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
Letter in the Rain
Paul Kelly Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the glory of it takes my breath away
The birdsong in the trees floating on the ghost of a breeze
Says, "You're lucky to be a creature alive today"
The rosy-fingered dawn is changing color in the east
Like in ancient days, we'll never see again
Once we were together, that I do remember
So I go to check my snares, see what night caught unawares
I take the path along the creek again
In the garden of delight, a snake slithered into sight
So we left Eden and headed for the plain
Day by day and night by night, she didn't leave my side
Now she never wants to see my face again
Once we spoke in love's low tongue, all the bells at midnight rung
All the rest is like a letter in the rain
There's a river somewhere up around the bend
When it hurts, that river's always been my friend
The frost has gone now from the hill, like a vision in a dream
You never know when glory will come again
I remember her dark stare and a braid of nut-brown hair
All the rest is just a letter in the rain
In Paul Kelly's song "Letter in the Rain," the lyrics paint a vivid and almost ethereal picture of the singer's surroundings. The imagery of the morning bright and still, with a frost laying across the hill, sets a serene and almost melancholic tone. The beauty of nature is highlighted as the singer is awestruck by the glory of it all, with the birdsong and gentle breeze serving as a reminder of the preciousness of life. There is a sense of nostalgia and longing for a time that once was, captured in the changing colors of the rosy-fingered dawn, hinting at a sadness for a past that can never be revisited.
The reference to being together in the past and the fleeting nature of time is symbolized by the letter in the rain, a fragile and impermanent form of communication that can easily disappear. The singer recounts moments shared with a loved one, reminiscing about speaking in love's low tongue and the bells of midnight ringing, suggesting a deep and profound connection that is now lost. The imagery of a snake in the garden of delight and leaving Eden for the plain evokes themes of temptation, betrayal, and the inevitable fall from grace.
The emotional turmoil and heartache of a lost love are palpable as the singer reflects on the bittersweet memories of the past. The longing for what once was and the pain of separation are conveyed through the stark contrast between the singer's former togetherness with their partner and the current state of loneliness and regret. The river symbolizes a constant presence and source of solace in the singer's life, a reminder of the passage of time and the healing power of nature.
Ultimately, the lyrics reflect on the transient nature of human relationships and the inevitability of change and loss. The beauty of nature, the memories of love, and the enduring pain of separation are all intertwined in the metaphor of a letter in the rain, a fragile and fleeting reminder of the past. The singer's wistful recollections of moments shared with a former lover and the longing for what once was create a poignant and introspective atmosphere, capturing the complexity of human emotions and the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
The morning bright and still has laid a frost across the hill
The peaceful morning has covered the hill with frost
And the glory of it takes my breath away
The beauty of nature is breathtaking
The birdsong in the trees floating on the ghost of a breeze
The sound of birds in the trees carried by the wind
Says, "You're lucky to be a creature alive today"
It reminds me how fortunate I am to be alive
The rosy-fingered dawn is changing color in the east
The sunrise is turning colors like in the past
Like in ancient days, we'll never see again
Similar to how things used to be but will not return
Once we were together, that I do remember
I recall when we were together
All the rest is like a letter in the rain
Everything else feels fleeting and lost
So I go to check my snares, see what night caught unawares
I inspect my traps to see what I've caught
I take the path along the creek again
I walk along the creek once more
In the garden of delight, a snake slithered into sight
A snake appeared in a garden of joy
So we left Eden and headed for the plain
We left paradise for a simpler life
Day by day and night by night, she didn't leave my side
She was with me constantly
Now she never wants to see my face again
She no longer wants anything to do with me
Once we spoke in love's low tongue, all the bells at midnight rung
We used to communicate in a romantic way
All the rest is like a letter in the rain
Everything else feels washed away and forgotten
There's a river somewhere up around the bend
There is a river just out of sight
When it hurts, that river's always been my friend
The river provides comfort in difficult times
The frost has gone now from the hill, like a vision in a dream
The frost has melted away as if it were a dream
You never know when glory will come again
Unexpected moments of beauty can happen anytime
I remember her dark stare and a braid of nut-brown hair
I recall her intense gaze and braided hair
All the rest is just a letter in the rain
Everything else feels temporary and fleeting
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Maurice Kelly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind