Born to a working-class family, Ferry studied fine art and taught at a secondary school before pursuing a career in music. In 1970 he began to assemble the rock band Roxy Music with a group of friends and acquaintances in London, and took the role of lead singer and main songwriter. The band achieved immediate international success with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1972, containing a rich multitude of sounds, which reflected Ferry's interest in exploring different genres of music. Their second album, For Your Pleasure (1973), further cultivated the band's unique sound and visual image that would establish Ferry as a leading cultural icon over the next decade.
Ferry began a parallel solo career in 1973 by releasing These Foolish Things, which popularized for the first time the concept of a contemporary musician releasing an album covering standard songs and was a drastic departure from his ongoing work with Roxy Music. His second album, Another Time, Another Place (1974), featured as its cover image Ferry posing by a pool in a white dinner jacket and represented one of his most impactful fashion statements. Over the next two years, Roxy Music released a trilogy of albums, Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974) and Siren (1975), which broadened the band's appeal internationally and saw Ferry take greater interest in the role of a live performer, reinventing himself in stage costumes ranging from gaucho to military uniforms.
Ferry disbanded Roxy Music following the release of their best-selling album Avalon in 1982 to concentrate on his solo career, releasing further singles such as "Slave to Love" and "Don't Stop the Dance" and the UK no. 1 album Boys and Girls in 1985. Including his work with Roxy Music, Ferry has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
As well as being a prolific songwriter, Ferry has recorded many cover versions, including standards from the Great American Songbook, in albums such as These Foolish Things (1973), Another Time, Another Place (1974), Let's Stick Together (1976), Taxi (1993) and As Time Goes By (1999), as well as Dylanesque (2007), an album of Bob Dylan covers. In 2019, Ferry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Ferry
Studio albums
These Foolish Things (1973)
Another Time, Another Place (1974)
Let's Stick Together (1976)
In Your Mind (1977)
The Bride Stripped Bare (1978)
Boys and Girls (1985)
Bête Noire (1987)
Taxi (1993)
Mamouna (1994)
As Time Goes By (1999)
Frantic (2002)
Dylanesque (2007)
Olympia (2010)
The Jazz Age (2012)
Avonmore (2014)
Bitter-Sweet (2018)
It's All Over Now Baby Blue
Bryan Ferry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast.
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun,
Crying like a fire in the sun.
Look out the saints are cominâ?? through
And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense.
Take what you have gathered from coincidence.
Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets.
This sky, too, is folding under you
And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home.
All your reindeer armies, are all going home.
The lover who just walked out your door
Has taken all his blankets from the floor.
The carpet, too, is moving under you
And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.
Forget the dead youâ??ve left, they will not follow you.
The vagabond whoâ??s rapping at your door
Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Strike another match, go start anew
And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue
At first glance, the lyrics of "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" by Bryan Ferry appear to be about a breakup or a person leaving a place or situation. However, upon closer inspection, the lyrics suggest a deeper meaning about leaving behind the past and moving on to something new. The first two lines urge the listener to take what they need but to grab it fast, implying that time is running out. The image of an orphan with a gun crying like a fire in the sun suggests a sense of loss and instability.
The third and fourth lines introduce the idea of a religious reference with the phrase "look out the saints are coming through." The use of the word "saints" suggests that a higher power is at work, and change is inevitable. The next stanza suggests that the highway is for gamblers and that one should use their sense to take what they have gathered from coincidence. The empty-handed painter drawing crazy patterns on the sheets symbolizes the act of creating something new and leaving the past behind.
The third stanza refers to all the people leaving and going home. The idea of leaving behind stepping stones and forgetting the dead you've left suggest a sense of closure and moving on. The vagabond at the door standing in the clothes that you once wore is a reminder of how much has changed and that it's time to start anew. The final line "And it's all over now, Baby Blue" is a reference to Bob Dylan's original version of the song and suggests that it's time to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
You must leave now, take what you need, you think will last.
It's time to go, so take only what you believe is essential for your future.
But whatever you wish to keep, you better grab it fast.
Grab what you want to take with you now; there's no time to waste.
Yonder stands your orphan with his gun, Crying like a fire in the sun.
There's an abandoned part of you that's angry and hurting.
Look out the saints are cominâ?? through And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue.
The time of this phase or chapter of existence is at its end.
The highway is for gamblers, better use your sense.
Life is a gamble, so use and trust your instincts to navigate it.
Take what you have gathered from coincidence.
Take the lessons and experiences from chance encounters and situations.
The empty-handed painter from your streets Is drawing crazy patterns on your sheets.
Your creativity is influencing your life in unpredictable ways.
This sky, too, is folding under you And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue.
The world around you is changing drastically, and this era is ending.
All your seasick sailors, they are rowing home.
The people who have been struggling alongside you are moving on.
All your reindeer armies, are all going home.
Even the most loyal and dependable entities in your life are leaving.
The lover who just walked out your door Has taken all his blankets from the floor.
Your recent loss has taken everything that made you feel safe and comfortable.
The carpet, too, is moving under you And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue.
The final layers of your security are being removed, signifying the inevitable end of a phase.
Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.
You need to let go of the things that used to guide you because something new is waiting for you.
Forget the dead youâ??ve left, they will not follow you.
The ghosts of your past can't come with you, and it's better to let them go.
The vagabond whoâ??s rapping at your door Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.
Your past is coming back to you, but it's changed and unrecognizable.
Strike another match, go start anew And itâ??s all over now, Baby Blue.
Start over again, and embrace the new life that awaits you. This chapter is now officially ended.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AnthonyWilliams-ew3wp
What a country England is. Bowie, Ferry and Palmer. The epitome of cool singers.
@monikazebrowska4084
Unfortunatly with a Special tendency to die early
@vicgallimore6756
Also Georgie Fame.
@Wedget
100% agree
@francescomarianichele7265
What about Rolling Stones?
@elnafinn
Bowie might be liked for his music but I understand he was not the best of characters
@Johnboy33545
This is a truly masterful performance. This must have been an epic concert. Bob Dylan has been quoted as saying Bryan does the best covers of his songs. I wouldn't argue with him.
@Scottieguru
Ferry brought some glamour to the great rock poetry of Mr. Dylan.
@michaeldavies9533
My wife has been head over heels with Bryan Ferry met her at a concert in the NEC in! Birmingham was chatting her up when Bryan started singing Jealous Guy need I say more,she has all his music LPs and all.
@OldBlueMusician
This is absolutely terrific