Hewerdine (born Mark Hewerdine) moved to Cambridge as a child, but returned to London in his late teens, and worked in a record shop. Suffering from agoraphobia, it was not a happy time of his life, and he was fired from his job after being wrongly accused of theft. Returning to Cambridge, he teamed up with a friend with similar experiences and started to write songs. They formed the short-lived Placebo Thing, later renamed The Great Divide. They were heard by Mike Scott of The Waterboys, who recommended them to Ensign Records, where they cut two commercially unsuccessful singles. In 1985 Hewerdine, working once again in a record shop in Cambridge, formed The Bible, recruiting jazz drummer Tony Shepherd. They released an album of songs through the independent Norwich label Backs Records called Walking The Ghost Back Home.
The Bible became a fairly successful independent band, with a cult following spread mostly through word of mouth and live performances. Two tracks from the first album, Graceland and Mahalia were released as singles, but did not achieve very significant sales. The album however was very well received by music pundits, and this brought the band to the attention of Chrysalis Records. Signing to Chrysalis, Graceland and another track, Honey Be Good were (re)released as singles, and reached the lower end of the UK singles chart. A new album, Eureka followed, but failed commercially. In 1988, Hewerdine decided to leave the group and pursue solo projects. Calum MacColl and Neill MacColl from the group went on to form Liberty Horses.
At around this time Hewerdine met US "new country" singer Darden Smith, and this set him off in a new direction. Working together, he and Smith released a collaborative album, Evidence. Hewerdine also worked simultaneously on new solo songs, largely based on his earlier traumatic experiences in London. Eventually these were distilled down to produce the Ignorance album, released in 1992. Invited by Tori Amos to play support promoting these songs, Hewerdine managed to find a new audience and Ignorance and a single from the album, History, did relatively well commercially.
As Hewerdine's star rose, he started to write for other artists, among them Eddi Reader, Clive Gregson and Christine Collister. The Bible reformed for a tour in 1994. Further solo album releases followed, such as 1996's Baptist Hospital and 1999's Thanksgiving. Meanwhile Hewerdine was asked by long-time friend Nick Hornby to contribute music to the soundtrack for the movie version of his book High Fidelity, whose subject (working in a record shop) was also very close to Hewerdine's experiences.
Hewerdine continues to write and perform his own songs. Harmonograph, released on MVine/Red Grape Records in February 2006, is a collection of his songs written for other artists such as Eddi Reader and Hepburn, recorded by Hewerdine for the first time. 2008 saw two mini CD releases - Toy Box 1 and Toy Box 2 with art work by Hewerdine's grandmother. Hewerdine continues to tour regularly, playing a set featuring songs from through out his career from The Bible to Toy Box.
Sugar On The Pill
Boo Hewerdine Lyrics
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They have nothing new to say
The windwos sighed and turned away
Oops there goes another day
If you've got to go
If you've got to go
And I know you will
If I lived up on the moon
I'd be free of the pull of you
And if I never seen you're face
I'd be happy lost in space
If you've got to go
If you've got to go
And I know you will
Put some sugar on the pill
If you've got to go
If you've got to go
And I know you will
Put some sugar on the pill
Tell me when it's over
Tell me when it's gone
So I can move on
And the mirror girl gives her a grin
She doesn't know the trouble she's in
There's a truth she'll have to meet
But just this one time make it sweet
If you've got to go
If you've got to go
And I know you will
Put some sugar on the pill
If you've got to go
If you've got to go
And I know you will
Put some sugar on the pill
The song "Sugar On The Pill" by Boo Hewerdine is a tender and melancholic ballad that talks about the pain and heartbreak of a relationship that is coming to an end. The opening lines, "I asked the walls where you are today, They have nothing new to say," evoke a sense of loneliness and abandonment as the singer realizes that he can no longer rely on his partner for emotional support. The following lines, "If you've got to go, And I know you will, Put some sugar on the pill," suggest that the singer is resigned to the breakup but asks for some kindness and gentleness in the way his partner ends their relationship.
The second verse of the song reveals that the singer is so desperate to escape the pain of the breakup that he wishes he could live on the moon, away from the pull of his partner. However, he also acknowledges that the thought of never seeing her face fills him with a sense of loss and sadness. The chorus is repeated twice, emphasizing the importance of adding some sweetness to the bitter pill of the breakup.
The bridge of the song is particularly poignant, with its plea, "Tell me when it's over, Tell me when it's gone, So I can move on," which encapsulates the desire to find closure and move forward. Finally, the last lines of the song, "There's a truth she'll have to meet, But just this one time make it sweet," show that even though there may be hard truths to face, the singer is still hopeful that kindness and empathy can make the separation bearable.
Line by Line Meaning
I asked the walls where you are today
I'm trying to find you but I'm not making any progress; there's no information or sign of you anywhere.
They have nothing new to say
Even the walls that could be associated with you have no interesting news about you - everything seems mundane.
The windows sighed and turned away
The windows of your house seem to have given up sense of your whereabouts - either that, or they're deliberately not revealing anything.
Oops there goes another day
I'm losing another day that I could have used more productively, still searching for you.
If you've got to go
If you've decided to leave my life,
And I know you will
I know it'll happen eventually - I'm anticipating your decision.
Put some sugar on the pill
Make it easier for me to swallow the bitter truth - give me a good reason why.
If I lived up on the moon
If I could remove myself away from you completely,
I'd be free of the pull of you
I could finally be free of the emotional ties and the draw you have on me if I moved that far away.
And if I never seen you are face
If I never saw you again,
I'd be happy lost in space
I'd be contented and happy even in a void - as long as I don't have to confront the truth of losing you.
Tell me when it's over
Please let me know when it's finished,
Tell me when it's gone
Please reveal to me when it's out of your system,
So I can move on
So that I can finally move past my awkward and frustrating state of limbo.
And the mirror girl gives her a grin
She maintains a different front to her true emotions, even when faced with herself in the mirror
She doesn't know the trouble she's in
She's not consciously aware that she's in a relationship that's causing turmoil and confusion for the person singing this song.
There's a truth she'll have to meet
Eventually, the girl may have to confront the reality of the situation, no matter how much of a facade she puts up
But just this one time make it sweet
Please let the last memory of our time together be a sweet one, even though it's inevitably going to end soon.
Contributed by Logan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.