ln Waterford, O'Sullivan's father worked in a meat factory while his mother ran a sweet shop. In 1958, at the age of 11, he moved with his family to Swindon in England in search of a better life. He attended St. Joseph's Comprehensive school in Swindon. While there he developed an interest in both music and amateur boxing. Musically he began with the guitar and progressed to the piano. In the boxing ring he had nearly 50 bouts. Meanwhile his painting and drawing had won him a place at Swindon Art College. He started there in September 1963. His aim was to be a graphic designer. He played drums in his first group The Doodles and left them to join The Prefects while attending Swindon Art College. It was while at college that he met Rick Davies, who was later a member of Supertramp. While at college he began writing songs and sending out demo tapes, alas they were always returned unopened. The first song he remembers writing was Ready Miss Steady.
After finishing college, O'Sullivan moved to London in 1967 to try and further his musical career. He took a part-time job as a salesman at the C & A department store in Oxford Street. Mike Ward who also worked at C & A, had a contract with CBS and Gilbert went with him one day and played his tapes for some of the CBS executives. Gilbert signed a five year publishing contract with CBS which called for one single a year, and released two singles Disappear/You in 1967 and What Can I Do/You in 1968. Gilbert was disappointed that he was not allowed any input into the arranging or production of the singles. Neither single did well. Disillusioned with CBS, O'Sullivan signed with the Major Minor label and released I Wish I Could Cry/Mr. Moody's Garden in 1969.
O'Sullivan came to the attention of BBC Radio 1 disc jockey, John Peel, who gave him a slot on his radio show Top Gear, little of note resulted, and O'Sullivan spent part of 1969 applying to other record labels and management companies. It was at this time that O'Sullivan formulated his 'Bisto Kid' image; grey flannel suit, flat cap, school boy tie, football socks and hobnail boots. In search of a manager he sent some demo tapes to Gordon Mills, an ex-pop singer and himself a songwriter of repute, who had successfully guided the careers of Tom Jones and Engelbert Humperdinck. Gordon Mills recognised something unique in the young Irishman and signed him for management as well as to a songwriting contract.
O'Sullivan made an irresistible impression with Nothing Rhymed, his first Top 10 hit and an introduction to his witty lyrics and original approach as a singer/songwriter. Signed to MAM Records, the label launched by Gordon Mills, who was also his record producer, great friend and surrogate older brother, O'Sullivan enjoyed four years of major success, incorporating a dozen more hit singles, ten of which reached the UK Top 10, and four Top 5 albums: Himself (1971), Back To Front (1972), I'm A Writer Not A Fighter (1973) and A Stranger In My Own Back Yard (1974).
Both Clair (written about Mills's infant daughter for whom Gilbert occasionally babysat) and Get Down were number one hit singles in Britain, and additionally, Back To Front topped the UK LP chart in 1972, emulating the success of the two million seller Alone Again (Naturally), a six week US chart-topper in 1972. O'Sullivan made his live debut in The National Stadium in Dublin in October of '72. Around this time, the singer jettisoned his so-called "Bisto Kid" image in favour of an endless series of collegiate-styled sweaters embossed with the letter "G". As quickly as O'Sullivan ascended to fame, however, his star began to fall , although singles like Ooh Baby and Happiness Is Me and You continued to chart, they sold increasingly fewer copies, and after 1973 his overseas popularity essentially ceased altogether. At home, he notched his final Top 20 hit with 1975's I Don't Love You But I Think I Like You. After a Greatest Hits album in 1976, and Southpaw in 1977, by which time the hit singles had dried up, disagreements over future direction led to a bitter split between O'Sullivan and Mills, which effectively sidelined the former as a recording artist for five years. The gruelling court case between O'Sullivan and his erstwhile manager, producer, music publisher and record company boss finally gave him control of his own recordings and the copyright in his songs, although it exacted an inevitable toll on his energy and his creativity during it's precedent-setting course.
Gilbert returned to CBS in 1980 and released Off Centre (1980) and Life & Rhymes (1982) but maintained a low profile during much of the 1980s, recharging his batteries and moving to Jersey, where he still lives with his wife and two children. Off Centre provided his 13th UK Top 20 single, What's In A Kiss?, after which legal proceedings monopolised his time. However, he continued writing songs, performing what he called "concepts within four walls" rather than starting back on the road before it was appropriate. He later recalled that the lyrics he wrote during that period were too heavily influenced by his personal emotions - having been extremely close to Mills before their disagreement, he was highly distressed to discover that his dear friend had been guilty of considerable financial greed at Gilbert's expense. Even so, he applied himself to his lonely creativity, working from 9 to 5 each day "just like Goffin & King and people like Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield at the Brill Building in New York used to do", although he later confessed "Really, the words were no good, because my mind was cluttered with all the problems". Lyrics have always been O'Sullivan's most unique facet, reflecting what's going on in his mind, and the strain under which he found himself was hardly conducive to much positive artistic or commercial creativity.
The first release for five years was Frobisher Drive and was only available in Germany. The same album with a slightly different track listing was released in the UK in 1989 under the title In The Key Of G, and included So What, his first chart single in almost a decade. Since the low-key comeback, the pace has increased, with five more albums. Gilbert also made a return to live performances in the early nineties, playing regularly in both Europe and Japan. In 1991, Gilbert was again in court, this time he sued American rapper Biz Markie and won the decision after Markie's unauthorized sample of "Alone Again (Naturally)" on his 1991 album I Need a Haircut. A 1992 single, Tomorrow Today had topped the Japanese charts for nine weeks, and this success led to a tour of Japan in early 1993 with his newly formed backing group, during which he recorded and filmed his first ever live album Tomorrow Today. Gilbert's newfound success in Japan led to the Japanese only release of The Little Album (1992) and Rare Tracks (1992). 1993's critical acclaimed Sounds Of The Loop (Daily Telegraph's Record Of The Week) included a duet with the legendary Peggy Lee on Can't Think Straight and even a solo version of the same song in Japanese. This album was recorded almost entirely at his home in Jersey in the Channel Islands.
By Larry (with a similar track listing to the Japanese released The Little Album) was released in 1994. Larry is a famous English cartoonist, much admired by Gilbert. Larry provided original cartoons for the album sleeve and booklet. Every Song Has It's Play was released the following year and was the soundtrack of the semi-autobiographical stage show that Gilbert had acted and sang in, in 1991. Singer Sowing Machine was released in 1997. The title is a humorous reaction by Gilbert to being constantly referred to as a singer/ songwriter. Irlish was released in 2000 and yielded three singles, Have It, Say Goodbye and Two's Company (Three Is Allowed). The album title Irlish, combination of the words Irish and English, appropriate for someone born in Ireland and raised in England. Gilbert's family was part of this migration. In 2001 The Official Gilbert O'Sullivan Website was launched as well as his own record label ByGum Records.
Gilbert continued to tour and he played a series of concerts in Ireland in 2001 and in the UK in 2002 to promote the Irlish album. A new studio album Piano Foreplay followed in 2003. In 2004 Rhino Handmade Records released a 3 CD anthology in the USA of Gilbert's music entitled Caricature: The Box. It contains 73 tracks which span the years 1967-2001. This is the first in-depth survey of Gilbert's lengthy career. It contains numerous singles and B-sides, tracks from 16 of his albums, and five previously unreleased tracks. A b-side collection entitled The Other Sides of Gilbert O'Sullivan was released in Japan in 2004 and contained many tracks available on CD for the first time. A series of concerts followed in Japan in June 2004 followed by a 20 date European Tour of the UK, Ireland, Norway and Denmark in November and December. In February 2005 a DVD/CD set of the 2004 Japanese show was released in Japan. Gilbert returned to Japan in June 2005 for a series of 13 shows. Gilbert spent the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 recording his next studio album "A Scruff At Heart" which was released in Japan on 25 October 2006.
We Will
Gilbert O'Sullivan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get up them stairs go on quickly
Don't run
Take off your shoes the both of you's
Leave them down outside the door turn the landing light off,
No wait, leave it on it might make the night that easier to be gone
And in the morning who'll be wide a wake and eating snow flakes as
Opposed to those flakes. (We Will) We Will (We Will) We will
His wife auntie Mae well do you know since then I've received
Up to four letters all of which repeat the same they say
Thrilled to bits can't believe you came we relived it both
Over time and time again and if there's
Even a chance or even half you might be our way
Would you promise to stay (We will) We will (We will) We Will
Yeah..yeah..yeah
Oh its no easy pretending that you
Cannot hear once you've suffered the reflections within
It's no use in an ending to proclaim from the start that the
Moral of the stories to begin.
On Sunday next if the weather holds we'll have that game
But I bagsy-being-in-goal not because I'm good
Or because I think I should it's just that well at
My age I think standing still would really suit me best
Do we all agree?
Hands up those who do hands up those who don't
I see well in that case will we please be kind enough if not
On Sunday to go to mass on Monday (We will)
We will (We will ) We will yeah yeah (We will)
The song "We Will" by Gilbert O'Sullivan describes a moment of closure or separation after a fun time was had. The opening lines, "It's over now you've had your fun, get up them stairs go on quickly, don't run," suggest a parent or authority figure telling the children it is time to go to bed. The chorus "We will" reinforces the confidence and unity of the decision that is being made.
The song refers to returning to everyday life after an enjoyable weekend, including spending time with family and playing a game of soccer with friends. The lyrics make reference to Uncle Frank and Auntie Mae, and receiving letters reliving the memories of the visit. This could be a bittersweet moment for the singer as they recognize the fun times are over, but they are left with memories to cherish.
The song ends with a call to attend mass after the game, showing the importance of religious practice in the singer's life. The final "We will" emphasizes the literal agreement to go to mass, but can also represent the determination and willingness to move forward with life, even if it means returning to the daily grind.
Overall, the lyrics of "We Will" depict a moment of transition, where fond memories are cherished, but it is also time to return to the responsibilities of everyday life. The chorus of "We will" emphasizes the agreement to move forward and continue with life's journey.
Line by Line Meaning
It's over now you've had your fun
The fun is over, it's time to go
Get up them stairs go on quickly
Go up the stairs quickly
Don't run
Don't run
Take off your shoes the both of you's
Take your shoes off
Leave them down outside the door turn the landing light off,
Leave your shoes outside and turn off the light
No wait, leave it on it might make the night that easier to be gone
Actually, leave the light on to make the night feel less lonely
And in the morning who'll be wide a wake and eating snow flakes as opposed to those flakes.
In the morning, who will be wide awake enjoying the snow?
(We Will) We Will (We Will) We will
We will do it together
That afternoon we spend the day with uncle Frank (remember?) and his wife auntie Mae
Remember the day we spent with Uncle Frank and Auntie Mae?
well do you know since then I've received up to four letters all of which repeat the same
Since then, I received four letters that all say the same thing
they say thrilled to bits can't believe you came we relived it both over time and time again
They say they were thrilled that we came, and they keep reliving the memories
and if there's even a chance or even half you might be our way
If there's a chance that we might come their way
Would you promise to stay (We will) We will (We will) We Will
Let's promise to stay together
Oh its no easy pretending that you cannot hear once you've suffered the reflections within
It's hard to pretend once you've suffered the consequences
It's no use in an ending to proclaim from the start that the moral of the stories to begin
It's pointless to proclaim the moral of the story before it even starts
On Sunday next if the weather holds we'll have that game
We'll have that game on Sunday if the weather is good
But I bagsy-being-in-goal not because I'm good or because I think I should
I want to be in goal not because I'm good, but because I think it would be best for me
it's just that well at my age I think standing still would really suit me best
At my age, I think standing still is the best option
Do we all agree?
Do we all agree?
Hands up those who do hands up those who don't I see
Who agrees and disagrees? I see...
well in that case will we please be kind enough if not on Sunday to go to mass on Monday
If not, can we please go to mass on Monday?
(We will) We will (We will ) We will yeah yeah (We will)
We will do it together
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY O'SULLIVAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BruceLee-zd9bw
Pure talent,
They just don't make them like him anymore.
The music was minimalistic, as his voice was an instrument in itself.
His lyrics are just out of this world, telling a story from start to finish with twisting and turning throughout the song.
A true artist.
Total respect.🙏👍
@martinstorey3139
What a great decade the 70's were..
Todays world is nothing like it was.
Thank goodness for memories.
Thank you Gilbert 😊
@Sunburst75
Gilbert is a genius. This was my late Mum's favourite song. His songs don't age, they just take you back in time to better days.
@hans-hermannstein
Yes, he definitely is !
@kadiummusic
Genius is the right word. 🙂
@josephinequinn8782
Your mum must have been lovely❤️
@Sunburst75
@@josephinequinn8782 Thank you x
@joethompson3042
All these comments are so special about one of the greatest talents of our time , ie evoking happiness and sadness at the same time , plus childhood memories of past times with our parents and siblings we have since lost and miss terribly , such innocent times in a very different world , sure it wasn't perfect but what I wouldn't give to take my wife and kids back there ! Thank you Gilbert for the music that means so much to so many and may God bless you as he did with your exceptional talent xx
@Sunburst75
Yeah you are spot on. Even the "I bagsie being in goal".....god it takes you back to the early 70s. Beautiful song as you say, and it reminds us of family and happy times as kids. I wish we could go back in time!
@warwickharty172
Lying in bed.Lights out. Watching on my ipad. A tear falls down my cheek. Thank you Gilbert…..
@jamesmccarthy8567
Shouldn't be this way , Nite nite .