Ben met Tracey when they were at Hull University and she was singing in pop girl-band Marine Girls. Ben contributed a photograph, for a forthcoming album cover, after which, the pair became partners (later getting married). They formed Everything But the Girl in 1982, the name inspired by a Turner's Furniture advertising slogan (a popular store near the university). For a period, Tracey was active in both bands and the album with Ben's photo materialised, Lazy Ways (Apr 1983), which was to be Marine Girls' last. EBTG soon achieved national success and singles from The Language of Life (1990), got VH-1 airtime - heralding USA notoriety.
Once internationally established, they successfully achieved one of the greatest stylistic changes in modern music; originally a 'folk-pop with jazz influences' band, their fortunes changed with Amplified Heart (Jul 1994) and Todd Terry's successful remix of its track "Missing" (Aug 1994). Since then, EBTG have become more widely known as an electronic act, with Walking Wounded (May 1996), being a well-received example of their metamorphosed sound.
As of 1999, EBTG as a duo are currently on hiatus, as the couple raise their children, out of the public eye. Watt is a very successful club DJ, Buzzin Fly label-manager and remixer, releasing several 'Lazy Dog' mix compilations (named after his London-based deep house night).
Thorn's 2006 collaboration with Tiefschwarz, on the underground hit song "Damage", seems to have re-awoken her artistic spirit and she released a second solo album, Out of the Woods (Mar 2007).
As of March 2023 evidence that the hiatus will end soon emerges in an interview with Alexis Petridis, in which the release date of the new album 'Fuse' is given as 21 April. This new music was first mentioned by Tracy Thorn on twitter in late 2022, and now it emerging, with 2 new singles already released
My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains
Everything But the Girl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If the train don't go there
I'll get a jet or a bus
I'm gonna find you
You're mine and I know I'll find you
My head is my only house
Until I find you
I'll walk the meadow plains
I won't sleep until I find you
I won't eat until I've found you
Heart won't beat
Until I can wrap my arms around you
Heart won't beat
Until I've found you
My arms are just two things in the way until I can wrap them around you
You can make a sad song happy
And a bad world good
I can feel you out there movin
You're mine and I know I'll find you
And my head is my only house unless it rains
I hate to let other people hear me sing this song
If it reaches you before I do
Follow this song to I love you
That's where you'll find me
That's where you'll find me
Heart won't beat
Until I can wrap my arms around you
Heart won't beat
Until I've found you
My head is my only house unless it rains
I hate to let other people hear me sing this song
If it reaches you before I do
Follow this song to I love you
That's where you'll find me
That's where you'll find me
Heart won't beat
Heart won't beat
Heart won't beat
Until I found you
And my head is my only house unless it rains
"The House is Dust" by Everything Everything is a love song about the lengths one is willing to go to be with the person they love. The lyrics describe the singer's determination to find their love, no matter the distance or obstacles. The opening lines, "I'll let a train be my feet if it's too far to walk to you / If the train don't go there / I'll get a jet or a bus" convey the singer's willingness to travel great distances to find their love. They won't rest or sleep until they find them: "I won't sleep until I find you / I won't eat until I've found you / Heart won't beat / Until I can wrap my arms around you". The singer references their own isolation and loneliness, as well as their fixation on finding the person they love. Their "head is [their] only house" until they find their love, implying a lack of a physical home or a feeling of being incomplete without their loved one.
The second verse repeats the sentiment of the first, but with a twist. The singer becomes worried that someone else might hear this song before their love does. They urge their love to listen for the song as a means of finding them: "Follow this song to I love you / That's where you'll find me". The bridge of the song highlights the power the loved one holds over the singer's emotions as they 'can make a sad song happy / And a bad world good'. The final repetition of "Heart won't beat / Until I found you" is an intense reaffirmation of the singer's love and desperation to find their loved one.
Overall, "The House is Dust" is a beautiful love song about the lengths someone will go to find and be with their beloved. It highlights the power of love to propel someone forward, even in the face of distance and obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll let a train be my feet if it's too far to walk to you
I'll travel far to find you, even if it means taking a train.
If the train don't go there
If the train doesn't take me to where you are,
I'll get a jet or a bus
I'll find another mode of transportation to get to you.
I'm gonna find you
I'm determined to find you.
You're mine and I know I'll find you
You belong to me and I have faith that I will locate you.
My head is my only house
My thoughts are my only comfort.
Until I find you
Until I'm reunited with you.
I'll walk the meadow plains
I'll traverse vast fields and landscapes.
Water deserts by my eyes until I find you
I'll cry endlessly until I come across you.
I won't sleep until I find you
I'll stay awake until I get to you.
I won't eat until I've found you
I'll starve myself until I've found you.
Heart won't beat
My heart won't function properly.
Until I can wrap my arms around you
Unless I can hold you in my embrace.
My arms are just two things in the way until I can wrap them around you
My arms are useless until I can finally embrace you.
You can make a sad song happy
Your presence can uplift a melancholic tune.
And a bad world good
You can turn around a negative situation and make it positive.
I can feel you out there movin
I sense that you're out there, and you're on the move.
Heart won't beat
My heart won't function properly.
My head is my only house unless it rains
My mind is my only solace, except when it pours (possibly relating to tears).
I hate to let other people hear me sing this song
I am reluctant to share this piece of music with anyone else.
If it reaches you before I do
If this song gets to you before I can physically reach you.
Follow this song to I love you
This song will guide you to where I express my love for you.
That's where you'll find me
That's where I'll be waiting for you.
Heart won't beat
My heart won't function properly.
Until I can wrap my arms around you
Unless I can hold you in my embrace.
Heart won't beat
My heart won't function properly.
Until I've found you
Until I have finally located you.
And my head is my only house unless it rains
My mind is my only solace, except when it pours (possibly relating to tears).
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DON VAN VLIET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind