Beverley Knight MBE (born 22 March 1972), born Beverley Ann Smith, is a cri… Read Full Bio ↴Beverley Knight MBE (born 22 March 1972), born Beverley Ann Smith, is a critically acclaimed British soul singer, songwriter and record producer who released her debut album in 1995. Heavily influenced by soul greats such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin, Knight has released five studio albums and one compilation collection to date. Widely labelled as one of Britain's greatest soul singers, Knight is best known for her hit singles "Greatest Day", "Shoulda Woulda Coulda" and "Come As You Are" and "Made It Back". After a decade in the industry, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Urban Music Awards in 2004.

In 2006 Knight starred in BBC1 music TV show, Just The Two Of Us, and is the host of the Radio 2 show Beverley's Gospel Nights, which explores the origins and impact of gospel music. Now in its second season, the show has featured interviews with stars such as Destiny's Child and Shirley Caesar.

Knight is an ambassador for many charities such Christian Aid and has travelled to areas affected by disease and poverty to help raise awareness. She is an active campaigner for anti-Aids organisations such as the Stop AIDS Campaign and The Terrence Higgins Trust and is also a vocal campaigner against homophobic lyrics in urban music. She became an MBE in 2006, the only musician to be granted such an honour in the Queen's eightieth birthday honours list.

In February 2006 Knight consolidated her move into the mainstream audience by appearing on BBC1 music show, Just The Two of Us. The show, featuring celebrities who duet with established singers, ran for two weeks and proved to be a relative disappointment in terms of audience figures – averaging between fifteen and twenty-five percent audience shares.[17] Nevertheless it provided a platform for Knight to reach out to a bigger audience and demonstrate her talent by performing a different array of songs than she would otherwise be known for. Reaching out to new audiences was also a driving force behind Knight’s decision to join Take That on their reunion arena tour. Take That - The Ultimate Tour 06, which ran from April to July 2006, sold 270,000 tickets in less than four hours on sale at the box office and featured Knight as a support act.

In March 2006 Beverley released her fifth album, a compilation set featuring the majority of her top forty UK singles entitled Voice - The Best Of Beverley Knight. The album, which was certified Gold less than a month after its release,[19] became her second highest charting of her career when it entered the UK albums chart at number ten and rose to number nine a month later. It was preceded by the single "Piece of my Heart" – a cover of the Erma Franklin classic made famous by Janis Joplin and entered the singles chart at number sixteen, spending eleven weeks inside the UK top 75 singles chart and becoming her longest-running chart single to date.

In October 2006, Knight recorded her fifth studio album, Music City Soul, in Nashville. Completed in less than five days, the album was released on 7 May 2007 and features collaborations with musicians such as Ronnie Wood and Scotty Moore. It has spawned three singles thus far, "No Man's Land", released on 16 April 2007, "After You", released on 2 July 2007 and "The Queen of Starting Over", released on 15 October 2007.

Beverley will be releasing her next album in spring 2009.

Sites: YouTube

12-Till I See Ya
Beverley Knight Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Just one moment
In the blink of an eye
Did I miss it
When you said your goodbye?
Heaven help me
There's a hole in my head
'Cause my last memories
Were the words that you said

Said you didn't want to lose me
Said you needed time to breathe
So tell me what the hell do I do now?

Left an open door
Can't use words no more
Quietly insane
'Til I see ya, 'til I see ya
I can hardly wait
Patience has been great
I won't speak your name
'Til I see ya

Feeling nervous
What are you tryin' to say?
Play your message
In my mind everyday
Analysing every pause in the line
So convincing when you said you were mine

Said I didn't have to worry
Said you didn't want to leave
So how come you're not here with me right now?

Left an open door
Can't use words no more
Quietly insane
'Til I see ya, 'til I see ya
I can hardly wait
Patience has been great
I won't speak your name
'Til I see ya

Until I see that vacant look in your eye
That's more than words can say
Just want your honesty
If you chose to leave or stay
Then tell me
'Cause I need to know

Left an open door
Can't use words no more
Quietly insane
'Til I see ya, 'til I see ya
I can hardly wait
Patience has been great
I won't speak your name
'Til I see ya

Left an open door
Can't use words no more
Quietly insane
'Til I see ya, 'til I see ya
I can hardly wait
Patience has been great

I won't speak your name
'Til I see ya, 'til I see ya

Overall Meaning

In "Till I See Ya," Beverley Knight sings about the aftermath of a breakup and the mixed messages that often come with it. She wonders if she missed something leading up to the goodbye, and she's left feeling confused, with a hole in her head from the last words exchanged. She's trying to make sense of the situation, listening to his messages over and over, analyzing every pause in the line. She questions why he's not with her now, despite his assurances that he didn't want to leave her.

The chorus repeats the phrase "Til I see ya" as a way of expressing her longing for closure and the opportunity to ask him face-to-face what really happened. She's waiting patiently for that moment, but the waiting has made her feel "quietly insane." She wants him to be honest with her and tell her if he chose to leave or stay, so she can move on with clarity.

The use of the phrase "Left an open door, can't use words no more" captures the frustration that can come with a lack of communication in a relationship. The conflicting messages have left her feeling like she's in limbo - unable to close the door on the relationship, but unable to continue as it was.

Line by Line Meaning

Just one moment
The singer reflects on the moment when the person they love left them.

In the blink of an eye
The moment when the person they love left them was quick and sudden.

Did I miss it
The singer wonders if they missed any signs that the person they love was going to leave.

When you said your goodbye?
The person they love said goodbye, indicating that they were leaving.

Heaven help me
The artist is feeling lost and helpless.

There's a hole in my head
The singer is experiencing emotional pain and confusion.

'Cause my last memories
The last memories the singer has of the person they love are painful.

Were the words that you said
The person they love said something hurtful that has stuck with the artist.

Said you didn't want to lose me
The person they love expressed that they didn't want to lose the artist.

Said you needed time to breathe
The person they love needed space and time to themselves.

So tell me what the hell do I do now?
The singer doesn't know how to move forward after the person they love has left.

Left an open door
The artist is leaving a chance for the person they love to come back into their life.

Can't use words no more
Words have failed to express the singer's feelings, and action is needed.

Quietly insane
The singer is feeling overwhelmed by their emotions and is struggling to stay centered.

'Til I see ya, 'til I see ya
The singer cannot rest until they see the person they love again.

I can hardly wait
The artist is counting down the seconds until they see the person they love again.

Patience has been great
The artist has exercised patience and endurance while waiting to see the person they love.

I won't speak your name
The singer is committed to not speaking the name of the person they love until they see them again.

Feeling nervous
The singer is feeling anxious and uncomfortable.

What are you tryin' to say?
The artist is trying to interpret the message they received from the person they love.

Play your message
The artist is replaying the message they received from the person they love to try to understand it better.

In my mind everyday
The artist is constantly thinking about the message they received from the person they love.

Analysing every pause in the line
The singer is scrutinizing every detail of the message they received from the person they love, trying to understand its meaning.

So convincing when you said you were mine
The person they love made the artist believe that they were committed to each other.

Said I didn't have to worry
The person they love reassured the singer that everything was okay and that they were not in danger of losing each other.

Said you didn't want to leave
The person they love expressed that they did not want to leave the singer.

So how come you're not here with me right now?
The singer is confused and hurt that the person they love is not with them despite their reassurances.

Until I see that vacant look in your eye
The artist wants to see the true emotions of the person they love in their eyes.

That's more than words can say
The person they love's true emotions are more meaningful than any words they could say.

Just want your honesty
The singer wants the person they love to be truthful and honest with them about their feelings.

If you chose to leave or stay
The singer wants to know what the person they love wants to do – whether they want to stay or leave.

Then tell me
The artist is asking the person they love to communicate openly and honestly with them.

'Cause I need to know
The artist needs to know the truth in order to move forward.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BEVERLEY KNIGHT, MICHELLE ANDREA ESCOFFERY, PETER JOHN VETESSE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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