As a singer-songwriter with a unique gift of capturing the subtleties of British life, he did not keep his opinions to himself. This articulation often resulted in audience members being offended, outraged or otherwise aghast. He received earfuls from angry old ladies in hunting villages, indie crowds in Essex and a few outraged liberals at the Leftfield stage during Glastonbury Festival. He must have been doing something right.
After spending three years at Leeds University earning a degree in pop music, the inevitable move to London followed. He spent 1999 slogging at a day job, and recorded his first album during evenings and weekends on the cobbled-together not-exactly-state-of-the-art recording equipment in his bedroom. The result was Beatverse, released in 1999 on his own label, Wine Cellar. It sold fewer than 500 copies, but it taught him not be afraid of being opinionated and brutally honest in his songs.
Snowstorm Records loved the album and offered to fund the next T-T release. The result was 2000’s Panic Attack at Sainsbury’s, a mixed bag of pop anthems (You Can Be Flirty), anti-establishment sing-alongs (Dreaming of Injured Popstars) and twisted love songs (Open Books, Exeat).
Over the next few years, T-T became intimate with every venue on the UK indie circuit, driving beat-up vans and sleeping on floors while getting paid next-to-nothing to perform to an ever-increasing base of dedicated fans.
With two albums, the first two parts of the London Trilogy ‘The 253’ (2001) and ‘London Is Sinking’ (2003), as well as overtly political mini-album ‘9 Red Songs’ (2005), Chris T-T tackled life's grand themes of war, money, politics, love, sex, and death, and has transformed them into highly personal and highly emotional songs, championed by everyone from NME to Rolling Stone, from Radio 1 to Radio 3, and 6Music.
As the Guardian said: "The genius of Chris T-T's songwriting is his ability to humanise even the most outlandish conceits. They seem instead like brilliant ideas that no-one else could've come up with."
His offering ‘Capital’ (released in March 2008 through Xtra Mile Recordings) is a stunning collection of carefully-crafted fuzzed-up folk-rock anthems, is the climactic final part of the London Trilogy.
While ‘The 253’ uses wry observations, sincerity, and sting to depict gritty modern life in London, and ‘London Is Sinking’ portrays a city fraught with prejudice and fear, ‘Capital’ imagines the city devouring itself. As Chris explains:
“In my head it's a civil war in London with the authorities versus normal people, and the insurrectionists (the good guys) are hoodlum kids. Though in a way, the whole thing's just a big clunky metaphor for modern urban decay."
This is no grand dystopian vision, though, but rather a fine portrait of the human cost of civil war, with a love story at its heart. “I was inspired by how difficult it is to imagine what it's like in a war zone,” Chris says. “Even watching Baghdad on TV, you get no sense of real, normal people trying to live there, get to work, eat, even have fun. The characters in Capital are let down by basic failing infrastructure as well as soldiers roaming the streets bashing people up.”
Chris T-T has produced yet another brilliantly intricate and hilariously acerbic album, with musical styles ranging from electronic synth-pop to moody piano-led folk. ‘Capital’, featuring the world-class drumming of Andy Burrows (Razorlight), reaches a depth too few try to attain.
Official websites:
http://www.christt.com/
http://www.myspace.com/christtuk
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=20876321656
The River
Chris T-T Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know I'd be a hell of a sight
Covered in Arkansas clay from head to toe
If I told you once, I told you twice
You better not touch my Clementine
But you didn't listen, now you're fillin' up this hole
Hey buddy, hey buddy, ain't that Mississippi muddy
So tonight I lay me down to sleep
And pray my soul and my secret to keep
Between you, me and the river
It's been a long week working overtime
That's why I got home early tonight
And when I saw your car I could smell the trouble
So I turned off my headlights
And saw your silhouettes through candlelight
And I went to the shed to get my shovel
Hey buddy, hey buddy, ain't that Mississippi muddy
And this time of year, she takes what you give her
So tonight I'll lay me down to sleep
And pray my soul and a secret to keep
Between you, me and the river
Yeah, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh
They're gonna come knockin', it's a matter of time
They'll ask about my alibi
And where Clementine ran off to, they'll wonder
I won't tell 'em she's cheatin' on me
But I'll smile at the memory
Of my diamond on her hand as she went under
Hey buddy, hey buddy, ain't that Mississippi muddy
And this time of year, she takes what you give her
So tonight I'll lay me down to sleep
And pray my soul and a secret to keep
Between you, me and the river
Between you, me and the river
Chris T-T’s “The River” is a tale of regret and isolation, following a man who has made a mistake that has led him to be naked and alone by the side of a lake. The lyrics suggest that the man had a fight with a woman, took her swimming, and is now left on his own. He reflects on what he should have said or done to prevent this predicament but now faces the prospect of spending the night alone in the wilderness. The phrase “naked and frozen” hints at the vulnerability and exposure of the man’s situation.
The song expresses the feeling that the singer has missed the opportunity to communicate with the woman in a meaningful way. He wishes he had told her how he feels and now fears that if he does, it may lead to another argument. The theme of missed opportunities is also reflected in the repetition of the refrain “Looks like I’m heading for a night on the river”, suggesting that the chance to sort things out has passed and he is now resigned to spending a lonely night under the stars.
The lyrics suggest that the man’s attitude towards the river has changed in the course of the song. At first, he is resigned to spending a night by the water, but towards the end of the song, he sees the lights of a car and the possibility of another person’s company. The repeated line “just me and my beating heart, singing in the dark” reflects the fragility and loneliness of the singer's state of mind. Overall, the song portrays the psychological cost of missed communication and the regret that can result.
Line by Line Meaning
Naked and frozen at the side of a lake,
I am standing here shivering in my bare skin, next to this body of water.
I think I've gone and made my big mistake,
I fear that something I did or said has led me to this unfavorable moment.
I took her swimming, we had a fight,
I brought my partner to swim with me, and now we are angry and argumentative with each other.
Now my clothes and the lady are well out of sight;
My attire and my female companion have vanished from my view entirely.
And it looks like I'm heading for a night on the river,
It appears that I am going to spend a night on the river, as there is no other way to escape this situation.
Under the moon and the stars,
The natural beauties of the celestial bodies in the night sky are the only visible company I have.
Looks like I'm heading for a night on the river,
It seems that spending the night on the river is my fate and I have no say in the matter.
Me and my beating heart, singing in the dark;
Alone with my racing heartbeat, all that can be heard in the silent darkness.
If she was here I wouldn't hesitate,
If my partner was present, I wouldn't waste any time telling her the truth.
To tell her how, the way things are,
To reveal the reality of our situation and feelings to her.
With a long conversation in the back of a car;
We would have the opportunity to converse deeply about our circumstances if we were in a private car.
Could be I'm heading for a night on the river,
It is possible that I will have to spend the night out alone on the river.
I think she owes me an explanation,
In my opinion, she is responsible for explaining herself and her actions.
She's got the whip hand in this situation,
She possesses the power and control over what happens in this moment.
If I try to tell her just the way I feel,
If I attempt to express my innermost thoughts and emotions to her,
It could start the whole thing all over again;
I am worried that this action could reignite our previous argument and start the cycle over.
But I see the lights of a car, shining in the dark,
Now, I see the headlights of an automobile peeking through the night, representing a glimmer of hope and possibility.
Oh, could be we're heading for a mm-mm,
It is within the realm of possibility that we will have a romance or love affair in the future.
Just you and me and our beating hearts,
It will be only the two of us, along with our palpable pulses and rhythmic heartbeats.
We're singing in the dark.
We will sing together in the darkness, as the harmonies of our hearts come together.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Eric Church
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sadsongco
❤️🔥 Chris T-T, and Jen is a whole hell of a guitarist!