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.
Omega Day
Bill Fay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There lay a sleeping man he wore a frown
A stranger woke him he looked around
Then he spoke I wrote it down
He said, “My climbing rope is broken,
And I cannot stay awake
Better fix it son no joking
I went over to the stranger's side
I began to speak but he read my mind
He said, “You know me from long ago”
Then he turned I watched him go
I said, “My climbing rope is broken,
And I cannot stay awake
Better fix it son no joking
For the omega day is come”
In Bill Fay's song "Omega Day," we are introduced to a sleeping man wearing a frown. Suddenly, a stranger awakens him and warns him of the impending doom - the "omega day" is coming. The stranger reveals that his climbing rope is broken and he cannot stay awake, urging the man to fix it. As the man approaches the stranger, he realizes that he knows him from a long time ago, but before he can say anything, the stranger disappears.
The lyrics in this song can be interpreted in many ways, but the central theme seems to be the idea of being prepared. The stranger's broken rope represents a weakness or vulnerability that needs to be fixed before facing impending doom. The omega day can be interpreted as a metaphor for any major life event, whether it be death, a major change, or a catastrophe. The fact that the stranger recognizes the singer suggests that the singer may be experiencing some sort of spiritual awakening or self-discovery that has allowed him to recognize the stranger as a symbolic representation of his own fears or uncertainties.
Overall, "Omega Day" is a thought-provoking song that leaves the listener with a sense of introspection and contemplation about their own preparedness for life's challenges and uncertainties.
Line by Line Meaning
Inside a bar of a sleeping town
A local bar with a small population, but everyone seems to be asleep, which makes for a lonely and abandoned environment.
There lay a sleeping man he wore a frown
A man who was sleeping with a sad expression on his face might have been going through a tough period.
A stranger woke him he looked around
A stranger came in and woke him up, which surprised him, but he still looked around the bar to try and figure out where he was.
Then he spoke I wrote it down
The stranger spoke to the sleeping man, and the artist wrote down what the stranger was saying, possibly because it was important information.
He said, “My climbing rope is broken, And I cannot stay awake Better fix it son no jokingFor the omega day is come”
The stranger told the sleeping man about his broken climbing rope and the importance of fixing it urgently since the 'Omega Day' is impending and it is no laughing matter.
I went over to the stranger's side I began to speak but he read my mind
The singer approached the stranger and, before he could speak or ask any questions, the stranger preemptively intuited the intent, which made him feel uneasy.
He said, “You know me from long ago”Then he turned I watched him go
The stranger then told the singer that he knew him from a past life, and before they could continue the conversation, he left, leaving the singer with unanswered questions.
I said, “My climbing rope is broken,And I cannot stay awakeBetter fix it son no jokingFor the omega day is come”
The artist repeated what the stranger had told the sleeping man, possibly signifying the urgency of the message and the importance of fixing the rope and staying alert for the upcoming event.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Listening2all
Inside a bar of a sleeping town
There lay a sleeping man he wore a frown
A stranger woke him he looked around
Then he spoke I wrote it down
He said, “My climbing rope is broken,
And I cannot stay awake
Better fix it son no joking
For the omega day is come”
I went over to the stranger's side
I began to speak but he read my mind
He said, “You know me from long ago”
Then he turned I watched him go
I said, “My climbing rope is broken,
And I cannot stay awake
Better fix it son no joking
For the omega day is come”
Maxi Castro
¡Fabuloso!, ¡GRACIAS POR COMPARTIRLO!
Mark Hollingdale
Outstanding
Carmina Warden Arriozola
Perfecto.
Ben Nardolilli
lovely
Jack Pyne
This sounds like it should be in the movie "Goodfellas".
Anthony Peters
kinda !
Trev Mac
thanks for posting