Barnes was born… Read Full Bio ↴Jimmy Barnes (b. 1956) is an Australian rock singer.
Barnes was born James Dixon Swan on the 28th April 1956 in Glasgow, Scotland, and moved to Australia with his family when he was six years old.
He first came to public attention as the lead singer with popular Australian pub-rock band Cold Chisel, which he joined in 1973 and with whom he recorded seven albums between 1978 and 1983. When the band split up in 1983 he launched a solo career almost immediately; his first album, Bodyswerve, entered the Australian charts at number one. It was the first of a remarkable run of top charting albums for Barnes, as each of his first six solo albums entered the charts at number one, a feat that no other Australian artist is likely to match.
In 1986 Barnes recorded two singles with INXS, duetting with that band's singer Michael Hutchence on a cover of The Easybeats' "Good Times", and "Laying Down the Law", which was co-written by Barnes with INXS members Andrew Farriss and Hutchence. "Good Times" was used as the theme song for the Australia Made series of concerts that toured the country in the summer of 1986-1987. Both songs later appeared on the soundtrack of the 1980s teen vampire film The Lost Boys.
Following Hutchence's death in 1997, Barnes appeared live on stage with INXS at shows throughout Australia between 1999 and 2001.
His album Double Happiness, released in July 2005, reaffirmed his popularity, entering the ARIAnet albums chart at number one, his seventh album to do so. Barnes was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame on the 23rd October 2005 for his solo career efforts. Coupled with Cold Chisel's previous induction, Barnes is the only artist to be entered into the Hall of Fame twice.
Barnes is also the father of singer David Campbell, who recently starred in the Australian production of the musical Sunset Boulevard, and was a contestant on the Australian television programme Dancing with the Stars. The two perform the duet "Wichita Lineman" on Double Happiness.
temptation
Jimmy Barnes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Running so fast, trying so hard
Losing a girl who is closing, she's chasing behind
When I get home I lock up the door
Close the window, I don't come out no more
Take away temptation now
Take away temptation now
From before my eyes
I've gotta get out, climbing the walls
But it won't be too long till I want to be
Locked up again
Driving me wild, being alone
You're outa my sight and I swear
I'll go outa my head
Take away temptation now
From before my eyes
Take away temptation now
From before my eyes
Running so fast, trying so hard
Losing a girl who is closing, she's chasing behind
Running away, all of the time
Most of the day and all of the night
Take away temptation now
From before my eyes
Just pass me by
The song "Temptation" by Jimmy Barnes is about a man who is struggling with his desires and the temptation to do something that he knows he shouldn't do. The man is running so fast and trying so hard to escape the temptation that is following him. He has lost a girl and is trying to avoid her, but he knows that he will want to lock himself up again soon because he cannot resist the temptation to be with her.
The lyrics speak to the internal conflict that humans face when we are confronted with temptation. We know that what we desire is not good for us or is not something that we should pursue, yet we cannot help but be drawn to it. Barnes is urging the listener to take away the temptation from before their eyes, to resist the urge to give in to it and to find a way to break free from its hold.
Overall, the song is a powerful message about the struggle we all face when we are faced with temptation in our lives. It encourages us to be strong and to resist the urge to give in to our desires, even when it seems like the easy way out.
Line by Line Meaning
Running so fast, trying so hard
He's putting in a lot of effort to accomplish something and he's doing it at a fast pace.
Losing a girl who is closing, she's chasing behind
He's losing a girl he cares about who is getting closer to leaving him behind.
When I get home I lock up the door
He isolates himself from the world by locking himself in his home.
Close the window, I don't come out no more
He shuts himself from everything outside by closing the window and doesn't venture out anymore.
Take away temptation now
He's asking for any kind of distraction, particularly anything that may lead him to do something wrong, to be removed from his sight or thoughts.
From before my eyes
He's highlighting that he doesn't want temptation to be in his sight or view.
I've gotta get out, climbing the walls
Being confined by himself, he wants to get out and find a way to relieve stress and negative emotions.
But it won't be too long till I want to be
Although he wants to get out, he'll eventually miss being confined again.
Locked up again
He wants to be put back into his secluded place, away from society.
Driving me wild, being alone
He's slowly losing his mind from being alone all the time.
You're outa my sight and I swear
The person he cares about isn't by his side and it's starting to drive him mad.
I'll go outa my head
He's referring to the possibility of him going insane if he continues to stay alone.
Running away, all of the time
He's constantly trying to escape and distance himself from society.
Most of the day and all of the night
He spends most of his time, if not all his time, locked up by himself.
Just pass me by
He wants to be left alone and not be tempted by anything that may catch his attention.
Contributed by Michael L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.