John Cale
The Black Angel’s Death Song [The Complete Matrix Tapes]
[Intro]
This a song we haven't- haha
Really long time because it used to empty clubs and uh...
As a, as a matter of fact, when a club wanted to close for a while, they used to get in touch with us and ask us to play this song because... you know
Anyway, I really- so it's a song called "The Black Angel's Death Song" which uh, goes very, very fast so you probably won't be able to understand any of the words. It starts out um...
"Myriadhadchoicesofhisfate
Setthemselvesoutuponaplateforhimtochoose"
Which, translated, means - haha - the whole thing's like that:
"The myriad choices of his fate set themselves out upon a plate for him to choose, not a ghost-bloodied country all covered with sleep where the Black Angel did weep, just an old city street in the east, gone to choose."
That's the first verse, there's six of them...
(It's about choice)
So, so if you can keep up with it, we can too...
[Verse 1]
Myriad had choices of his fate
Set themselves out upon a plate for him to choose
What had he to lose?
Not a ghost bloodied country all covered with sleep
Where the Black Angel did weep just an old city street in the east
Gone to choose
[Verse 2]
And wandering's brother ran on through the dawn
Until we said so long to his skull
Shrill yell
Shining brightly red-rimmed and red lined with the time
Infused with the choice of the mind on ice skates scraping chunks
From the bells
Say so long
[Verse 3]
Rally man's patter ran on through the dawn until we said so long
To his skull on the shell of a knife
Gone to choose
Antiseptic remains make it hard to forget
Where you come from the stools of your eyes
Serve to symbolize pain
Choose again
[Verse 4]
Cut mouth bleeding razors
Forgetting the pain
Antiseptic remains cool, goodbye
So you fly
To the cozy brown snow of the east
Gone to choose, choose again
[Instrumental]
[Verse 5]
And Rovermans' refrain of the sacrilege recluse
For the loss of a horse
With the bowels and a tail of a rat
Run che-che
If Epiphany's terror reduced you to shame
Have your head bobbed and weaved
Choose a side... to be on
If the stone glances off, split didactics in two
Leave the color of the mouse trails
Don't scream, try between
If you choose
Aw, if you choose, try to lose
For the loss of remain come and start
Start the game
[Outro]
I che che, che che I
Che che che, ka tah koh
If you choose, choose to lose
Choose to go