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.
Never Again
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And still feel the silence as close as before
And was there a season without any rain,
And never, o never, o never again?
The time for dividing and no-one will speak
Of the sadness of hiding, and the softness of sleep
O will there be nothing of peace â??till the end,
Old man how you tarry, old man how you weep
The trinkets you carry and the garlands you keep
For the salt tears of lovers and the whispers of friends
Come never, o never, o never again
In the song "Never Again" by Richard Thompson, the lyrics delve into themes of memory, loss, and the passage of time. The opening lines, "O who will remember, o who will be sure / And still feel the silence as close as before," convey a sense of melancholy and uncertainty about what will become of the memories and feelings associated with past events. The line "And was there a season without any rain" suggests that the singer is reflecting on difficult times, and wonders if there was ever a time when things were easy.
The second verse touches on the idea of division and suppression of emotions, with the line "The time for dividing and no-one will speak / Of the sadness of hiding, and the softness of sleep." This highlights the challenge of coping with emotional pain when people are unable to communicate openly about their struggles. The following line "O will there be nothing of peace 'till the end" raises the question of whether there will ever be a resolution to these issues.
The final verse seems to address an older person, with the lines "Old man how you tarry, old man how you weep / The trinkets you carry and the garlands you keep." The imagery suggests a person who has accumulated a lot of memories and keepsakes over the years, but is now feeling sadness and regret. The final line "Come never, o never, o never again" serves as a haunting chorus that runs throughout the song, emphasizing the idea that some things can never be regained once they are lost.
Line by Line Meaning
O who will remember, o who will be sure
Who among us will remember, and who among us will be sure that something like this will never happen again?
And still feel the silence as close as before
Even though the silence has been broken, we still feel its presence as strongly as we did before.
And was there a season without any rain,
Was there ever a time when everything was perfect and nothing bad ever happened?
And never, o never, o never again?
And will that time never come again?
The time for dividing and no-one will speak
It's a time for division, and people are reluctant to speak up and take a stand.
Of the sadness of hiding, and the softness of sleep
People are hiding their sadness and pain, and no one can sleep peacefully.
O will there be nothing of peace â??till the end,
Will there be no peace until the very end of everything?
Or never, o never, o never again?
Or will we never experience peace and harmony again?
Old man how you tarry, old man how you weep
Old man, why are you delaying? Old man, why are you weeping?
The trinkets you carry and the garlands you keep
The trinkets and garlands you keep are no comfort for your sorrow.
For the salt tears of lovers and the whispers of friends
Both the tears of lovers and the whispers of friends will never come again.
Come never, o never, o never again
They will never come back again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAY ANDERSON, KELLEN ASEBROEK, MIMI NAJA, KEITH SIMON, TYLER 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.