Herbert began creating music with found objects whilst at Exeter University (UK) in the 1990s, where he studied Drama. From bottles, books, and pepper pots he progressed to recording places and experiences, effectively using the sampler as an instrument on many of his Doctor Rockit and Herbert releases. This style evolved into the overtly political when he began sampling objects from McDonald's and The Gap as a protest against corporate globalism on the The Mechanics Of Destruction album. The CD was distributed free at concerts and available as a free download and has never been available in stores.
His 2003 Big Band album, Goodbye Swingtime combined the political commentary of Radioboy with the song structure of his Herbert albums. Recorded with sixteen musicians from the British jazz world, including saxophonists Dave O'Higgins and Nigel Hitchcock and bassist Dave Green, the band is complemented on stage by long-term vocal partner Dani Siciliano and occasionally Arto Lindsay and Warp recording artist, Jamie Lidell. Recently he has provided music for a number of films, including Dogme director Kristian Levring's The Intended along with original music for TV. Herbert's newest album Plat du Jour addresses world famine.
It's Only
Herbert Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's only your silent voice singing
It's only the darkness bringing memories of you
It's only the first double meaning
It's only the second hand dealing
It's only you carefully stealing pieces of me
And though
So so long to be here
And though
I was wrong
It took you to appear
Before i would run from you
But now
I come to you
It's only the tired clock ticking
It's only the part of the drum kicking
It's only the touch of you picking little old me
It's only my favourite face breaking
It's only the frozen ground shaking
It's only my opening eyes taking pictures of you
And though
Its been long
So so long to be here
And though
I was wrong
It took you to appear
Before i would run from you
But now
I come to you
The song "It's Only" by Herbert is a beautiful ode to the feeling of falling in love after experiencing fear and reluctance. The lyrics describe the various senses and experiences that remind the singer of their lover, whether it is the sound of the phone ringing, the touch of their partner, or the tick-tocking of the clock. The verses describe the singer's journey from running away from love to coming closer to it, culminating in the beautiful refrain "Before I would run from you, but now I come to you."
The song's beginning verses describe the singer's memory of their lover through the things that remind them of them. The sound of the phone ringing is a metaphor for the feeling of anticipation before speaking to their partner. The "silent voice singing" is the echo of their lover's voice in the singer's mind. Even the darkness of the night brings memories of the lover. As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more open to the feelings of love, and even the touch of their lover becomes significant.
The final verses of the song express the culmination of the singer's journey towards love. The ticking of the clock represents the passage of time as the singer's feelings grow. The singer feels small and vulnerable like a "little old me," but their lover's touch makes them feel cherished. The song ends with the singer acknowledging the importance of their lover's appearance in their life, as though it took the lover's presence to fully unlock the singer's feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
It's only the sound of the phone ringing
The sound of the phone ringing is just a small reminder of your absence
It's only your silent voice singing
Hearing your voice in my mind is just a memory
It's only the darkness bringing memories of you
The darkness only intensifies the memories I have of you
It's only the first double meaning
The first hint of a possible double meaning in our conversation is insignificant
It's only the second hand dealing
The ticking of the second hand on the clock only reminds me of how time passes without you
It's only you carefully stealing pieces of me
Your actions are slowly taking parts of me away
It's only the tired clock ticking
The clock ticking is a tired and repetitive sound that matches my exhausted and repetitive thoughts
It's only the part of the drum kicking
The beat of the drum only highlights the loneliness I feel
It's only the touch of you picking little old me
Even your simple touch makes me feel special
It's only my favourite face breaking
Seeing your face and realizing you're not here breaks my heart
It's only the frozen ground shaking
The cold, hard ground beneath my feet shakes with my sadness and longing for you
It's only my opening eyes taking pictures of you
As I wake up, my thoughts immediately turn to thoughts of you
And though Its been long So so long to be here
Even though I've been without you for a long time, it feels like an eternity
And though I was wrong It took you to appear
I realized my mistake in pushing you away when I needed you to come back to me
Before i would run from you But now I come to you
I used to try and run from my feelings for you, but now I embrace them and want to be with you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JOHN HERBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@xuahna
Lyrics..
It's only the sound of the phone ringing,
It's only your silent voice singing,
It's only the darkness bringing memories of you
It's only the first double meaning
It's only the second hand dealing
It's only you carefully stealing pieces of me
Its been long...... If...So so long.... to be here
It's only the tired clock ticking
It's only the part of the drum kicking
It's only the touch of you picking little old me
It's only my favourite face breaking
It's only the frozen ground shaking
It's only my opening eyes taking pictures of you
.......................
xxxxxxxxxxx
@mrwang420
if you even know this song exists. You're literally a fking legend. No questions asked.
@bassrokwell000
HOUSE MUSIC ESSENCE
@ImUpsetThatYouStoleMyUsername
No, I am not. Or if I am, not for that reason.
@nickycalerosalazar8714
🔊🔊🔊💯💯💯🧿🧿
@lisabajramovic
Epic
@lannabryanna
Legends, let go lol <3!!!
@Waterlow9
always reminds me of afterhours where friends just sitting around at 10 am, nobody was talkin anymore and only listened to this track
@vep233
This is so absolutely incredible and timeless... The kind of tracks you only listen to for special occasions not to ruin the unique flavor it possesses.
@elkibayev
Well said!
@natanmiksic8537
I wish I was that strong… I listen every gem song on repeat for 5 days straight… but I’ll tell you this much, it hits just as strong whenever I revisit it