He began experimenting with sound and four-track recording at the age of 11, eventually building an arsenal of instruments that included junk-shop organs and a home-built theremin. At the age of 14 he joined the pop-art collective Minty, a venture that caught the eyes and ears of Fat Cat Records, which went on to supply the youth with a computer and mixing tools for aid in his newfound audio experimentation. He left home at the age of 16 and formed Maison Crimineaux with his friend Fanny, which eventually found its way to France where the noisy duo played a show attended by electronic maestro Kristian Robinson (aka Capitol K), who went on to release Wolf's lauded 2003 debut. With Lycanthropy reaching number 39 in the NME's top LPs of the year, as well as receiving critical acclaim throughout Europe and America, Wolf decided to study composition at the Trinity College Music Conservatoire.
The results of that endeavor can be heard on his 2005 release Wind in the Wires, a dark collection of moody British folk and chamber pop with a chilly laptop sheen.
Wolf released his third album, and the first on a major label, The Magic Position, in February 2007. A concept album on the theme of love, the majority of it was written after the end of a long term intimate relationship. It featured collaborations with Marianne Faithfull and Edward Larrikin of Larrikin Love.
His fourth album, The Bachelor, was originally supposed to be part of a double album called Battle (the other disc was to be called The Conqueror). It was released on 1 June 2009. Guest musicians included Atari Teenage Riot's Alec Empire, actress Tilda Swinton, folk musician Eliza Carthy and avant-garde electronic pioneer Matthew Herbert.
Wolf's fifth album, Lupercalia, was released on 20 June 2011 by Hideout, a subsidiary of Mercury Records. Songfacts explains that the album title refers to the fertility and love festival which the ancient Romans celebrated between February 13-15 (the predecessor to Valentine's Day).
His latest release is a double album entitled Sundark and Riverlight, celebrating Wolf's 10 years as a recording artist. The album features acoustic re-recordings of songs from throughout his career, as well as previously unheard tracks.
The Bachelor
Patrick Wolf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one will wear my silver ring
Poor little turtle dove
Sitting up in pine
Mourning for your own true love
Why not me for mine?
I got hogs in the pen
And corn to feed them on
And all I want is someone
Who will feed them
When I'm dead and gone
Feed them when I'm dead
And gone
'Cause I know
I'm not going to marry in the fall
And I'm not going to marry in the spring
I will never marry, marry at all
No one will wear my silver ring
Wear my silver no one will
Poor little turtle dove
Sitting up in pine
Mourning for your own true love
Why not me for mine?
So I went up to this mountain
To give my horn a blow
And all the boys in the valley said
Yonder comes my beau
Yonder comes my beau
'Cause I know
I'm not going to marry in the fall
And I'm not going to marry in the spring
I will never marry, marry at all
No one will wear my silver ring
Wear my silver no one will
But who will feed them
When I'm dead and gone?
The lyrics to "The Bachelor" by Patrick Wolf are emotionally complex and draw from the American folk tradition. At its core, the song is about a man who feels he will never find true love and settle down because he is different from others around him. He longs for a connection that he cannot seem to find, and the silver ring he sings of symbolizes that sense of commitment and belonging to another person. He laments how no one will wear his silver ring - he feels alone and unwanted.
The lyrics also touch on themes of mortality and the fear of dying alone. The singer of the song has concerns about who will care for his hogs and feed them when he is gone, which speaks to his need for human connection and a legacy. However, he also acknowledges that he is not going to marry, foreshadowing a life of isolation and loneliness.
The song's imagery is poignant and haunting, as Patrick Wolf's vocals are accompanied by sparse instrumentation that creates a sense of emptiness and melancholy. It's a powerful meditation on love, loss, and the human need for connection and belonging.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna be a witchman
I aspire to be a wizard or a witch.
No one will wear my silver ring
I do not believe I will ever find anyone to marry me and wear my wedding ring.
Poor little turtle dove
Sitting up in pine
Mourning for your own true love
Why not me for mine?
Seeing a mourning bird, I long for my own true love and wonder why I haven't found them yet.
I got hogs in the pen
And corn to feed them on
And all I want is someone
Who will feed them
When I'm dead and gone
Feed them when I'm dead
And gone
Despite having material possessions, all I really want is to find someone to care for my animals after I pass away.
'Cause I know
I'm not going to marry in the fall
And I'm not going to marry in the spring
I will never marry, marry at all
No one will wear my silver ring
Wear my silver no one will
I am resigned to the fact that I will never get married and that nobody will wear my ring.
So I went up to this mountain
To give my horn a blow
And all the boys in the valley said
Yonder comes my beau
Yonder comes my beau
Feeling lonely, I go to a mountain and blow my horn. Despite being pessimistic about finding love, the boys in the valley perceive me as a potential partner.
But who will feed them
When I'm dead and gone?
I still worry about who will care for my animals after I pass away.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: PATRICK WOLF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jet Blackriver
This is so fantastic. That punching emotion. Ugh <3
Violette Z
it 's wonderful to see that he just freely added in lyrics occasionally.