Coffee Homeground

Album: Lionheart (1978)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The stunningly attractive Kate Bush has her dark side, as evinced by "Army Dreamers" and similar tracks. This is a more straightforward song though - about a poisoner! Running to 3 minutes 39 seconds, this is the ninth track on Kate's second album. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • This was inspired by a paranoid cab driver Kate met who was convinced he was being poisoned. "[He] was in fact a bit nutty," she explained in the album's promo materials. "And it's just a song about someone who thinks they're being poisoned by another person, they think that there's Belladonna in their tea and that whenever they offer them something to eat, it's got poison in it. And it's just a humorous aspect of paranoia really and we sort of done it in a Brechtian style, the old sort of German vibe [e.g. "Mack The Knife"] to try and bring across the humor side of it."
  • The lyrics mention "pictures of Crippen." Hawley Harvey Crippen was an American doctor who murdered his wife at their home in England in 1910 by overdosing her with the anti-nausea drug hyoscine. He tried to escape to Canada on an ocean liner but was captured when the captain recognized him and sent a wireless telegram to British authorities. It was the first time a suspect was apprehended with the aid of wireless telegraphy.
  • Despite its German influence, this tune was actually written while Kate was visiting the US to appear on Saturday Night Live.

Comments: 1

  • Zabadak from London, EnglandThis is a very funny record, er, about poisoning! The melody, however, is reminiscent of the theme to the UK TV series "Tales Of The Unexpected", half-hour vignettes which would feature a deadly, often ironic twist at the end.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger

Kelly Keagy of Night RangerSongwriter Interviews

Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger tells the "Sister Christian" story and explains why he started sweating when he saw it in Boogie Nights.

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he Inspired

Muhammad Ali: His Musical Legacy and the Songs he InspiredSong Writing

Before he was the champ, Ali released an album called I Am The Greatest!, but his musical influence is best heard in the songs he inspired.

James Bond Theme Songs

James Bond Theme SongsMusic Quiz

How well do you know the 007 theme songs?

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.