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.

Where'er Ye Go
Paul Weller Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And where'er ye go
That we'll never know
But as long as you come back
That's all that really matters

And where'er ye go
As surely you will
Taking with you most of all

Our whole breath and magic

But that's who you are
And we have to accept
We either live with it
Or live without you

So where'er ye go
And come ye back
As each time you do
You bring with ye such stories
That we lose ourselves

Because our echoes are forgotten
And you never forget
You just lose track of time

That's alright, it's really alright
For we couldn't bear to be without you

Overall Meaning

In this song, Paul Weller talks about a loved one who is leaving to go on a journey, and where that journey will take them is unknown. However, what truly matters is that they will come back eventually. The song acknowledges the fact that this loved one is full of life, a person who carries with them a tremendous amount of energy and wonder, and this is something that cannot be ignored or denied. They are who they are and everyone in the song is going to have to accept that fact.

The song has a bittersweet tone to it, as the singer is saying farewell to someone they cherish deeply. They will miss this person while they are gone, but they understand that this journey is too important to hold them back from it. The singer acknowledges that, although they will miss the person immensely, they could never bear to be without them either. The song is a celebration of a life on the road, and the positive impact it can have on those left behind.

Overall, the song is about accepting change and understanding that some people are just meant to live a life of adventure. Even though that means they will be missed, the experience they have on the road is incredibly valuable and can bring new life to those waiting for them at home.

Line by Line Meaning

And where'er ye go
No matter where you travel in life

That we'll never know
We may not know all the places you'll go

But as long as you come back
All that matters is that you return to us

That's all that really matters
Everything else is trivial in comparison

And where'er ye go
As you go through life's journey

As surely you will
You are destined to go places

Taking with you most of all
Carrying with you the essence of what makes us unique

Our whole breath and magic
Our collective spirit and energy

But that's who you are
Your wanderlust is part of who you are

And we have to accept
We must come to terms with it

We either live with it
Either embrace it or suffer without you