Fanning was taught the piano by his mother at an early age. At the age of 12, while attending St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, Fanning began writing music, and upon graduating from St. Joseph's, moved on to the University of Queensland, where he studied journalism for a short time. He would go on to drop out to pursue a music career after meeting Ian Haug in an economics class. Fanning joined Haug, John Collins, and Steven Bishop, who had recently formed Powderfinger, and took the role of lead singer. Subsequently, Bishop left and guitarist Darren Middleton joined.
From 1994 to 2004 Powderfinger released five albums, a double CD live album, and a Best Of, after which they decided to take a break. Fanning's solo album Tea & Sympathy was released in October 2005 and debuted at #1 on the Australian ARIA Albums chart. Singles released from this album were Wish You Well, Songbird and Watch Over Me.
Fanning won three ARIA awards in 2006, Best Male Artist, Album of the Year for Tea and Sympathy, and Best Music Video for Wish You Well. In the same year Wish You Well was voted in at #1 on Australian youth radio station Triple J's 2005 Hottest 100 poll.
Fanning also contributed songs to the 2003 film Ned Kelly including Shelter For My Soul and a cover of the traditional song Moreton Bay.
Powderfinger released their 6th studio album, Dream Days At The Hotel Existence in June 2007 and toured with Silverchair that autumn.
After the disbanding of Powderfinger in 2010, Fanning moved to Spain with his family where he began writing and recording demos for his next solo album. In January 2013 Fanning announced on his website blog that he had been recording the follow up to 2005's "Tea and Sympathy" in Los Angeles. In March 2013 he announced via his blog that recording had been completed and he had returned back to Australia. On 22nd April 2013 the first single Battleships was released. Fanning's second album, Departures, was released on 7th June 2013. Since the album release, two more singles have been released: Departures (Blue Toowong Skies) and Tell Me How It Ends.
Tell Me How it Ends
Bernard Fanning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wheels are spinning, everyone is overtaking you
Avert your eyes from the game just a moment
Next you know, you're spat back out the tube
Boil the kettle, read the paper
Pick up what you miss
Pick up what you miss from the daily news
You don't get what you want
You don't want what you get
Hard as I try to be satisfied
I haven't found it yet
What I need is a friend
To jump to my defence
Tell me how it ends
Tell me how it ends
Lay your money down, [??]
Nobody cares what will become of you
Throw your weight around your little patch of ground
Until you climb down from that point of view
Boil the kettle, read the paper
Pick up what you miss
Pick up what you miss from the daily news
You don't get what you want
You don't want what you get
Hard as I try to be satisfied
I haven't found it yet
What I need is a friend
To jump to my defence
Tell me how it ends
Yeah, tell me how it ends
Tell me how it ends
You don't get what you want
You don't want what you get
Hard as I try to be satisfied
I haven't found it yet
What I need is a friend
To jump to my defence
Tell me how it ends
You tell me how
Don't get what you want
You don't want what you get
Hard as I try to be satisfied
I haven't found it yet
What I need is a friend
To jump to my defence
Tell me how it ends
Tell me how it ends
The lyrics in "Tell Me How It Ends" by Bernard Fanning speak to the universal struggle of feeling overwhelmed and dissatisfied with one's life. The song conveys the feeling of being stuck in a rut and constantly trying to find fulfillment in everyday life. The first stanza paints a picture of a person who feels like they are constantly falling behind and being left behind by others who are more successful, while the second stanza speaks to the idea that no matter how hard one tries, they can't seem to catch a break or find true satisfaction. The repetition of the chorus, "Tell me how it ends," is a plea for someone to offer guidance or clarity on how to break free from this cycle of disappointment.
The song's lyrics also touch on the idea of isolation and the importance of having someone to rely on for support. The lines, "What I need is a friend/To jump to my defense," underscore the need for human connection and the support of others during challenging times. The use of the phrase "tell me how it ends" at the end of the song also expresses a sense of uncertainty about the future and a longing for someone to offer guidance.
Overall, "Tell Me How It Ends" is a relatable song that speaks to the feeling of being stuck in a cycle of disappointment and the importance of having strong connections with others.
Line by Line Meaning
Did you ever feel you'd never get ahead
Have you ever felt hopelessly stuck in life, with everyone else moving ahead and leaving you behind?
Wheels are spinning, everyone is overtaking you
You're not making any progress, while others are moving ahead at a fast pace.
Avert your eyes from the game just a moment
Look away from the distractions and chaos of the world for a moment.
Next you know, you're spat back out the tube
Before you know it, you'll be back to the reality of the world, outside of your momentary escape.
Boil the kettle, read the paper
Take some time to relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
Pick up what you miss
Don't let anything pass you by, try to enjoy everything around you.
You don't get what you want
Life doesn't always give you what you desire.
You don't want what you get
Sometimes, what you thought you wanted, turns out to be not what you truly wanted in the end.
Hard as I try to be satisfied, I haven't found it yet
Even after trying so hard to reach contentment, it still hasn't been achieved.
What I need is a friend, to jump to my defence
I need someone to support me when I need it the most.
Tell me how it ends
Please let me know how everything eventually plays out, what the final result will be.
Lay your money down, [??]
In the game of life, put in all that you have to offer, despite the fact that nobody truly cares about what will happen to you.
Throw your weight around your little patch of ground, until you climb down from that point of view
Establish yourself and your beliefs, but understand that sometimes, you have to see things from a different perspective.
You tell me how
Please explain to me what I am not aware of, I need to understand how the situation will inevitably turn out.
Writer(s): BERNARD JOSEPH FANNING, JOEY WARONKER
Contributed by Eli V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.