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
Don't Explain
Paul Kelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's really not your style
I've had some fun
You really made me smile
Don't look so serious
It doesn't suit your face
Don't explain, don't explain
How to use your hands
But you don't have a great attention span
Don't apologise
Or drop your eyes
Don't explain, don't explain
I've seen them come, I've seen them go
Boys like you
Their gangster hearts, their dreamy loads
Boys like you
So take your things
I won't count the days
Sure you can call on me
If you pass this way
But if one night you're lonely
And I have other company
Don't complain, don't complain
The lyrics of Paul Kelly's song Don't Explain is a plea from a woman to her lover not to explain their relationship. The woman tells the man that it's not his style to explain, and that he doesn't need to apologize or look so serious. She tells him that he sure knows how to use his hands, but he doesn't have a great attention span. The woman has seen many boys like him come and go, with their gangster hearts and dreamy loads.
The woman then tells the man that he can take his things and leave, but he can always call her if he is in the area. She warns him not to complain if he finds her with other company, and not to explain anything to her. The song seems to be an indication of a passionate and tumultuous relationship, where the woman is tired of the man's explanations and apologies, and just wants him to leave quietly.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't explain
There is no need to clarify or justify yourself
It's really not your style
Explaining your actions or decisions is not in line with your personality
I've had some fun
I enjoyed spending time with you
You really made me smile
You brought happiness and joy to my life
Don't look so serious
Your facial expression is too stern and uninviting
It doesn't suit your face
Your serious expression doesn't match your features
You sure know
You definitely possess a particular talent or skill
How to use your hands
You are adept in physical activities or manual labor
But you don't have a great attention span
You find it challenging to focus on a task or idea for a long time
Don't apologise
No need to express regret or ask for forgiveness
Or drop your eyes
Avoiding eye contact is not necessary in this situation
I've seen them come, I've seen them go
I have witnessed many relationships like ours
Boys like you
You belong to a particular category of men
Their gangster hearts, their dreamy loads
Their hearts are filled with toughness and their dreams are ambitious
So take your things
Please take your belongings with you
I won't count the days
I won't keep track of the time since you left
Sure you can call on me
You can contact me in the future
If you pass this way
If you happen to be in the area
But if one night you're lonely
If you ever feel alone at night
And I have other company
If I am in the company of someone else at the time
Don't complain, don't complain
Please do not express dissatisfaction or unhappiness about the situation
Contributed by Caleb K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.