Once there was a song, the song yearned to be sung
It was a spinning song about the king of rock 'n' roll
The king was first a young prince, the prince was the best
With his black jelly hair he crashed onto a stage in Vegas
The king had a queen, the queen's hair was a stairway
She tended the castle garden, and in the garden planted a tree
The garden tree was a stairway, it was sixteen branches high
On the top branch was a nest, sing the high cloudy nest
In the nest there was a bird, the bird had a wing
The wing had a feather, spin the feather and sing the wind
The king in time died, the queen's heart broke like a vow
And the tree returned to the earth with the nest and the bird
But the feather spun upward, upward and upward
Spinning all the weather vanes
And you're sitting at the kitchen table, listening to the radio
And I love you, and I love you, and I love you, and I love you
And I love you, and I love you, and I love you
Peace will come, and peace will come, and peace will come in time
Time will come, and time will come, a time will come for us
Peace will come, and peace will come, and peace will come in time
Time will come, and time will come, a time will come for us
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen Album Lyrics
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Ghosteen Lyrics
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Bright Horses
The bright horses have broken free from the fields
They are horses of love, their manes full of fire
They are parting the cities, those bright burning horses
And everyone is hiding, and no one makes a sound
And I'm by your side and I'm holding your hand
Bright horses of wonder springing from your burning hand
And everyone has a heart and it's calling for something
We're all so sick and tired of seeing things as they are
Horses are just horses and their manes aren't full of fire
The fields are just fields, and there ain't no Lord
And everyone is hidden, and everyone is cruel
And there's no shortage of tyrants, and no shortage of fools
And the little white shape dancing at the end of the hall
Is just a wish that time can't dissolve at all
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, well, this world is plain to see
It don't mean we can't believe in something, and anyway
My baby's coming back now on the next train
I can hear the whistle blowing, I can hear the mighty roar
I can hear the horses prancing in the pastures of the Lord
Oh the train is coming, and I'm standing here to see
And it's bringing my baby right back to me
Well there are some things too hard to explain
But my baby's coming home now, on the 5:30 train
They are horses of love, their manes full of fire
They are parting the cities, those bright burning horses
And everyone is hiding, and no one makes a sound
And I'm by your side and I'm holding your hand
Bright horses of wonder springing from your burning hand
And everyone has a heart and it's calling for something
We're all so sick and tired of seeing things as they are
Horses are just horses and their manes aren't full of fire
The fields are just fields, and there ain't no Lord
And everyone is hidden, and everyone is cruel
And there's no shortage of tyrants, and no shortage of fools
And the little white shape dancing at the end of the hall
Is just a wish that time can't dissolve at all
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, well, this world is plain to see
It don't mean we can't believe in something, and anyway
My baby's coming back now on the next train
I can hear the whistle blowing, I can hear the mighty roar
I can hear the horses prancing in the pastures of the Lord
Oh the train is coming, and I'm standing here to see
And it's bringing my baby right back to me
Well there are some things too hard to explain
But my baby's coming home now, on the 5:30 train
Writer: Nicholas Cave, Warren Ellis
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Waiting for You
All through the night we drove and the wind caught her hair
And we parked on the beach in the cool evening air
Well, sometimes it's better not to say anything at all
Your body is an anchor, never asked to be free
Just want to stay in the business of making you happy
Well I'm just waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you
A priest runs through the chapel, all the calendars are turning
A Jesus freak on the street says He is returning
Well sometimes a little bit of faith can go a long, long way
Your soul is my anchor, never asked to be freed
Well sleep now, sleep now, take as long as you need
'Cause I'm just waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you
To return
To return
To return
And we parked on the beach in the cool evening air
Well, sometimes it's better not to say anything at all
Your body is an anchor, never asked to be free
Just want to stay in the business of making you happy
Well I'm just waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you
A priest runs through the chapel, all the calendars are turning
A Jesus freak on the street says He is returning
Well sometimes a little bit of faith can go a long, long way
Your soul is my anchor, never asked to be freed
Well sleep now, sleep now, take as long as you need
'Cause I'm just waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you, waiting for you
Waiting for you
To return
To return
To return
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Night Raid
There's a picture of Jesus lying in his mother's arms
Shuttered windows, cars humming on the street below
The fountain throbbed in the lobby of the Grand Hotel
We checked into room thirty-three, well well, well well
You were a runaway flake of snow
You were skinny and white as a wafer, yeah I know
Sitting on the edge of the bed clicking your shoes
I slid my little songs out from under you
And we all rose from our wonder
We would never admit defeat
And we leaned out of the window
As the rain fell on the street, on the street
They were just a sigh released from a dying star
They were runaway flakes of snow, yeah I know
They annexed your insides in a late night raid
We sent down for drinks and something to eat
The cars humming in the rain on the street below
A fountain throbs in the lobby of the Grand Hotel
A spurting font of creativity, yeah I know
Your head in a pool of your own streaming hair
And Jesus lying in his mother's arms
Just so up on the wall, just so
And we all rose up from our wonder
We would never admit defeat
And we leaned out of the window
And watched the horses in the street, in the street
In room thirty-three, yeah
Yeah, I know
Shuttered windows, cars humming on the street below
The fountain throbbed in the lobby of the Grand Hotel
We checked into room thirty-three, well well, well well
You were a runaway flake of snow
You were skinny and white as a wafer, yeah I know
Sitting on the edge of the bed clicking your shoes
I slid my little songs out from under you
And we all rose from our wonder
We would never admit defeat
And we leaned out of the window
As the rain fell on the street, on the street
They were just a sigh released from a dying star
They were runaway flakes of snow, yeah I know
They annexed your insides in a late night raid
We sent down for drinks and something to eat
The cars humming in the rain on the street below
A fountain throbs in the lobby of the Grand Hotel
A spurting font of creativity, yeah I know
Your head in a pool of your own streaming hair
And Jesus lying in his mother's arms
Just so up on the wall, just so
And we all rose up from our wonder
We would never admit defeat
And we leaned out of the window
And watched the horses in the street, in the street
In room thirty-three, yeah
Yeah, I know
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Sun Forest
I lay in the forest amongst the butterflies and the fireflies
And the burning horses and the flaming trees
As a spiral of children climb up to the sun
Waving goodbye to you and goodbye to me
As the past pulls away and the future begins
I say goodbye to all that as the future rolls in
Like a wave, like a wave
And the past with its savage undertow lets go
Come on everyone, come on everyone
A spiral of children climbs up to the sun, to the sun, to the sun
And on each golden rung, a spiral of children climbs up to the sun
And a man called Jesus, he promised he would leave us
With a word that would light up the night, oh the night
But the stars hang from threads and blink off one by one
And it isn't any fun, no it isn't any fun
To be standing here alone with nowhere to be
With a man mad with grief and on each side a thief
Everybody hanging from a tree, from a tree
And everybody hanging from a tree
Come on everyone, come on everyone
A spiral of children climb up to the sun, to the sun, to the sun, taking everyone
A spiral of children climbs up to the sun
There is nothing more valuable than beauty they say
There is nothing more valuable than love
And I lie amongst the leaves and the burning trees
And the fields of smoke and the black butterflies
And the screaming horses and your bright green eyes, so beautiful
Ah your bright green eyes, so beautiful
I am here beside you
Look for me in the sun
I am beside you, I am within
In the sunshine, in the sun
And the burning horses and the flaming trees
As a spiral of children climb up to the sun
Waving goodbye to you and goodbye to me
As the past pulls away and the future begins
I say goodbye to all that as the future rolls in
Like a wave, like a wave
And the past with its savage undertow lets go
Come on everyone, come on everyone
A spiral of children climbs up to the sun, to the sun, to the sun
And on each golden rung, a spiral of children climbs up to the sun
And a man called Jesus, he promised he would leave us
With a word that would light up the night, oh the night
But the stars hang from threads and blink off one by one
And it isn't any fun, no it isn't any fun
To be standing here alone with nowhere to be
With a man mad with grief and on each side a thief
Everybody hanging from a tree, from a tree
And everybody hanging from a tree
Come on everyone, come on everyone
A spiral of children climb up to the sun, to the sun, to the sun, taking everyone
A spiral of children climbs up to the sun
There is nothing more valuable than beauty they say
There is nothing more valuable than love
And I lie amongst the leaves and the burning trees
And the fields of smoke and the black butterflies
And the screaming horses and your bright green eyes, so beautiful
Ah your bright green eyes, so beautiful
I am here beside you
Look for me in the sun
I am beside you, I am within
In the sunshine, in the sun
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Galleon Ship
If I could sail a galleon ship, a long, lonely rider across the sky
Seek out mysteries while you sleep
And treasures money cannot buy
For you know I see you everywhere
A servant girl, an empress
My galleon ship will fly and fall
Fall and fly and fly and fall
Deep into your loveliness
And if we rise my love
Before the daylight comes
A thousand galleon ships will sail
Ghostly around the morning sun
As the city rises up, as the city rises up, as the city rises up
For we are not alone, it seems, so many riders in the sky
The winds of longing in their sails, searching for the other side
And if we rise my love
Oh my darling precious one
We'll stand and watch the galleon ships
Circle around the morning sun
Seek out mysteries while you sleep
And treasures money cannot buy
For you know I see you everywhere
A servant girl, an empress
My galleon ship will fly and fall
Fall and fly and fly and fall
Deep into your loveliness
And if we rise my love
Before the daylight comes
A thousand galleon ships will sail
Ghostly around the morning sun
As the city rises up, as the city rises up, as the city rises up
For we are not alone, it seems, so many riders in the sky
The winds of longing in their sails, searching for the other side
And if we rise my love
Oh my darling precious one
We'll stand and watch the galleon ships
Circle around the morning sun
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Ghosteen Speaks
I am beside you, I am beside you
I am beside you, I am beside you
Look for me, look for me
I am beside you, look for me
I try to forget, to remember that nothing is something
Where something is meant to be
I am beside you, I am beside you
Look for me, look for me
I think they've, well they've gathered here for me
I am within you, you are within me
I am beside you, you are beside me
I think they're singing to be free, I think they're singing to be free
I think my friends have gathered here for me
I think they've gathered here for me
To be beside me
Look for me, look for me
I am beside you, you are beside me
You are beside me
I am beside you, I am beside you
Look for me, look for me
I am beside you, look for me
I try to forget, to remember that nothing is something
Where something is meant to be
I am beside you, I am beside you
Look for me, look for me
I think they've, well they've gathered here for me
I am within you, you are within me
I am beside you, you are beside me
I think they're singing to be free, I think they're singing to be free
I think my friends have gathered here for me
I think they've gathered here for me
To be beside me
Look for me, look for me
I am beside you, you are beside me
You are beside me
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Leviathan
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
We talked it 'round and 'round again
Then drove the car down to the sea, the sea
We sat in the car park for an hour or two
I love my baby and my baby loves me, loves me
I love my baby and my baby loves me
It's vast and wild and it's deep as the sea, the sea
And as the sun sinks into the water now, now, now
I love my baby and my baby loves me, loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
We talked it 'round and 'round again
Then drove the car down to the sea, the sea
We sat in the car park for an hour or two
I love my baby and my baby loves me, loves me
I love my baby and my baby loves me
It's vast and wild and it's deep as the sea, the sea
And as the sun sinks into the water now, now, now
I love my baby and my baby loves me, loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my
I love my baby and my baby loves me
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Ghosteen
This world is beautiful
Held within its stars
I keep it in my heart
The stars are your eyes
I loved them right from the start
A world so beautiful
And I keep it in my heart
A ghosteen dances in my hand
Slowly twirling, twirling all around
Glowing circle in my hand
Dancing, dancing, dancing all around (in my hand)
A ghosteen dances in my hand
Slowly twirling, twirling all around
A ghosteen dances in my hand
Dancing, dancing, dancing all around
Here we go
There goes the moonlit man
Got a suitcase in his hand
He's moving on down the road
Things tend to fall apart starting with his heart
He kisses you lightly and he leaves
Leaves your sleeping body
Curled and dreaming around your smile, your smile
The three bears watch the TV
They age a lifetime, oh lord
Mama bear holds the remote, papa bear he just floats
And baby bear, he has gone to the moon in a boat, on a boat
I'm speaking about love now
And how the lights of love go down
You're in the back room washing his clothes
Love's like that, you know, it's like a tidal flow
And the past with its fierce undertow won't ever let us go
Won't ever let you go
If I could move the night I would
And I would turn the world around if I could
There's nothing wrong with loving something you can't hold in your hand
You're sitting on the edge of the bed, smoking and shaking your head
Well there's nothing wrong with loving things that cannot even stand
Well there goes your moony man
With his suitcase in his hand
Every road is lined with animals
That rise from their blood and walk
Well the moon won't get a wink of sleep
If I stay all night and talk, if I stay all night and talk
Held within its stars
I keep it in my heart
The stars are your eyes
I loved them right from the start
A world so beautiful
And I keep it in my heart
A ghosteen dances in my hand
Slowly twirling, twirling all around
Glowing circle in my hand
Dancing, dancing, dancing all around (in my hand)
A ghosteen dances in my hand
Slowly twirling, twirling all around
A ghosteen dances in my hand
Dancing, dancing, dancing all around
Here we go
There goes the moonlit man
Got a suitcase in his hand
He's moving on down the road
Things tend to fall apart starting with his heart
He kisses you lightly and he leaves
Leaves your sleeping body
Curled and dreaming around your smile, your smile
The three bears watch the TV
They age a lifetime, oh lord
Mama bear holds the remote, papa bear he just floats
And baby bear, he has gone to the moon in a boat, on a boat
I'm speaking about love now
And how the lights of love go down
You're in the back room washing his clothes
Love's like that, you know, it's like a tidal flow
And the past with its fierce undertow won't ever let us go
Won't ever let you go
If I could move the night I would
And I would turn the world around if I could
There's nothing wrong with loving something you can't hold in your hand
You're sitting on the edge of the bed, smoking and shaking your head
Well there's nothing wrong with loving things that cannot even stand
Well there goes your moony man
With his suitcase in his hand
Every road is lined with animals
That rise from their blood and walk
Well the moon won't get a wink of sleep
If I stay all night and talk, if I stay all night and talk
Writer: Nicholas Cave, Warren Ellis
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Fireflies
Jesus lying in his mother's arms
Is a photon released from a dying star
We move through the forest at night
The sky is full of momentary light
And everything we need is just too far
We are photons released from a dying star
We are fireflies a child has trapped in a jar
And everything is distant as the stars
I am here and you are where you are
We have lived a long time here in the forest
We lie beneath the heaps of leaves
We are partial to this partial light
We cannot sleep and fear our dreams
There is no order here, nothing can be planned
We are fireflies trapped in a little boy's hand
And everything is distant as the stars
And I am here and you are where you are
And we lie among our atoms and I speak to you of things
And hope sometimes that maybe you will understand
There is no order here and there is no middle ground
Nothing can be predicted and nothing can be planned
A star is just a memory of a star
We are fireflies pulsing dimly in the dark
We are here and you are where you are
We are here and you are where you are
Is a photon released from a dying star
We move through the forest at night
The sky is full of momentary light
And everything we need is just too far
We are photons released from a dying star
We are fireflies a child has trapped in a jar
And everything is distant as the stars
I am here and you are where you are
We have lived a long time here in the forest
We lie beneath the heaps of leaves
We are partial to this partial light
We cannot sleep and fear our dreams
There is no order here, nothing can be planned
We are fireflies trapped in a little boy's hand
And everything is distant as the stars
And I am here and you are where you are
And we lie among our atoms and I speak to you of things
And hope sometimes that maybe you will understand
There is no order here and there is no middle ground
Nothing can be predicted and nothing can be planned
A star is just a memory of a star
We are fireflies pulsing dimly in the dark
We are here and you are where you are
We are here and you are where you are
Writer: Nicholas Cave, Warren Ellis
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Hollywood
The fires continued through the night
The kid with a bat face appeared at the window, and disappeared into the headlights
I was halfway to the pacific coast
I had left you in your longing and your yearning like a ghost
There's little room for wonder now, and little room for wildness too
We crawl into our wounds
I'm nearly all the way to Malibu
I'm gonna buy me a house up in the hills
With a tear-shaped pool and a gun that kills
'Cause they say there is a cougar that roams these parts
With a terrible engine of wrath for a heart
That she is white and rare and full of all kinds of harm
And stalks the perimeter all day long
But at night lays trembling in my arms
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my place in the sun
And I'm just waiting now, for peace to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And we hide in our wounds and I'm nearly all the way to Malibu
And I know my time will come one day soon
I'm waiting for peace to come
And I'm nearly all the way to Malibu
Oh babe we're on the run, we're on the run, we're on the run
Halfway down the Pacific coast
I left you sleeping like a ghost in your wounds
Darling your dreams are your greatest part
I carry them with me in my heart
Darling your dreams are your greatest part
I carry them with me in my heart
Somewhere, don't know
Now I'm standing on the shore
All the animals roam the beaches
Sea creatures rise out of the sea
And I'm standing on the shore
Everyone begins to run
The kid drops his bucket and spade and climbs into the sun
Kisa had a baby, but the baby died
Goes to the villagers, says my baby's sick
Villagers shake their heads and say to her
Better bury your baby in the forest quick
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
Kisa went to the mountain and asked the Buddha
My baby's sick, Buddha said don't cry
Go to each house and collect a mustard seed
But only from the house where no one died
Kisa went to each house in the village
My baby's getting sicker, poor Kisa cried
But Kisa never collected one mustard seed
In every house, someone had died
Kisa sat down in the old village square
She hugged her baby and cried and cried
She said everybody is always losing somebody
Then walked into the forest and buried her child
Everybody's losing someone
Everybody's losing someone
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for peace to come, for peace to come
The kid with a bat face appeared at the window, and disappeared into the headlights
I was halfway to the pacific coast
I had left you in your longing and your yearning like a ghost
There's little room for wonder now, and little room for wildness too
We crawl into our wounds
I'm nearly all the way to Malibu
I'm gonna buy me a house up in the hills
With a tear-shaped pool and a gun that kills
'Cause they say there is a cougar that roams these parts
With a terrible engine of wrath for a heart
That she is white and rare and full of all kinds of harm
And stalks the perimeter all day long
But at night lays trembling in my arms
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my place in the sun
And I'm just waiting now, for peace to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And we hide in our wounds and I'm nearly all the way to Malibu
And I know my time will come one day soon
I'm waiting for peace to come
And I'm nearly all the way to Malibu
Oh babe we're on the run, we're on the run, we're on the run
Halfway down the Pacific coast
I left you sleeping like a ghost in your wounds
Darling your dreams are your greatest part
I carry them with me in my heart
Darling your dreams are your greatest part
I carry them with me in my heart
Somewhere, don't know
Now I'm standing on the shore
All the animals roam the beaches
Sea creatures rise out of the sea
And I'm standing on the shore
Everyone begins to run
The kid drops his bucket and spade and climbs into the sun
Kisa had a baby, but the baby died
Goes to the villagers, says my baby's sick
Villagers shake their heads and say to her
Better bury your baby in the forest quick
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
Kisa went to the mountain and asked the Buddha
My baby's sick, Buddha said don't cry
Go to each house and collect a mustard seed
But only from the house where no one died
Kisa went to each house in the village
My baby's getting sicker, poor Kisa cried
But Kisa never collected one mustard seed
In every house, someone had died
Kisa sat down in the old village square
She hugged her baby and cried and cried
She said everybody is always losing somebody
Then walked into the forest and buried her child
Everybody's losing someone
Everybody's losing someone
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
It's a long way to find peace of mind, peace of mind
And I'm just waiting now, for my time to come
And I'm just waiting now, for peace to come, for peace to come
Writer: Nicholas Cave
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Copyright: Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Ghosteen is the seventeenth studio album by the Australian rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. It was released on 4 October 2019 on Ghosteen Ltd and on 8 November 2019 on Bad Seed Ltd, both the band's own imprints. Ghosteen is a double album—the band's first since Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)—and the final part of a trilogy of albums that includes Push the Sky Away (2013) and Skeleton Tree (2016).
Produced by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Ghosteen was written in the aftermath of the death of Cave's son Arthur in 2015. It was recorded primarily in Malibu and West Hollywood, California in the United States, with further sessions in Germany and England. Cave's lyrics, which continue his deviation from his usual narrative-based writing, explore themes of loss, death and existentialism, as well as empathy, faith and optimism. Like Skeleton Tree, the album features extensive use of synthesizers, loops and ambient elements, particularly the minimal use of drums and percussion.
Upon its release Ghosteen was met with widespread critical acclaim. It received several perfect scores and is the highest-rated album of 2019 and the 2010s decade (tied with Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly) on Metacritic. The album placed in the top 10 album charts in several countries and was included in several publications' year-end and decade-end lists of best albums. Both European and North American tours in support for Ghosteen were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all shows rescheduled to later dates in 2021.
Performed By:
Nick Cave and The Bad SeedsProduced by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Ghosteen was written in the aftermath of the death of Cave's son Arthur in 2015. It was recorded primarily in Malibu and West Hollywood, California in the United States, with further sessions in Germany and England. Cave's lyrics, which continue his deviation from his usual narrative-based writing, explore themes of loss, death and existentialism, as well as empathy, faith and optimism. Like Skeleton Tree, the album features extensive use of synthesizers, loops and ambient elements, particularly the minimal use of drums and percussion.
Upon its release Ghosteen was met with widespread critical acclaim. It received several perfect scores and is the highest-rated album of 2019 and the 2010s decade (tied with Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly) on Metacritic. The album placed in the top 10 album charts in several countries and was included in several publications' year-end and decade-end lists of best albums. Both European and North American tours in support for Ghosteen were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all shows rescheduled to later dates in 2021.
Genre(s): Ambient, electronic, Alternative
Length: 68:10
Released: October 4th, 2019
Year: 2019