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.
Grey Walls
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I took my darling down
To that big grey house down the lane
And then the doctor said,
He said "It's in her head
She's never going to be right again"
I kissed my love goodbye,
They took her down the hall,
She never looked back at all
Oh behind grey walls,
Somewhere there's a soul
Behind grey walls,
She's out of control
She's crying out for help,
No-one can hear
O Lord have pity on her,
O Lord have pity on her
My darling walks the floor,
My darling walks the floor
She walks every minute that she can
I heard my darling say,
I heard my darling say
That she don't know who I am
Cigarette burns down her arm,
Said she tried to do herself harm
Tied her arms in the back,
Trussed her up like a sack
Oh behind grey walls,
Somewhere there's a soul
Behind grey walls,
She's out of control
She's crying out for help,
No-one can hear
O Lord have pity on her,
O Lord have pity on her
I saw my darling's face,
I saw my darling's face
It looked so pale in the distance
She stared out from her room
Into the dying gloom
And I saw her poor tears glisten
Pills to keep her calm, more punctures
Than a junkie in her arm
Strapped her on the bed,
Seventy volts through her head
Oh behind grey walls,
Somewhere there's a soul
Behind grey walls,
She's out of control
She's crying out for help,
No-one can hear
O Lord have pity on her,
O Lord have pity on her
Behind grey walls
Behind grey walls
"Grey Walls," a powerful ballad by Richard Thompson, tells the story of a man who takes his girlfriend to a big grey house down the lane where doctors declare that she "will never be right again" and "it's in her head." She is taken away, and he watches as she is tied up and electrocuted. His girlfriend, who was fine before, is now out of control and crying for help, but nobody can hear her. Thompson seems to be portraying someone who has been trapped within their own mind, struggling against medical diagnoses that may be false, suffered numerous treatments that cause physical and emotional damage, and left abandoned and helpless.
The lyrics seem to highlight the helplessness of the situation as the girlfriend deteriorates and the action of the song moves to a place of hopelessness. The grey house behind grey walls are metaphors that represent the dull and oppressive world in which mental illness patients can be institutionalized. The line "somewhere there's a soul" could suggest that there is humanity and individuality within the patients but they cannot show it in this dehumanizing environment. Each of Richard Thompson's lyrics tells its own story, and in "Grey Walls," he exhibits sophisticated songwriting techniques, constructing a dismal world to bring attention to the very real issue of mental health.
Line by Line Meaning
I took my darling down,
I took my loved one to a big grey house down the lane
And then the doctor said,
The doctor said that my loved one will never be right again and that the problem is all in her head
I kissed my love goodbye,
I said goodbye to my loved one as they took her down the hall
She never looked back at all
My loved one did not turn around to look at me as she left
Behind grey walls,
There is a soul trapped somewhere behind grey walls
She's crying out for help,
My loved one is crying out for help but no one can hear her
My darling walks the floor,
My loved one paces the room constantly
That she don't know who I am
My loved one does not recognize me
Tied her arms in the back,
My loved one was physically restrained, just like a sack
Oh behind grey walls,
There is a soul trapped somewhere behind grey walls
I saw my darling's face,
I saw my loved one's face from a distance
She stared out from her room
My loved one gazed out of her room into the dying gloom
Pills to keep her calm, more punctures
My loved one was given pills to keep her calm and had more punctures on her arm than a drug addict
Oh behind grey walls,
There is a soul trapped somewhere behind grey walls
She's crying out for help,
My loved one is crying out for help but no one can hear her
Behind grey walls
There is a soul trapped somewhere behind grey walls
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ERROL THOMPSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ken Soehn
on Love in a Faithless Country
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.
Mark Apelman
on Devonside
Not sure what this song means, but I love the feeling of it.