The Thompsons recorded three albums I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight (1974), Hokey Pokey (1975) and Pour Down Like Silver (1975) before they decided to leave the music business and moved to a Sufi commune in East Anglia. Songwriting was by Richard throughout, lead vocals generally by Linda,and backing by a consistent core band of English folk-rock stalwarts
I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight showed a clear development from Richard Thompson's first solo effort Henry The Human Fly with Linda's vocals adding grace, as well as the opportunity for Richard to write from a female perspective. Although Thompson's trademark gloom is already evident, the lightness and beauty of the arrangements counterbalances this to produce moments of great beauty. The use of brass, from the renowned CWS silver band in particular takes forward Thompson's continuing crusade to find a more contemporary and ordinary expression of Englishness in music,(as opposed to say the forays into the Morris form of his Fairport contemporary Ashley Hutchings, solo and with The Albion Band). The next year's release, Hokey Pokey to some extent repeats the formula, although it is improved in production values, and is stylistically more adventurous still. A Heart Needs a Home is a minor miracle of songwriting, expressing the longing for love without cynicism and has a standout multi-tracked vocal from Linda.
Pour Down Like Silver extended the reach of Richard and Linda's music, and without the occasional weaker tracks of the preceding releases. Here in the writing cynicism is balanced with humour, (Hard Luck Stories, Streets of Paradise), and love and need is expressed directly, and to touching effect ( Jet Plane in a Rocking Chair, Beat the Retreat). The impact of Sufism on their lives is expressed in Night Comes In, which borrows imagery from Sufi mystic poetry, and the practice of finding union with the Spirit through dance. The playing, arrangements and production are uniformly excellent throughout.
In 1978, Thompson decided to take his family out of the commune and go back to their old home in Hampstead. He also decided to return to making music, partly because, as he commented at the time, he'd come to realise "that [he] wasn't really any good at anything else".
Re-uniting the core band, the resulting album, First Light was warmly received by the critics but did not sell particularly well. Neither did its follow up, 1979's harder-edged and more cynical Sunnyvista. Chrysalis Records did not take up their option to renew the contract, and the Thompsons found themselves without a contract, but not without admirers.
About a year later Joe Boyd signed the Thompsons to his small Hannibal label and a new album was recorded. Shoot Out the Lights included new recordings of many of the songs recorded in 1980, and was clearly a very strong album. Linda Thompson was pregnant during the sessions, and so the album's release was held back until the Thompsons could tour in support of the new album. Linda's pregnancy also meant that she did not sing on all of the songs.
On its release in 1982, Shoot Out the Lights was lauded by critics and sold fairly well - especially in the USA. The Thompsons, now a couple for professional purposes only, toured the USA to support the album and then went their separate ways. Both the album and their live shows were well received by the American media, and Shoot Out the Lights effectively relaunched their career - just as their marriage was falling apart.
As against the first phase of their career, this last offering is sparer, without the instrumental augmentation that characterized the earlier albums, much more rock orientated, and altogether more ferocious. Although Thompson in interviews has always resisted over-personal interpretations of his songs, it is difficult not to see in its energy, tone and themes the difficulties of the final stages of the Thompson's marriage, transmuted into musical gold.
First Light
Richard & Linda Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Give me what I long for
First light, first light
I came to you for refuge
Don't leave me to the thieves
Don't leave me to my own
Cure my disease
First light, first light
Take me through the mountains
Lead me from confusion
Take me by the hand
Through real and through illusion
First light, first light
First light, first light
Give me what I ask for
Give me what I long for
Give me what I ask for
Give me what I long for
First light, first light
First light, first light
First light, oh give me what I ask for
First light, give me what I long for
First light, oh give me what I ask for
First light, oh give me what I long for
In "First Light," Richard and Linda Thompson create a hypnotic and haunting atmosphere through the repetition of the phrase "first light." The lyrics speak of a deep longing for something, perhaps guidance or salvation. The singer pleads with someone to give them what they ask for and what they long for, and implores them not to leave them to the thieves or their own devices. The first light they seek may represent a new beginning, a glimmer of hope in the darkness, or a spiritual awakening.
The song's verses describe a journey through the mountains and a desire to be led from confusion through both reality and illusion. The repetition of "first light" becomes almost like a mantra, a way of focusing the mind and calling forth the thing that is needed. The song's spare instrumentation and Linda Thompson's ethereal vocals lend a sense of otherworldliness, as if the singer is calling out to some higher power.
Overall, "First Light" is a deeply spiritual song that taps into the universal yearning for guidance and redemption. Its repetition and sparse lyrics create a hypnotic atmosphere that draws the listener in and invites contemplation.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me what I ask for
Grant me with the exact things I beg for
Give me what I long for
Provide me with the exact things I yearn for
First light, first light
The initial daybreak, the start of something new
I came to you for refuge
I sought asylum from you
Don't leave me to the thieves
Don't abandon me to the robbers
Don't leave me to my own
Don't leave me to my own devices
Cure my disease
Remedy my ailment
Take me through the mountains
Accompany me across the hills
Lead me from confusion
Guide me out of bewilderment
Take me by the hand
Grab me firmly
Through real and through illusion
Through fact and through deception
Give me what I ask for
Grant me with the exact things I beg for
Give me what I long for
Provide me with the exact things I yearn for
Give me what I ask for
Grant me with the exact things I beg for
Give me what I long for
Provide me with the exact things I yearn for
First light, first light
The initial daybreak, the start of something new
First light, oh give me what I ask for
The initial daybreak, provide me with what I implore
First light, give me what I long for
The initial daybreak, furnish me with what I desire
First light, oh give me what I ask for
The initial daybreak, provide me with what I implore
First light, oh give me what I long for
The initial daybreak, furnish me with what I desire
Contributed by Mackenzie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jeff Schick
Blow down this House of Cards!
John Foster
Bought this in 84 and still listening, classic.
Patrick
Just one of the greatest albums ever. And they did a few good 'uns! Inexhaustibly brilliant.
Carl Rubin
I dunno— I just love it as it is. Loved it when it came out, sounds even better now to me. A beautifully realized album. House of Cards is a masterpiece, as is Pavanne imho.
Michael Mcdaid
First times I've heard this album and it's great. Thanks for uploading it.
Graham Exton
"Don't Let a Thief" and "Died for Love" are classics.
Fergus King
Thanks for posting- hadn't heard this in its entirety for years......"Pavanne" is chilling
Paul Ibeson
you should hear Graham Nash's cover!
Fergus King
Thanks for the notification, but I still prefer Linda’s vocal
Jenn Dobos
Awesome album.