He approached his music with a new found freshness and decided to put some songs down on record. His grandmother told him he had a distant cousin in London in the music business. Borrowing money from those that would lend it, he recorded his demo and sent it off to his cousin, renowned producer and film composer, David Arnold (Bjork, James Bond). Arnold liked what he heard and provided enough money for Damien to buy his own mobile studio.
Damien Rice formerly sang with Lisa Hannigan and released his debut solo album, O, in Ireland in early 2002. In July 2002 O was released in the UK and it received widespread critical acclaim. In June 2003 O was released in the USA and Europe, with Rice appearing on The Letterman Show and receiving more acclaim from publications such as Rolling Stone, Newsweek and The Boston Globe. Arnold joined him on stage in New York to perform a version of the Björk/Arnold track Play Dead.
He gained further popularity after some of his most famous songs were included in the media. An example of this is 9 Crimes used in the soundtrack of the summer blockbuster Shrek Three and The Blower's Daughter was featured in the movie Closer. Delicate was also featured in the hit T.V. show Lost.
Damien Rice is an intense live act - with emphasis laid on emotional intensity and experiments, rather than technical perfection. At a 2005 concert, for instance, he threw out big cheeses to the audience. This can sometimes be more demanding for the listener than the radio hit edit of the song Cannonball suggests. 'Cannonball' was re-mixed in 2004, for UK radio, to make it more radio-friendly. Rice later was reported to be very unhappy with it, saying to Tom Dunne on PetSounds (Today FM) that he did not "...really like it". He stated that he had allowed the remix to go through only if he signed a contract that would forbid anyone from ever remixing one of his songs ever again.
Damien spent 2004 and 2005 recording the follow-up to O. The album, 9, was released in Ireland on November 3, 2006, on November 6 in the rest of Europe, and in North America on November 14, 2006. Even though the new album maintained Rice's sense of "emotionality," some argued that it did so through volume and intensity rather than with the reflection and lyrical commentary that characterized his first release, O.
Rice has also developed a reputation as a live performer, selling out at venues across Europe and the United States. He is a performer who gives a lot of himself to the audience.
As of March 25th, 2007, this was posted on the Damien Rice official website: After much thought and discussion Damien has decided that his professional relationship with Lisa Hannigan has run its creative course. As a result Lisa will not be appearing at any of the upcoming live shows. Lisa is embarking on her own artistic endeavours and there are no plans for them to work together in the foreseeable future. The current band on tour at the moment are - Damien Rice, Joel Shearer, Shane Fitzsimons, Tom Osander, and Vyvienne Long.
Rumors that Damien Rice is currently dating Mélanie Laurent, a French actress, has not been verified. However, there have been reports that he is working with the actress to record her debut album.
The Rat Within the Grain
Damien Rice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would've been there when they told you I'm the rat within the grain
Within this big misunderstanding now, I'm being misunderstood
I'm thinkin' someone's trying to fuck with me and set fire to my wood
I wouldn't want you to want to be wanted by me
I wouldn't want you to worry you'd be drowned within my sea
I only wanted to be wonderful, and wonderful is true
It's a stupid situation now where everything goes wrong
If you can't tell if I am lying, then you do not belong
In my bed, go rest your head upon the bones of a bigger man
And he can cover you with rockwool and you can close up like a clam
'Cause I wouldn't want you to want to be wanted by me
I wouldn't want you to worry you'd be drowned within my sea
I only wanted to be wonderful, and wonderful is true
In truth, I only really wanted to be wanted by you
So go play with your piano and write a mediocre song
About this shell of mediocrity
And pretend there's nothing wrong
I never thought you were a chicken shit
I never thought of you at all
Until you asked me to be part of it
And now you're showing me a wall
I wouldn't want you to want to be wanted by me
I wouldn't want you to worry you'd be drowned within my sea
I only wanted to be wonderful and wonderful is true
In truth, I only really wanted to be wanted by you
La la la...
In truth, I only really wanted to be wanted by you
"The Rat Within the Grain" is a very complex song that can be interpreted in many different ways. The song starts with Rice regretting that he missed his plane which caused him to miss a crucial conversation. He believes that if he had been there, he could have made a better case for himself and that whoever is trying to discredit him would not have been successful. Rice feels misunderstood and believes that someone is 'trying to fuck' with him and set fire to his 'wood.' He is in a situation where everything is going wrong, and he cannot seem to catch a break. Rice's insecurities seem to be getting the best of him, and he is worried that he is not good enough for the one he loves. He is concerned that she may be drowning within his sea, and so he is willing to let her go.
Rice's lyric "I wouldn't want you to want to be wanted by me" shows that he does not want to be an added burden to the one he loves. He just wants to be wonderful, and he believes that being wanted by the one he loves is crucial to that. He is so insecure that he thinks that venturing into a relationship would hurt the person he loves because he would be unable to give her the attention she deserves. The song ends with Rice wishing to be wanted by the one he loves, and this shows that he is willing to leave his insecurities behind and see himself through the eyes of the one he loves.
Line by Line Meaning
This would not have happened if I hadn't missed my plane
The singer believes that everything bad that has happened in their relationship would not have occurred if they had been present at the right moment.
I would've been there when they told you I'm the rat within the grain
The singer claims that they missed their opportunity to clear up a big misunderstanding in their relationship.
Within this big misunderstanding now, I'm being misunderstood
The singer is currently in the midst of this misunderstanding and is still not being understood by their partner.
I'm thinkin' someone's trying to fuck with me and set fire to my wood
The singer believes that someone is trying to sabotage their reputation and ruin their chances with their partner.
I wouldn't want you to want to be wanted by me
The singer does not want their partner to feel obligated to be with them.
I wouldn't want you to worry you'd be drowned within my sea
The singer does not want their partner to feel suffocated or overwhelmed in the relationship.
I only wanted to be wonderful, and wonderful is true
The singer desired to be a great partner and feels that this is truly who they are.
In truth, I only really wanted to be wanted by you
Ultimately, the singer's true desire was to be wanted and loved by their partner.
It's a stupid situation now where everything goes wrong
The current state of their relationship is now foolish and nothing seems to be going correctly.
If you can't tell if I am lying, then you do not belong
The singer feels that their partner should be able to trust them and if they cannot, they do not deserve to be in this relationship.
In my bed, go rest your head upon the bones of a bigger man
The singer suggests that their partner should find a more successful or powerful man to sleep with.
And he can cover you with rockwool and you can close up like a clam
The larger man can keep their partner warm and protected while they keep to themselves.
So go play with your piano and write a mediocre song
The singer is suggesting that their partner should focus on their music career and not worry about their relationship.
About this shell of mediocrity, and pretend there's nothing wrong
Their relationship is mediocre and the singer believes that their partner should acknowledge this and not pretend everything is okay.
I never thought you were a chicken shit, I never thought of you at all
The singer never doubted their partner's courage, but did not pay much attention to them either.
Until you asked me to be part of it, And now you're showing me a wall
The singer only started having issues with their partner when they asked them to be more involved in their relationship and now their partner is withdrawing.
In truth, I only really wanted to be wanted by you
The singer reiterates that their true desire was to be wanted and loved by their partner.
La la la...
A moment of hesitation or sadness, the singer trails off for a moment to process their emotions.
Contributed by Abigail H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jason Leon
This would not have happened
If I hadn't missed my plane
I've would have been there when they told you
I'm the Rat within the grain
Within this big misunderstanding now
I'm being misunderstood
I think'in someones trying to fuck with me
And set fire to my wood
I wouldn't want you to want
To be wanted by me
I wouldn't want you to worry
You'd be drowned within my sea
I only wanted to be wonderful
And wonderful is true
In truth I only really wanted
To be wanted by you
It's a stupid situation now
Where everything goes wrong
If you can't tell if I am lying
Then you do not belong
In my bed
Go rest your head
Upon the bones of a bigger man
He can cover you with rock wool
And you can close up like a clam
I wouldn't want you to want
To be wanted by me
I wouldn't want you to worry
You'd be drowned within my sea
I only wanted to be wonderful
And wonderful is true
In truth I only really wanted
To be wanted by you
So go play with your piano
Write a mediocre song
Out the shell of mediocrity
And pretend there's nothing wrong
I never thought you where a chicken shit
I never thought of you at all
Until you asked me to be part of it
Now you're showing me your wall
I wouldn't want you to want
To be wanted by me
I wouldn't want you to worry
You'd be drowned within my sea
I only wanted to be wonderful
And wonderful is true
In truth I only really wanted
To be wanted by you
La la la la
In truth I only really wanted
To be wanted by you
Matthew Hopkins
I used to sit in a lifeguard stand for hours at end, kicking the metal bars to the tune of this song... and trying to sing it completely in my head from memory.
Thank you, Damien. For bringing me into a world that only exists when I listen to & think about ur music.
Andy Conway
Absolute Gem, the pinnacle of talented song writers
Christine Cumiskey
Absolutely
k bensley
he is clearly amazing. his lyrics are always perfect.
Brooke J
This song is absolutely beautiful, I love it...Can't stop putting it on repeat! :) <3
Pedro Possamai
I love this song! It's simple, but amazing.
Laura Vázquez F.
Great song! The rythm reminds me quite a lot of the beginning of Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, by Paul Simon, another gem.
Thanks for uploading it
katashtraphy712
I've listened to this song at least ten times in the past hour and im not tired of it yet.
mitch coons
this song needs to go on itunes. all of his other songs are on itunes except this one.
Andy Conway
He's the best songwriter of our generation hands down!