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.
Only Heaven Knows
Kevin Ayers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every day, someone else reminds you
When times were sweet.
Wings on your feet, and bells on your toes
Ahh, only heaven knows....
What do you do when you've lost the feeling
Nowhere to go, you've reached the ceiling
Yeah, everything's closed
Oh, only heaven knows.
Love is a treat, it's a magical feat
Illusion of the real;
You're never quite sure if it's real what you feel
Or just something, yeah, that you've felt before.
Only heaven knows.
Love is a treat, it's a magical feat, etc.
What do you do when you know you're losing
Sit on your ass and let the blues in;
Think of what you had
And how it all went bad;
You sent her a rose
And only heaven knows only heaven knows
The lyrics of Kevin Ayers's song "Only Heaven Knows" deal with the complex emotions surrounding lost love and the passage of time. The first verse addresses the nostalgic sadness that comes with being reminded of a happy past that is now long gone. The image of wings and bells on one's feet suggest freedom and joy, but they are now just a memory. The phrase "only heaven knows" implies that there is no clear answer to the question of what one is supposed to do in the face of time passing and lost dreams. The second verse continues this theme, emphasizing the idea that there are often no clear solutions to emotional challenges. When one has "reached the ceiling," there seems to be nowhere to turn, and even the idea of closed doors and windows suggests a lack of escape.
The theme of love is also central to this song. The refrain that "love is a treat, it's a magical feat" suggests that love is something wonderful and rare. However, it is also something that can be confusing; the lyrics suggest that it is difficult to determine whether one's feelings of love are real or just a repetition of past experiences. The final verse ends with a sense of resignation about lost love, as the singer sits and thinks about what has been lost. The final line, "you sent her a rose / And only heaven knows," suggests that there is still a sense of mystery surrounding the emotions of love and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
What do you do, when it's all behind you
How do you cope when everything in your past is gone and you're left with nothing?
Every day, someone else reminds you
The constant reminders about the good old times make moving on difficult for you.
When times were sweet.
You recall the blissful days you spent and wish to turn back to them.
Wings on your feet, and bells on your toes
You had an exciting and fulfilled life that was full of music, joy, and freedom.
Ahh, only heaven knows....
Only God knows the extent of your loss and how it affects you personally.
What do you do when you've lost the feeling
What measures do you take when you're emotionally cut off from life?
Nowhere to go, you've reached the ceiling
No opportunities or chance for growth, your desires and potential are limited.
Right behind the floor, no window, no door,
You feel trapped in a situation where you have no escape routes or outlets.
Yeah, everything's closed
You've closed up your mind and heart. You don't want to share your pain with others or talk about it.
Oh, only heaven knows.
It's a personal struggle, and heaven alone knows how deep and painful it is.
Love is a treat, it's a magical feat
Love is sweet, precious, and incredible in its nature.
Illusion of the real;
Love can be mistaken for infatuation or fleeting emotions that eventually fade out.
You're never quite sure if it's real what you feel
It's challenging to distinguish between love and like or other emotions and decide if they are real emotions.
Or just something, yeah, that you've felt before.
Maybe it's not new, and you felt the same emotional intensity before in different relationships.
What do you do when you know you're losing
How do you react when the relationship you're in is not working out?
Sit on your ass and let the blues in;
You choose to be unproductive, build a wall around yourself, and allow Negative emotions to take over.
Think of what you had
You find yourself reminiscing over sweet memories and things you had but are now gone.
And how it all went bad;
You examine how your relationship went sour, how things fell apart, and the heartache from that.
You sent her a rose
As a last-ditch effort, you may end up sending her flowers or apologizing trying to save what's left of your affection.
And only heaven knows only heaven knows
But it's out of your hands, and only God has the answers to everything you're feeling.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KEVIN CAWLEY AYERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind