<… Read Full Bio ↴Rag'n'Bone Man is London-based, Brighton-raised musician Rory Graham.
After a stint as personal assistant carer, looking after people with Aspergers' and Down's syndrome, Rory released the Bluestown EP in 2012. Rapper Gi3mo, shipped Graham's vocal talents into his hip-hop crew, Rum Committee. Next came a meeting with the prolific beatmaker Leaf Dog, resulting in the six track Dog 'n' Bone EP released through High Focus records in 2013, followed by Put that soul on me the following year.
The 2014 Sony Music debut album, Wolves, was produced by friend Mark Crew and it features Kate Tempest on Rain; Vince Staples on Hell yeah and Stig Of The Dump on Wolves. The Disfigured EP was launched in 2015 via Best Laid Plan Records, including Perfume and Bitter End.
2016 saw the release of the Cadenza produced Healed and the lead single of his first long play of the same name Human. It was announce at the end of the year that Rag'n'Bone Man would the BRITs 2017 Critics' Choice Award as well as included in the longest of BBC Sound Of Poll 2016.
After being nominated for a second Brit award, the single Skin was released as an advance of the album Human, released on 10 February 2017 via Columbia Records / Best Laid Plans. The album counts with three different producers; long time collaborator Mark Crew (Wolves EP, Disfigured EP), Jonny Coffer (Beyoncé) and Two Inch Punch.
http://www.ragnbonemanmusic.com
All You Ever Wanted
Rag'n'Bone Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No kids with spray cans jumping over fences
All the suits and the ties all march in a straight line
Deafening the sound of the helpless
It's a city of a thousand heartbeats
No room for another soul
The same building on a different street
But nobody knows
Tear it down 'til it's gone
All you ever, all you ever wanted
Kill the lights while they're on
Is it all you ever, all you ever wanted?
Stand in a line for the hole in the wall
'Cause people still need cash to buy their freedom
Moving forward, walking back
Everyone is falling, but we don't see them
A day away from a stroke of bad luck
Money's slipping right through the cracks
It's a shame how we don't know
What we really have
Tear it down 'til it's gone
All you ever, all you ever wanted
Kill the lights while they're on
Is it all you ever, all you ever wanted?
Is it all you ever wanted?
Mine's a city with a thousand heartbeats
But we're just tryna keep a dream alive
New sign on an old street
I don't recognize
Tear it down 'til it's gone
All you ever, all you ever wanted
Kill the lights while they're on
Is it all you ever, all you ever wanted?
Is it all you ever wanted?
In the opening lines of "All You Ever Wanted," Rag'n'Bone Man paints a picture of a city where graffiti used to be the order of the day, but it's now extinct. The suits and ties take over the streets and drown out the sound of the helpless, showcasing social inequality. The singer sings of a city where there are a thousand heartbeats but no room for another soul. Every street has the same buildings, but nobody notices, and the people are too busy trying to keep their dreams alive. Rag'n'Bone Man touches on the theme of materialism and how it affects people's lives.
The second verse delves deeper into the harsh reality of city life, where people stand in line for ATMs because everyone needs cash to buy their freedom. The city is always moving forward, and nobody notices those who fall back. The singer shows remorse towards those who don't know what they have until they lose it, and they allow greed to consume them. Rag'n'Bone Man uses metaphors to describe the state of the city, where buildings and people are falling apart, but no one realizes.
In conclusion, Rag'n'Bone Man sings about the harsh reality of life in the city. People are too busy pursuing their aspirations and dreams that they forget the importance of the smaller things in life. Society has become materialistic, and people have lost their sense of community, which results in the breakdown of social structures.
Line by Line Meaning
No painted trains on the underground
There are no graffiti trains on the subway system.
No kids with spray cans jumping over fences
There are no youths trespassing with spray paint cans in hand.
All the suits and the ties all march in a straight line
Corporate businessmen move in a uniform manner.
Deafening the sound of the helpless
Their noise drowns out the pleas of the voiceless.
It's a city of a thousand heartbeats
This is a bustling metropolis full of many people living their lives.
No room for another soul
The city is crowded to the brink and cannot take any more people.
The same building on a different street
The buildings all look alike in this city.
But nobody knows
Despite their similarities, nobody truly knows what goes on inside these buildings.
Tear it down 'til it's gone
Dismantle everything until there's nothing left.
All you ever, all you ever wanted
Is this really everything you desired?
Kill the lights while they're on
Destroy everything when it is still functional.
Stand in a line for the hole in the wall
Wait in a queue for money from an ATM.
'Cause people still need cash to buy their freedom
People are still heavily reliant on money to maintain their lifestyle.
Moving forward, walking back
Despite advancing, people keep backsliding.
Everyone is falling, but we don't see them
Many individuals are failing, but no one seems to take notice.
A day away from a stroke of bad luck
One day short of misfortune.
Money's slipping right through the cracks
Finances are leaking out of bank accounts.
It's a shame how we don't know
It's regretful how we lack knowledge of what we have.
What we really have
We possess much more than we realize.
Mine's a city with a thousand heartbeats
The singer's city is teeming with many lively individuals.
But we're just tryna keep a dream alive
Despite the challenges, they are struggling to keep a dream afloat.
New sign on an old street
A fresh advertisement on a street he used to know.
I don't recognize
He does not recognize the changes taking place around him.
Is it all you ever wanted?
Is this truly all that you ever yearned for?
Is it all you ever wanted?
Is this everything that you truly desired?
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Gerald Eaton, Michael Elizondo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind