Joy Division
Live at Les Bain Douches, Paris, France (December 18, 1979)
This post also contains also any flavor text (as in vocals in between songs) in addition to all the lyrics. The flavor text will appear in italics.
Track List:
1. Passover
2. Wilderness
3. Disorder
4. Love Will Tear Us Apart
5. Insight
6. Shadowplay
7. Transmission
8. Day of the Lords
9. Twenty-Four Hours
10. Colony
11. These Days
12. A Means to an End
13. She’s Lost Control
14. Atrocity Exhibition
15. Interzone
16. Warsaw
This gig, in my opinion, is one of the better overall JD gigs. The second European gig before the short European tour in January 1980 (the first was at Plan K, October 1979), Joy Division played a great, long performance, showcasing some of their best songs. The recording of the gig is in superb quality. Well, for the most part. The soundboard hasn't been completely released, but the show, no matter how or where you listen to it, is still very listenable. Highly recommended, if you can still find it.
Thanks to Darkman, who first transcribed "A Means to an End" from this show and shared it with me.
Peter Hook sings the lead vocal on “Interzone”, while Ian sings the backing vocal. It’s really hard to decipher what Ian is saying here (or even hear him singing at all, since the song is only available in a low-fi audience recording), so I’ll just be providing the lyrics to what Peter’s singing.
Passover
This is a crisis I knew had to come
Destroying the balance I kept
Unsettling, and doubting, and turning around
Wondering what will come next
This is her goal that you wanted to live
I was foolish to ask for so much
Without the protection, an infancy's guard
It all falls apart at first touch
Watching the reel as it comes to a close
Brutally taking its time
Women who die for no reason at all
It's happening all of the time
Can I go on with this train of events
Disturbing and purging my mind?
Back out of my duties, when all's said and done
I know that I'll lose every time
Moving along in our God-given ways
Safety is sat by the fire
Sanctuary from these feverish smiles
Left with a cross on the door
Is this the gift that I wanted to give?
Forgive and forget's what they preach
Or drift through the deserts and wastelands once more
And watch them washed up on the beach
This is the crisis I knew had to come
Destroying the balance I'd kept
Moving along to the next set of lives
Wondering what will come next...
Wilderness
I traveled far and wide through courts of ancient kings
What did you see there?
I saw the saints with their toys
What did you see there?
I saw all knowledge destroyed
I traveled far and wide through many different times
I traveled far and wide through prisons of the cross
What did you see there?
The power and glory of sin
What did you see there?
The blood of Christ on their skins
I traveled far and wide through many different times
I traveled far and wide where unknown martyrs died
What did you see there?
I saw the one-sided trials
What did you see there?
I saw the tears as they cried
They had tears in their eyes, tears in their eyes
Tears in their eyes, tears in their eyes
Disorder
I’ve been waiting for a guide to come and take me by the hand
Could these sensations make me feel the pleasures of a normal man?
These sensations barely interest me for another day
I’ve got the spirit, lose the feeling; take the shock away
It’s getting faster, moving faster now; it’s getting out of hand
We’re on the tenth floor down the backstairs; it’s a no man’s land
Lights are flashing, cars are crashing; getting frequent now
I’ve got the spirit, lose the feeling; let it out somehow
What means to you what means to me and we will meet again
I’m watching you, I watch it all; I take no pity from your friends
Who is right, who is so, and who gives a damn right now?
I’ve got the spirit, lose the feeling; let it out somehow
I’ve got the spirit, lose the feeling; let it out somehow
Got the spirit, lose the feeling; let it out somehow
I got the spirit, but lose the feeling!
I got the spirit, but lose the feeling!
I got the spirit…
Feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling, feeling
Bernard(?): What a good title from the moment we played.
Love Will Tear Us Apart
When routine bites hard, and ambition is low
And resentment rides high, but emotions won’t grow
And we’re changing our ways, taking different roads
Well, love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Why is the bedroom so cold? Turned away on your side
Is my timing that flawed? All our feelings run dry
Yet there’s still appeal that we’ve kept through our lives
But love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Do you cry out in your sleep? All my failings exposed
Yeah, there’s this taste in my mouth as desperation takes hold
Yet it’s something so good, just can’t function no more
But love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Love, love will tear us apart again
Insight
Guess your dreams always end
They don’t rise up; just descend
I don’t care anymore
Lost the will to want more
Not afraid, not at all
I watch them as they fall
But I remember when we were young
Those with habits that waste
Sense of style and good taste
Making sure you were right
Hey, don’t you know you were right
Not afraid anymore
I keep my eyes on the door
But I remember…
Tears and sadness for you
More upheaval for you
Reflects a moment in time
Special moment in time
Yeah, we wasted our time
We didn’t really have time
But we remember when we were young
All God’s angels beware
All you judges beware
You sons of chance, take good care
For all the people not there
Not afraid anymore
Not afraid anymore
I’m not afraid anymore
Oh, I’m not afraid anymore
Shadowplay
Ian: Turn the vocals up, please.
To the center of the city where all roads meet waiting for you
To the depths of the ocean where all hope sank searching for you
I was moving through the silence without motion, waiting for you
In a room where the window in the corner, I found truth
In the shadowplay, acting out your own death; knowing no more
As the assassins all grouped four lines dancing on the floor
Yeah, with cold steel odor on their bodies made a move to connect
I could only stare in disbelief as the crowds all left
I did everything, everything I wanted to
I let them use you, for their own ends!
To the center of the city in the night, waiting for you
To the center of the city in the night, waiting for you
Transmission
Radio, live transmission
Radio, live transmission
Listen to the silence; let it ring on
Eyes, dark gray lenses, frightened of the sun
We would have a fine time, living in the night
Left to blind destruction, waiting for our sight
We would go on as though nothing was wrong
Hide from these days, we remained all alone
Stayed in the same place, just staring all the time
Touching from a distance, further all the time
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
I would call out when the going gets tough
The things that we’ve learned seem no longer enough
No language, just sound, is all we need know
To synchronize love to the beat of the show
And we could DANCE!
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
Dance, dance, dance, dance, dance to the radio
Day of the Lords
This is the room, the start of it all
No portrait so fine or machines on the walls
I’ve seen the nights, filled with blood-sport and pain
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
These are your friends, from childhood through youth
Who goaded you on, demanded more proof
Withdrawal pain is hard, and drew you right in
So distorted and thin, distorted and thin
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
This is the car at the edge of the road
There’s nothing disturbed, all the windows are closed
I guess you were right when we talked in the heat
There’s no room for the weak, no room for the weak
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?!
This is the room, the start of it all
Through childhood, through youth, I remember it all
I’ve seen the nights, filled with blood-sport and pain
And the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained, the bodies obtained…
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?
Where will it end?!
Twenty-Four Hours
So this is permanence, love’s shattered pride
What once was innocence turned on its side
A cloud hangs over me, marks every move
Deep in the memory, what once was love…
Oh, now I realized, how I wanted time
Put into perspective, really have to find
Just for one moment, thought I heard a call
Looked into the day in hand, there’s no one there at all
Excessive flash points, beyond all reach
Solitary demands for, all I’d like to keep
Let’s take a ride out, see what we can find
A valueless collection of hopes and desires
Oh, how I realized, how I needed time
Put into perspective, with hopes I had to find
Just for one moment, heard somebody call
Looked into the day in hand, there’s no one there at all
Now that I realized how it’s all gone wrong
Gotta find some therapy, this treatment takes too long
Deep in the heart of where sympathy held sway
Gotta find my destiny, before it slides away
Colony
A cry for help, a hint of anesthesia
The sound from broken homes, we used to always meet here
I watch all hell break loose, confined and don't repair
Is this what life's about? Is this the dream we share?
Can you help me, can you spare some time?
No apologies, 'cause all these thoughts are mine
Hope to find some friend to maybe lead astray
To witness dormant sleep, see father's grave
I can't see why all these dislocations
I can't see why all these confrontations
No family life just made me feel uneasy
Stood right here, inside this colony
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony
Dear God in his wisdom took you by the hand
God in his wisdom made you understand
Dear God in his wisdom took you by the hand
God in his wisdom made you understand
Yeah, God in his wisdom took you by the hand
God in his wisdom made you understand
Dear God in his wisdom took you by the hand
Dear God in his wisdom made you understand
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony
In this colony
These Days
Morning seems strange, almost out of place
Searched hard for you and your special ways
In these days
These days
I spent all my time, learnt a killer's art
Took threats and abuse till I learned the part
Can you stay for these days?
These days
These days
Used outward deceptions to get away
Broken our romance to make it pay
Can you stay for these days?
These days
These days
We'll drift through it all, it's the modern age
Take care of it all, now these debts are paid
Can you stay for these days?
A Means to an End
A legacy so far removed
One day we’ll be improved
Simple trials, the truth is gone
Shed life we've never known
A different life, to set free
One day we’ll be improved
I put my trust in you
I put my trust in you
I put my trust in you
We fought for good, stood side by side
Our friendship never died
On stranger waves, the highs and lows
Our vision touched the sky
Captive souls, the fruit is sin
I put my trust in you
I put my trust in you
I put my trust in you
House somewhere, foreign soil
Where aging lovers call
Is this your goal, your final right
I took my time with him
I turn to go, took time to see
I put my trust in you
I put my trust in you
I put my trust in you
I put my trust in you
In you, in you, in you
Put my trust, in you, in you
In you, in you, in you
She’s Lost Control
Confusion in her eyes that says it all
She's lost control
And she's clinging to the nearest passerby
She's lost control
And she gave the secrets of her past and said
"I've lost control again."
And of a voice that told her when and where to act
She shed, "I've lost control again."
And she turned to me and took me by the hand
And said, "I've lost control again."
And how I'll never just why or understand
She said, "I've lost control again."
And she screamed out, kicking on her side
And said, "I've lost control again."
She's seized up on the floor; I thought she'd die
She said, "I've lost control again."
She's lost control again
She's lost control
She's lost control again
She's lost control
Well, I had to 'phone her friend to state her case
And say, "She's lost control again."
Then she showed up all the errors and mistakes until
She lost control again
And she expressed herself in many different ways until
She lost control again
And walked upon the edge of no escape, then laughed
"I've lost control again."
She's lost control again
She's lost control
She's lost control again
She's lost control
Atrocity Exhibition
Asylums with doors open wide
Where people could pay to see inside
For entertainment, they watch his body twist
Behind his eyes, he says, "I still exist."
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
In arenas, he kills for a prize
Wins a minute to add to his life
Yeah, but the sickness is drowned by cries for more
Pray to God, make it quick; watch him fall
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
You'll see mass murder on a scale you've never seen
You'll see the ones who try hard to succeed
You'll meet the architects of law face to face
See the horrors of a faraway place
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step inside
This is the way, step in...
INSIDE!
INSIDE!
You wanna see some more?! Step inside!
You wanna see some more?! Step inside!
Wanna see some more?! Step inside!
Wanna see some more?! Step inside!
Interzone
I walked through the city limits
Attracted by some source within it
Around a corner where some prophet lay
A wire fence, where the children played
And I was looking for some friends of mine
Yeah, looking for some friends of mine
Metallic blue turned red with rust
A hidden view, all forgotten youth
Are turned to a knife-edged view
And I was looking for some friends of mine
Yeah, looking for some friends of mine
The houses looked the same
I walked ‘round and ‘round
Nail me to a train
Had to find a way
Had to find a way to GET OUT!
Saw some windows, ten in a row
The light shined like a neon show
No place to stop, no place to go
I guess they died some time ago
And I was looking for some friends of mine
Yeah, looking for some friends of mine
Warsaw
I was there in the backstage
When first light came around
I grew up not a changeling
To win the first time around
I could see all the weakness
I could pick all the faults
But I concede all the faith tests
Just to stick in your throats
31G, 31G, 31G
Hung around in your soundtrack
To mirror all that you've done
Find the right side of reason
Kill the three lies for one
I could see all the cold facts
I could see through your eyes
All this talk made no contact
No matter how hard we tried
31G, 31G, 31G
I can still hear the footsteps
I can see only walls
I slid into your man-traps
With no hearing at all
I just see contradiction
Had to give up the fight
Just to live in the past tense,
To make believe you were right
31G, 31G, 31G
3, 5, 0, 1, 2, 5
Ian: Thank you, goodnight.
Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!
