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.
The Way That It Shows
Richard Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One of these nights
Your gaze of compassion
Just a little too right
Your hug of encouragement
A little too tight
And then he'll know
It's the little things betray
To some Casanova
On the spills and stains
Of a backstage sofa
He'll catch you yawning
With one leg over
And there's the sin
Must be the enemy within
[CHORUS]
That's the way that it shows
A slip of the tongue
A squeeze of the hand
That's the way that it shows
There's glycerin in the tear
Rouge in the blush
Your artful stammer
A little too rushed
All passion to the eye
All cold to the touch
And then he'll guess
Your mind has drifted in the kiss
There's a chink in your armour
A crack in your defenses
When your iron will
Gives way to your senses
Your whispered sweet nothings
All sound like expenses
And that's enough
He won't believe your words of love
[CHORUS]
The lyrics of Richard Thompson's song The Way That It Shows talks about how the little things can give away one's true feelings and intentions. The song is about a person who is trying to keep their emotions hidden, but can't help but show signs of attraction towards someone. The lyrics speak of how the gaze of compassion, a hug of encouragement that is a little too tight and other small gestures can make it apparent that they are in love with the person they are with. It describes how these little things betray and reveal their true feelings, making them vulnerable to being hurt by someone who may not have the same intentions.
The chorus of the song talks about the different ways in which these little things show. It mentions the slip of the tongue, a squeeze of the hand, the glycerin in the tear, rouge in the blush, and an artful stammer that is a little too rushed, all things that one cannot control when they are in love. The lyrics also talk about how there are cracks in one's defenses and how their iron will can give way to their senses when they are around the person they love. The song ends with the realization that their words of love may not be enough to convince the other person of their true feelings if these little things keep giving them away.
Line by Line Meaning
You're going to give yourself away
You're slowly revealing yourself
One of these nights
At some point in the future
Your gaze of compassion
Your kind look
Just a little too right
Slightly too perfect
Your hug of encouragement
Your embrace to help
A little too tight
A bit too close
And then he'll know
When someone realizes
It's the little things betray
Tiny details give you away
To some Casanova
To someone smooth and charming
On the spills and stains
In the mess and dirt
Of a backstage sofa
Of a couch behind the curtains
He'll catch you yawning
He'll see you bored
With one leg over
With one leg crossed over the other
And there's the sin
There's the mistake
Must be the enemy within
You must be your own worst enemy
[CHORUS]
Refrain
That's the way that it shows
That's how it's revealed
A slip of the tongue
A mistake in speech
A squeeze of the hand
A tight grip
There's glycerin in the tear
There's fake emotion in your tears
Rouge in the blush
Artificial color in your cheeks
Your artful stammer
Your rehearsed stutter
A little too rushed
A bit too quick
All passion to the eye
All emotion in your look
All cold to the touch
All lack of feeling in your touch
And then he'll guess
And then he'll suspect
Your mind has drifted in the kiss
Your mind has lost focus in the kiss
There's a chink in your armour
There's a weakness in your defense
A crack in your defenses
A flaw in your protection
When your iron will
When your strong determination
Gives way to your senses
Folds under your emotions
Your whispered sweet nothings
Your insincere compliments
All sound like expenses
All seem like they cost something
And that's enough
And that's sufficient
He won't believe your words of love
He won't trust your declarations of affection
[CHORUS]
Refrain
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: RICHARD JOHN 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.