1) an Austral… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least nine artists with the name Paul Kelly:
1) an Australian singer-songwriter
2) an American film and TV composer
3) an American soul singer & songwriter
4) an Irish folk singer and songwriter
5) a member of British bands Birdie and East Village
6) a member of English rock band Northern Uproar
7) an English multi-instrumentalist for The Islanders
8) an American bass player
9) a member of The Martial Arts, BMX Bandits and How to Swim
1) Paul Kelly is an Australian singer-songwriter, based in Melbourne, and widely considered as an icon of Australian music. He has released music under his own name and as Paul Kelly and the Messengers, Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls, and Paul Kelly and the Stormwater Boys. His output has ranged from bluegrass to studio-oriented dub reggae, but his core output comfortably straddles folk, rock, and even some country. His lyrics, simply and laconically voiced, have managed to speak to Australian experiences and history perhaps more broadly and directly than any other artist.
2) Paul Kelly is an American composer based in New York City. He is the talent that brings music to the world of film, TV, and advertising. He has been sought after by renowned directors, like Oliver Stone, for his blockbuster films, Savages, Any Given Sunday, Comandante and Oscar-Nominated short film Everything In This Country Must. Glowing reviews that Kelly has received, can be seen in the following from Thom Jurek, Soundings in Film, who say, “His moving sound constructions are full of emotions and moods — not all of them pleasant — and his takes on funk, rock, and blues are not journeyman, but those of a musician who takes these art forms seriously and seeks to represent them accurately in his utterances. Kelly may be a sketcher, but his sketches stand on their own outside the realm of the image,” and Frank O. Gutch Jr, Evolution In Film, who give glowing context to the work of Kelly in the following, “Paul Kelly knows what music is. He knows that it can be a setup, a climax, or an anticlimax. He knows the value of music applied to other media. More than that, he knows music. Not at all unlike a classical composer or even the rock band which plays beyond the fringe, he creates music for a reason.”
Visit http://paulkelly.com for more information.
3) Paul Kelly (born Paul Laurence Dunbar Kelly in Overtown, Miami, Florida, USA on 19 June 1940) is an American Soul singer, musician and producer. He is best known for the song "Stealing in the Name of the Lord", which was a hit in 1970. And in 1974 another hit with "Hooked, Hogtied & Collared" from the album with the same title. He also wrote "Personally", which has been widely-covered, and was a hit for soul singer Jackie Moore, as well as country singers Karla Bonoff and Ronnie McDowell. Other songs have been covered by gospel artists, including The Mighty Clouds Of Joy and The Staple Singers.
4) Paul Kelly (born 1957 in Dublin) is an Irish folk singer and songwriter. He has played Irish traditional music, bluegrass and country, and is equally at home in a variety of different styles of music.
5) Paul Kelly is a British member of Birdie and East Village
6) Paul Kelly is a member of English rock band Northern Uproar
7) Paul Kelly is an English multi-instrumentalist for The Islanders
8) Paul Kelly is an American bass player
9) a member of The Martial Arts, BMX Bandits and How to Swim
Careless
Paul Kelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How many notes in a saxophone, how many tears in a bottle of gin?
How many times did you call my name, knock at the door but you couldn't get in?
I know I've been careless
I've been wrapped up in a shell, nothing could get through to me
Acted like I didn't know I had friends and family
I know I've been careless
I lost my tenderness
I've been careless
I took bad care of this
Like a mixture in a bottle, like a frozen over lake
Like a long-time, painted smile I got so hard I had to crack
You were there, you held the line, you're the one that brought me back
I know I've been careless
I lost my tenderness
I've been careless
I took bad care of this
How many cabs in New York City, how many angels on a pin?
How many notes in a saxophone, how many tears in a bottle of gin?
How many times did you call my name, knock at the door but you couldn't get in?
How many stars in the milky way, how many ways can you lose a friend?
The song "Careless" by Paul Kelly has a deep emotional meaning communicated through the use of rhetorical questions and repetition. It describes the feeling of being caught up in one's own world and ignoring the people who care for you. The first stanza features a series of rhetorical questions, with each question representing an issue that may seem esoteric or abstract but actually has a deeper meaning. For example, the line "how many angels on a pin?" refers to a philosophical question about the nature of angels, but it could also represent the difficulty of trying to quantify something abstract like love or care. The line "how many times did you call my name, knock at the door but you couldn't get in?" symbolizes the idea of an individual being closed off and unwilling to let others in.
The second stanza presents a contrast to the first, with Kelly acknowledging that he has been careless and ignoring those who care for him. He describes being wrapped up in a shell and ignoring his friends and family, unable to see the worry in their eyes. This is a common theme in many of Kelly's songs, as he often writes about the importance of community and personal relationships.
The final stanza brings the song full circle as Kelly repeats the first stanza, asking the same rhetorical questions about the nature of existence. This time, however, the questions take on a different meaning as they are answered by the experiences he has gone through in the song. They represent a newfound awareness of the fragility of life and the importance of not being careless with the things that matter most.
Line by Line Meaning
How many cabs in New York City, how many angels on a pin?
Asking about the impractical and uncountable things, things that one doesn't need to know.
How many notes in a saxophone, how many tears in a bottle of gin?
Again, asking about the uncountable things, possibly to emphasize the uselessness of such questions.
How many times did you call my name, knock at the door but you couldn't get in?
Asking about the number of times someone tried to reach out but failed, possibly to emphasize the importance of communication in a relationship.
I know I've been careless
Admitting to being negligent and thoughtless, possibly in regards to the aforementioned failed communication.
I've been wrapped up in a shell, nothing could get through to me
Being emotionally closed off and distant, preventing others from reaching out and breaking through to them.
Acted like I didn't know I had friends and family
Acting as if they were alone and didn't have anyone who cared for them.
I saw worry in their eyes, it didn't look like fear to me
Not recognizing the genuine concern in the eyes of loved ones, possibly due to their emotional detachment.
I lost my tenderness
Losing their ability to be caring and gentle with those around them.
I took bad care of this
Taking poor care of their emotional health and their relationships with others.
Like a mixture in a bottle, like a frozen over lake
Using a simile to describe feeling stagnant and unmoving, possibly due to emotional numbness or depression.
Like a long-time, painted smile I got so hard I had to crack
Describing the facade they put up, pretending to be happy even when they weren't, and reaching a breaking point.
You were there, you held the line, you're the one that brought me back
Acknowledging someone who helped them through a tough time and pulled them back from their emotional disconnect.
How many stars in the milky way, how many ways can you lose a friend?
Asking about something vast and uncountable, possibly alluding to the idea that the ways in which one can lose a friend are infinite and often unanticipated.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL MAURICE KELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dielaughing73
How many cabs in Ney York City?
How many angels on a pin?
How many notes on a saxophone?
How many tears in a bottle of gin?
How many times have you called my name,
Knock at the door but you couldn't get in?
I know I've been careless
I've been wrapped up in a shell
Nothing could get through to me
Acting like I didn't know
I had friends and family
I saw worry in their eyes
Didn't look like fear to me
I know I've been careless
I lost my tenderness
I've been careless
I took bad care of this
Like a mixture in a bottle
Like a frozen over lake
Like a long-time painted smile
I got so hard I had to crack
You were there, you held the line
You're the one that brought me back
I know I've been careless
I lost my tenderness
I've been careless
I took bad care of this
How many cabs in Ney York City?
How many angels on a pin?
How many notes on a saxophone?
How many tears in a bottle of gin?
How many times have you called my name,
Knocked on the door but you couldn't get in?
How many stars in the Milky Way?
How many ways can you lose a friend?
Geoff McKee
"How many notes in a saxophone? How many tears in a bottle of gin?" Amazing writing!
Brett Powter
Brilliant
gary
Absolutely stunning song. Never fails to have me reminiscing over what ifs.
Dylan King
A few years ago I lost my brother to addiction stemming from a stolen childhood innocence, this song is a heartbreaker for my father and myself as it hits home like no other, tears flow every time we hear it... there may not be a direct correlation to the lyrics but for us it rings soo true. For me, “everything’s turning to white” is a song that takes me back to being 5 years old, dad putting the record on the turntable and blasting your music through the vintage marantz and tannoy stereo, thank you for all the music as it puts me right back there! 🙏🏼 local Melbourne legend like no other!
Paul Bolling
Thanks for your story got the same story and this is my favorite song for some reason. Brings me peace
Willow Bark
I have loved this song since 1989.... Why aren't there 200,000,000 hits on it?? I try to introduce as many people as I can to the fabulous Paul Kelly 🤗
The Canberean
Er cause the quality is a bit crap.
Fast Energetic Metal Association
@The Canberean That's cause that Kid was recording it with the JVC
Aliyah Creations
Yea there's something inexplicable about him. I can't listen to How to Make Gravy without crying, even after 20 , 30 years.
Melinda Burge
Agreed! This song in particular is brilliant. I was introduced to him by a friend, trying to pass on the favour.