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.

There Is No Drinking
Paul Weller Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come taste the wine
Come lose yourself
Taste this time
But keep it well,
Only love it all
With heart and head
For there is no drinking,
After your dead.

Dive and swim
In the amber ocean
See all that you can
In this new emotion,
And embrace it now
Before it's skin sheds
For there is no drinking,
After your dead.

Stand back to back
With yourself again
As your spin and reel
Like a new found friend,-
And have it all
With heart and hands-
For there is no love making,
After your dead.

And today is but a second
If tomorrow you may die
And empty pages glistening
In Eternity's lie
And time is buy an essence
Encased upon the wall
That brings our day of reckoning-
Much closer to us all.

Light the candle
And burn it well
For only time knows
What it cannot yet tell,
Only love it all
With heart and head

For there is no drinking,
After your dead.

Overall Meaning

The song "There Is No Drinking" by Paul Weller is a reflection on the fragility of life and the importance of living in the present moment. The lyrics encourage the listener to "taste the wine" and "lose yourself" in the moment and to fully embrace life before it's too late. Weller stresses the idea that there is no drinking after you're dead, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for realizing that there is no second chance at life, and that it is important to make the most of the time we have now. Whether it is diving into new experiences, embracing love, or living in the present moment, Weller reminds us that we must make the most of our time while we are still alive.

The metaphor of "drinking" in the song can also be interpreted as an opportunity to fully consume and experience life, soaking up all it has to offer. Weller encourages the listener to "embrace it now before it's skin sheds" and to "have it all with heart and hands." He stresses the importance of living life to the fullest, as he sings about how today is only a second and that tomorrow is uncertain.

Overall, "There Is No Drinking" is a reminder that life is fleeting and that we must make the most of every moment. The song encourages the listener to embrace life fully, to dive into new experiences, and to love and live with all their heart and head.

Line by Line Meaning

Come taste the wine
Experience life's pleasures

Come lose yourself
Fully immerse yourself in the experience

Taste this time
Savor the moment

But keep it well
Remember the experience fondly

Only love it all
Accept everything life has to offer

With heart and head
Embrace it emotionally and logically

For there is no drinking,
You can't experience life's joy after death

After your dead.
Life is finite

Dive and swim
Explore and discover

In the amber ocean
In this world of opportunity

See all that you can
Take in all experiences