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
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Paul Kelly Lyrics
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I held you swaying in my arms to Marvin Gaye
Our Christmas ham turned green by New Year's Eve
We weren't hungry anyway
Now sometimes we see eacdh other on the street
Maybe at a hotel or some party
We say hello then we have to go
I can't believe we were married
Our houses were a shambles, our love conspiracy
Your hand was always down my pants
Before our guests could leave
They didn't like our drugs, our children or our dogs
The way we made it up each day
Now the kids have grown, we talk on the phone
If one of them is sick or needs some money
Our words are dry, so measured and polite
I can't believe we were married
That we were wed
Now maybe if I'm with someone you come into my mind
The one I knew with your certain little cries
You're not the only one to come rushing in
It's like a party line
Yeah sometimes we see each other on the street
Maybe at a concert or some party
We say hello talk about the show
I can't believe we were married
Yeah we say hello then we have to go
You send your regards to all my family
And the years have changed even the sound of your name
I can't believe that we were married
That we were wed
The song 'I Can't Believe We Were Married' by Paul Kelly, is a poignant reflection on a failed marriage, highlighted by the vivid imagery of the kitchen dance on boxing day, which later contrasts with the detached and polite phone conversations between the former lovers. The opening line, "We dance in the kitchen on Boxing Day", creates a sense of nostalgia and an almost aching yearning for a time that has passed.
The line about the Christmas ham turning green by New Year's Eve is suggestive of the couple’s carelessness and adds a sense of decay to the imagery, indicating that their enjoyment of life was at the cost of their responsibilities. The third verse of the song, “Our houses were a shambles, our love conspiracy / Your hand was always down my pants / before our guests could leave”, reveals that the husband and wife were indulging in drugs and sex before friends and family, and this might have contributed to their break-up later on.
The chorus, “I can’t believe we were married / That we were wed” emphasizes the disbelief and sadness that the singer feels about his marriage. Sentiments like these are reflected throughout the song in phrases such as "our words are dry, so measured and polite" and "the years have changed even the sound of your name". Therefore, this song tells a heart-wrenching story of a relationship that once bloomed with life, love, and companionship but has now wilted away to a mere memory.
Line by Line Meaning
We dance in the kitchen on Boxing Day
We had fun dancing together while cooking on the day after Christmas.
I held you swaying in my arms to Marvin Gaye
I held you close and swayed to the music of Marvin Gaye.
Our Christmas ham turned green by New Year's Eve
The ham we cooked for Christmas turned bad and was spoiled by New Year's Eve, but it didn't matter because we weren't even hungry.
We weren't hungry anyway
We didn't need food to enjoy each other's company.
Now sometimes we see each other on the street
Occasionally we run into each other while out in public.
Maybe at a hotel or some party
It might be at a hotel or a party where we see each other.
We say hello then we have to go
We exchange greetings and then have to part ways.
I can't believe we were married
I find it hard to believe that we were once married and now things are so different.
Our houses were a shambles, our love conspiracy
Our homes were in disarray and our relationship was our own little secret.
Your hand was always down my pants before our guests could leave
You were always affectionate and would try to be intimate even when we had company over.
They didn't like our drugs, our children or our dogs
Our friends and family didn't approve of our lifestyle, children or pets.
The way we made it up each day
We would argue and then make up on a daily basis.
Now the kids have grown, we talk on the phone
Our children are now grown up and we communicate over the phone.
If one of them is sick or needs some money
If one of our kids is ill or needs financial assistance, we are there for them.
Our words are dry, so measured and polite
When we talk to each other now, our conversations are devoid of emotion and are very formal.
Now maybe if I'm with someone you come into my mind
Sometimes when I'm with someone new, I think of you.
The one I knew with your certain little cries
I remember the way you would cry in a certain way when we were together.
You're not the only one to come rushing in
You're not the only person I think of, other memories come rushing back as well.
It's like a party line
It feels like a group of people are all talking and sharing their experiences.
Yeah sometimes we see each other on the street
Occasionally we run into each other while out in public.
Maybe at a concert or some party
It might be at a concert or a party where we see each other.
We say hello talk about the show
We greet each other and might briefly discuss the event we both attended.
You send your regards to all my family
You pass along your greetings to my family members.
And the years have changed even the sound of your name
Over time, even the way your name sounds has changed because things are so different now.
I can't believe that we were married
I still find it hard to believe that we were once married and now everything is so different.
That we were wed
I can't believe that we were once married to each other.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAUL MAURICE KELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind