Biography:
Lister started playing guitar at 8 and played his first concert in a bar band at the age of 13. He had learned guitar by playing along to his father's old 45s of Freddie King, John Mayall and Eric Clapton. By the time he was 18, having already been in several bands, he formed his own, which recorded two albums Messin' With The Kid (1996) and Pay Attention! (1997). Three numbers written by Lister, on the second album, attracted the attention of Ruf Records' owner Thomas Ruf. In 1998 they signed a record deal and Lister recorded his first major album, Aynsley Lister, produced by Jim Gaines. The tracks were primarily Lister compositions, and the album featured a guest appearance by Walter Trout. The album led to him touring Europe and working with some of the top current blues players.
While Lister's music is blues based, his own material incorporates contemporary influences with harder rhythms and guitar work, reminiscent of early Eric Clapton. Lister was the only British artist to be featured in Classic Rock's 2007 "Top 10 Contemporary Blues Artists"; alongside The White Stripes, The Black Keys, John Mayer, Jon Spencer, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks and the North Mississippi Allstars.
After his first album Lister began opening for artists such as Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, John Mayall and contemporaries such as Bryan Adams and Fun Lovin Criminals. Having become better known, he now headlines major festivals in Europe. He has twice played the Heitere Open Air in Switzerland to 12,000 people and in 2006 he played the main stage at The Bayfront Blues Festival, MN. Later that year he was invited to sit in with Delbert McClinton at The Pinedale Blues Festival in Wyoming, where Delbert kept Lister on stage for the whole second half of his show. In May 2009, Lister played to over 16,000 people whilst opening for the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd on the UK dates of their God and Guns tour, performed a headline slot at Glastonbury in 2010 and during the same year, shared the stage with ZZ Top at the Skånevik Bluesfestival in Norway.
Lister has also recorded with Jesse Davey from the English blues band The Hoax on Everything I Need (2000) and All Or Nothing (2002) both produced by Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia). Everything I Need was his debut US release in 2006, in preparation for a US tour, and received critical acclaim. Lister's fourth studio album, and his first to only contain original material, was 2007's Upside Down which Lister produced himself.
In June 2008 Lister changed to ARM Management and signed to Manhaton Records in August 2008, releasing Equilibrium in March 2009. Equilibrium was produced by Steve Darrel Smith and features Robbie McIntosh, Paul Beavis and Simon Johnson. Following "Equilibrium", he and his band relocated to the Tower Arts Centre and with the tape rolling, nailed a cracking rendition of their high-octane live set to produce the storming 'Tower Sessions' record, which was released on Manhaton Records in 2010 and consequently voted 'Best Live Album' in the 2011 Blues Matters Writers Poll.
For the tenth album of his career to date, "Home" (2013), Aynsley has flown the nest of being under contract with anyone but himself. "Home" is the debut release for his own label "Straight Talkin' Records," set up in partnership with his fiancée and manager, Stephanie Wildey in the same year.
Broke
Aynsley Lister Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the papers and on the TV
News on the radio
Everybody talks about what the future holds
In the papers and on the TV
News on the radio
The state we're in
Hard to know, what we're heading for
'Cause there's nothing left any more
Money, it's gettin' harder now to make it
Nobody, can afford to let it go
Has to be, what you're offered got to take it
Everybody wanna know, where did the money go
When a million shattered pieces is all that remains
Of a system that offered too much
But could never sustain
Some out there losing everything
They got nowhere to go
And the ones that saw it coming
Just don't wanna know
The state we're in
Hard to know, what we're heading for
So we save, keep trying
'Cause there's nothing left any more
Money, it's gettin' harder now to make it
Nobody, can afford to let it go
Has to be, what you're offered got to take it
Everybody wanna know, where did the money go
(Repeat x 2)
The lyrics of Aynsley Lister's song Broke, reflects on the current state of society where everyone is talking about the future, reading about it through the news, but there is an uncertainty of what really lies ahead. Amidst the turmoil, people are still trying to save as much money as they can, but the struggle is real and there is a sense of desperation in the air.
The song talks about how it's getting harder for people to make money, and even when they do, they can't afford to let it go. People are forced to take whatever they are offered, regardless of the circumstances, just to survive. Everyone is asking the same question, where did all the money go? Even after all this, the system fails to sustain, and people are left with shattered pieces of a broken society.
The song talks about how some are losing everything they have but have nowhere to go, and those who saw it coming refuse to accept it. The final lines of the song, "Because there's nothing left any more", indicates how the society has reached a dead end and there is no turning back. Thus, the lyrics reflect on the sense of hopelessness that prevails in such situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody talks about what the future holds
Many people discuss what is to come
In the papers and on the TV
These conversations happen in the media
News on the radio
Even radio stations cover this topic
The state we're in
Our current situation
Hard to know, what we're heading for
It's difficult to predict where we are going
Still we save, we're trying
Despite this uncertainty, we are attempting to hold onto our resources
'Cause there's nothing left any more
We feel there is nothing left to lose
Money, it's gettin' harder now to make it
Generating income is becoming increasingly challenging
Nobody, can afford to let it go
People cannot afford to lose any money they do have
Has to be, what you're offered got to take it
Individuals must accept any financial opportunities presented to them
Everybody wanna know, where did the money go
There is widespread curiosity surrounding the location of missing funds
When a million shattered pieces is all that remains
The remnants of a broken system
Of a system that offered too much
A system that overpromised
But could never sustain
A system which couldn't sustain its bold claims
Some out there losing everything
Some people are losing all they had
They got nowhere to go
These people have no option
And the ones that saw it coming
Those who predicted this outcome
Just don't wanna know
They are not interested in looking back
Money, it's gettin' harder now to make it
Generating income is becoming increasingly challenging
Nobody, can afford to let it go
People cannot afford to lose any money they do have
Has to be, what you're offered got to take it
Individuals must accept any financial opportunities presented to them
Everybody wanna know, where did the money go
There is widespread curiosity surrounding the location of missing funds
Contributed by Daniel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.