Her debut single, Stone Cold Sober, was released in June 2009 and entered the British charts at number 17, while her second single New York reached number 15. Her debut album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? was released on 28 September 2009, peaking at number 9 and later certified double platinum.
In 2012, she released her second studio album, Fall to Grace, which reached number two in the UK and has since been certified double-platinum. The album produced her first top ten single, Picking Up the Pieces and the top twenty cover version of INXS's Never Tear Us Apart. Her third album, A Perfect Contradiction was released in 2014 and has become her most successful album to date. The album included the top ten singles, Can't Rely on You and Only Love Can Hurt Like This, which became her highest-charting single in the UK.
Paloma's fourth and current album The Architect was released in November 2017.
Paloma won Best British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards in 2015 and has been nominated four other times. She has also made feature film appearances in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Dread and the 2007 remake of St Trinian's.
Smoke & Mirrors
Paloma Faith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Broke promises the system snaps
All your lights and neon lights are old
Dicta-coated miracles and then one day the curtain called
Behind your smile you're bony and a fake
Give it up
Don't look back 'cos you've just lost your lova'
Give it up
Your unillusioned (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Play our tricks and all I get is just confusion
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
You said you were built to last
You took my hand you made a pass
The moon eclipsed and circled round my heart
With your kiss my life began
Your love it hit and then you ran
And I hope you pay your dues I'm moving on
Give it up
You've been discovered (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Don't look back 'cos you've just lost your lova'
Give it up
Your inillusioned (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Play our tricks and all I get is just confusion
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
You might think I'm sitting home and crying
But I'm not, oh no
I've pulled the Queen of Clubs, there's no denying
I'm having the time of my life
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around
All this gunk comes back around
On you.
"Smoke & Mirrors" by Paloma Faith is a song about deception, broken promises, and the eventual downfall of those who hide behind facades. The song opens with the singer reflecting on a pact made with the subject of the song, who has broken promises and been revealed as a fraud. The singer highlights the subject's use of "dicta-coated miracles" and "neon lights" as old and fake.
The chorus urges the subject to give up their illusions as they have been discovered and are now without their lover. The singer has moved on, but the subject continues to play tricks, causing confusion for all involved. The bridge highlights the subject's claim to be "built to last" but ultimately their love was a fleeting experience with the promise of paying dues yet to be fulfilled.
In the final verse, the singer assures the subject that they are not sitting at home crying, but instead are enjoying their life with the Queen of Clubs. The song ends with a repeated assertion that all the deception and fake appearances will come back around on the subject.
Overall, "Smoke & Mirrors" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of living behind facades and being dishonest in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I met you we made a pact
We started a relationship and made a promise to each other.
Broke promises the system snaps
We did not keep our promises and our relationship fell apart.
All your lights and neon lights are old
Your flashy exterior is outdated and unimpressive.
Dicta-coated miracles and then one day the curtain called
You relied on unattainable miracles, but eventually reality caught up with you.
Behind your smile you're bony and a fake
You hide your true self behind a fake exterior and a smile.
Give it up
You've been discovered (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Don't look back 'cos you've just lost your lova'
Stop pretending because your true self has been exposed and you have lost your love.
Give it up
Your unillusioned (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Play our tricks and all I get is just confusion
Stop trying to trick me because I see through your lies and it only confuses me.
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
Our relationship has ended and it's clear to everyone that you have been exposed for who you truly are, and now you must face the consequences of your actions.
You said you were built to last
You took my hand you made a pass
The moon eclipsed and circled round my heart
With your kiss my life began
Your love it hit and then you ran
And I hope you pay your dues I'm moving on
You once promised me forever and we started a relationship, but you quickly left after a strong initial connection. I hope you learn from your mistakes as I move on.
You might think I'm sitting home and crying
But I'm not, oh no
I've pulled the Queen of Clubs, there's no denying
I'm having the time of my life
You might think that I'm upset and alone, but I'm actually having a great time and moving on with my life.
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
Our relationship has ended and everyone knows the truth - that your actions will come back to haunt you.
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around
All this gunk comes back around
On you.
Our relationship has ended and it's clear that your dishonesty and lies will come back to hurt you in the end.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: PALOMA FAITH, ALISON MOIRA CLARKSON, STEPHEN PAUL ROBSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
’vɑle
I met you we made a pact
Broke promises the system snaps
All your lights and neon lights are old
Dicta-coated miracles and then one day the curtain called
Behind your smile you're bony and a fake
Give it up
You've been discovered (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Don't look back 'cos you've just lost your lova'
Give it up
Your unillusioned (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Play our tricks and all I get is just confusion
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
You said you were built to last
You took my hand you made a pass
The moon eclipsed and circled round my heart
With your kiss my life began
Your love it hit and then you ran
And I hope you pay your dues I'm moving on
Give it up
You've been discovered (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Don't look back 'cos you've just lost your lova'
Give it up
Your inillusioned (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Play our tricks and all I get is just confusion
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
You might think I'm sitting home and crying
But I'm not, oh no
I've pulled the Queen of Clubs, there's no denying
I'm having the time of my life
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around on you
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true, when I told ya
That all this gunk comes back around
All this gunk comes back around
On you.
TrinityTrumpet
I met you we made a pact
Broke promises
The system snapped
Saw all your lies in neon lights uh oh
Glitter-coated miracles
And then one day the curtain called
Behind your smile you're a phoney and a fake
Give it up
You've been discovered (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Don't look back cause you've just lost your lover
Give it up
Your an illusion (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Play your tricks and all I get is just confusion
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true
What I told ya
That all you've done comes back around on you
You said you were built to last
You took my hand you made a pass
The moon eclipsed and circled round my heart
With your kiss my life began
Your love it hit and then you ran
I hope you pay your dues
I'm moving on
Give it up
You've been discovered (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Don't look back cause you've just lost your lover
Give it up
Your an illusion (Ooh-ooh ooh-ooh)
Play your tricks and all I get is just confusion
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true
What I told ya
That all you've done comes back around on you
(Uuuuuoooooooooohhhh uuuoh)
You might think I'm sitting home and crying
But I'm not, oh no
I've pulled the Queen of Clubs, there's no denying
I'm having the time of my life
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true
What I told ya
That all you've done comes back around on you
And now we're through
The show is over
The audience is walking out the room
You know it's true
What I told ya
That all you've done comes back around on you
Darryn Wilson
The more I dig into this lady the more impressed I am..awesome talent
korok_oaki
I can't get enough of this song. Simply brilliant. Paloma has an amazing voice; definitely one of the most talented artists out there right now.
WriterPoetHumanBeing
I've seen almost all her music videos and I love them as much as her live performances now! They are classy and creative works of art!
Sony
Her voice is incredible! 🙏✨
kromanized
Man, I seriously cried because this music is so good. She's perfect!
Shelton 27
She's good but she's not that great..
taliahsavage24
+Shelton 27 she is tho ✅
Maarten Reyniers
The clip as well, her expression.
Lucho Figueroa
Ademas de ser hermosa, la creatividad que maneja Paloma para los videos es una maravilla, en cada video oficial, quedo muy sorprendido, buena musica, buena voz, videos dramaticos y divertidos, una actiz de lo mejor, es Perfecta! te aplaudo!!!
tnargtnarud
I can't explain how much I enjoy her. She's truly underrated! She's bubbly! and full of soul!