One of his projects is the supergroup The Good, The Bad & The Queen, where he plays the keyboard and sings. Other members of the band are Paul Simonon (bass, The Clash), Simon Tong (guitar, The Verve) and Tony Allen (drums, percussion). Their album (released in early 2007) is produced by DJ Danger Mouse (producer of Gorillaz album "Demon Days", member of Gnarls Barkley).
The Marvelous Dream Songfacts says that another of his projects is Dr Dee, an opera created by Albarn with theatre director Rufus Norris. The work is based on the life of Dr. John Dee (1527-1608), an Elizabethan courtier who was also a mathematician, alchemist, astrologer, spiritualist, philosopher and spy. The opera’s debut performance was at the Palace Theatre, Manchester in July 2011, as part of the 2011 Manchester International Festival. The soundtrack was released on May 8, 2012 by Virgin.
Years active : 1989–present
Love & Memory
Damon Albarn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thou art gone the dark journey
That leaves no returning
'Tis fruitless to mourn thee
But who can help mourning?
To think of the life
In the beautiful past
Left so desolate now
When youth seemed immortal
So sweet it did weave
Heaven's halo around thee
Earth's hopes to deceive
Thou fairest and dearest
Where many were fair
To my heart thou art nearest
Though this name is but there
The nearer the fountain
More pure the stream flows
And the sweeter to fancy
The bud of the rose
And now thou art in heaven
More pure is the birth
Of thoughts that wake of thee
Than aught upon Earth
As a bud green in spring
As a rose blown in June
Thy beauty looked out
And departed as soon
Heaven saw thee too fair
For earth's tenants of clay
And ere age did thee wrong
Thou wert summoned away
I know thou art happy
Why in grief need I be?
Yes, I am and the more so
To feel it's for thee
For thy presence possessed
As thy absence destroyed
The most that I loved
And the all I enjoyed
So I try to seek pleasure
But vainly I try
Now joy's cup is drained
And hope's fountain is dry
I mix with the living
Yet what do I see?
Only more cause for sorrow
In losing of thee
The year has its winter
As well as its May
So the sweetest must leave us
And the fairest decay
Suns leave us tonight
And their light none may borrow
So joy retreats from us
Overtaken by sorrow
The sun greets the spring
And the blossom the bee
The grass the blea hill
And the leaf the bare tree
But suns nor yet seasons
As sweet as they may be
Shall ever more greet me
With tidings of thee
The voice of the cuckoo
Is merry at noon
And the song of the nightingale
Gladdens the moon
But the gayest today
May be saddest tomorrow
And the loudest in joy
Sink the deepest in sorrow
For the lovely in death
And the fairest must die
Fall once and forever
Like stars from the sky
So in vain do I mourn thee
I know it's in vain
Who would wish thee from joy
To earth's troubles again?
Yet thy love shed upon me
Life more than mine own
And now thou art from me
My being is gone
Words know not my grief
Thus without thee to dwell
Yet in one I felt all
When life bade thee farewell
The lyrics of "Love and Memory" by Damon Albarn explore the theme of loss and mourning for a loved one who has passed away. The song expresses the deep sorrow and longing the singer feels for the departed person, reflecting on the beauty and happiness they brought to their life. The lyrics emphasize the unfairness of losing someone so cherished and the emptiness that remains in their absence. The singer admits to their inability to find joy or pleasure without the presence of their loved one and acknowledges that they are gone forever, like stars falling from the sky. Despite the pain, the singer also finds some solace in the knowledge that the departed individual is now in a better place and wishes them eternal happiness.
Overall, these lyrics delve into the profound emotions of grief, celebrating the importance of the departed individual in the singer's life while coming to terms with their loss. It captures the bittersweet nature of mourning, acknowledging the beauty of the past while accepting the reality of their absence.
Line by Line Meaning
Thou art gone the dark journey
You have embarked on the irreversible journey of death
That leaves no returning
There is no hope of your return
'Tis fruitless to mourn thee
There is no point in grieving for you
But who can help mourning?
But who can refrain from mourning?
To think of the life
To remember the life
That did laugh on thy brow
That brought joy to your face
In the beautiful past
In the pleasant times gone by
Left so desolate now
Now left empty and lonely
When youth seemed immortal
When youth appeared everlasting
So sweet it did weave
So pure and delightful it seemed
Heaven's halo around thee
A divine aura surrounding you
Earth's hopes to deceive
To deceive the hopes of earthly life
Thou fairest and dearest
You, the most beautiful and beloved
Where many were fair
Among many others who were beautiful
To my heart thou art nearest
To my heart, you are the closest
Though this name is but there
Although your presence is only in name
The nearer the fountain
The closer you are to the source
More pure the stream flows
The purer the flow of emotions
And the sweeter to fancy
And more delightful to the imagination
The bud of the rose
The budding promise of love
And now thou art in heaven
And now you are in heaven
More pure is the birth
More profound are the thoughts of you
Of thoughts that wake of thee
That awaken when thinking of you
Than aught upon Earth
More valuable than anything on Earth
As a bud green in spring
Like a fresh bud in spring
As a rose blown in June
Like a blooming rose in June
Thy beauty looked out
Your beauty shone
And departed as soon
And disappeared quickly
Heaven saw thee too fair
Even heaven found you too beautiful
For earth's tenants of clay
For mere mortals on Earth
And ere age did thee wrong
Before old age could harm you
Thou wert summoned away
You were called away
I know thou art happy
I know you are happy
Why in grief need I be?
Why should I be in sorrow?
Yes, I am and the more so
Yes, I am, and even more so
To feel it's for thee
To know it is for your sake
For thy presence possessed
Because your presence held
As thy absence destroyed
What your absence took away
The most that I loved
The greatest love I had
And the all I enjoyed
And all the happiness I experienced
So I try to seek pleasure
So I attempt to find joy
But vainly I try
But my efforts are in vain
Now joy's cup is drained
Now the cup of joy is empty
And hope's fountain is dry
And the source of hope is dried up
I mix with the living
I interact with the living
Yet what do I see?
Yet what do I observe?
Only more cause for sorrow
Only more reasons to feel sad
In losing of thee
In the loss of you
The year has its winter
Every year has its winter season
As well as its May
As well as its joyful times
So the sweetest must leave us
So the most beloved must depart
And the fairest decay
And the most beautiful wither
Suns leave us tonight
Suns set and leave us in darkness
And their light none may borrow
And no one can borrow their light
So joy retreats from us
So joy withdraws from us
Overtaken by sorrow
Overwhelmed by sadness
The sun greets the spring
The sun welcomes the arrival of spring
And the blossom the bee
And the bee is attracted to the blossom
The grass the blea hill
The grass covers the bare hill
And the leaf the bare tree
And the leaf adorns the naked tree
But suns nor yet seasons
But neither suns nor seasons
As sweet as they may be
No matter how sweet they are
Shall ever more greet me
Will ever greet me again
With tidings of thee
With news or presence of you
The voice of the cuckoo
The song of the cuckoo
Is merry at noon
Is joyful at midday
And the song of the nightingale
And the song of the nightingale
Gladdens the moon
Brings happiness to the moon
But the gayest today
But the happiest today
May be saddest tomorrow
May be the most sorrowful tomorrow
And the loudest in joy
And the one who rejoices the most
Sink the deepest in sorrow
Sinks the deepest into sorrow
For the lovely in death
Because the lovely ones in death
And the fairest must die
And the most beautiful must perish
Fall once and forever
Fall once and never rise again
Like stars from the sky
Like stars disappearing from the sky
So in vain do I mourn thee
So I mourn you in vain
I know it's in vain
I know it is futile
Who would wish thee from joy
Who would want you to be away from joy
To earth's troubles again?
To return to the troubles of Earth?
Yet thy love shed upon me
Yet your love bestowed upon me
Life more than mine own
Life greater than my own
And now thou art from me
And now you are no longer with me
My being is gone
My existence feels incomplete
Words know not my grief
Words cannot express my sorrow
Thus without thee to dwell
Therefore, without you to be with
Yet in one I felt all
But in one person, I felt everything
When life bade thee farewell
When life bid you goodbye
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Damon Albarn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind