). The gore of a bank robbery, the veuyerism of it all, the absurdity of the sex trade, how it compels you (porn stores -he has written about sex and related topics since the Pixies with a sense of horror and perplexity) which is a parallel of a tour through a wax museum/ghost tour/etc.
I dunno -this is the first time I've really thought about it. There's so much to his work, it will take me a long time to appreciate all the lyrics -I love it!
If the only tool you have is an elbow macaroni,
all your problems look like Schroedinger's cat. |
| VoVat |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 18:08:28
quote:
Kind of?
Okay, it's INCREDIBLY ridiculous. Perhaps even more so than suggesting that "Places Named After Numbers" is about numbered streets.
Cattle in Korea / They can really moo. |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 15:45:20
quote:
Originally posted by yosoyunpistolero
What link are you drawing to Frank's lyrics here?
go to the main page of this fantastic site and you'll see:
Site Content and Information
Song Database (lyrics, song & album info, lots more!)
as the song oracle would say:
Today's song of the day is all my ghosts.
What do you think of it?
Lyrics
If I could live to be several hundred
I could take a walk and really wander
Really wonder
All my ghosts on every sea in every land
Who needs that now? (x3)
Have you heard about the heavenly angels
How they came to earth and met some ladies
With whom they mated?
And their young became giants every one
Who needs that now? (x3)
I was driving across the valley floor
Going past a scene of gore
Something that had ended here
Then I stopped in at a porno store
And I found among the pictures there
A vision that was very fair
Just a moment from yesteryear
All I could do was stare
I had a date for the eleventh hour
And we took a tour of The Seven Horrors
Plus just one more
Hank the Eighth was a duplicated man
Who needs that now? (x3)
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it." |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 15:32:47
quote:
Originally posted by yosoyunpistolero
I used to do it all the time on a Tragically Hip fan list. Have you heard of them? If you like Frank's latest stuff, you'll most likely enjoy The Hip. Check em out.
i used to be a huge hip fan. great band and amazing live. i've seen them live about 10 times. gord downey can write some great tunes.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it." |
| Cheeseman1000 |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 15:01:55
Kind of?
 "It's a far cry from small boys in the park, jumpers for goalposts. Isn't it? Mmmmm. Marvellous." |
| VoVat |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 14:44:51
Didn't Frank say something about the "ghosts" being the various effects that Frank's near-immortal self would have had on the world? Even if he didn't, I think it fits.
quote:
I know this answer avoids the question but - 8 represents eternity, hence the eternal interpretations of Frank Black's densely Byzantine lyrics.
So, if man is five, and the Devil is six, and God is seven, then eight is eternity? Makes sense, I guess.
Revelation 13:3 mentions that one of the Beast's heads had healed from a deadly wound. Maybe, within the context of the song, this head is represented by a revived Henry VIII? Okay, I guess that's kind of ridiculous.
Cattle in Korea / They can really moo. |
| Jason |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 12:18:25
quote:
Originally posted by yosoyunpistolero
The last post talked about Frank's Byzantine lyrics. What do you mean by that?
It's an expression. Byzantine = complicated, detailed. |
| Jason |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 12:14:06
quote:
Originally posted by Mac E. Doobage
FB has said several times that this song is about a bank robbery gone bad that took place in North Hollywood, CA on February 28, 1997. As for the specific lyric choices, you got me.
It might just be the bridge that's about that ("I was drivin' across the valley floor/going past a scene of gore"). |
| yosoyunpistolero |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 11:40:40
What's up folks? Awesome discussion you've got going on. I love to really get into lyrics, dissect them, try to find their origins. I used to do it all the time on a Tragically Hip fan list. Have you heard of them? If you like Frank's latest stuff, you'll most likely enjoy The Hip. Check em out.
The last post talked about Frank's Byzantine lyrics. What do you mean by that? I don't know anything about the Byzantine Empire although I know it's name. What link are you drawing to Frank's lyrics here? Also, check out the interview they did with Frank on www.freewilliamsburg.com or .net or whatever. It will give you a good idea of how Frank comes up with lyrics and his feelings when he writes them. I remember a little bit, like Frank saying the times when he feels excellent, he can write the most depressing lyrics, and when he's feeling down, he starts getting abstract.
Check out my other posts...I've got a whole three now!
Laters,
Luke
"Who's in charge here?"
"Ain't you?"
--Apocalypse Now |
| twist |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 08:38:11
I know this answer avoids the question but - 8 represents eternity, hence the eternal interpretations of Frank Black's densely Byzantine lyrics. You'd have to be Frank to really know what all these references mean and he's got being him covered. If he's half as tormented as he sings he is my heart goes out to the poor bastard. This is my second message posting anywhere ever (cyberphobia). Thank you O Frank Black scholars for your lyric illumination. |
| The Calistanian |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 07:47:46
This is from the Bible itself:
Before the great flood of Noah's time, certain angels fell in love with human women, materialized into human bodies, mated, and produced "Nephilim", half angel/half human giants. They were ruining the earth, hence the flood was to destroy them. The original angels went back up to heaven, where they were put into Tartarus to await their judgement in the time of the end, where they would be abyssed with Satan and any other angels that follow him.
1. I am a fsh with no i's.
2. You must be wearing Zubaz, 'cause you're daring to be different.
3. I am a man with 3 fingers...but that doesn't count my index finger nor my thumb. |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 06:02:31
was reading some more intersting stuff on the internet.
"have you heard about the heavenly angels/how they came to earth and met some ladies/ with whom they mated? and their young became giants every one"
there is a myth of the fallen angels and the war in heaven. god believed that all angels should serve and protect mankind. lucifer, part of god's kingdome at the time, when down to earth with some angels on a mission from god.
"As legend states, these angels saw that the women of earth were beautiful and became lustful for them. They mated with them, and as a result were cast from heaven. A great war rose up. The heavenly host was victorious, and Satan, (or the Hebrew ha-Satan, the adversary), and his followers were tossed out of heaven and into hell, a place of eternal fire and torment. Milton's Paradise Lost describes Satan's new home as a place of constant despair for the evil one and his companions. They spend a time bewailing their lost heaven, a place of infinite beauty and happiness. It is this despair that Milton insists drives Satan to plot against God for the rest of time, and for that, he must escape the gates of hell, guarded by Sin and Death. Sin, who was Satan's lover in heaven and once an angel herself, releases Satan. That is only the beginning of what has been a long-standing relationship between the devil and humankind."
on another website it said "...These are the angels who mated with humans, producing 'god kings' (ie. hank the eighth) who wrought havoc upon the earth with their misuse of advanced science.." i believe henry the eighth was responsible for some pretty gory battles which may explain the line "i was driving across the valley floor/going past a scene of gore/something that had ended here."
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it." |
| Mac E. Doobage |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 05:55:15
FB has said several times that this song is about a bank robbery gone bad that took place in North Hollywood, CA on February 28, 1997. As for the specific lyric choices, you got me. Though there is some Bible story about angels mating w/ humans and having Giants for children. These Giants had a name , but I've forgotten.
http://www.cnn.com/US/9702/28/shootout.update/quote:
Originally posted by fumanbru
cool thread. i always wondered what "all my ghosts" was about. i believe i heard frank say in an interview that this is one of his preferred songs.
i think it has something to do with henry (hank) the eighth. i believe had a large role in changing the church in england cause he was the first to get a divorce. he was able to take the power away from the pope. also read that he was a pretty despicable dude- had 6 wives and had 2 of them executed. so i like the 7 horrors refering to the 7 horrors of hell.
the religious references are very interesting. it's also interesting that this is the first song on the first album with frank black and the catholics but i also heard frank say in an interview that his meaning of the word "catholic" is something like this - "Broad and comprehensive in interests and sympathies: LIBERAL”
don't know if i'm getting anywhere but i think there are a few things that tie together. really like the song and the cool lyrics and would like to find out more of what frank may be getting at.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it."
Awwwwwwwwwww Lil' Buddage! |
| Peter Walker |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 03:28:59
Ahh, but didn't Busted "sing" about going to the year 3000? Same kinda thing; Frank's influence gets everywhere..... |
| the thing |
Posted - 06/10/2004 : 02:16:23
See now you just don't get this kind of discussion about Busted's latest single 
 How does lemur fur, reflect the sea? Someone should do tests |
| Jason |
Posted - 06/09/2004 : 22:33:15
"if I could live to be several hundred"
Assuming it does reference the book of Revelations, I take the Seven Horrors line to mean that if he lived for several hundreds of years he would eventually live to see the end of the world ("the eleventh hour"). |
| fumanbru |
Posted - 06/09/2004 : 21:06:45
also just read that henry the eighth's wife, catherine, was the widow of his older brother ("hank the eighth was a duplicated man"). henry and catherine had eight children together, all died except a daughter named mary. he felt god was punishing him by marrying his brothers wife.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ and I got a free t-shirt with this dude on it." |
