Nitin attended Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School and studied law at Liverpool University for a short time. He then went to London, where he met Sanjeev Bhaskar. The pair became friends and created a comedy double act, The Secret Asians, together. The show sought to turn absurdly dated Asian stereotypes on their heads. It led to a contract with BBC radio and eventually grew into the award-winning BBC TV sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.
During that time he met up with an old school friend, acid jazz keyboards-player James Taylor. He joined Taylor for a 40-date tour in as part of The James Taylor Quartet. It introduced him to the jazz club scene and provoked him into forming his own band, The Jazztones. He moved on to join forces with tabla master Talvin Singh to form the Tihai Trio and, after that collaboration ended in 1993, released his debut album, Spirit Dance on his own label. Shortly afterwards, he signed with Outcaste Records.
Sawhney's music is intensely political, commonly approaching themes of multiculturalism, empowerment, identity, immigration, poverty, and spirituality. He is active as an artist in residence for five different performing arts organisations in Europe and Asia, and along with George Martin is a patron for the British Governments Access-to-Music Program which brings music education to the inner-city students.
Sawhney's skills include classical and jazz piano and flamenco guitar. He has released six studio albums, as well as countless remixes and collaborations. After releasing Beyond Skin on London's Outcaste Records in 1999, he was signed by V2 to do six albums. His first album with the Virgin subsidiary, the millennial/apocalyptical Prophesy, in 2001 won a MOBO Award and a BBC Radio 3 Music Award.
Sawhney's music is influenced by his roots in India, utilising and featuring Urdu and Hindi lyrics, Qawwali singing, tablas and other instruments from the subcontinent, and Raga phrasings in music which is often primarily meant for the dance floor.
Sawhney's work in production and arrangement has led to his working in film and television scores. He has scored television ads for Sephora and Nike, as well as more than 25 films from his London-based Spirit Dance Studios. He was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Film and TV Composition in 2004 for his music on Channel Four's film, Second Generation. From there, he has begun to see acceptance from the "classical" community, and in 2004 he was commissioned by the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Symphonia to compose new performance works. London's Royal National Theatre invited him to write, direct, and score a work to be opened in 2005.
For photographs and additional information visit Nitin's official site, www.NitinSawhney.com
Fires
Nitin Sawhney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no more trains coming this way
You better make your way home, son
There's something going down in London
Well, that ain't gonna stop me
So I step out the station and what do I see?
Traffic for days
Then it all went slow motion, everything slow motion
First came the flash of lights then the sound of explosion
And we're still in slow motion, we're still in slow motion
On these streets where I played
And these trains that I take, I saw fire
But now I've seen the city change in
Oh, so many ways, since the days of fire
Since the days of fire
Now I'm on the train, going that way
There were too many people coming this way
Delayed trains, delayed trains
Didn't plan for death on the subway
So I step out the station
Brazilian name all over TV
Realization, I was on the next train
Could've been me
Then it all went slow motion, everything slow motion
First the flash of light then the rise of emotion
And I'm still in slow motion, I'm still in slow motion
On these streets where I played
And these trains that I take, I saw fire
But now I've seen the city change in
Oh, so many ways, since the days of fire
Since the days of fire
One day going that way, one day going this way
Those summer days, that crazy phase
Like a jack-knifed car on the highway
Just two mad situations
Fire on the news, fire on TV
A bus, a train station
The crossfire sights of destiny
Now it's all gone slow motion, everything slow motion
The lights gone out, I feel no more emotion
I'm all out of emotion, I'm out of emotion
On these streets where I played
And these trains that I take, I saw fire
But now I've seen the city change in
Oh, so many ways, since the days of fire
Since the days of fire
The lyrics of Nitin Sawhney's song "Days of Fire" tell a haunting tale of two bombings that rocked London on 7/7/2005, killing 52 people and injuring hundreds of others. The singer describes his experiences of being caught up in both the attacks, one while getting off the train at the station and the other while on a train. The song expresses the trauma that could be caused by terrorist attacks and how it could affect people's lives forever.
The first verse describes the chaos in the aftermath of the first explosion, with no trains running, and people being advised to get home as soon as possible. But, the singer decides to carry on with his journey and soon realizes the severity of the situation when he sees the traffic congested for miles. Then, he witnesses the second explosion that left him in shock, and he reminisces about the innocence that was lost in the days of the fire.
In the second verse, he again changes trains and sees the name of a Brazilian woman that was splashed all over TV after she died in the attacks. The realization hits him that he could have been on the train that was bombed, and he describes the event in slow motion. The last verse talks about how life can change in a matter of seconds, and now, the singer is all out of emotions.
Overall, "Days of Fire" is a poignant reflection on how terrorism affects ordinary people, how innocent lives are lost, and perceptions of a place, forever altered.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no more trains going that way
There are no more trains traveling in the intended direction.
There's no more trains coming this way
There are no more trains coming in the current direction.
You better make your way home, son
It would be wise to return home.
There's something going down in London
There is an event or incident happening in London.
Well, that ain't gonna stop me
That will not prevent me from continuing on my path.
So I step out the station and what do I see?
After leaving the station, what is the first thing I notice?
Traffic for days
Heavy traffic that seems endless.
Let me walk a bit and I'll see where it get me
If I walk a little, I may discover where it leads.
Then it all went slow motion, everything slow motion
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
First came the flash of lights then the sound of explosion
An explosion occurred after a bright, sudden light was seen.
And we're still in slow motion, we're still in slow motion
Things are still moving in slow motion.
On these streets where I played
These streets where I used to spend time.
And these trains that I take, I saw fire
I witnessed fire on the trains I used to take.
But now I've seen the city change in
I've noticed how the city has changed.
Oh, so many ways, since the days of fire
There have been many changes since the time of the fire.
Now I'm on the train, going that way
Currently traveling on a train in the intended direction.
There were too many people coming this way
There were too many people traveling in the incoming direction.
Delayed trains, delayed trains
Trains are experiencing significant delays.
Didn't plan for death on the subway
I never expected to experience death during my subway ride.
So I step out the station
I exit the station.
Brazilian name all over TV
A Brazilian name is dominating the news coverage.
Realization, I was on the next train
I suddenly realize I was on the following train.
Could've been me
I could have been involved in the incident.
Then it all went slow motion, everything slow motion
Events seemed to occur in slow motion.
First the flash of light then the rise of emotion
A sudden flash of light was followed by a surge of emotions.
And I'm still in slow motion, I'm still in slow motion
I'm still processing the events as if they were in slow motion.
One day going that way, one day going this way
On different days, I went in different directions.
Those summer days, that crazy phase
Reflecting on a past time of youthful folly.
Like a jack-knifed car on the highway
An event or incident that causes widespread disruption.
Just two mad situations
Two crazy situations.
Fire on the news, fire on TV
News channels are broadcasting updates about the fire.
A bus, a train station
The bus and train stations were affected by the fire.
The crossfire sights of destiny
Fate or destiny caused me to witness the events.
Now it's all gone slow motion, everything slow motion
The world seems to be moving in slow motion after the events.
The lights gone out, I feel no more emotion
I am now numb to the situation.
I'm all out of emotion, I'm out of emotion
I have no more emotions left to give.
On these streets where I played
Back on the same streets where I used to spend time.
And these trains that I take, I saw fire
Reflecting on the time I saw fire on the trains.
But now I've seen the city change in
I've observed how the city has evolved.
Oh, so many ways, since the days of fire
The city has undergone significant changes since the fire incident.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEXANDER AKILOE MODIANO, NITIN SAWHNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cool Beau
What a beauty ... mindblowing lyrics and music...
JC Dove
Absolutely mind blown by everything here. 'We're killing angels' .. thats where we are...
Андрій Миколайович
Фантастика
Channa
Nitin you're my saviour
StrangeScenario
Mashallah
Svetgo
Нежно