Matthew Raymond-Barker (born 20 June 1989 in London, England) is an English… Read Full Bio ↴Matthew Raymond-Barker (born 20 June 1989 in London, England) is an English singer who won the second season of the French X Factor in 2011. He received the grand cash prize and a recording deal with Sony Music.

Born in London, Matthew William Raymond-Barker is the only son of Karen (née Jacobs) and William Francis Raymond-Barker. He lives in Mitcham,south-west London, works in Waterford and attended Emanuel School in Battersea.

Raymond-Barker had applied initially to the British The X Factor competition, but was rejected after the first day of bootcamp.

Raymond-Barker is a student, studying French and Spanish at the University of Bath and was in France for a period of six months to improve his French language skills at University of Toulouse. He applied to the French X Factor in Montpellier after a friend of his spotted an advertisement for the French competition.

He was coached in the series by Véronic DiCaire.

City Lights
Matthew Raymond Barker Lyrics

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Every night, everyday, it feel like it's over
Tomorrows gonna come, and you hope we will get clearer
No time for you to waste, waiting can be disgrace
If you fall, get up top, before the night get closer

She got weightless shoes, with the city lights
And every ones a year, you know that she might, not be the one for you, you don't care bout' ha what they say. Don't care, she's mine, I have seen all the signs
No need to hide, we will be safe and sound. Every time that they break, it feel like it's over

The sun is gonna rice, and you gonna find out who's a lover
No life for you to taste, this place can be a disgrace
If you fall, get up top, before the fight get closer

She got weightless shoes, with the city lights
And every ones a year, you know that she might, not be the one for you, you don't care bout' ha what they say. Don't care, she's mine, I have seen all the signs
No need to hide, we will be safe and sound. When the lights turn off, on the floor you're alone,
I'm already gone. She got weightless shoes, with the city lights

And every ones a year, you know that she might, not be the one for you, you don't care bout' ha what they say. Don't care, she's mine, I have seen all the signs
No need to hide, we will be safe and sound.

Overall Meaning

"City Lights" by Matthew Raymond Barker is a song about living in a city and the constant feeling of everything coming to an end. Barker talks about how every night and every day it feels like it's over, but tomorrow is going to come and he hopes that things will become clearer. He encourages the listener not to waste any time waiting as it can be a disgrace. He urges them to get up and fight before the night gets any closer. Barker's lyrics suggest that life in the city is challenging, and it may be easy to fall, but one needs to learn to rise again.

Barker then talks about someone he cares about, who seems to be wearing weightless shoes due to the city lights' mesmerizing effect. The person seems to be unbothered by what anyone else has to say, and although she might not be the right person for him, he doesn't care. He has seen all the signs and knows they will be safe and sound. He continues to talk about how every time things break apart, it feels like it’s over, but when the sun rises, it becomes clear who the lover is. Barker tells the listener there is no time to waste because this place (the city) can be a disgrace, but falling should be used as motivation to get back up and fight even harder.

Overall, the lyrics of the song describe the feeling of hopelessness that comes with living in a city, but despite everything, Barker urges the listener to keep fighting and keep moving forward.

Line by Line Meaning

Every night, everyday, it feel like it's over
Each day feels like it's coming to an end

Tomorrows gonna come, and you hope we will get clearer
You have hope that the future will bring clarity

No time for you to waste, waiting can be disgrace
Don't waste time, waiting can be shameful

If you fall, get up top, before the night get closer
If you stumble, pick yourself up before it gets darker

She got weightless shoes, with the city lights
She is light on her feet, amidst the bright city lights

And every ones a year, you know that she might, not be the one for you, you don't care bout' ha what they say
Each person represents a year of experiences, she may not be the right one for you, but you don't care what others say

Don't care, she's mine, I have seen all the signs
You don't care because she's yours and you see signs of it working out

No need to hide, we will be safe and sound
You have nothing to hide and feel secure together

Every time that they break, it feel like it's over
Whenever things fall apart, it feels like the end

The sun is gonna rice, and you gonna find out who's a lover
The sun will rise, revealing who truly loves you

No life for you to taste, this place can be a disgrace
There's no life to experience here, this place can be shameful

If you fall, get up top, before the fight get closer
If you stumble, pick yourself up before the conflict gets worse

When the lights turn off, on the floor you're alone, I'm already gone
When the lights go out and you're left alone, I'm already gone

Writer(s): Nicolas Dautheribes, Jean-noel Wilthien, Laurent Wilthien, Matthieu Tosi

Contributed by Cameron E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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