First Lyrics to Closing Lyrics (A Series) Pt.4: No Love Lost

Another one!

Just to recap, this is going to be a part of an occasional series of posts I'm going to make on this blog. This'll be where I compare an early set of lyrics to a later set of lyrics for one Joy Division song. Sometimes I may compare multiple sets of lyrics of just one song to each other. When you couple in a lot of the live variations to certain songs, you can get all sorts of results.
So...today's song is an easier one to track. No Love Lost. An extremely underrated Joy Division song that was criminally and largely ignored by the band throughout their career.

I've decoded all but ONE version of the versions of the song that I know of (although I am aware that there is an instrumental version from a 1977 rehearsal floating around out there somewhere). The one version that I didn't decode was "Live at the Roots Club, Leeds (July 11, 1979)". I do not have this gig in my possession but I have heard it once before; pretty bad quality. If there any variations in lyrics for No Love Lost, I'm guessing they're relatively minor.

Here's the first version (with lyrics, anyway), which also happens to be the first studio version:

‘An Ideal For Living’ EP Version (December 1977)

So long, sitting here; didn’t hear the warning

Waiting for the tape to run

We’ve been moving ‘round in different situations

Knowing that the time would come

Just to see you torn apart, witness to your empty heart

I need it

I need it

I need it

Through the wire screen, the eyes of those standing outside looked in at her

As into the cages of some rare creature in a zoo

In the hand of one of the assistants, she saw the same instrument

Which they had, that morning, inserted deep into her body

She shuddered instinctively

No life at all, in the house of dolls

No love lost, no love lost

You’ve been seeing things in darkness, not in learning

Hoping that the truth will pass

No life underground, wasted, never changing

Wishing that this day won’t last

To never see you show your age, to watch until the beauty fades

I need it

I need it

I need it

Legendarily, the second verse of this version is almost completely and directly quoted from the book "House of Dolls", a book about Nazi prison compounds during WWII. Ian Curtis was very informed about the past, wasn't he? The next version skips directly to the second studio version; I have no idea if there are live versions that took place in between the two. This is curious, because Ian changed the second verse for this second version:

RCA Studio Sessions (May 3 and 4, 1978)

So long, sitting here; didn’t hear the warning

Waiting for the tape to run

We’ve been moving ‘round in different situations

Knowing that the time would come

Just to see you torn apart, witness to your empty heart

I need it

I need it

I need it

Two way mirror in the hall

They like to watch everything you do

Transmitters, hidden in the wall

So they know everything you say is true

Turn it on

Don’t turn it on

Turn it on

You’ve been seeing things in darkness not in learning

Hoping that the truth will pass

No life underground, wasted, never changing

Wishing that this day won’t last

To never see you show your age, to watch until the beauty fades

I need it

I need it

I need it

I assume Ian changed the second verse because it was in bad taste. It was quoted from a portion of "House of Dolls" about the brothel Joy Division, after all. Hell, the original artwork for An Ideal For Living featured a Nazi youth member.

When Rob Gretton became their manager he wanted to remove any negative publicity from the band that they were a group of Nazis; I assume in whatever ways he could manage. Whether he commissioned Ian directly to change the second verse of No Love Lost to remove the Nazi element, I don't know, but it'd make sense to me. From then on, all the following versions would have the alternate second verse.

Here's the third version, which is also the earliest known live version (again, I don't know if Ian ever sang the "House of Dolls" second verse live; Peter Hook and the Light eventually would, though, when they covered the song):

Live at the Bowdon Vale Youth Club, Altrincham (March 14, 1979)

So long, sitting here; didn’t hear the warning

Waiting for the tape to run

We’ve been moving ‘round in different situations

Knowing that the time would come

Just to see you torn apart, witness to your empty heart

I need it

I need it

I need it

Two way mirror in the hall

They like to watch everything you do

Transmitters, hidden in the wall

So they know everything you say is true

Turn it on

Turn it on

Turn it on

(The version is unfortunately incomplete; the soundboard tape ran out...)

And, finally, the last known version:

Live at Civic Hall, Guildford (November 1, 1979) [Last Version]

So long, sitting here; didn’t hear the warning

Waiting for the truth to pass

We’ve been moving ‘round in different situations

Hoping that the truth would pass

Just to see you torn apart, witness to your empty heart

I need it

I need it

I need it

Two way mirror in the hall

They like to watch everything you do

Transmitters, hidden in the walls

So they know everything you say is true

Turn it on

Turn it on

Turn it on

You’ve been hearing things in darkness, not in learning

Knowing that the truth will pass

No life underground, wasted, never changing

Wishing that this day would last

Never see you show your age, watch until the beauty fades

I need it

I need it

I need it

And there you have it. Lyrics to almost every version of the song. I hope you enjoyed reading this and found it interesting! : )