Cynthia Mask Releases Gigs Lyrics Comments

Details

Author
Robyn Hitchcock
According to our records, Robyn has played this song 221 times, most recently at Robyn & Emma's house on December 11, 2024. He first performed it at SNAP with Deirdre O'Donoghue (KCRW) on April 24, 1989, 35 years and 7 months earlier.
Title Artist Label Type Year
Eye Robyn Hitchcock Twin/Tone; Glass Fish Records Album 1990
Robyn Hitchcock Sampler Robyn Hitchcock Rhino Records Promo 1995
Elixirs & Remedies Robyn Hitchcock & Grant Lee Phillips Scotopia Pictures Video 2002
I Wanna Go Backwards Robyn Hitchcock Yep Roc Records Album 2007
Selections From the I Wanna Go Backwards Box Set Robyn Hitchcock Yep Roc Records Promo 2007
Venue Billed As City State Country Date
SNAP with Deirdre O'Donoghue (KCRW) Robyn Hitchcock Santa Monica California US 04/24/1989
TT the Bear's Robyn Hitchcock Cambridge Massachusetts US 09/24/1989
Backstage Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 09/27/1989
Slim's Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 10/05/1989
MTV Week in Rock Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 03/11/1990
Trax Robyn Hitchcock Charlottesville Virginia US 04/25/1990
Greenstreets Robyn Hitchcock Columbia South Carolina US 04/28/1990
The Point Robyn Hitchcock Atlanta Georgia US 04/30/1990
WUOG Robyn Hitchcock Athens Georgia US 05/03/1990
Einstein a-Go-Go Robyn Hitchcock Jacksonville Beach Florida US 05/06/1990
Old Nick's Robyn Hitchcock Birmingham Alabama US 05/08/1990
Blind Pig Robyn Hitchcock Ann Arbor Michigan US 05/19/1990
McCabe's Robyn Hitchcock Santa Monica California US 05/25/1990
Great American Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 05/30/1990
St. Catherine's Hill Robyn Hitchcock Winchester England UK 06/12/1990
New George's Robyn Hitchcock San Rafael California US 07/07/1990
Melody Ballroom Robyn Hitchcock Portland Oregon US 07/09/1990
Backstage Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 07/10/1990
University Centre Auditorium Robyn Hitchcock Victoria British Columbia Canada 07/12/1990
Herman's Hideaway Robyn Hitchcock Denver Colorado US 07/17/1990
Mississippi Nights Robyn Hitchcock St. Louis Missouri US 07/19/1990
The Bottleneck Robyn Hitchcock Lawrence Kansas US 07/21/1990
Maintenance Shop Robyn Hitchcock Ames Iowa US 07/23/1990
Lounge Ax Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 07/27/1990
Lounge Ax Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 07/28/1990
SUNY, Binghamton Robyn Hitchcock Binghamton New York US 10/02/1990
Tramps Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 10/03/1990
Tramps Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 10/04/1990
The Nightstage Robyn Hitchcock Cambridge Massachusetts US 10/08/1990
Max's on Broadway Robyn Hitchcock Baltimore Maryland US 10/25/1990
Max's on Broadway Robyn Hitchcock Baltimore Maryland US 06/01/1991
Lisner Auditorium George Washington University Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Washington DC US 02/01/1992
Masquerade Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Atlanta Georgia US 06/23/1992
9:30 Club Robyn Hitchcock Washington DC US 12/29/1992
40 Watt Club Robyn Hitchcock Athens Georgia US 01/02/1993
Grande Ballroom Robyn Hitchcock Washington DC US 01/20/1993
Warfield Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians San Francisco California US 04/28/1993
La Luna Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians Portland Oregon US 04/30/1993
Toad's Place Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians New Haven Connecticut US 05/20/1993
Big Star Records Robyn Hitchcock Adelaide South Australia Australia 11/01/1993
Toad's Place Robyn Hitchcock New Haven Connecticut US 01/01/1994
McCabe's Robyn Hitchcock Santa Monica California US 09/16/1994
Neurotic Records Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 09/24/1994
Crocodile Cafe Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 10/04/1994
Tin Angel Robyn Hitchcock Philadelphia Pennsylvania US 03/25/1995
Bottom Line Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 03/30/1995
Toad's Place Robyn Hitchcock New Haven Connecticut US 04/05/1995
12 Bar Club Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 01/19/1996
The Evershot Village Hall Robyn Hitchcock Evershot England UK 08/17/1996
Vogue Theater Robyn Hitchcock Vancouver British Columbia Canada 11/05/1996
Keswick Theater Robyn Hitchcock Glenside Pennsylvania US 11/14/1996
The Point Robyn Hitchcock Atlanta Georgia US 02/26/1997
Knitting Factory Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 03/12/1997
House of Blues Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 05/21/1997
Bottom Line Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 06/12/1998
Largo Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 06/20/1998
Southbank Centre - Queen Elizabeth Hall Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 11/30/1998
Big Mama Robyn Hitchcock Rome Italy 02/09/1999
Estragon Robyn Hitchcock Bologna Italy 02/10/1999
Quaker Goes Deaf Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 07/18/1999
Showbox Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 07/24/1999
The Fillmore Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 07/27/1999
Twist and Shout Robyn Hitchcock Denver Colorado US 08/04/1999
Tramps Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 08/18/1999
Largo Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 08/26/1999
Colchester Arts Centre Robyn Hitchcock Colchester England UK 09/23/1999
The Portland Arms Robyn Hitchcock Cambridge England UK 09/27/1999
Bottom Line Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 06/16/2000
The Troubadour Grant Lee Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 06/20/2000
Great American Music Hall Grant Lee Hitchcock San Francisco California US 06/21/2000
Sweetwater Café Grant Lee Hitchcock Mill Valley California US 06/22/2000
Aladdin Theatre Grant Lee Hitchcock Portland Oregon US 06/23/2000
Crocodile Café Grant Lee Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 06/24/2000
IOTA Grant Lee Hitchcock Arlington Virginia US 10/15/2000
IOTA Grant Lee Hitchcock Arlington Virginia US 10/16/2000
Maxwell's Grant Lee Hitchcock Hoboken New Jersey US 10/18/2000
The Middle East Grant Lee Hitchcock Cambridge Massachusetts US 10/23/2000
Bommens Salonger Robyn Hitchcock Gothenburg Sweden 12/26/2000
Largo Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 04/30/2002
The Horseshoe Tavern Robyn Hitchcock Toronto Ontario Canada 07/24/2002
Calgary Folk Music Festival Robyn Hitchcock Calgary Alberta Canada 07/27/2002
The Rhythm Room Robyn Hitchcock Phoenix Arizona US 02/19/2003
Clerkenwell Festival Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 07/19/2003
Easy Street Records Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 11/14/2003
Largo Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 11/22/2003
Rockstars Robyn Hitchcock Austin Texas US 03/20/2004
Southpaw Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 11/13/2004
Easy Street Records Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 03/04/2005
Club Congress Robyn Hitchcock Tucson Arizona US 03/13/2005
Emo's Robyn Hitchcock Austin Texas US 03/16/2005
Iron Horse Robyn Hitchcock Northampton Massachusetts US 03/28/2005
Schuba's Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 03/31/2005
The Key Club Robyn Hitchcock with Minus 5 West Hollywood California US 02/25/2006
Club Congress Robyn Hitchcock Tucson Arizona US 11/03/2006
BBC Radio 2 - Bob Harris Show Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 10/13/2007
High Noon Saloon Robyn Hitchcock Madison Wisconsin US 11/03/2007
The Southgate House Revival Robyn Hitchcock Newport Kentucky US 11/08/2007
The Starlight Club Robyn Hitchcock Waterloo Ontario Canada 11/13/2007
The Mod Club Robyn Hitchcock Toronto Ontario Canada 11/14/2007
The Casbah Robyn Hitchcock Hamilton Ontario Canada 11/15/2007
The Bell House Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 New York New York US 06/11/2009
SPACE Robyn Hitchcock Evanston Illinois US 03/06/2010
The Drake Hotel Robyn Hitchcock Toronto Ontario Canada 06/12/2010
Largo at the Coronet - Little Room Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 03/30/2011
Golden Gate Park Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 10/01/2011
Slim's Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 11/17/2011
The Bell House Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 11/19/2011
St. Leonard's Church Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 11/26/2011
McCabe's Robyn Hitchcock Santa Monica California US 01/21/2012
Teatro Lara Son Estrella Galicia Robyn Hitchcock Madrid Spain 02/22/2012
Ozen Bar Robyn Hitchcock Tel Aviv-Jaffa Israel 03/22/2012
Old Town School of Folk Music Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 10/13/2012
Hotel California Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Todos Santos Baja California Mexico 01/11/2013
The Troubadour Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 Los Angeles California US 04/30/2013
The Varsity Theater Robyn Hitchcock Minneapolis Minnesota US 09/08/2013
Mercy Lounge Robyn Hitchcock Nashville Tennessee US 09/12/2013
The Basement Robyn Hitchcock & Grant-Lee Phillips Nashville Tennessee US 02/12/2014
Open Arts Stage Robyn Hitchcock Bordentown New Jersey US 03/01/2014
City Winery Robyn Hitchcock Nashville Tennessee US 11/02/2014
World Café Live Robyn Hitchcock Philadelphia Pennsylvania US 11/09/2014
The House of Machines Robyn Hitchcock Cape Town South Africa 02/13/2016
The Dock Robyn Hitchcock Ithaca New York US 03/24/2016
Daryl's House Robyn Hitchcock Pawling New York US 03/26/2016
Robyn & Emma's house Grant Lee Hitchcock Nashville Tennessee US 05/29/2016
Fremont Abbey Arts Center Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 10/04/2016
City Winery Robyn Hitchcock Atlanta Georgia US 11/10/2016
Sellersville Theater Robyn Hitchcock Sellersville Pennsylvania US 03/02/2017
Baby's All Right Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 09/03/2017
The Drake Hotel Robyn Hitchcock Toronto Ontario Canada 09/22/2017
Duck Room at Blueberry Hill Robyn Hitchcock St. Louis Missouri US 11/14/2017
Carnegie Lecture Hall of Oakland Robyn Hitchcock Pittsburgh Pennsylvania US 11/17/2017
Monty Hall Robyn Hitchcock Jersey City New Jersey US 02/15/2018
Randy Now's Man Cave Robyn Hitchcock Bordentown New Jersey US 04/04/2018
One Longfellow Square Robyn Hitchcock Portland Maine US 04/11/2018
Underground Arts Robyn Hitchcock & The LA Squires Philadelphia Pennsylvania US 04/27/2018
Lincoln Theatre Robyn Hitchcock & The LA Squires Washington DC US 04/28/2018
Prairie Center for the Arts Robyn Hitchcock Schaumburg Illinois US 01/19/2019
Daniels Hall @ Swallow Hill Music Robyn Hitchcock Denver Colorado US 03/30/2019
Randy Now's Man Cave Robyn Hitchcock Bordentown New Jersey US 04/12/2019
St James Wine Vaults Robyn Hitchcock Bath England UK 05/10/2019
Starline Social Club Robyn Hitchcock Oakland California US 05/16/2019
Loppen Robyn Hitchcock Copenhagen Denmark 10/12/2019
The Jericho Tavern Robyn Hitchcock Oxford England UK 10/17/2019
Sellersville Theater Robyn Hitchcock Sellersville Pennsylvania US 11/17/2019
Murmrr Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 11/21/2019
Levontin7 Robyn Hitchcock Tel Aviv Israel 02/02/2020
Corner Live Robyn Hitchcock Mareno Di Piave Italy 02/05/2020
Circolo Della Musica Robyn Hitchcock Rivoli Italy 02/07/2020
Fremont Abbey Arts Center Robyn Hitchcock Seattle Washington US 02/27/2020
The Old Church Robyn Hitchcock Portland Oregon US 02/29/2020
The Chapel Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 03/03/2020
Club Congress Robyn Hitchcock Tucson Arizona US 03/06/2020
Daniels Hall @ Swallow Hill Music Robyn Hitchcock Denver Colorado US 03/13/2020
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 05/06/2020
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 06/24/2020
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 06/26/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 10/30/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 11/25/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 11/27/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 12/20/2020
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 03/07/2021
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 03/17/2021
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 03/19/2021
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 04/28/2021
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift London England UK 08/29/2021
Phoenix Robyn Hitchcock Exeter England UK 09/09/2021
Ipswich Transport Museum Robyn Hitchcock Ipswich England UK 09/11/2021
The Horn Robyn Hitchcock St Albans England UK 09/14/2021
Ramsgate Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock Ramsgate England UK 09/15/2021
De La Warr Pavilion Robyn Hitchcock Bexhill-on-Sea England UK 09/16/2021
Rondo Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Bath England UK 09/17/2021
The Bodega Robyn Hitchcock Nottingham England UK 09/23/2021
Foxlowe Arts Center Robyn Hitchcock Leek England UK 09/24/2021
The Crescent Robyn Hitchcock York England UK 09/28/2021
Outpost in the Burbs Robyn Hitchcock Montclair New Jersey US 10/08/2021
Rams Head on Stage Robyn Hitchcock Annapolis Maryland US 10/10/2021
StageOne Robyn Hitchcock Fairfield Connecticut US 10/23/2021
Night & Day Café Robyn Hitchcock Manchester England UK 03/22/2022
Off Broadway Robyn Hitchcock St. Louis Missouri US 04/13/2022
White Rabbit Cabaret Robyn Hitchcock Indianapolis Indiana US 04/22/2022
Starline Social Club Robyn Hitchcock Oakland California US 05/22/2022
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 10/26/2022
Eddie's Attic Robyn Hitchcock Decatur Georgia US 11/11/2022
Robyn and Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 01/18/2023
Private House Robyn Hitchcock Portland Oregon US 03/20/2023
Zebulon Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 03/25/2023
Turf Club Robyn Hitchcock Saint Paul Minnesota US 03/28/2023
Claypath Delicatessen Robyn Hitchcock Durham England UK 08/18/2023
Esquires Robyn Hitchcock Bedford England UK 09/01/2023
Mid Sussex Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock Hassocks England UK 09/03/2023
The Old Woollen Robyn Hitchcock Leeds England UK 09/06/2023
Rondo Theatre Robyn Hitchcock Bath England UK 09/07/2023
The Talleyrand Robyn Hitchcock Manchester England UK 09/09/2023
The Portland Arms Robyn Hitchcock Cambridge England UK 09/14/2023
Unknown Venue Robyn Hitchcock London England UK 10/29/2023
Red Fish Taco Robyn Hitchcock Santa Rosa Beach Florida US 01/14/2024
The Kessler Theater Robyn Hitchcock Dallas Texas US 01/20/2024
LowDown Robyn Hitchcock Tulsa Oklahoma US 01/23/2024
Lulu's Downstairs Robyn Hitchcock Manitou Springs Colorado US 01/25/2024
Daniels Hall @ Swallow Hill Music Robyn Hitchcock Denver Colorado US 01/26/2024
The Merri Creek Tavern Robyn Hitchcock Melbourne Victoria Australia 03/10/2024
The Grey Eagle Robyn Hitchcock Asheville North Carolina US 04/16/2024
Cat's Cradle Robyn Hitchcock Carrboro North Carolina US 04/17/2024
White Eagle Hall Robyn Hitchcock Jersey City New Jersey US 04/23/2024
World Café Live Robyn Hitchcock Philadelphia Pennsylvania US 04/24/2024
The Westport Library - Verso Studios Robyn Hitchcock Westport Connecticut US 04/28/2024
Old Town School of Folk Music Robyn Hitchcock Chicago Illinois US 05/03/2024
Harlow's Robyn Hitchcock Sacramento California US 05/16/2024
Hopmonk Tavern Robyn Hitchcock Sebastopol California US 05/17/2024
Pappy & Harriet's Pioneertown Palace Robyn Hitchcock Pioneertown California US 05/23/2024
Nelson's Green Brier Distillery Robyn Hitchcock and His Illustrious Friends Nashville Tennessee US 06/08/2024
The Portland Arms Robyn Hitchcock Cambridge England UK 09/07/2024
Oxted United Reformed Church Robyn Hitchcock Oxted England UK 09/08/2024
Komedia Robyn Hitchcock Brighton England UK 09/11/2024
Unknown Hotel Robyn Hitchcock Los Angeles California US 09/29/2024
Golden Gate Park Robyn Hitchcock San Francisco California US 10/05/2024
Sweetwater Music Hall Robyn Hitchcock Mill Valley California US 10/06/2024
The Old Church Robyn Hitchcock Portland Oregon US 10/09/2024
City Winery (Pier 57) Robyn Hitchcock New York New York US 10/30/2024
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 11/20/2024
Robyn & Emma's house Robyn Hitchcock & Emma Swift Nashville Tennessee US 12/11/2024

Comments

In his 2020 interview with Jim Derogatis, Robyn talked about the origins of "Cynthia Mask". Although Cynthia (the woman he was about to start a relationship with at the time) is in the song, it's not really about her. The idea of a Cynthia mask has to do with names and identity, the idea of you vs. the actual you. The last verse is inspired by a place on the Isle of Wight.

Lyrics

Napoleon
Wore a black hat
Et lots of chicken
And conquered half Europe
Napoleon
Was caught by the British
Imprisoned on Elba
He died on the phone

Chamberlain
Came crawling from Munich
With one piece of paper
He waved at the camera
Peace in our time
Oh thank you Herr Hitler
Tell that to the Polish
Tell that to the Jews

You take your babes
Up to the bathroom
And then you lead
Them into the bedroom
Gnarly babes
For pleasure and profit
Correctly applied
Could bring good results

Cynthia mask
You're wearing a Cynthia mask
Cynthia mask
You're wearing a Cynthia mask

You're dressed as yourself
You walk down the pavement
You smile like a bowl
You grin like a melon
The people that pass
They think that they know you
They're too busy thinking
To see who you are

I'll reach your lungs
Like smoke in the orchard
Scattered in bushes
The firemen laughing
I'll rap your hands
With personal signals
Don't come to me later
Come to me now

Cynthia mask
You're wearing a Cynthia mask
Cynthia mask

Cynthia mask
I know how she feels
But can't say a word because
Nothing is real in here
Not even her

Disguise yourself
As you or another
A brick or a spider
In hunger and silence
The yawning cross
The hill full of pebbles
Inside you forever
Inside you is all

Cynthia mask