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.

Mr. Rebound
Richard Thompson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My sweetheart she bounced right out of my arms
She was gone before I remembered to cling
Did I reach out too slowly to catch her
Or was she by nature a slippery thing

Into the arms of Mr Rebound
Into the arms of Clean Up Joe
Into the arms of Mr Rebound

Mr Rebound, as if I didn't know

He'll give her laughs and he'll give her dreams
I gave her the kids and the pots and pans
He'll do for the dash and he'll do for the sprint
But he won't do for a marathon man

I know for a fact that she ain't coming back
To tell you the truth, I'm a little bit glad

She may be blind with the things on her mind
But how can she stand to touch something that bad

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to the song Mr. Rebound by Richard Thompson talk about the singer's loss of his sweetheart. He reminisces about how she bounced right out of his arm and was gone before he could even hold onto her. He ponders whether he missed the opportunity to catch her or if she was inherently slippery. He then goes on to talk about how she's moved onto someone else, Mr. Rebound, who will give her the laughs and dreams but not the stability that he offered her. He also mentions that he's a "marathon man," capable of providing for her in the long run, while Mr. Rebound is only good for the short and quick moments.

The song talks about a common issue of rebound relationships, where people tend to move onto someone else quickly after a break-up, without properly healing or working on themselves. This often leads to these relationships being short-lived and lacking the emotional depth of a longer-lasting relationship. The singer of the song seems to be aware of this and is glad that his sweetheart, who he sees as blind to the things on her mind, didn't choose to come back to him.

Overall, the song has a melancholic tone and speaks to the complexities of love and relationships. It emphasizes the importance of stability in relationships and how valuable it is to find someone who is willing to be a partner for the long haul.

Line by Line Meaning

My sweetheart she bounced right out of my arms
My girlfriend left me abruptly

She was gone before I remembered to cling
I didn't have a chance to try and keep her

Did I reach out too slowly to catch her
I wonder if I should have tried harder to keep her

Or was she by nature a slippery thing
Maybe she was always going to leave eventually

Into the arms of Mr Rebound
She moved on to someone new quickly

Into the arms of Clean Up Joe
She found someone else to help her recover from the breakup

Mr Rebound, as if I didn't know
I expected her to find someone new right away

He'll give her laughs and he'll give her dreams
He'll be fun and exciting for her

I gave her the kids and the pots and pans
I provided stability and practical support

He'll do for the dash and he'll do for the sprint
He can handle short-term things

But he won't do for a marathon man
He won't be able to provide long-term commitment like I could have

I know for a fact that she ain't coming back
I'm sure she's not returning to me

To tell you the truth, I'm a little bit glad
I'm starting to feel okay about the end of our relationship

She may be blind with the things on her mind
She might not be thinking clearly

But how can she stand to touch something that bad
I'm not sure why she's with him when I'm a better person

Contributed by Alex P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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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.