Born Graham Barnes in Nottingham England, Alvin Lee took up guitar at the age of thirteen. By the age of fifteen he had formed the group Jaybirds. Following in the footsteps of earlier beat groups such as the Beatles, the Jaybirds played the clubs in Hamburg, Germany to great local acclaim. On returning to London in 1966, the group changed its name to Ten Years After.
Ten Years After scored hits with many albums and became a popular touring band. The band gained note in America after their appearance at Woodstock in 1969.
Lee's guitar work on ‘I’m Going Home’ on the 'Woodstock' album and film remains a standard for many rock guitarists to emulate.
Ten Years After played a mix of rock and blues tinged with jazz. In 1973, Lee left Ten Years After to pursue a solo career.
His first work was a collaborative effort with American gospel singer Mylon LeFevre on an album entitled On The Road To Freedom; other artists on the album included George Harrison, Mick Fleetwood and Steve Winwood. A year later he formed the band Alvin Lee & Company and released a double live album recorded at the Rainbow in London, In Flight.
Lee continued to record albums and play live until his death in 2013, thrilling audiences with his guitar virtuoso and nimble fingered fret work.
Having recorded over twenty albums, some of the key solo works Alvin Lee has recorded are:
1973 On The Road To Feedom
1974 In Flight
1975 Pump Iron
1976 Let it Rock
1978 Rocket Fuel
1979 Ride On
1980 Freefall
1981 RX5
1986 Detroit Diesel
1992 Zoom
1994 I Hear You Rockin
1996 Live In Vienna
2004 In Tennessee
2007 Saguitar
2012 Still On The Road To freedom
Official Website: Alvin Lee
You can also see Alvin Lee & Ten Years After and / or Alvin Lee & Co and / or Ten Years After and or Alvin Lee & Ten Years Later and / or The Alvin Lee Band on Last.fm.
Remember Me
Alvin Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So much trouble in the world, I can't watch or read the news
Brings me down so bad babe, when I read the daily blues.
So much heartache in the world, all the sickness and the war
Keep my head down in the sand, 'cause I just can't take no more
I'm talking 'bout trouble - too many reasons for the blues
So much fighting in the world, God and country leads to war
They say we fight for peace, but I just can't take no more
So much killing in the world, terrorist victims by the score
So much trouble in the world babe, and I just can't take no more
I'm talking 'bout trouble - too many reasons for the blues
I'm talking trouble - it's time we had some better news
"Religion"
1973 Chrys-A-Lee Music Ltd.
I never really understood religion
Except it seems a good excuse to kill.
I never really could make a decision,
I don't suppose I ever really will.
I can't relate to any power structure
Where ego is the driving energy;
I let mine go a long, long time ago, now,
When I decided that I would be free.
The only thing I understand is living;
The biggest sacrifice to make is death.
And once you're dead there's nothing left for giving,
So life means fighting for your every breath.
"Remember Me"
1992 Space Songs, Warner Chappell Ltd.
Now you might think I'm crazy, 'cause of all the things I do
I'd rob steal kill somebody, just to get back home to you
I'll climb the highest mountain, swim the deepest sea
Do anything you want me to, if you'll remember me
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remember me
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remememember
Now if you need some loving, before I am deceased
Well I don't own this body Babe, it's only out on lease
So don't wait until tomorrow, let's do it while we can
And I will be forever, your ever loving man
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remember me
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remememember
Hey Babe can't you tell me, what's a man to do
I'd climb the highest mountain, just to prove that I love you
Swim shark infested waters, I'd cross the deepest sea
Do anything you want me to, if you'll remember me
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remember me
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remememember
Well I can't reach you Babe, 'cause you don't notice me
I'll do anything that you want me to, I'll even set you free
Now life don't come too easy, so live it while you may
If they ask you about the future, just turn around and say
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remember me
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remememembe
The song "Remember Me" by Alvin Lee is a touching love song that talks about the lengths someone is willing to go for their beloved. The lyrics talk about how the singer would do anything to be with their lover, climbing mountains, swimming seas, and even committing crimes. All they want in return is to be remembered by their lover when they're gone. The song is emotionally charged and the driving beat adds to the intensity of the lyrics. Overall, the song is about the power of love and the lengths someone can go for it.
On the other hand, the lyrics to "Trouble" talk about the current state of the world and the issues of war, terrorism, and division among nations. The singer talks about how it's impossible to read the news and not feel down with all the heartache and trouble present in the world. The chorus describes how it's time for some better news and that there are too many reasons for the blues. The lyrics suggest that there's not much we can do individually to fix the world's problems, but we can hope for some positive changes to come.
Line by Line Meaning
So much trouble in the world, I can't watch or read the news
The constant negativity in the news brings me down and I can't handle it.
Brings me down so bad babe, when I read the daily blues.
The daily news headlines make me really sad and depressed about the world.
So much heartache in the world, all the sickness and the war
There's a lot of pain in the world due to illness and war that makes me feel overwhelmed.
Keep my head down in the sand, 'cause I just can't take no more
To cope, I ignore the news altogether and try to avoid thinking about the problems in the world.
So much fighting in the world, God and country leads to war
Many wars are caused by religion or nationalism, creating a lot of conflict in the world.
They say we fight for peace, but I just can't take no more
The idea of fighting for peace doesn't make sense to me and I can't handle any more war and violence.
So much killing in the world, terrorist victims by the score
Terrorism has caused countless deaths and it's heartbreaking to see.
I'm talking 'bout trouble - too many reasons for the blues
All of these issues in the world are causing many people to feel sad and depressed about the state of things.
I'm talking trouble - it's time we had some better news
It's time for the media to focus on more positive stories and give people hope instead of constant negativity.
I never really understood religion
I don't understand the reasons behind religion.
Except it seems a good excuse to kill.
Religion has been used as an excuse to justify acts of violence and killing.
I never really could make a decision,
I have trouble deciding what to believe about religion.
I don't suppose I ever really will.
I doubt I'll ever fully understand religion or come to a concrete belief about it.
The only thing I understand is living;
The one thing I know for sure is that life is meant to be lived.
The biggest sacrifice to make is death.
The biggest sacrifice anyone can make is to give up their life.
And once you're dead there's nothing left for giving,
After death, you can no longer give anything to others.
So life means fighting for your every breath.
Life is precious and worth fighting for, even when things get tough.
Now you might think I'm crazy, 'cause of all the things I do
I know my actions might seem crazy to some people, but I have my reasons.
I'd rob steal kill somebody, just to get back home to you
I would do whatever it takes to get back to the person I love, even if it involves breaking the law or committing violence.
I'll climb the highest mountain, swim the deepest sea
I'm willing to do anything to be with the person I love, even if it's difficult or seemingly impossible.
Do anything you want me to, if you'll remember me
I'll do anything my loved one asks of me, as long as they don't forget about me.
Remember me when I'm dead and gone, remember me
I want to be remembered after I die, and not forgotten by those I love.
Well I can't reach you Babe, 'cause you don't notice me
The person I love doesn't seem to notice or pay attention to me.
I'll do anything that you want me to, I'll even set you free
I'll do whatever it takes to please my loved one, even if it means letting them go.
Now life don't come too easy, so live it while you may
Life can be difficult, so it's important to live it to the fullest while you still can.
If they ask you about the future, just turn around and say
When asked about the future, tell them to focus on the present and live every day to the fullest.
Contributed by Matthew T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.