In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking. Bragg became disillusioned with his music career, and in May 1981 joined the British Army as a recruit destined for the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. After three months, he bought his way out of the army for £175 and returned home, having attended basic training but having never served in a regiment as a soldier.
Bragg began performing frequent concerts and busking around London, playing solo with an electric guitar. His roadie at the time was Andy Kershaw, who became a BBC DJ (Bragg and Kershaw later, in 1989, appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme, Great Journeys, in which they travelled the Silver Road from Potosí, Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile). Bragg performing at South by Southwest in 2008.
Bragg's demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of Charisma Records' A&R man Peter Jenner. Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for a music publisher, so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy although at the wrong speed (since the 12" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm). Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.
Within months, Charisma had been taken over by Virgin Records and Jenner, who had been laid off, became Bragg's manager. Stiff Records' press officer Andy Macdonald – who was setting up his own record label, Go! Discs – received a copy of Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983.[citation needed] In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political songs (e.g., "It Says Here") and songs of unrequited love (e.g., "The Saturday Boy"). The following year he released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that included a cover version of Leon Rosselson's "The World Turned Upside Down" – the EP made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on Top of the Pops. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song, "Ballad of the Spycatcher". In 1985, his song "A New England", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl. After MacColl's early death, Bragg always sang the extra verse in her honour. In 1984–1985 he toured North America.
In 1986, Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and the Between The Wars EP. Bragg released his fourth album, Workers Playtime, in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a backing band and accompaniment.
In May 1990, Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some songs featured more complicated arrangements and included a brass band. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", which is an adapted version of Earl Robinson's song, "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", itself an adaptation of a poem by Alfred Hayes.
The album Don't Try This at Home was released in September 1991, and included the song, "Sexuality", which reached the UK Singles Chart. Bragg had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal with a million pound advance, and a promise to promote the album with singles and videos.[citation needed] This gamble was not rewarded with extra sales, and the situation put the company in financial difficulty. In exchange for ending the contract early and repaying a large amount of the advance, Bragg regained all rights to his back catalogue.[citation needed] Bragg continued to promote the album with his backing band, The Red Stars, which included his Riff Raff colleague and long-time roadie, Wiggy.
Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996 after taking time off to help raise his son. Around that time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk artist Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000. A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album. The Blokes included keyboardist Ian McLagan, who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes The Faces. The documentary film Man in the Sand depicts the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the Mermaid Avenue albums.
In 2004, Bragg joined Florida ska-punk band Less Than Jake to perform a version of 'The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out' for the Rock Against Bush compilation.
At the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, Bragg teamed up with the Levellers to perform a short set of songs by or associated with The Clash in celebration of Joe Strummer's birthday. Bragg performed guitar and lead vocals on "Police and Thieves", and performed guitar and backing vocals on "English Civil War", and "Police on my Back".
In 2007, Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the WOMAD-inspired collective The Imagined Village, who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn. Bragg released his album Mr. Love & Justice in March 2008. This was the second Bragg album to be named after a book by Colin MacInnes. In 2008, during the NME Awards ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act Kate Nash. They mixed up their two greatest hits, Nash playing "Foundations", and Bragg redoing his "A New England". Bragg also collaborated with the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones, who supported Bragg's Tour.
In 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film "A13: Road Movie". Bragg is featured alongside union reps, vicars, burger van chefs and Members of Parliament in a film that explored "the overlooked, the hidden and the disregarded."
He was involved in the play Pressure Drop at the Wellcome Collection in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as "part play, part gig, part installation", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as compere.
Bragg curated the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury Festival 2010.
He took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.
Bragg performed a set of the Guthrie songs that he had set to music for Mermaid Avenue during the Hay Literary Festival in June 2012. Mermaid Avenue Vol. III and Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions were also released in early 2012.
On 18 March 2013, Bragg released his latest studio album, five years since Mr. Love & Justice, titled Tooth And Nail. It featured 11 original songs, including one written for the Bush Theatre, and a Woody Guthrie cover. Stylistically, it continues to explore genres of Americana (music) and Alternative country, both of which he has said he has been playing and writing regularly since Mermaid Avenue (1998).
In November 2017, he released all six tracks from the mini-album Bridges Not Walls as downloads and CD through the Billy Bragg website and other sellers, followed by the single Full English Brexit through Cooking Vinyl.
Your Name On My Tongue
Billy Bragg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In tower of last desire
Crum fumb small beginnings
The living world undone
Now it hums that is singing
Like words out on the wire
They don't like surrender
Your name on my tongue
Grief was my companion
It pushed me like a seed
Compass blade at my fool
Pointing up to the sun
Fear bears a strange courage
It's a whole conspiracy
The troops kneel down the path
Your name on my tongue
Your name on my tongue
Your name on my tongue
Your name on my tongue
Get up, get up, fix it up, no time
Get up, fix it, fix it up, no time
Get up, get up, fix it up, no time
Get up, fix it, fix it up, no time
Cause I'm still in love, yeah I'm still in love
I've set out a table, I've made up my bed
Ceiling above my head, the floor down
But I've barely been able
To hold my own on my peace
But I'll never let go,
Your name on my tongue
Your name on my tongue
Your name on my tongue
Your name on my tongue.
The lyrics to Billy Bragg's “Your Name On My Tongue” appear to be about lost love and grief. The song tells the story of someone who is struggling to move on from a past relationship. The opening lines evoke a sense of despair and confusion, as the singer hears the "bell ringing in the tower of last desire" and the "living world undone." It seems as though the world is falling apart around them, and they are powerless to stop it.
The second verse reveals that the singer's grief is their constant companion, pushing them like a seed to grow and change. They are guided by a "compass blade" that points toward the sun, but this journey is not without its challenges. Fear is also present, but it gives them courage to continue on. The troops kneel down the path, perhaps indicating that others have walked this road before and found their way through it. Nevertheless, the singer is still struggling to hold onto their own peace and to move on from the past.
The chorus repeats the phrase "your name on my tongue" several times, emphasizing the hold that the past relationship has on the singer. Despite their attempts to move on, they cannot let go of the person they once loved. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer has made some progress, but that they still have a long way to go: "I'll never let go, your name on my tongue."
Overall, the song is a powerful meditation on grief, loss, and the struggle to move on. It captures the complicated emotions that come with heartbreak, and the difficulty of letting go of the past.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard the bell ringing
The singer hears something significant, perhaps a warning or call to action.
In tower of last desire
This sound is coming from a place where extreme longing or passion reside.
Crum fumb small beginnings
The initial steps towards something can be clumsy or difficult.
The living world undone
These actions or events are altering the state of the world, perhaps in a negative way.
Now it hums that is singing
The sound initially heard is now becoming louder and more impactful, like an urgent message.
Like words out on the wire
This message is being broadcast publicly, like a message sent out over a telegraph.
They don't like surrender
There is a sense of resistance or opposition to giving up or giving in.
Your name on my tongue
Despite all of the chaos and noise, the artist is still holding onto thoughts of someone important to them.
Grief was my companion
The artist has experienced profound loss and is still grappling with the emotions accompanying it.
It pushed me like a seed
This grief has had a powerful transformative effect, pushing the artist to grow and change.
Compass blade at my fool
The singer may feel foolish or lost, but there is a guiding force pushing them forward regardless.
Pointing up to the sun
The goal or destination is something bright, positive, and uplifting.
Fear bears a strange courage
Although fear is often seen as a negative emotion, it can sometimes propel people to take bold action.
It's a whole conspiracy
This fear, like a feeling of something behind the scenes working against the singer, may be pervasive and difficult to overcome.
The troops kneel down the path
Despite these challenges, there is still a sense of progress or movement towards the goal.
Get up, get up, fix it up, no time
The artist is urging themselves to take action, to fix what needs fixing before it's too late.
Cause I'm still in love, yeah I'm still in love
Despite everything else going on, the artist is still deeply in love with someone.
I've set out a table, I've made up my bed
The singer has created a comfortable and inviting space for someone they care about.
Ceiling above my head, the floor down
The singer has everything they need, and is ready to support and care for their loved one.
But I've barely been able
Despite good intentions, something is holding the artist back from fully committing or expressing themselves.
To hold my own on my peace
The artist is struggling to maintain their own sense of peace and inner calm.
But I'll never let go,
Despite these challenges, the artist is determined to hold onto their love and the person they care about.
Your name on my tongue
Their thoughts continually return to this person, and they are never far from the singer's mind.
Your name on my tongue
Their love for this person remains constant, despite any obstacles or difficulties.
Your name on my tongue
This person is a crucial and ever-present part of the singer's life.
Your name on my tongue.
The singer's thoughts, actions, and motivations are all informed by their love for this person.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BILLY BRAGG, JOE HENRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind