Ben Marwood is an English singer-songwriter from the town of Reading. Playi… Read Full Bio ↴Ben Marwood is an English singer-songwriter from the town of Reading. Playing solo shows from 2002, in 2008 he released his debut mini-album, This Is Not What You Had Planned to some critical acclaim, followed by a three-way split album entitled Exclamation At Asterisk Hash which also featured friends Oxygen Thief and Jim Lockey.

His 2011 debut full album Outside There's A Curse, released by independent London-based label Xtra Mile which also plays home to his firm friends Frank Turner and Chris T-T, not to mention Dive Dive, Beans on Toast and Crazy Arm, Marwood's own brand of side-swiping, tongue-in-cheek folk has seen him build up a steady following since the debut single of 2007, Hold Your Breath, and mini-album "This Is Not What You Had Planned" back in 2008, the latter on Marwood's own Broken Tail Records.

Recorded on a digital eight-track on his bedroom floor, the ten tracks of Outside There's A Curse took over a year to piece together before being picked up by Xtra Mile in the summer of 2010 and eventually released in early 2011. The album was backed first by a headline tour of England in early 2011, and then with an opening support slot on Frank Turner's UK tour of small venues in May of the same year, along with songwriter Franz Nicolay.

Kerrang! awarded Outside There's A Curse four Ks out of a potential five, whilst Rocksound described the album as "bold, intelligent and wholesome".

Three tracks also appear on the split EP Exclamation At Asterisk Hash, which features three tracks from Bristol-based Oxygen Thief and Cheltenham's Jim Lockey, of Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun.

His second full album "Back Down" was released in 2013.

Singalong
Ben Marwood Lyrics

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Well there are incidents and accidents that you could never save
if you don't act your shoe size, act your age.
well I play until my fingers hurt and grit my teeth through every word
like I'm the only introvert who wants to seize the day.

And this is not the sound of a thousand switches flipped
and I do not want to live inside this Aronofsky script
I guess that I could be the next big thing, but that would just be weird

So I guess I'll play more folk clubs, but I'd have to grow a beard.

So I tried to write a singalong,
but we all forgot the words,
we all forgot the words, it's true.
well it's shit and you know it,
but it's life so what can you do?

There are incidents and accidents and that is why they say
if you can't read the small print, burn the page.
well I sing until my visions blurred to spit the things I overheard
as long as I can play on words I know I'll be okay.

And this is not the sound of a thousand switches flipped
and I do not want to live inside this Aronofsky script
I guess that I could be the next big thing, but that would just be weird
So I guess I'll play more folk clubs, but I'd have to grow a beard.

So I tried to write a singalong,
but we all forgot the words,
we all forgot the words, it's true.
well it's shit and you know it,
but it's life so what can you do?

And it may not be much but at least we're not waiting to die.

This is not the sound of a thousand switches flipped
and I do not want to live inside this Aronofsky script
I guess that I could be the next big thing, but that would just be weird
So I guess I'll play more folk clubs, but I'd have to grow a beard.

This is not the sound of the voices in the night
when you worry about lovers and the day you'll finally die
because eternity's forever and you've got all this time to rest
and no matter what the hole you're in, at least you did your best.

And I tried to write a singalong,

but we all forgot the words,
we all forgot the words, it's true.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics in Ben Marwood's song "Singalong" discuss the struggles of trying to make it in the music industry and the pressure to conform to certain expectations. Marwood acknowledges the difficult reality of the industry - that there are "incidents and accidents that you could never save" - and urges listeners to "act your shoe size, act your age." He highlights the pain and dedication that come with being an introvert trying to make it in the spotlight, playing until his "fingers hurt and grit [his] teeth through every word." The idea of being the "next big thing" is presented as strange and uncomfortable, with Marwood stating that he would rather "play more folk clubs" than risk losing his authenticity by becoming too mainstream.

The chorus of the song talks about the failure to write a singalong, with the crowd forgetting the words. Marwood acknowledges that the song they are playing is not great, but it is a part of life and something they have to accept. Furthermore, he speaks about how even though it may not be much, at least they are not "waiting to die," and that no matter the circumstances, it is important to do one's best.

Overall, "Singalong" is a reflection on the struggles and challenges of the music industry, encapsulating the pressure to conform and the importance of staying true to oneself.

Line by Line Meaning

Well there are incidents and accidents that you could never save if you don't act your shoe size, act your age.
There are some unexpected things that you can't control, but you can at least act responsibly and maturely to prevent some accidents.

well I play until my fingers hurt and grit my teeth through every word like I'm the only introvert who wants to seize the day.
I play my music passionately and persevere through every difficulty, as if I'm the only shy person who wants to make the most out of life.

And this is not the sound of a thousand switches flipped and I do not want to live inside this Aronofsky script I guess that I could be the next big thing, but that would just be weird So I guess I'll play more folk clubs, but I'd have to grow a beard.
This is not a manufactured, overproduced sound, and I don't want to conform to a mainstream image. It would be odd for me to be really popular, so I'll just stick with playing for small audiences in folk clubs.

So I tried to write a singalong, but we all forgot the words, we all forgot the words, it's true. well it's shit and you know it, but it's life so what can you do?
I attempted to write a catchy song that everyone could sing along to, but we all ended up forgetting the words. It's not the greatest song, but that's just how life goes sometimes.

There are incidents and accidents and that is why they say if you can't read the small print, burn the page. well I sing until my visions blurred to spit the things I overheard as long as I can play on words I know I'll be okay.
Life is unpredictable, so it's important to pay attention to details and not overlook anything important. I sing until my eyesight is blurry to express things I've heard, as long as my lyrics are clever and witty, I feel like I'll be alright.

And it may not be much but at least we're not waiting to die.
Despite everything, even if we don't have much, at least we're not just waiting around for our inevitable death to come.

This is not the sound of the voices in the night when you worry about lovers and the day you'll finally die because eternity's forever and you've got all this time to rest and no matter what the hole you're in, at least you did your best.
This is not the sound of despair that comes when you think about your life and death, because eternity is forever and you have all the time in the world to relax. Regardless of the situation you're in, you did your best.

Contributed by Lincoln J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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