Burial is the moniker of William Bevan, a reclusive South Londoner who has … Read Full Bio ↴Burial is the moniker of William Bevan, a reclusive South Londoner who has become one of the most acclaimed, influential, and enigmatic electronic musicians of the early 21st century, thanks to his groundbreaking music as well as his reluctance to reveal any information about himself. Inspired by the anonymity of British club music, particularly garage, jungle, and hardcore, his tracks blend fractured breakbeats with mysterious, pitch-shifted voices and loads of vinyl crackle, rainfall, and submerged video game sound effects, creating gloomy, dystopian soundscapes evoking lonely nights spent wandering around an empty, desolate city. While his self-titled 2006 debut (one of the first notable dubstep full-lengths) received wide acclaim from the underground music press, the astonishing 2007 follow-up Untrue proved to be a major artistic breakthrough. Not only was it one of the most widely praised albums of the year, but its influence endured throughout the following decade, with countless producers emulating its vocal manipulations and dramatic, rain-soaked atmospherics. Collaborations with Four Tet, Thom Yorke, and Massive Attack followed, as well as several EPs which ranged from abstract, cinematic suites (2012's Kindred, 2013's Rival Dealer) to more club-friendly singles (2017's "Rodent"). While Burial continued to refrain from making public appearances or releasing a third album, he collaborated with Kode9 to mix Fabriclive100, the final volume of the long-running mix CD series, in 2018.

Burial debuted in March 2005 on the Hyperdub label with the South London Borough EP, which included the tracks "Southern Comfort" and "Broken Home." These two tracks would be among the highlights of the full-length album Burial (2006), whose release was accompanied by a second EP, Distant Lights (2006). Comprising bleak, evocative dubstep -- one track, "Night Bus," is entirely beatless, driven only by sampled rainfall and eerie synth melodies -- Burial was critically acclaimed, and most notably voted Album of the Year by The Wire; it was also voted among the best albums of the year by Mixmag. Burial's second album, Untrue (2007), was eagerly awaited as a result of all the acclaim; an EP, Ghost Hardware (2007), was released a few months in advance, drumming up further interest. Like its predecessor, Untrue was critically acclaimed, voted among the best albums of the year by XLR8R, for instance, and reviewed even more favorably than its predecessor.

In February 2008, British newspaper The Independent made a claim that William Bevan, indeed a native of South London, was the individual behind Burial. Bevan later confirmed the report, continued to record under his alias, and issued several collaborative works with the likes of former schoolmate Kieran Hebden (Four Tet), Thom Yorke, Massive Attack, and Jamie Woon. He issued three additional Hyperdub EPs -- Street Halo, Kindred, and Truant -- in 2011 and 2012. A Japanese CD release combined the first two. Bevan's 2013 was quiet until that December, when he released a three-track EP for Hyperdub titled Rival Dealer. A single-sided 12" titled Temple Sleeper surfaced on Keysound in 2015. The following year, Burial collaborated with Zomby on a track called "Sweetz," which appeared on Zomby's Ultra album and was also released as a single. Later in the year, Burial's Young Death/Nightmarket arrived on Hyperdub.

In April of 2017, Burial's remix of Goldie's jungle classic "Inner City Life" was released by Metalheadz. The following month, Burial's ambient Subtemple EP appeared on Hyperdub. He returned to beat-driven material in September with the garage-leaning single "Rodent," which was backed with a remix by Hyperdub boss Kode9, as well as "Pre Dawn," which appeared on Non Plus. In 2018, Burial and Kode9 mixed Fabriclive100, the conclusion of one of the two mix-CD series produced by London club Fabric. Single "Claustro"/"State Forest" appeared in 2019, and Burial ended the year with Tunes 2011-2019, a double-CD compiling most of his Hyperdub-issued output throughout the decade.

There are other artists with the same name:

2) Burial is a death metal band from The Netherlands. They released a downloadable album, Relinquished Souls at their website.

3) Burial is a hardcore punk band from Germany. They mix the sounds of early American hardcore with a definite dose of Japanese hardcore and Japanese burning spirits.

4) Burial is a brutal death metal band. They first got noticed with their self-produced debut CD, Mourning The Millenium. After appearing at several major US fests, Burial was signed to Lost Disciple Records and in 2000 released Enlightened With Pain, showcasing the band's pummeling brutality and technical proficiency. In 2001, Burial completed their first US tour, including Milwaukee Metalfest.

5) Burial is a blackened death metal band from Manchester, England.

6) Burial is a deathcore band from Québec City, Québec

7) Burial is a black ambient band from Poland.
8) Burial is a horrorcore artist from Michigan, Detroit.
9) Burial is a death doom metal band from Italy.

Rough Sleeper
Burial Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You
I want to know, now
If we didn't need
Would I know?

Couldn't love
Shine
I want to know, now

Couldn't know
Just...
Couldn't know
But...

You
I want to know, now
If we didn't need
Would I know?

Couldn't love
Shine
I want to know, now
Now
Now

Stay
Forever
Light
Be strong
You stay

Till the start
You stay

Just
Light surrounding you
Be strong
You stay
Hey!

Be strong
You stay

Stay alive
Stay alive
You stay

Just
Light surrounding you
Be strong
You stay
Hey!

Be strong
You stay

Be strong

You stay
Hey!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Burial's "Rough Sleeper" are reflective and introspective, with underlying themes of love and human connection. The song seems to be exploring the question of whether or not love is necessary for us to truly know another person. The repeated plea to "stay alive" and to "be strong" suggests a fear of losing someone and a recognition of the power that love has to sustain us through difficult times.

The phrase "rough sleeper" could refer to someone who is homeless and sleeping rough on the streets, which could tie into the themes of loneliness and disconnection explored in the song. The repetition of the phrase "I want to know, now" suggests an urgency in the singer's desire for answers and understanding.

Overall, the lyrics to "Rough Sleeper" are open to interpretation, but offer a poignant meditation on the complexities of human relationships and the power of love.

Line by Line Meaning

You
I am addressing you

I want to know, now
I am expressing my desire to know something immediately

If we didn't need
Referring to a hypothetical situation where we do not have any needs

Would I know?
Questioning whether I would still know something if we did not have needs

Couldn't love
Referring to a situation where one cannot love

Shine
Referring to radiating or glowing

Just...
Indicating that there is more to say but pausing to think

But...
Continuing the thought with what is actually needed to be said

Stay
Encouraging someone to remain in a place or position

Forever
Indicating an endless duration or constant state of being

Light
Referring to something that shines or illuminates