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.
Plan D
Bill Fay Lyrics
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Will be released and the sea shall rise
And the skies open
And can't you see you're in on it?
You were born though you need not
Have been born here at all
For worship, being born among these trees?
Though the beast is lurking
Well Saint George he tried
Where he failed the sky will succeed
Shall be seen the hornets
Are you there to build a spire that blocks out the sky?
Your doors are open but are your minds?
Get down
And if you're sane yes I'm mad him good him bad
My knees are not bleeding from kneeling
In death's cathedral
Well now soon plan D
Will be released and the sea shall rise
And the skies open
In Bill Fay's song Plan D, the lyrics suggest that some catastrophic event, symbolized by the release of "Plan D," is going to occur - one that will cause the sea to rise and the skies to open. The song also speaks about the concept of being born into a world that is a mix of beauty and danger. Though one is born into these trees, the "beast is lurking" and many are oblivious to the danger. The listener is asked to consider whether one should worship simply being born into this world of contradictions.
The song then takes a turn towards questioning the actions of those in power, asking if they are doing enough to prevent the looming catastrophe. The lyrics reference St. George, a traditional symbol of bravery and chivalry, and implies that in the face of this threat, even he was unable to succeed. The song raises questions about the responsibility of those in power and the role of the individual in preventing disaster.
Overall, the song seems to be a meditation on the state of the world, our place within it, and the impending doom of something beyond our control.
Line by Line Meaning
Well now soon plan D
Bill Fay is referring to an upcoming event that he calls Plan D. The details of what Plan D entails are not given, but he seems to indicate that it is something significant that is coming soon.
Will be released and the sea shall rise
The release of Plan D will cause the sea to rise. This is an ominous statement that suggests the event will have significant environmental consequences.
And the skies open
The event that will be released as part of Plan D will also cause the skies to open. This could refer to changes in the atmosphere or the unleashing of forces that will cause destruction.
And can't you see you're in on it?
Bill Fay challenges the listener by suggesting that they are somehow involved in Plan D or the events that will be set into motion by it.
You were born though you need not
The artist emphasizes that the listener was born into this world, but suggests that they may not have needed to be born at all.
Have been born here at all
The listener may feel a sense of unease or ambiguity about their place in the world or their own sense of belonging.
And is that not some cause
The singer poses a rhetorical question to the listener. They ask if the fact that the listener was born among these trees is not a cause for worship or gratitude?
For worship, being born among these trees?
The artist suggests that being born in nature may be a reason for celebration or awe, but also acknowledges the lurking presence of danger or darkness.
Though the beast is lurking
The surrounding nature may contain unknown dangers, emphasizing the delicate balance between life and death.
Well Saint George he tried
A reference to the legend of Saint George, who defeated a dragon, but ultimately failed to rescue a princess.
Where he failed the sky will succeed
Bill Fay proposes that the sky will succeed where Saint George failed. This phrase is open to interpretation, but it may refer to the power of nature or a kind of higher power that will resist human control.
Shall be seen the hornets
The hornets are a metaphor for something formidable or menacing that will emerge as part of Plan D.
Are you there to build a spire that blocks out the sky?
The singer poses a question to the listener. They ask if the listener is building something that will block out the sky, which could refer to a physical object or a figurative one (e.g. destructive human activity).
Your doors are open but are your minds?
The singer questions whether the listener's perspective is open-minded or narrow-minded, acknowledging the dangers of being too convinced of one's own beliefs or biases..
Get down
The previous lines may have been intense or ominous, but this line encourages the listener to relax or not take things too seriously.
And if you're sane yes I'm mad him good him bad
The artist acknowledges that different people may have very different perspectives on the same events or situations. What one person perceives as good or bad, sane or mad, may be entirely different to another person's perception.
My knees are not bleeding from kneeling
The artist may be suggesting that they are not the type of person to accept authority blindly, especially if it goes against their beliefs or values.
In death's cathedral
The singer employs a metaphor to describe the world as a cathedral of death, where life and death coexist and interact in often unpredictable ways.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind