Rag'n'Bone Man is London-based, Brighton-raised musician Rory Graham.
<… Read Full Bio ↴Rag'n'Bone Man is London-based, Brighton-raised musician Rory Graham.

After a stint as personal assistant carer, looking after people with Aspergers' and Down's syndrome, Rory released the Bluestown EP in 2012. Rapper Gi3mo, shipped Graham's vocal talents into his hip-hop crew, Rum Committee. Next came a meeting with the prolific beatmaker Leaf Dog, resulting in the six track Dog 'n' Bone EP released through High Focus records in 2013, followed by Put that soul on me the following year.

The 2014 Sony Music debut album, Wolves, was produced by friend Mark Crew and it features Kate Tempest on Rain; Vince Staples on Hell yeah and Stig Of The Dump on Wolves. The Disfigured EP was launched in 2015 via Best Laid Plan Records, including Perfume and Bitter End.

2016 saw the release of the Cadenza produced Healed and the lead single of his first long play of the same name Human. It was announce at the end of the year that Rag'n'Bone Man would the BRITs 2017 Critics' Choice Award as well as included in the longest of BBC Sound Of Poll 2016.

After being nominated for a second Brit award, the single Skin was released as an advance of the album Human, released on 10 February 2017 via Columbia Records / Best Laid Plans. The album counts with three different producers; long time collaborator Mark Crew (Wolves EP, Disfigured EP), Jonny Coffer (Beyoncé) and Two Inch Punch.

http://www.ragnbonemanmusic.com

Time Will Only Tell
Rag'n'Bone Man Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We're gonna learn to love
Throw it all away
We're gonna drink ourselves
To an early grave
Gonna let it slip right through our hands
Gonna bury our heads in the sand

Time will only tell

Time will only tell
Time will only tell
Are we listening to ourselves?

Is there an afterlife
Is there only this?
Or do we spend it all now?
Or do we save our chips?
Situation gettin' kinda mean
Gonna have to deal with
The big war machine

Time will only tell
Time will only tell
Time will only tell
Are we listening to ourselves?

You said, "Father, won't you tell me who I'm supposed to be?
'Cause there's so many pressures with the world at your feet
Every generation's responsibilities to be listening to ourselves"
She said, "Mother, won't you tell me how I'm supposed to feel
'Cause Hollywood has told me it's only mostly real
To stand up and be counted, it takes big nerves of steel
To start listening to ourselves"

Time will only tell
Time will only tell
Time will only tell
Are we listening to ourselves?
Oh, are we listening to ourselves?
Yeah, we listening to ourselves?
Ooh, we listening to ourselves?
Ooh, are we listening to ourselves?

Are we listening to ourselves?
Are we listening to ourselves?

Overall Meaning

In this song, Rag'n'Bone Man reflects on the choices we make in life and the consequences that come with them. He begins by acknowledging that despite knowing the dangers, we are still going to indulge ourselves and live life to the fullest. However, he cautions us that our actions come with a price, and we can't escape the consequences that come with them; time will tell. He wonders if we are listening to ourselves and if we are taking the time to reflect on our decisions and assess if they are leading us in the right direction.

The chorus repeats the message of the song that time is the ultimate judge of our choices, and we will reap the rewards or suffer the consequences. Rag'n'Bone Man's lyrics emphasize the importance of self-reflection and introspection. He suggests that we must learn from our past mistakes, deal with the present reality, and prepare for what the future holds.

In the final stanza of the song, Rag'n'Bone Man highlights the importance of parental advice. He acknowledges the pressure on children to become someone they may not be comfortable being, and the responsibilities that come with each generation to find the right path. He urges us to listen to ourselves and not let external forces dictate the course of our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

We're gonna learn to love
We will teach ourselves to love.

Throw it all away
We will give up everything.

We're gonna drink ourselves To an early grave
We will drink so much alcohol that we will die early.

Gonna let it slip right through our hands
We will lose control of our lives.

Gonna bury our heads in the sand
We will ignore our problems and pretend they do not exist.

Time will only tell Time will only tell Time will only tell Are we listening to ourselves?
We will not know our fate until it happens and we have to ask ourselves if we are mindful of our actions.

Is there an afterlife Is there only this? Or do we spend it all now? Or do we save our chips?
We are second-guessing whether there is a life after death or if we should spend all our resources now or save it for later.

Situation gettin' kinda mean Gonna have to deal with The big war machine
We are facing a difficult situation that we need to confront, which involves a large organization or government.

You said, "Father, won't you tell me who I'm supposed to be? 'Cause there's so many pressures with the world at your feet Every generation's responsibilities to be listening to ourselves"
The younger generation is feeling overwhelmed by the expectations of society and seeks guidance from their elders to be their true selves, and to not compromise themselves for the sake of fitting in.

She said, "Mother, won't you tell me how I'm supposed to feel 'Cause Hollywood has told me it's only mostly real To stand up and be counted, it takes big nerves of steel To start listening to ourselves"
The younger generation is feeling conflicted about their emotions and is confused about what is real and what is fake due to the influence of Hollywood, and realizes that it takes a lot of courage to be true to oneself.

Time will only tell Time will only tell Time will only tell Are we listening to ourselves? Oh, are we listening to ourselves? Yeah, we listening to ourselves? Ooh, we listening to ourselves? Ooh, are we listening to ourselves? Are we listening to ourselves? Are we listening to ourselves?
Our fate will solely depend on our actions and whether we are true to ourselves or not, prompting us to question if we are really paying close attention to who we are and what we truly want.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Benjamin Jackson-Cook, Pat McLaughlin, Rory Charles Graham

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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