Through the door of my dream burst
No zombie, no ogre, no devil there
But a flying man with long trailing hair
Who perched upon the iron rail of my bed
The Dark Night of the Soul, by St. John of the Cross, is a poetic plunge into the soul’s struggle toward God. This 16th-century Spanish mystic and Carmelite friar penned eight stanzas that chart the soul’s shadowy sojourn through spiritual suffering; a scene where desolation and dryness play the lead roles, leaving the soul feeling ditched by the Divine.
The poem packs a punch with its themes: purification strips away worldly baggage, divine love keeps the soul’s engine running, and mystical union is the grand finale where peace and joy take the spotlight. Transformation is the kicker—the soul comes out the other side tougher, leaner, and locked in with God’s will.
St. John’s blend of poetic flair and contemplative depth has made this work a cornerstone of mysticism as well as a launchpad for creativity for artists such as David Lynch.
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are set to unleash their new album Wild God next month, and they’ve teased us with a third early taste, Long Dark Night. Inspired by Dark Night of the Soul, this track promises the moody mix of melancholy and mischief that only Cave can conjure.
“Long Dark Night is inspired by one of the greatest and most powerful poems of conversion ever written,” Cave says. “Ultimately, though, it’s a beautiful country tune. It feels like a sweet companion to the song, ‘Wild God.’”
The road to creating Long Dark Night was an arduous one for Cave, who complained about the process.
“I don’t like writing songs,” Cave said. “To write a song is this deeply mysterious, abstract, anxiety-ridden process that’s just not fun. Playing around with the kid is fine, but to get the kid out is a fucking nightmare. So I put it off until I can’t put it off any further.”
Long Dark Night is a ballad brimming with that moment of reckoning, reminiscent of songwriters like Kris Kristofferson and Gordon Lightfoot. It dives into the depths of despair, detailing the fears that hitch a ride and the mystery that lurks when the long, dark night is done. It’s a melodic mix of melancholy and marvel, with Cave’s signature wit adding a touch of light to the shadowy serenade.
Listen to “Long Dark Night” below:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are set to release Wild God on August 30th via Bad Seed/Play It Again Sam. The band—Cave, Ellis, Thomas Wydler, Martyn Casey, Jim Sclavunos, and George Vjestica—wrote and recorded Wild God at Miraval Studios in the French City of Provence and at Soundtree Studios in London.
Wild God marks Cave’s eighteenth collaboration with the Bad Seeds and follows the critically acclaimed Ghosteen from 2019. In addition, Cave also worked on Carnage with Warren Ellis of the Bad Seeds in 2021. Wild God is a collaborative production effort between Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, with David Fridmann handling the mixing. The album features contributions from Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass, with whom Cave toured last year, and Luis Almau on nylon string and acoustic guitar.
Pre-order the album here
Follow Nick Cave:
Or via: