Gavin Friday (b. Fionan Hanvey, 8 Oct 1959, in Dublin, Ireland). In early l… Read Full Bio ↴Gavin Friday (b. Fionan Hanvey, 8 Oct 1959, in Dublin, Ireland). In early life, he survived a Christian Brothers education to become a singer, composer & painter. His latest release is "catholic" (22 April 2011, Rubyworks).

In 1977, Friday was a founder of Virgin Prunes (legendary avant-garde post-punk group). 1987-2005 he composed & performed with, musical partner, Maurice Seezer. He released his 4th solo album CATHOLIC in April 2011.

Gavin Friday & The Man Seezer albums (with Maurice), inc: "Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves" (1989), "Adam 'N' Eve" (1992) & "Shag Tobacco" (1995).

Film scores & soundtracks include Get Rich or Die Tryin', In America, In the Name of the Father, The Boxer, Disco Pigs, Short Cuts and Romeo + Juliet. Gavin worked with producer Hal Willner on the music for director Abel Ferrera's movie Chelsea on the Rocks (2008). He has also collaborated with the English composer Gavin Bryars, setting Shakespeare's sonnets to music.

Stage Shows include the Kurt Weill Extravaganza Ich Liebe Dich, the one man show I didn't come up the Liffey in a bubble and Gavin's tribute to German music, Tomorrow belongs to me.

Gavin Friday played the character Billy Hatchet in Neil Jordan's film Breakfast in Pluto (2006). He recorded three songs for the film, two of which are featured on the soundtrack album: 'Sand' and 'Wig Wam Bam'.

Sites: Discogs, YouTube and Official Site

Tell Tale Heart
Gavin Friday Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Torn between the light and the dark. the heathen smiles, the tell tale heart. he hides away, it is his home. his saving grace, he lives alone. the silence cuts so deep within. for all is lost he
Never win. secrets come and secrets go, that only his heart ever knows. and outside is the real world, the weird and the wonderful. he is afraid to be alone, he is alone. he wants to touch the f
G of her loneliness, to watch her cry is to watch him die. the heart it was the main thing to see and believe, it will do you no harm to call and try for love, for love, for love. he placed a pi

F velvet upon the shame, the ultimate cover up the hidden lie. to die with ones mouth full of ashes, ooh, it will do you no harm to call and try for love, for love, for love. tattle tell, tattle
, tell tale heart.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gavin Friday's song Tell Tale Heart revolves around a character who is grappling with his inner demons. He is torn between the light and the dark, symbolizing his internal struggle between good and evil. The heathen smiles represent his deceptive facade as he tries to hide his true self from the world. The character finds solace in isolation, but it's also his prison as he is haunted by the silence of his thoughts. The secrets he keeps are only known to his heart, creating a barrier between him and the outside world – the weird and wonderful.

The character's desire to touch the F of her loneliness illustrates his yearning for the woman he loves. However, he is afraid of being alone, which ultimately leads to his emotional demise. The line "to watch her cry is to watch him die" illustrates the depth of his love for the woman and how her tears hurt him immensely. The song's title "Tell Tale Heart" is a reference to Edgar Allan Poe's famous short story of the same name about a man haunted by guilt after committing murder.

Line by Line Meaning

Torn between the light and the dark.
The singer feels conflicted and unsure about which path to choose.

the heathen smiles, the tell tale heart.
Despite feeling torn, the singer finds comfort in his own darkness.

he hides away, it is his home.
The singer finds solace in isolation and retreats from the outside world.

his saving grace, he lives alone.
Living alone is what keeps the artist going and gives him purpose.

the silence cuts so deep within.
The quietness of his life is overwhelming and painful.

for all is lost he Never win.
The singer believes that he will never truly succeed in life.

secrets come and secrets go, that only his heart ever knows.
The singer keeps his innermost thoughts and feelings to himself and doesn't share them.

and outside is the real world, the weird and the wonderful.
The artist sees the outside world as strange and exciting, but he is too afraid to explore it.

he is afraid to be alone, he is alone.
The artist fears being alone, but he is alone by choice.

he wants to touch the fG of her loneliness, to watch her cry is to watch him die.
The artist desires to connect with someone who shares his loneliness, but the vulnerability of the situation is too much for him to handle.

the heart it was the main thing to see and believe, it will do you no harm to call and try for love, for love, for love.
Despite his fear and isolation, the singer encourages others to seek out love and connection.

he placed a piF velvet upon the shame, the ultimate cover up the hidden lie.
The artist tries to hide his shame and insecurities with a false persona or facade.

to die with ones mouth full of ashes, ooh, it will do you no harm to call and try for love, for love, for love.
The singer believes that even if he were to die unhappy and unfulfilled, it's still worth pursuing love and connection.

tattle tell, tattle, tell tale heart.
The singer acknowledges that he is sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings with the listener, much like the tell-tale heart in the famous Edgar Allan Poe story.

Contributed by Liliana F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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