Mark Anthony Patrick Owen (born January 27, 1972 in Oldham, Lancashire, Eng… Read Full Bio ↴Mark Anthony Patrick Owen (born January 27, 1972 in Oldham, Lancashire, England) is an English singer-songwriter and member of the boy band Take That from 1990-1996 and again since their reform in 2005.

After Take That split, Owen became the third of the band's ex-members to release a solo record. He reached number three in the UK Singles Chart with his debut single, Child. His second single, Clementine, also went to number three. In 1997 his album Green Man was released, charting at a number 33. After another single, I Am What I Am, charted at number 29, Owen was dropped by BMG Records in late 1997.

In 2002 Mark won the second series of Celebrity Big Brother. After being invited to perform on stage with Robbie Williams at Knebworth, he returned to the spotlight and signed a deal with Island/Universal Records. In August 2003, Owen returned to the charts with the Top 5 hit, Four Minute Warning, which remained in the Top 40 for eight weeks. His second album, In Your Own Time, was released in November 2003, entering the charts at number 59. After a second single, Alone Without You, charted at number 26, Owen was dropped by Island/Universal Records.

In April 2004 he established his own record company, Sedna Records. He released his third solo album, How the Mighty Fall in 2005, which was recorded at Sunset Studios, Los Angeles in 2004. In February 2006 he released Hail Mary as a single from the album.

In 2005 Mark rejoined the newly reformed Take That and has been enjoying chart success with them ever since. He still plans, however, to continue working on solo projects.

Live If You Try
Mark Owen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm gonna climb inside this peaceful mind, and mind,
Shake it up, drop a bomb, tic toc, stop the clock.
I need to feel alive, reach my sides, go and go,
When there's nothing left I will find it all

Wake me up from the coma-camera of lost time,
Let a bomb break out from the routine life,
Take a gun, set your target, let bullets fly,

Open up, shoot me down, break the sky

You only live if you try
You only live if you try
You only live if you try
You only live if you try

We've been dropped, kicked, set-back, laughed at, body-one
Outside, inside, inside, stay alive,
We're not gonna give any time away,
But tomorrow will never be today,

If you want it, you get it, you have it, you get it,
You're not down with that,
You're bigger than that,
Here comes an afterthought back to pull you down,
Keep it up, push it back, take control,

You only live if you try
You only live if you try
I'm comin' out, I'm comin' out alive
You only live if you try
You only live if you try

Help me out of this console screen I'm in, smash it up,
Let me fly through the windowpane,
On the floor, I feel my legs again,
Through the floor a non-swimmer is diving in.

To the blue, sky blanket that covers you,
We are free, in time to catch the morning break (break, break, break)
When we rise as the human race,
Wind us up, pull us back, watch us go

We only live if we try
We only live if we try
I'm comin' out, I'm comin' out alive
We only live if we try
We only live if we try

Wake the life that sleeps in you,
Wake the walls and let the light come through,
Meet me on the other side,
See the life you want through your own eyes

You only live if you try, you only live if you try, you only live if you try...

Overall Meaning

The opening line of Mark Owen's "Live If You Try" talks about climbing into a peaceful mind, insinuating that the singer might be trapped in his own thoughts, seeking liberation. He then talks about wanting to feel alive and the need to find something within him despite a feeling of nothingness. The lines "Let a bomb break out from the routine life, Take a gun, set your target, let bullets fly" are highly metaphorical and can be interpreted in different ways. However, it could be that Owen is feeling stuck in a routine that has become mundane and now desires to break free of it.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "You only live if you try" four times. This line suggests that one can only experience life to the fullest by taking risks, stepping out of one's comfort zone, and not holding back on pursuing their dreams or desires. He also sings about waking up from a coma and breaking free from the console screen he's trapped in; these lyrics also allude to being stuck in a certain mindset and desiring to break out of it.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gonna climb inside this peaceful mind, and mind
I will enter my mind and shake things up.

Shake it up, drop a bomb, tic toc, stop the clock
I will disrupt my routine and create a sense of urgency.

I need to feel alive, reach my sides, go and go. When there's nothing left I will find it all
I want to experience life to the fullest and search for meaning in the depths.

Wake me up from the coma-camera of lost time
I want to break free from the monotony of daily life.

Let a bomb break out from the routine life
I want a radical change that destroys my current way of living.

Take a gun, set your target, let bullets fly
I want to take control of my destiny and make something of myself.

Open up, shoot me down, break the sky
I am willing to face any obstacles to achieve my goals.

You only live if you try
You can only truly live if you take risks and strive for what you want.

We've been dropped, kicked, set-back, laughed at, body-one
We have faced adversity and obstacles on our journey.

Outside, inside, inside, stay alive
We are constantly faced with challenges both externally and internally, but we must persevere.

We're not gonna give any time away
We will not waste our precious time on fruitless pursuits.

But tomorrow will never be today
We must seize the present moment, as it will never come again.

If you want it, you get it, you have it, you get it
If you work hard and believe in yourself, you can achieve your dreams.

You're not down with that
Don't let anyone tell you that you can't achieve your goals.

You're bigger than that
You are capable of greatness and should never sell yourself short.

Here comes an afterthought back to pull you down
Negative thoughts and doubts can impede your progress if you let them.

Keep it up, push it back, take control
You must remain resilient and determined to overcome any obstacles in your path.

Help me out of this console screen I'm in, smash it up
I want to escape the constraints of technology and embrace the real world.

Let me fly through the windowpane
I want to break free from my current situation and explore new possibilities.

On the floor, I feel my legs again
I am rediscovering my strength and sense of purpose.

Through the floor a non-swimmer is diving in
I am taking a leap of faith into the unknown, even if it scares me.

To the blue, sky blanket that covers you
The possibilities of the future are limitless and vast like the sky above us.

We are free, in time to catch the morning break (break, break, break)
We have the freedom and opportunity to pursue our dreams, starting anew with the dawn of a new day.

When we rise as the human race, wind us up, pull us back, watch us go
When we unite as one to pursue a common goal, nothing can stop us from achieving it.

Wake the life that sleeps in you, wake the walls and let the light come through
You must awaken your desire for life and allow positivity and hope to flow freely into your life.

Meet me on the other side, See the life you want through your own eyes
Join me in embracing a new perspective and pursuing the life that truly fulfills you.

I'm comin' out, I'm comin' out alive
I am emerging from my cocoon of fear and doubt, ready to live my life to the fullest.

We only live if we try
The only way to truly live is by taking risks and pursuing our dreams.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEVE HILLIER, MARK ANTHONY OWEN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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