Kevin Ayers (born 16 August 1944 in Herne Bay, Kent, England; died 18 Febru… Read Full Bio ↴Kevin Ayers (born 16 August 1944 in Herne Bay, Kent, England; died 18 February 2013 in Montolieu, France) was a British songwriter and musician from Kent, United Kingdom, who was one of a group of Avant Garde musicians who came together in Canterbury in the 1960s and developed a whole new approach to the psychedelic, progressive rock genre, known as the Canterbury scene. His early work included works with artists like Daevid Allen, David Bedford and Mike Ratledge. Subsequently, Ayers wrote and recorded some of the wittiest and most poignant songs imaginable and produced more banana-related lyrics than anyone ever dreamed possible.

His first serious band was The Wilde Flowers (1964-1967) with Hugh Hopper, Robert Wyatt and Richard Sinclair. This early hippie group transformed into Soft Machine. While the Softs went on, others split to form Caravan and Gong. Ayers put together his own band Kevin Ayers & The Whole World featuring Lol Coxhill, David Bedford and a very young Mike Oldfield.

Ayers' career was littered with great music and fine collaborations with more fine artists like Danny Thompson, John Cale, Nico, Brian Eno, Ollie Halsall and Wizards of Twiddly. With 18 albums to his credit Kevin Ayers was the Guru Banana

In 2007, Ayers recorded in a Glasgow studio with long-time admirers Teenage Fanclub, contributions came from Euros Childs from Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Francis Reader from the Trash Can Sinatras, Robert Wyatt provided his eerie Wyattron in the poignant Cold Shoulder. Phil Manzanera contributed to the brooding Brainstorm, Hugh Hopper from Soft Machine played bass on the title track Unfairground and Bridget St. John, a British Folk singer beloved of the late John Peel, duetted with Ayers on Baby Come Home, the first time they had sung together since 1970 on Shooting at the Moon. The resulting album Unfairground was released in September 2007.

Ayers died, apparently in his sleep, at his home in the South of France on the 18th of February 2013. He was 68.

Baby Come Home
Kevin Ayers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Couldn't get to sleep last night
Missing you so much, it hurts
Missing your company
All the things you mean to me, girl

Baby, won't you please come home
Baby, won't you please come home
Baby, won't you please come home to me

Don't have very much to say
Never was so good with words
It's only that I'm missing you
Wishing I was kissing you now

Baby, won't you please come home
Baby, won't you please come home
Baby, won't you please come home to me

Baby, won't you please come home
Baby, won't you please come home
Baby, won't you please come home to me

Baby, won't you please come home

Baby, won't you please come home
Baby, won't you please come home to me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Kevin Ayer's "Baby Come Home" express the feelings of a person who cannot sleep because they miss their significant other so much. The song creates a sense of longing and desperation for the person to return home to be with their loved one. The feeling of loneliness and the emptiness that comes with being away from someone you love is captured perfectly in this song. The singer expresses his inability to say much, but understands that words are not enough to convey the power of his emotions. He wishes that he could have the person he loves close to him so that he could kiss them and hold them in his arms.

The song's melody further amplifies the message of the lyrics. It is a slow and melancholic tune that sets the tone for the singer's mood. The song's simple structure makes it easy to sing along to, and the listener can quickly catch on to the lyrics.

Overall, this song is an excellent example of a love song that encapsulates the essence of missing someone. The lyrics and melody work together to create a genuinely heartfelt and honest expression of longing and love.

Line by Line Meaning

Couldn't get to sleep last night
I couldn't sleep last night because I miss you so much.

Missing you so much, it hurts
I am missing you terribly and the pain is unbearable.

Missing your company
I am feeling lonely without your company.

All the things you mean to me, girl
You mean everything to me, and I am feeling incomplete without you.

Baby, won't you please come home
I am pleading with you to come back to me.

Don't have very much to say
I have nothing to say because I am feeling empty without you.

Never was so good with words
I was never good at expressing my feelings and emotions with words.

It's only that I'm missing you
The only reason for my restlessness is that I am missing you.

Wishing I was kissing you now
I am longing to be kissing you right now.

Baby, won't you please come home
I am begging you to return to me.

Baby, won't you please come home to me
Please come back to me, my love.