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.
Madness Of Love
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He came into town
He was mad with love
Oh mad with love
The whole of the town
Oh they began to weep
The rich and the poor
When they heard him speak
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
My tongue, my tears,
I still don't know
If my words
Or my tears should flow
Now if I speak,
Well my tears stop falling
And if I weep,
My tongue stops calling
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
I'm talking crazy,
Laughing crazy
Weeping crazy,
Going crazy
Like on that day
When everyone is gathered
Like the worn out man,
They all wept together
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
The town was a river
They wept like rain
The town vanished
They stood on a plain
Like Judgement day
When everyone is gathered
They stood on the plain
And wept together
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, it's the madness of love
The song "Madness of Love" by Richard Thompson speaks of a man who arrives in town and begins to speak of a love that has driven him to madness. The townspeople are moved to tears, both rich and poor, as they hear him speak. The man's words and tears seem to be at war with each other - when he speaks, his tears stop falling, and when he weeps, his tongue stops calling. In the end, everyone in the town weeps together like on Judgment Day when everyone is gathered, and the town vanishes, leaving them standing on a plain.
The song explores the idea that love can be a powerful force, driving people to extremes of emotion that may seem mad to outsiders. The man in the song may be seen as a symbol of the power of love to overcome social barriers and connect people in a shared experience of pain and beauty. The lyrics also suggest that love can be a destructive force, as the townspeople weep like on Judgment Day, implying that the end of the world may be brought on by the madness of love.
Line by Line Meaning
A worn out man
An exhausted man
He came into town
He arrived at the town
He was mad with love
He was passionately in love
Oh mad with love
Oh passionately in love
The whole of the town
All the people of the town
Oh they began to weep
Oh they started to cry
The rich and the poor
Both wealthy and poor people
When they heard him speak
After hearing him talk
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, how intense love can be
My tongue, my tears,
My speech, my crying
I still don't know
I'm still uncertain
If my words
If what I say
Or my tears should flow
Or if I should cry
Now if I speak,
If I talk now
Well my tears stop falling
My crying will cease
And if I weep,
And if I cry
My tongue stops calling
I can't speak anymore
I'm talking crazy,
I'm speaking incoherently
Laughing crazy
Laughing uncontrollably
Weeping crazy,
Crying uncontrollably
Going crazy
Acting insane
Like on that day
Just like on that day
When everyone is gathered
When everyone comes together
Like the worn out man,
Just like the exhausted man
They all wept together
They all cried together
The town was a river
The town was filled with tears
They wept like rain
They cried torrentially
The town vanished
The town disappeared
They stood on a plain
They stood on a flat surface
Like Judgement day
Just like Judgement Day
They stood on the plain
They were on a level ground
And wept together
And they cried together
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, how intense love can be
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, it's the intensity of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, how intense love can be
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, it's the intensity of love
Oh, the madness of love
Oh, how intense love can be
Oh, it's the madness of love
Oh, it's the intensity of love
Contributed by Annabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pwecko
I first heard this on the Beat The Retreat album played by Graham Parker. I know it sounds like sacrilege, but I think I prefer that version to this. I'm off to see Richard and the band play in Liverpool next week. I can't wait.
Dennis Stanczak
I have this cassette and I just hope Richard re-releases it on his Beeswing Label.
uke4ia
French and Kaiser also recorded a version with Bob Adams and Andy West on the 1991 "Circle Dance" compilation CD that was issued by Thompson's U.K. fan club to raise money for disabled children's charities. That's where I first heard the song.
Cirkuspromoter
I have the cassette too!
I'm afraid RT isn't the sort of artist who is his own archivist, but there are two other recorded versions of the song - Graham Parker's cover on the 'Beat the Retreat' tribute album (available on YouTube) and a bonus live track on French, Frith, Kaiser, Thompson's Life, Love, Larf & Loaf, which is also cool.
Matthew Smith
Abdul-Latif Whiteman, the keyboardist on this song, is also known as Ian Whiteman and he played piano on some of Sandy Denny's songs, particularly on her first solo album.
Harley Davis
So cool