Paul Weller (born 25 May 1958) is an English singer / songwriter, leader of… Read Full Bio ↴Paul Weller (born 25 May 1958) is an English singer / songwriter, leader of two successful bands: The Jam and The Style Council. In England, he is recognised as something of a national institution yet, because much of his songwriting is rooted in English culture, he has remained essentially a national rather than an international star.

Weller's eleventh studio album, Sonik Kicks, was released on 19 March 2012. The Green Songfacts reports that it was recorded in Weller’s own Black Barn Studios in Ripley, Surrey, with co-producer Simon Dine and engineer Charles Rees.

Born John William Weller in Stanley Road, Woking, he was also a central figure in the Mod revival. As the leader of the Jam, Paul Weller fronted the most popular British band of the punk era, influencing legions of English rockers that ranged from his mod-revival contemporaries to the Smiths in the '80s and Oasis in the '90s. During the final days of the Jam, he developed a fascination with Motown and soul, which led him to form the sophisti-pop group the Style Council in 1983. As the Style Council's career progressed, Weller's interest in soul developed into an infatuation with jazz-pop and house music, which eventually led to gradual erosion of his audience — by 1990, he couldn't get a record contract in the UK, where he had previously been worshipped as a demi-god. As a solo artist, Weller returned to soul music as an inspiration, cutting it with the progressive, hippie tendencies of Traffic. Weller's solo records were more organic and rootsier than the Style Council, which helped him regain his popularity within Britain. By the mid-'90s, he had released three successful albums which were both critically-acclaimed and massively popular in England, where contemporary bands like Ocean Colour Scene were citing him as an influence. Just as importantly, many observers, while occasionally criticizing the trad-rock nature of his music, acknowledged that Weller was one of the few rock veterans that had managed to stay vital within the second decade of his career.

The Pebble and the Boy
Paul Weller Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Can you tell the difference, between the pebble and the boy,
Far away in the distance, with the sun in your eyes,
Can you see the footprints, that have merged with the sand,
And you're trying to find them, you find only dry land.

Can you tell the difference, between the pebble and the boy,
Can you follow the heartbeats between the boy and the man,
If you can, if you can.

Can the future, with every step you take,
Yet you feel your no further, and your walking away,
Can you tell the difference between the people and the man
Far away in the ocean, with his back on dry sand.

Can you tell the difference, between the people and the boy,

Can you follow the heartbeats between the boy and the man,
If you can, if you can.

Overall Meaning

The Pebble and the Boy is a song by Paul Weller that is rich with evocative imagery and poetic language. The title itself is symbolic - a pebble and a boy are two very different things, but the pebble is just as enduring and persistent as the boy is. The opening lines of the song ask a poignant question about perception - can you tell the difference? Can you distinguish between what appears to be the truth and what is really going on?

The next lines of the song describe a scene of searching and longing - someone is trying to find footprints on the beach, but all they can see is dry land. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for searching for meaning in one's life or trying to find a sense of direction when everything seems lost or uncertain. The repeated refrain of "Can you tell the difference" adds to this theme - it speaks to the confusion and uncertainty that can come with navigating life's twists and turns.

Line by Line Meaning

Can you tell the difference, between the pebble and the boy,
Can you discern the disparity between an insignificant object and a young, developing male

Far away in the distance, with the sun in your eyes,
The objects in view are distant and obstructed by the blinding sun

Can you see the footprints, that have merged with the sand,
Are you able to perceive the footmarks that are now indistinguishable from the sand

And you're trying to find them, you find only dry land.
While attempting to locate these tracks, you merely encounter barren land

Can you follow the heartbeats between the boy and the man,
Are you capable of tracing the rhythmic beats that bridge the gap from childhood to adulthood

If you can, if you can.
If you possess this capability, utilise it

Can the future, with every step you take,
Despite efforts to keep moving forward, is the future obscured by uncertainty

Yet you feel your no further, and your walking away,
You sense no progress and feel disconnected

Can you tell the difference between the people and the man
Are you able to differentiate between a mass of individuals and a matured male

Far away in the ocean, with his back on dry sand.
This individual stands afar in the ocean territory, back facing the arid coast

Can you follow the heartbeats between the boy and the man,
Once again, can the developmental transition between youth and adulthood be detected by one's ear

If you can, if you can.
If this skill is within reach, make use of it

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL JOHN WELLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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