Born on born 9th January 1987 in Paisley, Scotland, his father is of Italian descent and his mother Glaswegian, although his father's family have been in Scotland for four generations. Nutini had no formal music training, and was expecting to follow his father into the family fish and chip shop business. He was first encouraged to sing by his music-loving grandfather and a teacher at his school who recognised his talent. He left school to work as a roadie and to sell T-shirts for Speedway and spent three years learning the music business, performing live, alone and with a band, and working as a studio hand at Glasgow's Park Lane Studio.
His big chance came when he attended a concert for David Sneddon's return to his home town of Paisley at the beginning of 2003. Sneddon was delayed, and as the winner of an impromptu pop quiz, Nutini was given the chance to perform a couple of songs on stage during the wait. The favourable reaction of the crowd impressed another member of the audience, who offered to become his manager.
A Daily Record journalist, John Dingwall, saw him performing at the Queen Margaret Union, and invited him to appear live on Radio Scotland. Still only seventeen, he moved to London, and performed regularly at the Bedford pub in Balham whilst still legally too young to drink alcohol himself. Other radio and live appearances followed, including two live acoustic spots on Radio London, The Hard Rock Cafe, and support slots for Amy Winehouse and KT Tunstall.
His debut album, These Streets, produced by Ken Nelson (Coldplay/Gomez), was released on 17th July 2006, and immediately entered the U.K. album charts at number three. Many of the songs on the album, including "Last Request" and "Rewind", were inspired by a turbulent relationship with a girlfriend, and "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" is a true story about encounters with an older woman.
On 29th May 2009 Nutini released his second studio album, Sunny Side Up, after the first single from that album, "Candy", was released on 18th May. In July, he appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, performing "Coming Up Easy". This was released as the second single from the album on 10th August.
Tumbling Down
Paolo Nutini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see the rain
I feel the river flow like it's running through my veins
There is a fire it's burning
And I feel it's pain
There's a storm alive in the sky tonight
And we won't ever be the same
There's nowhere left to hide
It's making a move for every place
Tonight we'll leave
I guess that's how it's gotta be
And the world, the world comes tumbling down
And I wish I could stay
But I know it will never be that way
And the world, the world comes tumbling down
The world comes tumbling down
I can't believe it
You'll never stay
But it's now too long and some got fall
But now there's nothing left to say
Who makes the reasons
Who tells us why
But if you would heard about you shout it out
I wish you leave me here to die
There's nowhere left to hide
Your pretty face
It's making a move forever if it ends
Tonight we'll leav
I guess that's how it's gotta to be
And the world, the world comes tumbling down
And I wish I could stay
But I know it will never be that way
And the world, the world comes tumbling down
The world comes tumbling down
And my friends, my friends keep telling me
Dry your eyes mate
I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up
There's plenty more fish in the sea
Dry your eyes mate
I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts
But you've got to walk away now it's over
Won't let this world keep tumbling down
Won't let this world keep tumbling down
Won't let this world keep tumbling down
Owh no no no no
Won't let this world keep tumbling down
Won't let this world keep tumbling down
Won't let this world keep tumbling down
Owh no no no no
Tonight we'll leave
I guess that's how it's got to be
And the world, the world comes tumbling down
And I wish I could stay
But I know it will never be that way
And the world, the world comes tumbling down
World comes tumbling down
The world comes tumbling down
"Tumbling Down" is a song about heartbreak and the aftermath of a significant relationship ending. The opening lines "I see the sunlight, I see the rain, I feel the river flow like it's running through my veins" suggest the contrast of emotions the singer is feeling: the warmth of the sunlight and the coldness of the rain. The river symbolizes the constant flow of emotions within him. The line "There's a storm alive in the sky tonight, and we won't ever be the same" could be interpreted as the turbulent emotions that come with a breakup, which will inevitably change the people involved.
The chorus "Tonight we'll leave, I guess that's how it's gotta be, and the world, the world comes tumbling down" expresses the inevitability of the end of the relationship and the world ending feeling of heartbreak that follows. The singer wishes he could stay, but knows it will never be that way, and the haunting repetition of "the world, the world comes tumbling down" emphasizes the feeling of devastation.
In the final verse, the singer's friends tell him to move on and find someone else, but he can't seem to let go. The repetition of "Won't let this world keep tumbling down" could be interpreted as the singer trying to fight back against the heartbreak and not let it consume him completely, but ultimately the weight of his emotions is too much to bear.
Overall, "Tumbling Down" is a raw and emotional song about the pain of heartbreak and the struggle to move on from a significant relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I see the sunlight
I recognize the beauty in life.
I see the rain
I acknowledge the hardships that come.
I feel the river flow like it's running through my veins
I am deeply connected to the world around me.
There is a fire it's burning, and I feel it's pain
My passion burns within me, but it can also cause me pain.
There's a storm alive in the sky tonight, and we won't ever be the same
Change is coming, and it will transform everything.
There's nowhere left to hide, your pretty face, it's making a move for every place
You can't escape your past, and it will follow you wherever you go.
Tonight we'll leave, I guess that's how it's gotta be, and the world, the world comes tumbling down
We're moving on from this situation, and it feels like everything is falling apart.
And I wish I could stay, but I know it will never be that way, and the world, the world comes tumbling down
I long for things to be different, but I know they'll never be the same again.
I can't believe it, you'll never stay, but it's now too long and some got fall, but now there's nothing left to say
I'm struggling to accept that you're leaving, but I know it's time for us to part ways.
Who makes the reasons, who tells us why, but if you would heard about you shout it out, I wish you leave me here to die
I don't understand why things have to be this way, and I wish you could explain it to me.
And my friends, my friends keep telling me, dry your eyes mate, I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up, there's plenty more fish in the sea
My friends are trying to console me and remind me that there are other opportunities for love.
Won't let this world keep tumbling down, owh no no no no
I won't let myself be destroyed by the chaos around me.
World comes tumbling down, the world comes tumbling down
Everything is falling apart, and it's painful to witness.
Contributed by Lincoln J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@alyssajane4745
this is paolo singing no one else sounds like him he is one of a kind
@edencrow3326
No big mystery folks...on his official website this is listed as a non-album song by him. First time I heard it I was blown away. Gawd I love this man.
@barrymcguigan2860
This tune is an absolute classical. How it isnt on an album is beyond me. The world the world comes tumbling down !!!!đđâ€
@missmolly333
Okay...it's Paolo. I was listening to a recording on the Multiply site and he introduces himself, Jim and Donny. I'm blown away by these recordings
@joanneoliver89
I still come back to this all the time †wish it was on amazon
@zdonna362
Paolo is healing, nothing like old-school Paolo <3 Great now as well
@YellowMiniCooper2
He need to publish this on Spotify ! And Still crazy...
@elainelontz705
Also January, another beautiful song
@donnagray6372
Wish this was released. Love it! â€
@visamariie
all you who think this isnt paolo: y'all are just jealous that paolo is so amazing that he can sing like he does in his album and like this and still sound gorgeous, okay?