THE TEAR GARDEN

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Release date and tracklist

1986
CA EP/CS Nettwerk NTM6304
BE EP Play It Again Sam BIAS31 (different cover)

side a:

1. The Centre Bullet – [MP3]
2. Ophelia – [MP3]

side b:

1. Tear Garden – [MP3]
2. My Thorny Thorny Crown – [MP3]

 

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Credits

• Edward Ka-Spel
• Cevin Key

engineered by David Ogilvie
Netwerk front cover painting “Hell’s Ticket” copyright 1986 by Steven R Gilmore
BIAS cover by Barbery

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Notes

Also known as “The Center Bullet EP” in Nettwerk sales catalogs. First track is a re-worked Skinny Puppy song with Edward Ka-Spel vocals added.

Thank you to Brad for disk driving on B3
Dedicated to those who would walk with gods
In memory of Christine H. E. Crompton 1927 – 1985

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Lyrics

THE CENTRE BULLET

*Transcribed by Alan Ezust and Jon Drukman
and other members of the Cloud-Zero mailing list.

Dead shot through the temple
In the temple heard the preacher screech!
I bored you full of holes, Lucretia
Saw you crease up in a ball
As if you swallowed your own poison
Followed as you crawled up to the altar

I watched the tabernacle choir
Bawling in a bath of sacramental wine
You laced it, but it tastes just fine to me!
Yes, it’s 89 – it’s a good year
Let’s hear it now for good old (bittersweet) ’89
Let’s hear it now for good old ’89

We took our seats, we watched them
Stringing up a chicken
(Kept on kicking)
As they kicked away the chair
They fed it strychnine!

We kept on staring, sick and sordid
As you pulled another bullet from my belt and fired!
Count to nine
(Ninety nine)
Count to nine

I caught it in my teeth
I licked it clean
I chewed it
I chewed it
Struck a match
I flew a dozen stories to my stool
Behind a widow
Sure I’m small, but I’m big enough
I’m big enough to send a bullet through your head

A bullet through the center of your head!
I’ll send a bullet through the center of your head
Center bullet… Rent a bullet…

OPHELIA

*Transcribed by Alan Ezust and Jon Drukman
and other members of the Cloud-Zero mailing list.

Crawling through a minefield
We never saw the signs
The lightning flashes
Thunder claps

Oh is it just a dream, Ophelia?

Saw the dark clouds rolling
Scavengers evolving
As we made love on a log in the fog

Is it just a dream, Ophelia?

There was just a hint of searchlight
It illuminates a pair of lonely souls locked together

Is it just our dream, Ophelia?

Trying hard to hide
To motor clean
But rolling for a gallery of eyes
Watching, bleeding

Is it just our dream, Ophelia?

And love is blind
It cracks its stick
Across our fingers
Makes us bleed
It makes us sick!

Is it just our dream, Ophelia?

And the water’s boiling
But the need is strong
And we have to swim
To find an island
Find a log
That maybe we’ll call home

Our home, Ophelia

We think that we can make it on our own

Our dream, Ophelia

THE TEAR GARDEN

*Transcribed by Alan Ezust and Jon Drukman
and other members of the Cloud-Zero mailing list.

Our lady on the balcony in black and red
The band plays stronger
Spinning back
We tread on broken glass
Our heels dig harder

I circle ’round inside your belt
I felt your heart race faster
Our eyes met with the eyes
Fixed in the sky

All seeing, knowing, probing
To the bottom of our souls
On tear garden

You shivered
We cowered in the corner
We watch the arms go flying rigid
Heard them call his name again
Pressed our hands to our ears
We waited for the rain

Waiting for the gentle rain to fall
On tear garden

MY THORNY THORNY CROWN

*Transcribed by members of the Cloud-Zero mailing list.

A trip to the insomnian in chains
They licked his cranium
Sunk wires in his brains
He stayed the same
Too old to change
He watched the world fall down on Tuesdays
He smelled the angel trail
But he’s just a snail
He counted to six hundred…
one, two, three, four, five, six
seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven
twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen
seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty… forty eight