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.
The Coast No Man Can Tell
Bill Fay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At least for now
You fought the battle most of your life
And you still fight it now
Soon you will be leaving for the coast
But it's a coast no man can tell
It's the end of life on this earth
You will always stay in my heart
As I hope a willing wish
Until that day we walk through the fields
When all of god's promises are fulfilled
Soon you'll be leaving for the coast
But it's a coast no man can tell
It's the end of life on this earth
And my brother I deeply fare you well
The lyrics to Bill Fay's song "The Coast No Man Can Tell" convey a sense of impending departure and loss, as he bids farewell to a brother-like figure who has fought a long battle in life. The line "you still fight it now" suggests that this person is still struggling with something, even as they prepare to leave for an unknown destination. The use of the metaphor of the coast adds to the sense of uncertainty and mystery surrounding this departure – it's a place that no man can tell, perhaps representing the afterlife or some other unknown realm that lies beyond our understanding. The repetition of this line underscores the finality of this departure, as it marks "the end of life on this earth" for the person leaving.
In the second verse, Fay expresses his deep affection for this person, saying that they will "always stay in my heart" even as they depart. He expresses hope for a better future, when they will be reunited and "all of god's promises are fulfilled." This suggests a strong religious undercurrent to the song, with the idea that there is a greater plan at work that we cannot fully understand.
Overall, "The Coast No Man Can Tell" is a melancholic, reflective song that speaks to the universal experiences of loss, departure, and hope. Through the use of powerful imagery and heartfelt lyrics, Fay creates a moving tribute to a loved one who is departing from this world.
Line by Line Meaning
It's time to leave and say goodbye
We must part ways for now
At least for now
But we will meet again eventually
You fought the battle most of your life
You have faced many struggles throughout your life
And you still fight it now
And you continue to fight even now
Soon you will be leaving for the coast
You will be departing for the afterlife soon
But it's a coast no man can tell
The details of the afterlife are unknown
It's the end of life on this earth
Death marks the end of our life on Earth
And my brother I deeply fare you well
I bid you a heartfelt farewell
You will always stay in my heart
You will be remembered fondly
As I hope a willing wish
I wish you well in the afterlife
Until that day we walk through the fields
Until we meet again in the afterlife
When all of god's promises are fulfilled
When we experience the fullness of God's blessings and rewards
Contributed by Audrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Listening2all
It's time to leave and say goodbye,
at least for now
you fought the battle most of your life
and you still fight it now
soon you will be leaving for the coast
but it's a coast no man can tell
it's the end of life on this earth
and my brother I deeply fare you well
you will always stay in my heart
as I hope a willing wish
until that day we walk through the fields
when all of God's promises are fulfilled
soon you'll be leaving for the coast
but it's a coast no man can tell
it's the end of life on this earth
and my brother I deeply fare you well
Romek
i know