Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British… Read Full Bio ↴Richard Thompson OBE (born 3 April 1949, Notting Hill, London) is a British singer/songwriter and guitarist. Highly regarded for his guitar techniques, Thompson was awarded the Orville H. Gibson award for best acoustic guitar player in 1991. Similarly, his songwriting has earned him an Ivor Novello Award and, in 2006, a lifetime achievement award from BBC Radio. Thompson made his debut as a recording artist as a member of Fairport Convention in September 1967. He left the group in 1971 and began recording with his wife as Richard & Linda Thompson, before their marriage dissolved in 1983. Since then, Thompson has maintained a critically-acclaimed solo career.

He continues to write and record new material and performs live frequently throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia.

Thompson was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to music. On 5 July 2011, the degree of Doctor of Philosophy honoris causa was conferred on Thompson by the University of Aberdeen, in a ceremony at the University's Elphinstone Hall.

Beat The Retreat
Richard Thompson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm beating my retreat
Back home to you
I'm beating my retreat
Back home to you
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm running back home to you

I'm trailing my colors
Back home to you
I'm trailing my colors
Back home to you
This world is filled with sadness
This world is filled with sadness
This world is filled with sadness
I'm running back home to you

I'll follow the drum
Back home to you
I'll follow the drum
Back home to you
There was no joy in my leaving
There was no joy in my leaving

There was no joy in my leaving
I'm running back home to you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Beat the Retreat" by Richard & Linda Thompson is a love song that speaks about a person realizing that the world outside is not fulfilling and happy, and decides to retreat back to his/her lover. The phrase "beat the retreat" is a military term that refers to the sounding of a bugle or drum to signal the soldiers to retreat from the battle or return to their barracks. The lyrics symbolize the singer admitting to himself/herself that the world cannot offer happiness like the one that his/her lover brings.

The first verse talks about burning all bridges behind the singer, which means cutting off all connections with the outside world to return where real joy and peace exists. The second verse describes how the world is filled with sadness, which compels the singer to retreat back to the lover because they bring happiness and joy that exists nowhere else. The final verse shows the singer making a promise to follow the sound of the drum, back home to the lover, implying that the escape is permanent and a final retreat back to the love of his/her life.

Overall, "Beat the Retreat" is a song that mixes military and romantic themes to talk about how the world outside can be tormenting and love provides the ultimate return to true joy and peace.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm beating my retreat
I'm making my way back home

Back home to you
Toward the one I love and care about

I'm burning all my bridges
I'm severing all ties with the past

I'm running back home to you
I'm eagerly returning to the one who means everything to me

I'm trailing my colors
I'm displaying my identity and loyalties

This world is filled with sadness
The world outside of my cherished relationship is fraught with sorrow and misery

I'll follow the drum
I'll march to the beat of my own drum, living life on my own terms

There was no joy in my leaving
The decision to leave before was not a happy one

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Ken Soehn

on Love in a Faithless Country

33w

At a show at the Culch (The Vancouver East Cultural Centre) decades ago, Thompson said the song was inspired by two British serial killers, who seemed to be inspiring each other through the newspapers. Now you know why it sounds so spooky.