Mumford & Sons have released four studio albums: Sigh No More (2009), Babel (2012), Wilder Mind (2015), and Delta (2018). Sigh No More peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and the Billboard 200 in the US, with Babel and Wilder Mind both debuting at number one in the UK and US, the former becoming the fastest-selling rock album of the decade and leading to a headline performance at Glastonbury Festival in 2013. The band has also issued two live albums: Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire (2011) and The Road to Red Rocks (2012).
Mumford & Sons were formed in December 2007 by multi-instrumentalists Marcus Mumford, Ben Lovett, Winston Marshall and Ted Dwane. Band members play acoustic guitar, drums, keyboard instruments, bass guitar, and traditional folk instruments such as banjo, mandolin and resonator guitar. The band name originates from the fact that Marcus Mumford was the most visible member, organizing the band and their performances. Lovett indicated that the name was meant to invoke the sense of an "antiquated family business name".
A handful of similar bands were increasing their visibility in West London around the same time, giving rise to the label "West London folk scene". Mumford downplays that characterisation as an exaggeration—Mumford & Sons and a few other folk acts just happened to be operating in the same general area at the time. In an interview with the Herald Sun, Marcus Mumford said, "It's not folk really. Well, some of it is, and it's certainly not a scene. Someone got over-excited about a few bands who live in a hundred-mile radius and put it in a box to sell it as a package. It's a community, not a scene. It's not exclusive." Having developed in the same musical and cultural environment, Mumford & Sons' sound has been compared to that of artists such as Noah and the Whale, Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling, whose backing band had included Marshall, Mumford, and Dwane.
In early 2008 the band began working with manager Adam Tudhope, who, as part of management company Everybody's, also represents Keane and Laura Marling. It was through Tudhope's connection that Mumford & Sons were exposed to their future A&R at Island, Louis Bloom, who began monitoring the band. Bloom told HitQuarters that they were still at a fledgling state and not yet ready for a label deal: "There was no one there for it, just a few friends, and they needed time to develop. Over the next six months I kept going to see them and they were literally picking up fans every time."
In February 2008, the band completed an extensive UK tour with support from Alessi's Ark, Sons of Noel and Adrian, Peggy Sue and others. June 2008 marked the band's first appearance at the Glastonbury Festival. They also toured Australia with Laura Marling, whose disinclination to interact with audiences encouraged Mumford into the spotlight. The experience helped inform his attitude towards Mumford & Sons audiences, which is to interact frequently and to try to create a comfortable, casual atmosphere. Mumford & Sons' first project was an EP entitled Love Your Ground which took a year to complete and was released in November 2008 on Chess Club Records.
The band began by using bluegrass and folk instrumentation, with the core instruments of acoustic guitar, banjo, piano and a double bass, played with a rhythmic style based in alternative rock and folk. In the documentary Big Easy Express, Marcus Mumford recognizes the Old Crow Medicine Show influence: "I first heard Old Crow’s music when I was, like, 16, 17, and that really got me into, like, folk music, bluegrass. I mean, I’d listened to a lot of Dylan, but I hadn’t really ventured into the country world so much. So Old Crow were the band that made me fall in love with country music." Mumford acknowledges that "the band inspired them to pick up the banjo and start their now famous country nights in London." Ketch Secor, Old Crow front-man, concurs: "Those boys took the message and ran with it.
Much of Mumford & Sons' lyrical content has a strong literary influence, its debut album name deriving from William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The track "Sigh No More" includes lines from the play such as Serve God love me and mend, For man is a giddy thing, and One foot in sea and one on shore. The title of the song "Roll Away Your Stone" is an allusion to Macbeth; the song includes the line Stars hide your fires/ And these here are my desires which borrows and pares down Macbeth's line in act 1, scene 4: Stars, hide your fires,/ Let not light see my black and deep desires. Additionally, "The Cave" includes several references to The Odyssey, in particular the sirens that Odysseus encounters on his journey home. The song also contains many references to G.K. Chesterton's book, St. Francis of Assisi, in which Chesterton uses Plato's Cave as a way of explaining how St. Francis views the world from God's perspective. "Little Lion Man" appears to be a retelling in dramatic monologue form of Chretien de Troyes' Yvain, the Knight of the Lion, which is the story of a knight who goes mad after betraying a promise to his wife to return to her. Both "Timshel" and "Dust Bowl Dance" draw heavily from the John Steinbeck novels Of Mice and Men, East of Eden and The Grapes of Wrath.
The band's change in sound on their third album was described by Lovett as a "natural departure." At the end of the Babel tour Winston Marshall traded his banjo for electric guitar in sound checks and Mumford started playing more drums as the band jammed on heavy instrumentals and even some Radiohead tunes. Banjo does not feature on the record, an instrument that had become synonymous with the band. NME reported that the band's sound is "More expansive than ever and decidedly heavier, thanks to the shift in instrumentation." The group also employed a full drumkit instead of kick drum. "We've had our standard line-up of instruments for the last six years and we felt like that was our palette, [but] we started picking up other stuff," said Lovett. "It's a very natural departure from some of that rootsier stuff."
Lovett told NME that working with James Ford for Wilder Mind was part of trying something new. "We felt a need for change. Not from Markus [Dravs], but he was so closely attached to those first two records that as we had taken that time off, we wanted to try doing something new. It felt like, if we do our third record with Markus, does that mean we do our ninth and 10th records with Markus? At some point you have to try different things, as we collectively felt like it was time to try other stuff. Markus knows that we might well make the next record with him. We definitely haven't broken up [with Dravs], we're just playing the field!".
The band have won a number of music awards throughout their career, with Sigh No More earning the band the Brit Award for Best British Album in 2011 and six overall Grammy Award nominations. The live performance at the 2011 Grammy ceremony with Bob Dylan and The Avett Brothers led to a surge in popularity for the band in the US. The band received eight total Grammy nominations for Babel and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The band also won the Brit Award for Best British Group in 2013.
Guiding Light
Mumford & Sons Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're on the permanent red
The glaze on my eyes
When I heard your voice
The distance caught me by surprise again
And I know you claim that you're alright
I guess I'm all you have
And I swear you'll see the dawn again
Well I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
'Cause even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
Relate to my youth
Well I'm still in awe of you
Discover some new truth
That was always wrapped around you
But don't just slip away
In the night
Don't just hurl
Your words from on high
Well I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
'Cause even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
If we come back and we're broken
Unworthy and ashamed
Give us something to believe in
And you know we'll go your way
'Cause I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
'Cause even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
And I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
'Cause even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
The song "Guiding Light" by Mumford & Sons is a heartwarming ballad about a loved one who is going through a difficult time. The singer is offering his support and urging them not to lose hope, as he is always there for them. The opening lines are "One, two, three, we're on the permanent red" which symbolizes the urgency of the situation.
The singer acknowledges that the distance between them has caught him by surprise, but reassures the person that they are all he has and implores them to fix their eyes on him. The chorus indicates that even in the darkest of times, he will always be their guiding light, and they will always have something to believe in.
The second verse is more introspective, referencing the singer's own youth and how the person has always been a source of inspiration and truth for him. The final verse speaks to the idea of redemption, assuring the person that even if they come back "broken" and "unworthy," he will still be there to support them and guide them towards a better future.
Overall, the song "Guiding Light" is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and support in times of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, three
The song starts with a counting rhythm.
We're on the permanent red
The singer is stuck in a difficult situation.
The glaze on my eyes
The singer is emotionally overwhelmed.
When I heard your voice
The mention of a person's voice suggests they have a strong connection to the artist.
The distance caught me by surprise again
The artist is not physically close to the person they care about.
And I know you claim that you're alright
The singer's love interest is putting on a brave face.
But fix your eyes on me
The singer wants their love interest to focus on them and their connection.
I guess I'm all you have
The artist recognizes their importance to their love interest.
And I swear you'll see the dawn again
The artist promises a brighter future together.
Well I know I had it all on the line
The artist risked everything for their relationship.
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
The singer urges their love interest to take action and not give up.
'Cause even when there is no star in sight
Even in difficult times, the artist's love for their partner shines bright.
You'll always be my only guiding light
The singer sees their love interest as a source of hope and direction.
Relate to my youth
The singer reminisces about a simpler time.
Well I'm still in awe of you
The singer still admires and respects their partner.
Discover some new truth
The artist is open to learning more about their partner.
That was always wrapped around you
The truth about the partner has always been a part of them.
But don't just slip away in the night
The singer doesn't want their partner to just disappear.
Don't just hurl your words from on high
The singer wants their partner to communicate with them honestly.
If we come back and we're broken
The artist is acknowledging the possibility of failure.
Unworthy and ashamed
The artist feels guilty about their potential failure.
Give us something to believe in
The artist wants a reason to keep trying.
And you know we'll go your way
The singer is willing to follow their partner's lead.
And I know I had it all on the line
The artist reiterates that they took a risk for their relationship.
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
The singer urges their partner to take action.
'Cause even when there is no star in sight
The singer's love remains strong, even in difficult times.
You'll always be my only guiding light
The singer continues to rely on their partner for hope and direction.
And I know I had it all on the line
The song ends with a repetition of the artist's earlier risk-taking statement.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Benjamin Walter David Lovett, Edward James Milton Dwane, Marcus Oliver Johnstone Mumford, Winston Aubrey Aladar Marshall
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tabeakalimeris1230
Lyrics:
All day permanent red
The glaze on my eyes
When I heard your voice
The distance caught me by surprise again
And I know you claim
That you're alright
But fix your eyes on me
I guess I'm all you have
And I swear you'll see the dawn again
Well I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
Cos even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
Relate to my youth
Well, I'm still in awe of you
Discover some new truth
That was always wrapped around you
But don't just slip away
In the night
Don't just hurl
Your words from on high
Well I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
Cos even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
If we come back and we're broken
Unworthy and ashamed
Give us something to believe in
And you know we'll go your way
Cos I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
Cos even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
And I know I had it all on the line
But don't just sit with folded hands and become blind
Cos even when there is no star in sight
You'll always be my only guiding light
@ParisHilton
Loves it 💖
@leorobinson822
Over the years I've seen you and now to know you love this song Paris makes me think mmm this lady knows a bloody good song when she hears it can I ask you to listen to a song Paris by Harry styles its called falling I once had someone said let me fall n I said I couldn't do that and then this tune came into my head n out about a few month later n I used to sing it to my children n they loved it so if anyone struggles around you play them that song n say he won't let you fall n neither will I,take care n listen to your tunes sing them and always smile naturally
@skelly7230
Lol hi paris
@plummetplum
Ha ha is that the actual PH? didn't expect to see a comment from you ha. Can't beat a bit of M&S 👍👍👍😀😀
@joannahaun8670
The love of my life just passed at the tender age of 56. My mama sent me this song because it reminds her of the relationship that I have with my beloved. He was a beautiful man. And influenced everyone he came in contact with, positivity. The reconnections that his people are having because of his passing are incredible. Together we discovered Mumford and Sons at a Bridge School concert. Music and nature are our favorite places of worship. It’s a trip that I have never listened to the song before now. And when I listen to it I have memory flashes of our road tripping and his soul leaving his vessel. A gift that I will always treasure. Thank You my love. Thank You for saving me. Treating me like a queen and truly loving me unconditionally Ours has no comparison!
@clivebixby9923
❤❤
@Tdjay79
🙏❤️✌️🍀😊
@Shoran51x
That's an earthshattering loss. Your positivity in the recollection of this man's life makes me wish I could thank him for being the man you needed. He's in heaven waiting on you now. My heart aches with you. Lucifer stole everything from me for 30 years. He killed my entire family. Jokes on him because he sent my grandfather to heaven when I was 13. Never give up.
@memyselfandi8354
❤ so sorry for your loss.
@chubbawubbahubb24
so sorry!!