Ben Watt’s career began as a singer-songwriter in the early eighties with a clutch of folk-jazz solo recordings on London independent label Cherry Red Records (‘North Marine Drive’ album, ‘Summer Into Winter’ EP with Robert Wyatt). In 1982 he formed alt-pop duo Everything But The Girl with singer-writer-partner Tracey Thorn. They recorded nine studio albums (1984-1999) over a fifteen year period, scooping one UK Platinum and six UK Gold disc awards, plus a handful of UK Top 40 hits. Highpoints include the debut album ‘Eden’ (1984), the multi-platinum global Number 1, ‘Missing’ (1994-95) and the best-selling interpretations of electronica in the late nineties (‘Walking Wounded’ album, ‘Protection’ and ‘Better Things’ with Massive Attack, ‘Temperamental’ album).
Encouraged by DJ-producer Howie B to start DJing, Watt was thirty-two when he first started mixing freestyle sets of jazz, drum n bass and deep house in London in 1995. A quick learner, guest sets followed at top London nights such as James Lavelle's Dusted, Fabio's Swerve and Howie B's own west-side Sunday parties.
In 1998, focussing on deep house, he established the seminal London Sunday day-night club and compilation series, Lazy Dog, with Jay Hannan. Moving away from EBTG's mainstream eclecticism and into club-oriented dance music production, he also turned out an accompanying string of acclaimed dance floor remixes for Sade, Sunshine Anderson, Zero 7, Maxwell and Meshell Ndegeocello. Lazy Dog folded at the top in 2003 after five years of sell-out parties around the world and compilation sales of 100,000.
Expanding his new-found role as DJ and promoter, in 2002 he became part-owner-founder of new west London nightclubs Neighbourhood and Cherry Jam orchestrating the music policy and image of both venues, and helping establish their three-year reputation at the forefront of London’s club scene. Under his creative direction Cherry Jam's intimate 200-capacity surroundings hosted international DJs as well as rock icons (The Libertines' played their first official debut show there) and the space introduced art exhibitions and the long-running spoken word literary night, Book Slam. At the larger Neighbourhood, Watt brought in big guns like Groove Armada, the Rough Trade Records 25th Anniversary, the inaugural House Music Awards and a string of top DJs to guest at his own in-house nights, before qutting both venues in 2005.
In April 2003 Watt launched his own independent label, Buzzin’ Fly focussing on underground house and techno. As well as being a home for his own club-oriented productions (incl ‘Lone Cat’ (2003), ‘Pop A Cap In Yo’ Ass’ with Estelle (2005), ‘Guinea Pig (2008’)), the label has fostered new talent, unearthing Justin Martin (Breakthrough DJ nominee at House Music Awards 2004 and 2005), Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia (The Times called their debut album ‘a modern classic’), Rodamaal, and new Eastern European talent (BarBQ and Kimouts). It has also drawn defining work from remixers such as Ame, Radio Slave, Charles Webster and John Tejada. The label won Best Breakthrough Label at the House Music Awards 2004 and was runner-up as Best Label at the DJ Magazine Best Of British Awards in both 2007 and 2008. In 2008 the label also secured Best Mix Album Of The Year (Justin Martin’s ‘Chaos Restored 2’) and No. 2 Best Track Of The Year (Stimming’s ‘Kleine Nachtmusik’) in iDJ’s Best Of 2008 Round-Up. Meanwhile DJ Magazine put both Watt’s own ‘5 Golden Years In The Wilderness’ collection and Justin Martin’s ‘Chaos Restored 2’ in their Top 10 Compilations Of 2008.
In February 2007 Watt launched a sister label called Strange Feeling, a home for alt-indie and electronic pop with acclaimed signings including Denmark’s Figurines, Brooklyn’s Tigercity and Budapest’s The Unbending Trees.
Now a central figure on London's club scene he DJs regularly in the capital as well as all over Europe, Australia and North America with regular sell-out shows. 2005 saw him tour extensively on the festival circuit (Good Vibrations, Homelands, Coachella, Ibiza, Lovebox Weekender, Electric Picnic). In 2008 he opened Sonar 2008, headlined at Exit 2008 and was made resident DJ at We Love Space Sundays in Ibiza. In London Buzzin’ Fly was one the major success stories at The End in central London before it announced its closure in January 2009.
2009 sees the launch of a new Buzzin’ Fly residency in London plus a series of new Buzzin’ Fly events in various European cities. He is resident again at We Love Space Sundays in Ibiza for 2009. Watt continues to edit and present his weekly radio show on KISS in the UK.
Unfinished projects include his long-running ‘Outspoken’ project, a series of spoken word narratives set to music that he has been writing since 2002 with narrators as diverse as UK R’n’B MC Estelle, art-rock Australian Robert Forster, New York Japanese dancer Miho (wife of film director Hal Hartley) and Grenadan-Brixton poet Malika Booker.
Apart from a life in music, his graphic autobiographical memoir, ‘Patient – The True Story Of A Rare Illness’ (1996), detailing his extraordinary life and death battle with a rare auto-immune disease in 1992 was published to wide acclaim by Penguin (a Sunday Times Book Of The Year, Esquire Non-Fiction Award Finalist) and Grove Atlantic Press US (a New York Times Notable Book of The Year.) It has subsequently been translated into Spanish and Swedish.
He lives in London with partner Tracey Thorn and their three children.
Empty Bottles
Ben Watt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Crippled footsteps through a crippled train
Bloody headwound leaves a bloody stain
On a raincoat smelling from the rain
It's the last train, it's the last train home
It's the last train, it's the last train home
Her dateline boyfriend left her in the lurch
Through the window she keeps her constant stare
Which is funny because there's nothing there
It's the last train, it's the last train home
It's the last train, it's the last train home
The carriage lurches like the drunken man
Swaying sideways through the wasteland
While never flinching the wheels keep tight reign
Like the girl, like the girl, staring through the pain
It's the last train, it's the last train home
It's the last train, it's the last train home
But is that any comfort, is that any comfort?
But is that any comfort, is that any comfort?
The lyrics of Ben Watt’s song “Empty Bottles” portray a sense of desperation and isolation. The first verse describes someone with a “crippled brain”, who is limping along in a train with a head wound, leaving a bloodstain on their raincoat. This person is clearly struggling, both mentally and physically, as they make their way home on the last train of the night.
In the second verse, a woman is described sitting on the same train, looking out the window with a blank stare, having been left behind by her “dateline” boyfriend. The lyrics suggest that she is also struggling with feelings of loneliness and despair. The last verse describes the train itself, swaying like a drunken man through a “wasteland”, while the girl stares through the pain.
The repeated phrase “it's the last train home” creates a sense of finality and brings the listener’s attention to the fact that these people are alone and running out of options. Overall, the lyrics suggest that everyone on the train has been let down by someone or something and are battling their own internal struggles. Despite the feeling of finality in the repetition of the phrase “it's the last train home,” there is still a sense of hopelessness as it is offered as little comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Crippled anger from a crippled brain
The singer is filled with anger that's limited by their inability to properly communicate or express it due to their state of mind.
Crippled footsteps through a crippled train
The singer's body feels restricted as they move through the train, possibly indicating injury or pain.
Bloody headwound leaves a bloody stain
The singer has suffered a physical injury and there is evidence of it on their clothing.
On a raincoat smelling from the rain
The raincoat has been exposed to rain and is still wet, possibly indicating the artist was caught in the rain before getting on the train.
It's the last train, it's the last train home
The artist is on the final train of the night, and it's heading to their home. This sense of finality may add to their feelings of despair.
Knees together handbag nicely perched
The singer observes a woman on the train sitting with proper posture, with her knees together and handbag sitting neatly in her lap.
Her dateline boyfriend left her in the lurch
The woman's boyfriend stood her up.
Through the window she keeps her constant stare
The woman stares outside the window of the moving train, seemingly lost in her thoughts or maybe trying to avoid interacting with others on the train.
Which is funny because there's nothing there
The artist finds the woman's intense focus outside the window amusing, as there is nothing particularly captivating outside for her to look at.
The carriage lurches like the drunken man
The train carriage moves in a jerky, unstable manner. The artist likens it to the way a drunk person might walk.
Swaying sideways through the wasteland
The train moves side to side through a desolate area, possible an urban wasteland or deserted industrial area.
While never flinching the wheels keep tight reign
The train wheels move smoothly and steadily, without any sign of faltering or loss of control.
Like the girl, like the girl, staring through the pain
The singer draws a parallel between the train's steady movement and the woman's apparent calm exterior despite the emotional pain she's experiencing.
But is that any comfort, is that any comfort?
The singer questions whether there is any solace or comfort to be found in the train's steady motion, given the underlying pain and turmoil experienced by both the woman and the singer.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BEN WATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Burt472
Beautiful... As is whole album. Thanks.
Burt472
Magnificent
mantra3000
Even white boys get the blues.