Nick Cave: 10 Dark Masterpieces

1. Papa Won't Leave You, Henry

http://youtu.be/AoFxUJtSp4g Nick Cave was famously dissatisfied with the production of 1992's Henry's Dream, yet the album contains some of the strongest songs he's ever written: Straight To You, Jack The Ripper, Christina The Astonishing €“ all brilliant, but all pale in comparison to the potent force of nature that opens the album. Papa Won't Leave You, Henry is a devastating barrage of terrifying apocalyptic imagery undercut by a rotten sort of demonic Americana in which Cave takes on the role of a manic preacher; spitting, spluttering and barking his words from a pulpit made of human bones as flames rise behind him. The words just don't stop coming to the point that they become every bit as oppressive as the torrential rain mentioned in the lyrics. The production on the song is a little flat €“ but only a little €“ yet this is easy to ignore when you're faced with such lines as €œMy head it rung with screams and groans/From the night I spent amongst her bones€. But if the slightly weedy sound really bothers you, listen to the fresh hell they've captured on the Live Seeds recordings and, once more, fear for your immortal soul.