Fay began w… Read Full Bio ↴Bill Fay is a singer-songwriter and pianist from London.
Fay began writing songs in the early 1960s while attending university and in 1966 cut a demo using a mobile studio belonging to a man named John Boden. Impressed by the demo, ex-Them drummer Terry Noon helped Bill to sign a recording contract with Decca. In 1967 the label released the single "Some Good Advice"/"Screams in the Ears", produced by early Donovan co-manager Peter Eden. The single "introduced [Fay's] characteristic downbeat melodies and scrambled impressionistic lyrics", according to allmusic reviewer Richie Unterberger. The self-titled Bill Fay was released in 1970 and was followed by Time Of The Last Persecution in 1971. Neither records sold well and Decca decided to end Bill’s contract shortly after the release of Time Of The Last Persecution.
Bill had returned to the studio in the late 70s, but these sessions weren't released until January 2005 through Durtro/Jnana records as Tomorrow Tomorrow and Tomorrow under the moniker of the Bill Fay Group. In 2004 Wooden Hill records released From the Bottom of an Old Grandfather Clock, a collection of demos recorded between 1966 and 1970, plus one song recorded in 2000.
Bill has since contributed "It's the Small Things Now" to the Not Alone charity compilation and "Pear Tree Tomorrow" to Bill Fay Group guitarist Gary Smith's Supertexture project.
American band Wilco have played Fay's song "Be Not So Fearful" in live performances and the band's singer Jeff Tweedy can be heard singing it in the documentary "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco". Fay joined the band onstage for the rendition of the song at a show at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London in 2007. A cover version of Fay's "Pictures of Adolf Again" by producer and musician Jim O'Rourke and Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche can be heard in the movie from Koji Wakamatsu "United Red Army". The track "Time of the Last Persecution" became a live standard of British Apocalyptic Folk group Current 93.
A double album entitled Still Some Light was released on the Coptic Cat label in 2010. The first CD, ‘PIANO, GUITAR, BASS & DRUMS 1970–71’, consists of studio recordings sourced from archival 7 ½" tapes and cassette from 1970 and 1971, with Ray Russell on guitar, Alan Rushton on drums and Daryl Runswick on bass. The 1970 tracks are prior to the recording of Time Of The Last Persecution, and contain alternative versions of songs on that album, two tracks from Bill's first album Bill Fay as well as previously unreleased songs. There are also previously unreleased songs from 1971. The second CD, Still Some Light, is a home-recorded studio album from 2009.
NPR’s show 'All Songs Considered' premiered Bill Fay’s new single, The Neverending Happening on June 26, 2012.
Bill Fay's new album Life Is People was released on August 21, 2012 on Dead Oceans. It featured guitarist Matt Deighton (Oasis, Paul Weller, Mother Earth), drummer Tim Weller (Will Young, Noel Gallagher, Goldfrapp), and keyboardist Mikey Rowe (High Flying Birds, Stevie Nicks, etc). In addition, Bill is reunited on several tracks with Ray Russell and drummer Alan Rushton, who played on Time Of The Last Persecution.
Garden Song
Bill Fay Lyrics
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Believe me
Between the potatoes and parsley
Believe me
And I'll wait for the rain to anoint me
And the frost to awaken my soul
I'm looking for lasting relations
Believe Me
They're telling me something I don't know
Telling me
They're telling me something I think so
Telling me
But I'll wait ‘til I know there's a moment
To get up from my chair by the sea
And I'll be able to say that I've been there
Telling me something I don't know
Telling me
The lyrics to Bill Fay's "Garden Song" speak of a desire to connect with nature, to plant oneself in the garden and wait for the rain and frost to awaken the soul. The singer is hoping for lasting relationships with the creatures that inhabit the garden, including greenflies, spiders, and maggots. Despite not knowing exactly what these creatures are telling him, he listens intently, waiting for the moment when he can truly say that he has been there and understands.
The song can be interpreted as a metaphor for the search for meaning in life. The garden is a place of growth, renewal, and connection to nature, and by planting oneself there, the singer is seeking to understand the cycles of life and death. The creatures in the garden represent the mysteries of the world, and the singer listens intently, hoping to decipher their secrets and find his place in the universe.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm planting myself in the garden Believe me
I am immersing myself in nature and all it offers to truly connect with the world.
Between the potatoes and parsley Believe me
I am becoming one with the earth, surrounded by the growth and life that comes with it.
And I'll wait for the rain to anoint me
I am ready to receive the natural blessings that come with rain, such as new growth and rejuvenation.
And the frost to awaken my soul
I am open to the transformative possibilities of the cold season, and how it can create new beginnings and awakenings.
I'm looking for lasting relations
I am seeking to build meaningful relationships with all forms of life, no matter how big or small.
With a greenfly, spider or maggot Believe Me
I am open to the beauty and worth of all creatures, even those that may seem insignificant or repulsive.
They're telling me something I don't know Telling me
I am receptive to the wisdom that can be gained from the natural world, and am listening for its messages.
They're telling me something I think so Telling me
I am open to my own intuition, and am willing to trust my thoughts and feelings in response to nature.
But I'll wait ‘til I know there's a moment
I am patient in my quest for understanding, waiting for the right time and place to receive the messages nature offers.
To get up from my chair by the sea
I am looking for a moment of clarity and realization that will allow me to act on what I have learned from my time in nature.
And I'll be able to say that I've been there Telling me something I don't know Telling me
I will be able to look back on my journey with nature and see how it has changed me and taught me things that I never would have known otherwise.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: FAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind