The band is named after a line in the BBC TV mini-series 'The Singing Detective', in which a character says that the word "elbow" is the most sensuous word in the English language (not due to its definition per se but due to how it feels to say it). Though the group came about in 1990, intially going by names such as 'Soft' and 'Mr. Soft', it wasn't until 'The Noisebox EP' came out on 1 January 1998 that they had a real release. Elbow started out specializing in "chilled funk", but the guys changed the direction of their music after unanimously deciding that they were "shit."
Their new songs picked up notice from both Island Records, but the band got dropped due to business shenanigans before anything actually came out post-singing. Elbow then released two critically acclaimed EP's on the independent Ugly Man Record label, starting with the aformentioned 'Noisebox EP'. Luckily, their work caught the attention of V2 Records.
V2 released Elbow's debut album: "Asleep In The Back." The album was a surprisingly moderate success, gaining substantial critical acclaim and, ultimately, a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize in 2001. The single "Newborn" received attention after being banned by Radio 1 for the lyric, "I'll be the corpse in your bathtub."
Word of mouth then began to work in Elbow's favor. Its 2003 album, "Cast Of Thousands," entered the UK Charts at #7 to critical acclaim. The lead single, "Fallen Angel," charted at #19.
In 2004, Elbow became the first British band to ever play a concert in Havana during an unofficial Cuban tour. The tour was made into a short film by British documentary maker Irshad Ashraf.
Elbow released its third album in 2005: "Leaders Of The Free World." Despite a continued lack of commercial notice, "Leaders Of The Free World" charted at #12, with its lead single, "Forget Myself" achieving #22 in the charts. That autumn, Elbow headlined the first of two sell-out tours.
March 17, 2008, saw the release of Elbow's fourth album, entitled "The Seldom Seen Kid." Released through Fiction, it entered the UK album chart at #5, and went on to win the 2008 Mercury Music Award. "The Fix," features guest vocals and lead guitar by Richard Hawley. April 2009 saw the release of The Seldom Seen Kid Live At Abbey Road, recorded with The BBC Concert Orchestra and Chantage. This album, recorded in Studio One of the world famous Abbey Road Studios on Saturday, January 17, 2008, is a complete run-through of the Mercury winning album. It features the band, a 52-piece orchestra, and a 20-member choir.
"Grounds for Divorce" was featured in VALVe Software game Left 4 Dead in 2008.
The band's fifth album Build A Rocket Boys! was released in the UK on March 14, 2011.
The First Steps Songfacts reports that Elbow was commissioned by the BBC to write a song for their coverage of the 2012 Olympics. The resulting tune is "First Steps". The full song lasts six and a half minutes, but it was written in such a way so that it could be divided into different minute or two long elements for use over both winning and losing footages.
In July 2015, Elbow released the Lost Worker Bee EP, which was soon followed by Guy Garvey's first solo album 'Courting the Squall' (Oct 2015).
Their seventh studio album, 'Little Fictions' was released on 3 February 2017, with Elbow's eighth studio album, 'Giants of All Sizes', released 2 years later on 11 October 2019.
Website: http://elbow.co.uk/
The Bones of You
Elbow Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Overdraft, speeches and deadlines to make
Cramming commitments like cats in a sack
Telephone burn and a purposeful gait
When out of a doorway
The tentacles stretch of a song that I know
And the world moves in slow-mo
And it's you and it's me
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
Do I have time? A man of my caliber stood in the street
Like a sleepwalking teenager I know
And I dealt with this years ago
I took a hammer to every memento
But image on image like beads on a rosary
Pulled through my head as the music takes hold
And the sickener hits, I can work till I break
But I love the bones of you that I will never escape
And it's you and it's me
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And I can't move my arm
For the fear that you will wake
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And it's you and it's me
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
The opening lines of the song paint a picture of a man trying to manage the chaos of his life, constantly running around to meet deadlines and obligations. But amidst all of this, he is suddenly transported to a different world by the sound of a familiar song that takes hold of him. The world seems to slow down, and he is transported to a time and place long gone, where he and someone dear to him are sleeping through the day. The hauntingly beautiful chorus captures the nostalgia, longing, and love that the singer feels for this person, and the realization that he will never be able to escape these feelings.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's emotions, as he questions whether he has the time to deal with these feelings. He compares himself to a sleepwalking teenager, revealing that he has gone through this before – he has tried to forget the memories that the song brings up. He talks figuratively about taking a hammer to every memento, trying to bury the past. But as the music takes hold of him, he is reminded of his feelings for this person, which he describes as loving the bones of them. Finally, the song ends with the singer afraid to move, caught up in the fear that he will wake up from this beautiful dream.
Overall, "The Bones of You" is a melancholic yet beautiful song about love, loss, and the difficulty of moving on. The music itself is haunting, with a beautiful piano melody that underlines the introspective lyrics. The chorus is particularly beautiful, with its soft harmonies and poignant lyrics capturing the nostalgia and longing that the singer feels. The song is a beautiful reminder that sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we can never truly escape the past.
Line by Line Meaning
So I'm there charging around with a juggernaut brow
I'm running around with a sense of purpose and determination.
Overdraft, speeches and deadlines to make
I have work to do, financial responsibilities to meet and speeches to give.
Cramming commitments like cats in a sack
I'm piling up responsibilities and obligations, like trying to fit too many cats into a small space.
Telephone burn and a purposeful gait
I'm constantly on the phone, with a focused and determined walk.
When out of a doorway
Suddenly, unexpectedly.
The tentacles stretch of a song that I know
The familiar and powerful grip of a song takes hold.
And the world moves in slow-mo
Everything around me slows down and becomes less significant.
Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day
The song has a strong, addictive power, like the first cigarette of the day.
And it's you and it's me
The focus of the song is about the relationship between two people.
And we're sleeping through the day
We're avoiding reality, being lazy and not dealing with the stress of the real world.
And I'm five years ago
I'm lost in memories of the past.
And three thousand miles away
I'm physically and emotionally distant from the present moment.
Do I have time? A man of my caliber stood in the street
I'm questioning whether I have enough time to deal with my responsibilities. I see a successful person on the street and compare myself to him.
Like a sleepwalking teenager I know
I feel lost and aimless, like I did when I was a teenager.
And I dealt with this years ago
I've gone through this before, but it still troubles me.
I took a hammer to every memento
I destroyed every reminder of the past to try to forget it.
But image on image like beads on a rosary
The memories and images of the past keep coming back, like beads on a rosary.
Pulled through my head as the music takes hold
The song brings back the memories and images more vividly.
And the sickener hits, I can work till I break
The overwhelming feeling of the past makes me physically ill, but I keep working anyway.
But I love the bones of you that I will never escape
The song is about a love that he can never escape, even though it's painful to remember.
And I can't move my arm
He's physically paralyzed by the powerful emotions the song stirs up.
For the fear that you will wake
He's afraid that the person he loves will wake up and realize the truth about their relationship.
And it's you and it's me
Again, the song is about the relationship between two people.
And we're sleeping through the day
They're avoiding reality together.
And I'm five years ago
He's lost in memories of the past again.
And three thousand miles away
He's emotionally and physically distant from reality again.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CRAIG LEE POTTER, DOROTHY HEYWARD, DU BOSE HEYWARD, GEORGE GERSHWIN, GUY EDWARD JOHN GARVEY, IRA GERSHWIN, MARK POTTER, MARK ELLIS POTTER, PETER JAMES TURNER, RICHARD BARRY JUPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Moon 🌚
The Bones Of You"
So I'm there,
Charging around with a juggernaut brow
Overdraft speeches and deadlines to make
Cramming commitments like cats in a sack
Telephone burn and a purposeful gait
When out of a doorway the tentacles stretch
Of a song that I know and the world moves in slow-mo
Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day
And it's you and it's May
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
Do I have time? A man of my calibre?
Stood in the street like a sleepwalking teenager?
No. And I dealt with this years ago
I took a hammer to every memento
But image on image like beads on a rosary
Pull through my head as the music takes hold
And the sickener hits, I could work till I break
But I love the bones of you, that I will never escape
And it's you, and it's May
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And I can't move my arm
For the fear that you will wake
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
And it's you and its May
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away
Corey V
This song deserves 722 million views. Massively underrated
Jack Carr
Absolute masterpiece, along with the rest of the album. Paltry amount of views.
Anthony Ramey
This song has the effect on me, that it's trying to convey. If I even think about the lyrics "And I can't move my arm..." I have tears, a lump in my throat, and feelings of nostalgia, love, loss, and helplessness.
Jonathan Nugent
I think this might be my favourite of all their great songs
Robbie
Every time i hear this legendary track it goes straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day😉
Jürgen Naeve
I saw ELBOW LIVE in 2008 and they were the greatest and best Liveband I´ve ever seen
Skaution
Inhave heard this so many times over.
Lori S
This is still my all-time favorite music video. It's just so brilliant!
andrew eaton
honestly.. never felt like somebody else was articulating my thoughts, even sub conscience...apart from hearing the lyrics of this tune. personally i think its a masterpiece... but im not sure if its for that reason or just that its beautifully made?
andrew eaton
to add.. he writes great songs... almost vauge but succinct at the same time.. artistry to convey what we all mostly fumble to articulate accurately... he has romance in him i think