1) a Br… Read Full Bio ↴There are multiple artists by the name of David Gray, including:
1) a British singer-songwriter
2) an Italian disco musician
3) an American singer-songwriter
4) drummer for the British blackened death metal band Akercocke
5) a musician from South Africa
6) a British classical hornist
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1) David Gray is a British singer-songwriter born on June 13, 1968 in Sale, United Kingdom. He released his first studio album in 1993 and received worldwide attention after the release of White Ladder six years later in 1999.
Gray moved to Wales at age 9 and later returned to the north-west of England to attend the University of Liverpool. His musical career got early support from a dedicated Irish fan base. After a few marginally-successful releases through the 1990s, Gray's breakthrough came with the worldwide release in 1999 of his fourth album, White Ladder; this was a critical and commercial success and included his best-known songs, "This Years Love" and "Babylon". In the United States, the album received a boost from jam-band leader Dave Matthews, who made it the first release by the record company he co-founded, ATO Records.
On August 11, 2001 White Ladder at last reached the top of the UK charts, having been selling steadily since its reissue the previous May, thereby setting a new record for the longest uninterrupted climb to No. 1. The follow-up, A New Day At Midnight, also hit No. 1, and Gray's seventh album, Life in Slow Motion was released on September 12, 2005.
Gray's early music was in a contemporary folk-rock, singer-songwriter mode; his primary instrument was acoustic guitar, with occasional piano. 1996's Sell Sell Sell featured some rock arrangements and electric instrumentation. Starting with the release of White Ladder in 1999, Gray began to make significant use of computer-generated music to accompany his voice and acoustic instrumentation, a technique which differentiates him from many of his peers. Despite the move to more complex music, Gray has used small-scale, often home-based, recording methods and equipment and espoused a "do it yourself" approach to music production. However, Life in Slow Motion is a collaboration with noted producer Marius De Vries.
David Gray's brothers-in-law are Paul and Phillip Hartnoll, formerly of the Techno/Rave band Orbital. Because of this relationship, Gray performed guest vocals on the Orbital single Illuminate, while Paul Hartnoll produced a breakbeat remix of Gray's song "Please Forgive Me".
His successful single "January Rain" was included in the original soundtrack of the movie Serendipity, starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale.
Pictures and additional information can be found on his website, www.DavidGray.com.
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2) David Gray was an Italian disco musician who had a hit with "Dead in the Water"
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3) David Gray is an American singer-songwriter
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4) David Gray is drummer for the British blackened death metal band Akercocke
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5) David Gray is a musician from South Africa
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6) British classical hornist, originally from London, England, UK, residing in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Studied at the Curtis Institute Of Music. Former Principal Horn with The London Symphony Orchestra (1964-1972). Member of The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra.
Debauchery
David Gray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swayin' on your sea
If I turn on the gas fire
By the rain rattled window
Won't you sail over to me
The hail storm tumbles
The rail line rumbles
On an overcast day
The pale winter city
An afternoon's debauchery
Your blouse your skirt
I'll undo them so gentle
With beautiful care
I'm a lonely man
With five bottles of wine
I'd like you to share
The hail storm tumbles
The rail line rumbles
You move through the doors with me
On an overcast day
The pale winter city
An afternoon's debauchery
Orange street light
Afternoon becomes night
You drink your wine from a mug
There's cats at the backdoor
The snow is two inches
You roll down your tights on the rug
The hail storm tumbles
The rail line rumbles
You lie on the floor with me
Come closer my love
I'm badly in need
Of an afternoon's debauchery
The lyrics of David Gray's Debauchery describe a scene of two people spending a lazy afternoon together while it's raining outside. The song starts with the singer calling out for a "drunken ferry boat woman" who is somewhere on the sea, "swaying" with the waves. He invites her to come over and join him by the gas fire, as the rain rattles against the window. This first verse sets the tone of the song; it's a quiet, intimate affair that takes place at his home on a grey day, with nothing much to do but to enjoy each other's company.
The second verse sees the singer describing the details of the scene. The hailstorms and the rumbling rail lines outside juxtapose the soft, gentle act of the singer undressing his partner, with "beautiful care". The scene is painted as a muted, grey winter afternoon. Both characters seem to be enjoying each other's company, without any intention of leaving the house. The chorus repeats the central motif of the song, which is an afternoon of debauchery. The word "debauchery" in itself is loaded with a sense of excess and indulgence, but there's no sense of anything that overtly sexual or hedonistic. Rather, it's a quiet, unassuming kind of intimacy that suffuses the lyrics.
The third and final verse continues the theme of a simple yet warm afternoon in the company of another person. As the light turns slowly to orange, they drink wine from the mug and watch the snow outside. Finally, the singer invites his partner to lie down on the rug with him, in another moment of gentle intimacy. The song ends with him pleading for more "debauchery", which points to something simply enjoyable and authentic.
Line by Line Meaning
Drunken ferry boat woman
To an intoxicated woman who moves like a boat in turbulent waters
Swayin' on your sea
Dancing and moving irregularly, like a boat being tossed on choppy waters
If I turn on the gas fire
Asking the woman to come to his place
By the rain rattled window
Describing the setting of his place, likely a window that makes noise from the rain outside
Won't you sail over to me
Asking her to come closer to him, like a boat sailing towards the shore
The hail storm tumbles
Describing the weather, with hail falling heavily
The rail line rumbles
Describing the sound of the nearby train tracks
You move in the porch with me
The woman is entering with him through a porch
On an overcast day
Describing the day as cloudy and gloomy
The pale winter city
Describing the surroundings, with a city covered in snow
An afternoon's debauchery
Referring to the events that follow, hedonistic and passionate in nature
Your blouse your skirt
Referring to the woman's clothing
I'll undo them so gentle
Referring to undressing her slowly and with care
With beautiful care
Describing his attitude towards her and their interaction
I'm a lonely man
Revealing his emotional state
With five bottles of wine
Describing how he's trying to cope with his loneliness
I'd like you to share
Asking the woman to join him
You move through the doors with me
Continuing their interaction, likely going from one room to another
Orange street light
Describing the lighting outside, likely a street lamp
Afternoon becomes night
Time has passed and it's dark outside
You drink your wine from a mug
Painting a picture of the woman's actions
There's cats at the backdoor
Describing the surroundings, likely a detail of his house
The snow is two inches
The snow has accumulated to a certain depth
You roll down your tights on the rug
The woman is getting comfortable, likely removing a piece of clothing
You lie on the floor with me
Continuing their interaction, likely becoming more intimate
Come closer my love
Inviting the woman to get closer to him
I'm badly in need
Expressing his desire for her
Of an afternoon's debauchery
Similar to the refrain, referring to their passionate and hedonistic interaction
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVID GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Smith
This guy is already music royalty in his young life. White Ladder put him on the map for all eternity. Real emotion, real genius & songwriting skills off the chart.
yccmzimmy
you are missing somrthing, apparently... A Century Ends is dated 1993 afaikr... white ladder was released in early 1999 (I would say) but got wide appreciation later in early 2000!
yccmzimmy
I checked my original "White ladder" CD and, on cd surface the publishing year appear to be 1998, could have been late Dec... but only few of us recognized is worth before year 2000... and only less of us intercepted his decline few years after that, when everything become just a job for him...
Sonam Palmo
This was the first David Gray song I heard, many years ago. I'm not crazy about debauchery, but I love this song.
David Fox
the most under-rated songwriter of all time
Steve Turpin
Brilliant singer and player, brilliant live. Ed Sheeran isn't fit to lick his boots.
Beauty and the Beast CoCo
Steve Turpin Hell to the yeah
Mick Daunt
Ed is a fan
Kirsty Masaun
fantastic singer. put factor lot to shame.
nodrip1
Here's to feelin' good all the time.