"Death and the Maiden" is a song by New Zealand rock band

The Verlaines The Verlaines are a New Zealand rock band from Dunedin. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups. History The band was named after French poet Paul Ve ...

, who are one of a number of 1980s bands signed to

Flying Nun Records Flying Nun Records is a New Zealand independent record label formed in Christchurch in 1981 by music store manager Roger Shepherd. Described by ''The Guardian'' as "one of the world's great independent labels", Flying Nun is notable for bringin ...

and attributed to the

Dunedin Sound The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s. Characteristics According to Matthew Bannister, Dunedin sound "was typically marked by the use of droning or ...

. It was released as a single in 1983 and is arguably the most popular song in their discography. The 'B' side of the record was "CD, Jimmy Jazz & Me." "Death and the Maiden" later appeared on the 1987 album ''Juvenilia'', which was a collection of The Verlaines' early singles and EPs. New Zealand rock band

Elemeno P Elemeno P is a New Zealand rock band. The band's first album, '' Love & Disrespect'' was released on 4 July 2003, and reached number one on the RIANZ albums chart. Their second album, '' Trouble in Paradise'' was released on 24 November 2005 ...

released a cover version of this song on their 2005 album '' Trouble in Paradise''. Former Pavement frontman

Stephen Malkmus Stephen Joseph Malkmus (born May 30, 1966) is an American musician best known as the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Pavement. He currently performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and as a solo artist. ...

also recorded a version for the Flying Nun Records tribute album '' Under the Influence - 21 Years of Flying Nun Records'' in 2002. Boston band Prickly covered the song on their 1997 LP ''Velleity.''

Meaning of the lyrics

''You'll only end up like Rimbaud''
''Get shot by Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine, Verlaine....''
The lyrics above refer to

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the '' fin de siècle'' in international and ...

, a 19th-century French poet. After going into a drunken rage, Verlaine shot his lover – fellow poet

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

in July 1873. The Verlaines took their name from the French poet. ''Shall we have our photo taken?''
''We'll look like Death and the Maiden''
This is a reference to a painting of the same name by Egon Schiele, which shows a woman embracing a skeleton. The image is reproduced on the label of Verlaines' side of the "Dunedin Double" EP, issued in 1982 which is the year before the release of "Death and the Maiden".

In the media

*Featured in New Zealand movie '' Scarfies'' and on its soundtrack release. 1983 songs The Verlaines songs Flying Nun Records singles Death in music {{1980s-rock-song-stub