MacColl began her career in the late 1970s UK punk rock scene, singing backing vocals for Drug Addix. Her UK hits included the 1981 single "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis", a cover of Billy Bragg's "A New England" in 1985, a duet with Shane MacGowan of The Pogues on "Fairytale of New York" in 1987, and a cover of The Kinks' song "Days" in 1989. She was probably most recognizable in the United States as the writer of "They Don't Know" a hit in 1979.
After a break from the music industry for much of the 1990s, several trips to Cuba and Brazil restored MacColl's creative muse, and the world music-inspired (particularly Cuban and other Latin American forms) Tropical Brainstorm, often described as her finest work, was released in 2000.
On 18 December 2000, while swimming in a restricted diving area with her family on a holiday in Cozumel, she was killed in a collision with a powerboat while managing to drag her son out of its path. The boat was owned by Mexican supermarket millionaire Guillermo González Nova (owner of Comercial Mexicana), who was on board with several members of his family. A boathand, José Cen Yam, claimed to have been driving the boat and was found guilty of culpable homicide and, under Mexican law, allowed to pay a fine of 1034 pesos (about USD 90) in lieu of a prison sentence of that many days. However, eyewitnesses contradict Cen Yam's claim to have been driving and also González Nova's claim that the boat was travelling at a speed of only one knot. MacColl's family are campaigning for a judicial review into the events surrounding her death, including an application to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The BBC has featured on several of its channels a documentary by Olivia Lichtenstein, entitled Who Killed Kirsty MacColl?
In 2001, a bench was placed by the southern entrance to London's Soho Square as a memorial to her, after a lyric from one of her most poignant songs: "One day I'll be waiting there/ No empty bench inSoho Square.
You Know it
Kirsty MacColl Lyrics
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And not to feel so useless
And I long to wake up happy
And not to feel so hopeless
I want arms that never held me
To pull me to my senses
And wrap themselves around me
Oh, please let it come true
Darling, darling, darling
You know it's you.
I want someone up here beside me
To wake up in heaven with all my worries behind me
That's what I'd love to do
There is something I have seen
A vision in my dreams
Who only comes it seems to tell me
What I already knew
There's only one thing that can save me now
And baby you know it's you
Ah - d'you ever see just what I see?
My whole life just flashed in front of me
All my fears, all my mistakes
The heart that sings before it breaks
Oh I want arms that never held me
To wrap themselves around me
And not to let me down too gently
I need something to look forward to
There's only one thing that will do
And you know darling you know it's you
In the song "You Know It's You" by Kirsty MacColl, the lyrics are an expression of the singer's desire for happiness and salvation, which can only be provided by the one she loves. The singer is tired of feeling useless and hopeless and she longs to shake things up in the world. She seeks someone who will not only hold her and pull her to her senses but also someone who will wake up in heaven with all her worries behind her. The singer's vision of her happy place seems to revolve around one person, who is the only one who can save her.
The lyrics "I want arms that never held me to pull me to my senses" express the singer's need for someone who can provide her with clarity and awareness of her surroundings. The line "There's only one thing that can save me now, and baby, you know it's you" is a desperate plea for the person she loves to come to her rescue and make her feel whole again.
The line "All my fears, all my mistakes, the heart that sings before it breaks" expresses the idea that the singer is not perfect, but she is willing to take a chance and open herself up to love.
Overall, the lyrics in "You Know It's You" are powerful and heartfelt, expressing the deep desire for love, happiness, and salvation that everyone can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to shake up this world
I yearn to bring profound changes to this world
And not to feel so useless
I aim to feel productive and substantial
And I long to wake up happy
I crave to wake up with joy and contentment
And not to feel so hopeless
I aspire to feel hope and optimism
I want arms that never held me
I need comfort from someone new
To pull me to my senses
I want someone to ground and center me
And wrap themselves around me
I desire a loving embrace
Oh, please let it come true
I earnestly implore for my dreams to become a reality
There's only one thing for me
I am certain of the one solution
Darling, darling, darling
The one who holds my heart
You know it's you.
You are the one I need to save me from myself
I want someone up here beside me
I crave someone to be with me always
To wake up in heaven with all my worries behind me
I desire an idyllic existence with no concerns
That's what I'd love to do
That is my ultimate desire
There is something I have seen
I have glimpsed a revelation
A vision in my dreams
An image from my subconscious
Who only comes it seems to tell me
Who only appears to impart a message
What I already knew
What I have always been aware of
There's only one thing that can save me now
I can only be salvaged by one remedy
And baby you know it's you
You are the sole solution to my problems
Ah - d'you ever see just what I see?
Have you ever experienced what I have?
My whole life just flashed in front of me
My entire existence passed before my eyes
All my fears, all my mistakes
All my trepidations, all my missteps
The heart that sings before it breaks
The heart that is happiest before it shatters
Oh I want arms that never held me
I desire to be held by someone new
To wrap themselves around me
I long for a comforting embrace
And not to let me down too gently
I need support, not pity
I need something to look forward to
I require something to anticipate happily
There's only one thing that will do
Only one thing will suffice
And you know darling you know it's you
And you know, my love, you are the one
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KIRSTY ANNA MACCOLL, MARK EDWARD CASCIAN NEVIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind