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.
Gulls
David Gray Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the gulls to their cry
And their cry to the wind
And the wind belongs to no-one
The wind belongs to no-one
I gave my breath to the song
Neither of ship nor of sea
Neither of glass nor of wine
Leaving this ghost of a road
I'm climbing hand over hand
Toward that pinprick of light
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Oh baby
Try to recognise it in my mind
Try to stamp it out before it happens
I try to recognise it in my mind
Try to stamp it out
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on the wall
This land belongs to the gulls
And the gulls to their cry
And their cry to the wind
And their cry to the wind
And their cry to the wind
David Gray's song "Gulls" is a contemplative piece that seems to describe the feeling of being lost and searching for purpose. The opening lyrics tell us that "This land belongs to the gulls / And the gulls to their cry / And their cry to the wind," which suggests a sense of ownership and belonging. However, the next line changes the tone: "And the wind belongs to no-one / The wind belongs to no-one." This suggests that even those who seem to have a sense of belonging are still subject to the whims of the world and can never truly control their destiny.
The next verse seems to describe the singer's own sense of disconnection from the world: "I gave my breath to the song / To the song, wasn't mine / Neither of ship nor of sea / Neither of glass nor of wine." Here the singer is giving something of themselves to a song, but it isn't something that they feel they truly own. They go on to describe their own journey: "Leaving this ghost of a road / I'm climbing hand over hand / Toward that pinprick of light / Toward the seed that God sowed." The idea of a "ghost of a road" suggests that the singer has been wandering aimlessly, without direction or purpose. But now they are climbing, literally hand over hand, toward a distant light. The "seed that God sowed" could be seen as a symbol of hope or possibility, something that the singer is striving toward.
The final set of lyrics repeats the earlier lines about the gulls and their cry belonging to the wind. The addition of the refrain "The writing's on the wall" could suggest a growing sense of urgency or inevitability. It's as if the singer is recognizing that they need to take action, that they can't continue to drift, and that their fate is written on the wall. But the repetition of the earlier lines suggests that even in the face of this urgency and uncertainty, there is still a sense of belonging and connection to the world around them.
Line by Line Meaning
This land belongs to the gulls
The gulls are the true inhabitants of this land
And the gulls to their cry
The gulls are defined by the sound of their cry
And their cry to the wind
The gulls' cry is carried away by the wind
And the wind belongs to no-one
The wind is not owned or controlled by anyone
The wind belongs to no-one
The wind is free and cannot be claimed by anyone
I gave my breath to the song
The singer breathed life into the song
To the song, wasn't mine
The song did not belong to the singer
Neither of ship nor of sea
The song is not about the sea or ships
Neither of glass nor of wine
The song is not about alcohol or glasses
Leaving this ghost of a road
The singer is departing from a path that no longer exists
I'm climbing hand over hand
The singer is working hard to reach a goal
Toward that pinprick of light
The singer is heading towards a small, distant light source
Toward the seed that God sowed
The singer is pursuing a divine plan
Oh baby
The singer is addressing a loved one affectionately
Try to recognise it in my mind
The singer is trying to understand something mentally
Try to stamp it out before it happens
The singer is trying to prevent something from occurring
The writing's on, the writing's on
A message is clear and apparent
The writing's on the wall
A clear message or warning of impending doom
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DAVID GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ValidatorETH
My favorite line is "I try to recognize it in my mind, I try to stamp it out before it happens." That line in the live version gives me the chills everytime. David Gray - Gulls
This land belongs to the gulls
And the gulls to their cry
And their cry to the wind
And the wind belongs to no-one
The wind belongs to no-one
I gave my breath to the song
To the song, wasn't mine
Neither of ship nor of sea
Neither of glass nor of wine
Leaving this ghost of a road
I'm climbing hand over hand
Toward that pinprick of light
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Oh Baby
Try to recognise it in my mind
Try to stamp it out before it happens
Yeah I try to recognise it in my mind
Try to stamp it out
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall [x4]
This land belongs to the gulls
And the gulls to their cry
And their cry to the wind
And their cry to the wind
And their cry to the wind
Kirsten Logan
This land belongs to the gulls
And the gulls to their cry
And their cry to the wind
And the wind belongs to no one
The wind belongs to no one
I gave my breath to the song
To the song was a mind
Neither a ship, nor a sea
Neither of glass, nor of wine
Even this ghost of a road
Climbing hand over hand,
Toward that pinprick of light,
Toward the sea that god sewn
Toward the sea that god sewn
Toward the sea that god sewn
Toward the sea that god sewn
Toward the sea that god sewn
Toward the sea that god sewn
Toward the sea that god sewn
Toward the sea that god sewn
Ah baby, I try to recognize it in my mind,
And I try to stamp it out before it happens
I try to recognize it in my mind, and I try to stamp it out.
The writing's on, the writing's on, the writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on, the writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on, the writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on, the writing's on the wall
This land belong to the gulls, and the gulls to their cry
And the cry to the wind
And the cry to the wind
And the cry to the wind
💙
David Gray
The new album 'Mutineers' will be released in June 2014 and is available to preorder now via:
iTunes: http://bzz.is/dgmutineersdlfb
Amazon: http://smarturl.it/dgmutineersamz
Webstore: http://smarturl.it/dgmutineersd2c
Click the link below to watch the new video for 'Gulls' taken from 'Mutineers'. Pre-order now via iTunes & get this track instantly.
http://smarturl.it/dggullsvid
brooke lol
“Funny , isn’t it? The way memories work? The things you can’t quite remember, and the things you will never forget.”
Paul Garcia
Omg yessss
croissant1130
This song will speak to people in so many different, intimate ways, which makes it a timeless treasure. It is very haunting and mystical while avoiding the cookie cutter "new age" abstract genre. I absolutely love it. It is very mellow and soft, and it liquefies into your soul like sugar on heat....
ValidatorETH
My favorite line is "I try to recognize it in my mind, I try to stamp it out before it happens." That line in the live version gives me the chills everytime. David Gray - Gulls
This land belongs to the gulls
And the gulls to their cry
And their cry to the wind
And the wind belongs to no-one
The wind belongs to no-one
I gave my breath to the song
To the song, wasn't mine
Neither of ship nor of sea
Neither of glass nor of wine
Leaving this ghost of a road
I'm climbing hand over hand
Toward that pinprick of light
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Toward the seed that God sowed
Oh Baby
Try to recognise it in my mind
Try to stamp it out before it happens
Yeah I try to recognise it in my mind
Try to stamp it out
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall
The writing's on, the writing's on
The writing's on the wall [x4]
This land belongs to the gulls
And the gulls to their cry
And their cry to the wind
And their cry to the wind
And their cry to the wind
Metal_Films
KΞVIN GASPAR Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I think I reinterpret “it,” based on the context of the entire album, from the intensity of the sound and lyrics. I’ve learned a bit about the production process of Mutineers, but best to say I connect to the overall vision. 😆
ValidatorETH
@Metal_Films I always took that line to mean recognizing the initial "bad thought" and letting go of it before it sprouts life.
Metal_Films
Sublime live version, and misty-eyed the first time I heard Gulls, probably naive to ask why...why stamp it out before it happens? Is it something that can be lost, just as “easily” as it was found? Reflections on growth. I typically drown myself in David Gray’s work— all of it. Keen sensitivity!
angellucass
The difference between David's Songs and commercial songs is, that commercials songs come and go, meanwhile David's songs find a place in your heart and stay there. Then, they rhythmically flow through your veins endlessly with every beat of your aching heart until the day you die.
Caldine H. boutique hairdresser
oh my, how well said. Thank you
John Williams
Embedded.