Bombay Bicycle Club is a British band formed in North London, United Kingdo… Read Full Bio ↴Bombay Bicycle Club is a British band formed in North London, United Kingdom in 2006. In January 2016, the four members announced that they would pursue solo projects. Ed Nash has since then been recording music under the name Toothless, releasing his debut album in early 2017, and former frontman Steadman has been recording under the name Mr Jukes, releasing a debut single in March 2017.

The band was formed by Jack Steadman (vocals, guitar, bass), Jamie MacColl (bass, guitar, banjo, vocals), Suren De Saram (drums) under the name of The Canals when they were 15. Ed Nash (bass, keyboard, mandolin) later joined the trio as they switched between various aliases before picking Bombay Bicycle Club. The band took their name from a chain of curry houses in the London Area and have released four studio albums, "I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose" (2009), "Flaws" (2010), "A Different Kind Of Fix" (2011) and "So long, See You tomorrow" (2014).

After winning the opening slot at V Festival 2006 ('Road to V' competition) and also played Reading / Leeds Festival for the three years running, in Febuary 2007 they released their début EP The Boy I Used To Be. This was followed up in October with the release of their second EP How We Are. In mid-July of 2009 they released their first album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose consisting of 12 tracks. The album peaked at number 46 on the UK Official Album Charts.

In Summer 2010 they released their second album, Flaws . A UK tour co-incided with the release of the album which - surprisingly - is an acoustic recording. Venues on the tour reflected this new acoustic orientation, which gained them a number 8 on the album charts.

The lead single from their third album, A Different Kind Of Fix was released on June 23, 2011 and peaked at #40 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States, the band's first chart appearance in the country. The album reached the number 6 position on the UK album charts.
The band added Amber Wilson to their live party as an additional keyboardist and background vocalist. Singer/songwriter Lucy Rose also joined the live performances on vocals, after featuring on several songs from the albums "Flaws" and "A Different Kind of Fix".

On November 5th, 2013 "Carry me" was released as an advance of their fourth studio album through Island Records. "Luna" was the second single to be extracted from the album "So long, see you tomorrow" which coveted the band their first UK number 1.

After a long 6-year hiatus, the band made a comeback in 2020 with "Everything Else Has Gone Wrong", their fifth record. The album was released on January 16th via Mmm... Records, with eleven tracks.

"We’re thrilled to say that our 5th album, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, is out now.

When we started discussing the possibility of making another record after our a few years away as a band, we said we’d only release an album if we were confident that it stood up to our previous work. We’ve ended up with an album we’re really proud of, and we hope you agree that it’s been worth the 6-year wait.

Recording this one was definitely one of the most enjoyable recording processes we’ve had as a band. Working with John Congleton, we had an initial session in London in early Spring last year at Konk studio, where we’d done our first and fourth albums. We then went to LA in late Summer to record the majority of it with John. Spending 3 weeks in LA was an unforgettable experience for the four of us. It was the first extended period of time we’d spent together in a long while and reinforced what we’d been missing during these few years. We hope that positive energy that was there during those 3 weeks has translated onto the record.

We’ve touched previously on how the album is about the comfort that music can provide in times of need. Hopefully, this record can give you that escape should you ever need it.

We want to get to as many places as possible to play these new songs for you. Wherever you are in the world, fingers crossed we’ll see you soon.

Lots of love
Bombay x."

Dust on the Ground
Bombay Bicycle Club Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It's that ancient love
That you won't outgrow
It's the fee you pay
It's the debt you owe
Is that subtle way
That you throw me down
I am inches above
The dust on the ground

I await your call
I await your crown
Lets change our roads
And chase them all around
Is that subtle way
You throw me down
I am inches above
The dust on the ground

And all is quiet
All is quiet now
And all is silent
All is silent now
Now I don't hide it
I don't hide it now

It's that ancient love
That just moves along
And there's an itch so slight
Even when you're gone
Well I met you right
But I kept your wrong
And I must wait until I've found the ground that you are walking on

And all is quiet
All is quiet now
And all is silent
All is silent now
Now I don't hide it
I don't hide it now

Now I don't hide it
I don't hide it now

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Dust on the Ground" by Bombay Bicycle Club seem to be about the feeling of being trapped in an unhealthy relationship, in which the singer is emotionally repressed with feelings of love that they cannot tell the person they are in love with. The "ancient love" referenced in the first verse is a love that has been around for a long time and is deeply ingrained, almost as though it is a part of oneself. The lyrics in the second verse highlight the singer's longing for the person to call them, and wanting to change their current situation, to change their life paths and chase different areas in life.
The singer expresses being thrown down in a "subtle way," suggesting that their partner is not overtly dismissive, but more passive in their disregard. The phrase "I am inches above the dust on the ground" seems to suggest that the singer is suspended between the absolute lowest position they could be in, implying complete despair and hopelessness, and the potential to rise up and move on from their situation.

The chorus advances the feeling of loneliness, indicating that the silence is all-consuming, indicating that we may hide our true feelings for someone we love because it is not socially appropriate, it is either stigmatized, or we are not willing to take the risk to reveal it. The third and final verse returns to this "ancient love" theme, insinuating that the person being sung about left a deep impact on the singer, and the relationship is toxic, even wrong, for the singer, the only consolation being that the person they love seems to have found their footing at least for the time being.

Line by Line Meaning

It's that ancient love
The love between two people that has been present for a long time.

That you won't outgrow
A love that will never go away or disappear.

It's the fee you pay
The cost of being in love and maintaining a relationship.

It's the debt you owe
An obligation to continue to love and care for your partner.

Is that subtle way
The gentle and unnoticeable manner in which you treat someone.

That you throw me down
When you make the other person powerless or insignificant in the relationship.

I am inches above
Being close to falling or being hurt because of the situation you're in.

The dust on the ground
The feeling of being low or insignificant compared to the other person in the relationship.

I await your call
Waiting for the person you love to contact you.

I await your crown
Waiting for the other person to show you affection or love.

Lets change our roads
Changing the current state of the relationship for the better.

And chase them all around
Working together to resolve conflicts that arise in the relationship.

And all is quiet
A calm and peaceful state of being in the relationship.

All is quiet now
The absence of any issues or troubles within the relationship.

And all is silent
No external forces or people are interfering with the relationship.

All is silent now
A complete absence of noise or disturbances.

Now I don't hide it
Being honest and open about your feelings and thoughts towards the other person.

I don't hide it now
No longer keeping secrets from the other person in the relationship.

That just moves along
A love that keeps going despite the different obstacles and hurdles that arise.

And there's an itch so slight
An uncomfortable feeling that exists when the other person is absent or not present.

Even when you're gone
The feeling of being incomplete or missing something when the other person is not with you.

Well I met you right
Meeting the other person at the right time and in the right place.

But I kept your wrong
Holding onto past mistakes or wrongdoings that were done in the relationship.

And I must wait until I've found the ground that you are walking on
Having patience and waiting until you understand the other person's perspective or current situation.

Now I don't hide it
Being honest and open about your feelings and thoughts towards the other person.

I don't hide it now
No longer keeping secrets from the other person in the relationship.

Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: JACK STEADMAN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS