After that band's demise in 1999, Ashcroft began his solo career, releasing Alone with Everybody in 2000, Human Conditions in 2002 and Keys to the World in 2006. He performed vocals for the track Lonely Soul on UNKLE's 1998 release Psyence Fiction and his voice can also be heard on the The Chemical Brothers' album Come With Us track The Test.
He is good friends with Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and Coldplay's Chris Martin (whom Ashcroft thanks for 'letting me be myself again'), and occasionally plays as support at Oasis and Coldplay concerts, including the European and second UK legs of Coldplay's 'Twisted Logic Tour'. He recently described himself as 'the best support act you'll ever see'. The Oasis track "Cast No Shadow" is dedicated to him. Chris Martin introduced him as "the best singer in the world" when he performed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (which Martin called "the best song in the world") with Coldplay at the London Live 8 concert in 2005. On his second album Human Conditions The Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson guest stars on the song Nature is the Law.
Ashcroft is married to Kate Radley, ex-Spiritualized keyboard player.
Man On A Mission
Richard Ashcroft Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But where you gonna run?
You got such a pretty face,
And the world's a small, small place
'cause when you're running on your own
You know you ain't like a rolling stone
Because a stone will find it's place
And when you hear this space
And when you're work is done
Then you'll see the sun
So sing what you want I'm a man on a mission
No time to love, no time to be wasting but
I want to know if you feel above him
All the things you do that just make yourself feel undone, feel undone
Blues, I heard you caught the blues
And what was it they said
Have you got out of bed, have you got out of that?
I know a headspace that you don't
I will - you cannot and you don't
A fortune has been made on all the illness they made
And then we've gotta pay for the drugs to take it away
And then you're gonna find there's nothing in your mind
That you don't already know, that you ain't already seen
Do you live in a dream?
Sing your song, and don't you cause trouble
Man on a mission there's a man in a bubble but
I want to know if you feel above him
All the things you do that just make yourself feel undone, feel undone
Sing your song, and don't you cause trouble
Man on a mission there's a man in a bubble and
Play your cards, throw your dice
You get a piece of land and a piece of advice
No time to be wasting there's no time to be wasted
No time to be wasting there's no time to get wasted
No time to be wasting always time to get wasted
No time to be wasting there's no time to get wasted
There's always time to get wasted (There's no time to waste) (4x)
There's always time to get wasted (No time to waste)
There's always time to get wasted (No time to waste)
They've got me wasting time (No time to waste)
Got me wasting time (No time to waste)
They got me wasting time (No time to waste)
Man On A Mission by Richard Ashcroft is a song about a man who is determined to achieve his goals and fulfill his purpose in life, no matter what obstacles come his way. The song begins with the man addressing someone who has run away, reminding them that the world is a small place and there is nowhere to hide. He acknowledges the person's worry and insecurity, but tells them that if they keep running, they will not find their place in the world. Instead, he advises them to take their time, crawl if necessary, and eventually, they will reach their destination and see the sun.
The chorus follows, where the man declares himself to be on a mission and has no time to waste on love or anything that distracts him from his purpose. He is curious about someone who feels above him, and he also wonders why people engage in activities that make them feel undone. The second verse is directed towards someone called Blues, whom the man has heard is suffering from anxiety or depression. The man mentions that there is a headspace that Blues does not know, and he will not understand unless he experiences it himself.
The man also criticizes the pharmaceutical industry, which he believes makes money from selling drugs to help people get over mental illnesses that they created. To this end, he advises people to live in the present moment and not in some dream world. He concludes by saying that everyone should sing their song and not cause trouble, as he is a man on a mission, and there is always time to get wasted.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, I heard you'd run away
I heard you left, but where exactly are you gonna go?
But where you gonna run?
You can't escape your problems forever.
You got such a pretty face,
You look nice.
And the world's a small, small place
The world is actually pretty small.
'cause when you're running on your own
When you're alone and running away,
You know you ain't like a rolling stone
You can't just keep moving without a final destination.
Because a stone will find its place
A stone will eventually settle down.
And when you hear this space
When you're all alone with only the sound of the empty space around you,
Just crawl and never run
Just take things slow and steady.
And when you're work is done
And when you're finished with what you need to do,
Then you'll see the sun
Things will start to look brighter for you.
So sing what you want I'm a man on a mission
I'm focused on achieving my goals, so you do you.
No time to love, no time to be wasting but
I'm too busy to waste my time on love.
I want to know if you feel above him
Do you feel superior to him?
All the things you do that just make yourself feel undone, feel undone
Why do you do things that make you feel worse?
Blues, I heard you caught the blues
I heard you're feeling down.
And what was it they said
What did they tell you?
Have you got out of bed, have you got out of that?
Did you manage to get out of bed and move on?
I know a headspace that you don't
I have a perspective that you may not have considered.
I will - you cannot and you don't
I can help you, but you can't help yourself.
A fortune has been made on all the illness they made
The people who make us sick are also profiting from it.
And then we've gotta pay for the drugs to take it away
Then we have to buy medicine to fix it.
And then you're gonna find there's nothing in your mind
You'll realize that you don't know as much as you thought you did.
That you don't already know, that you ain't already seen
You'll come to understand that all you see and know is all there is.
Do you live in a dream?
Are you living in a world that's not really there?
Sing your song, and don't you cause trouble
Do your own thing, and don't make problems.
Man on a mission there's a man in a bubble but
I'm focused on my goals, but I'm also in my own world.
Play your cards, throw your dice
Take the risks you need to take.
You get a piece of land and a piece of advice
You might get some property and some guidance.
No time to be wasting there's no time to be wasted
We can't afford to waste any more time.
Always time to be wasted there's no time to get wasted
We shouldn't waste any time, but we also shouldn't waste our lives.
There's always time to get wasted (There's no time to waste) (4x)
We shouldn't waste time, but there's always time for fun.
They've got me wasting time (No time to waste)
I shouldn't be wasting time, but sometimes I do.
Got me wasting time (No time to waste)
I'm wasting time when I shouldn't be.
They got me wasting time (No time to waste)
Others are also wasting my time.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RICHARD ASHCROFT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind