By the time he reached eleventh grade, he decided school was not for him and left. He spent a little over a year living dangerously and upsetting all those close to him until he met a girl who would then change his life. "It was a really tumultuous romantic relationship that lasted on and off for a few years," he says. "Then it just sort of fizzled out. I started writing songs the first time I figured out how to pinpoint that feeling of loss. I guess I was just waiting to make music until I had something to say. From then on, I realized I could write songs that really meant something to me."
The result was One By One, which Francis recorded at a friend's recording studio and released in August 2007 on Aeronaut Records. It didn't sell much, but it earned positive reviews from critics who compared Francis to a young Townes Van Zandt. The attention led to a record deal with Atlantic Records, which is releasing Before Nightfall.
Written over the summer of 2008 and recorded in March 2009, Before Nightfall is a snapshot of where Francis is now. "When people listen to the album, I want them to feel happy," he says. "I feel uplifted when I hear these songs; they don't bring me down. I hope people will be able to relate to them and feel as though whatever is going on in their lives is going to be okay."
!! There is other Robert Francis, author of cd: The Sitting Bull Suite
One By One
Robert Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she was very young
Everyday I wonder
What I could've done
Now she's sitting somewhere
Where the walls are all white
Losing herself underneath
Each day goes by
Where the world looks the same
Where the seasons come and change
But I find myself the way I came
And I've lost all the things
That I lost in you
From losing ourselves
In each other like we use to do
Time moves on and those moments
That I held in my heart each day
Have now disappeared
Oh well the mountains stare at the face of the sun
The sky smiles down on everyone
We all wonder what we could've done
We end up passing one by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
Like a flower dancing
By the side of the wind
Like a tree growing thin
I had nothing to believe in
Cause now the wind blows through me
On the side of the road
Like a freight train
Howling in the belly of my soul
Now the ocean's nestled
In a blanket of stars
Dreaming by the streetlights
Dreaming by a freeway of cars
The mountains stare at the face of the sun
The sky smiles down on everyone
We all wonder what we could've done
We end up passing one by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
I lost my brother when I was very young
To a drug he never knew
Cause he could not remember what he'd done
It was my first taste of fear in the hospital hall
Staring through a window at his eyes
That were black as coal
And even though something inside of him died
He left the room a different person
But he made it out alive
Oh he'd switch our cereals in the morning
Out of fear of being poisoned
By the people that had raised him
By the people that put him here
Oh but time moves on
And those moments
That I held in my heart each day
Have now disappeared
Oh the mountains stare at the face of the sun
The sky smiles down on everyone
We all wonder what we could've done
We end up passing one by one
One by one
One by one
The mountains stare at the face of the sun
The sky smiles down on everyone
We all wonder what we could've done
We all end up passing one by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
One by one
The lyrics of Robert Francis's song "One By One" reflect on the passage of time and missed opportunities, wrapped in a story of love and loss. The singer reminisces about a failed relationship with a girl he loved and wonders what he could have done differently. He imagines her sitting in a white room, disconnected from the world and losing herself under the clinical lights, while he's stuck in a familiar routine, unable to move on from their past. He compares his own existence to that of a flower dancing in the wind or a tree growing thin, lacking a purpose or sense of identity.
The chorus of "One By One" emphasizes the cyclical nature of life and death, where mountains, sky, and ocean endure and observe the passing of human beings. The singer suggests that people often wonder about their missed chances and regrets but ultimately end up succumbing to fate, one by one. The song ends with a personal note that deepens the meaning of the lyrics. The singer reveals that he lost his brother to drugs at a young age, and it was a traumatic experience that shaped his perspective on life. He recognizes the fragility of existence, the randomness of events, and the power of resilience, as his brother made it out alive despite his addiction and his altered personality.
Overall, Robert Francis's song "One By One" delivers a poignant message about the interconnectedness of life and the inevitability of change. The lyrics are imbued with a sense of melancholy and wistfulness, yet they also offer a glimmer of hope and acceptance, as the singer acknowledges that everyone has their journey to follow.
Line by Line Meaning
I loved a girl once
I had a love interest in the past
And she was very young
She was significantly younger than I was
Everyday I wonder
I frequently think back to the past
What I could've done
In hindsight, I wish I had done something differently
Now she's sitting somewhere
My love interest is currently in a specific location
Where the walls are all white
The environment is sterile and impersonal
Losing herself underneath
She is struggling to maintain her identity
Those fluorescent lights
The lighting is artificial
Each day goes by
Time continues to move forward
Where the world looks the same
Things haven't changed despite the passing of time
Where the seasons come and change
The cyclical nature of the passage of time is apparent
But I find myself the way I came
I haven't made any significant personal progress
And I've lost all the things
I no longer possess the qualities or possessions
That I lost in you
What I lost was connected to my love interest
From losing ourselves
We became deeply connected to each other
In each other like we used to do
Our connection is less strong than it was in the past
Time moves on and those moments
Despite our history, time continues to pass
That I held in my heart each day
I cling to memories of the past
Have now disappeared
Those memories are now gone
Oh well, the mountains stare at the face of the sun
The mountains are a metaphor for the steady passage of time
The sky smiles down on everyone
The sky is a metaphor for the universality of human experience
We all wonder what we could've done
Everyone experiences regret
We end up passing one by one
We all eventually die
Like a flower dancing
A metaphor for the beauty of life
By the side of the wind
The transient nature of existence
Like a tree growing thin
A metaphor for personal deterioration
I had nothing to believe in
I didn't have anything to anchor me
Cause now the wind blows through me
I am vulnerable to external forces
On the side of the road
A metaphor for feeling lost and aimless
Like a freight train
Overwhelming and unstoppable
Howling in the belly of my soul
Metaphorical gut-wrenching pain
Now the ocean's nestled
A metaphor for the hugeness and mystery of life
In a blanket of stars
A metaphor for the sublimity and wonder of the universe
Dreaming by the streetlights
A symbol of the ways humans create order and meaning in a chaotic world
Dreaming by a freeway of cars
A symbol of the continuous and frenetic nature of modern life
I lost my brother when I was very young
I experienced a significant loss as a child
To a drug he never knew
My brother's cause of death was addiction
Cause he could not remember what he'd done
Impaired memory was a symptom of his addiction
It was my first taste of fear in the hospital hall
This event was personally traumatic
Staring through a window at his eyes
Observing my brother's physical state was distressing
That were black as coal
A sign of deep personal pain and suffering
And even though something inside of him died
My brother was irrevocably changed by his experience
He left the room a different person
He did not emerge from his trauma the same
But he made it out alive
Despite the pain, he survived
Contributed by Dominic A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jamey Haws
Amazing song!!! Robert Francis gets it!!! Huge future ahead of him if he can keep writing songs like this "one by one..."
WanderingRupert
First time I heard this song and Robert Francis was last night surfing the tele, caught my attention. Hypnotic vocals and amazing instrumentals. Definitely eager to see what else he has to offer and will snag the album.
Cleid
12 years later and still listening this song, I love it so much ❤️ and I prefer this version tbh
retrorage1
I also caught Robert on Carson Daley. I had fallen asleep with the tv on hours before and this beautiful song woke me up from a deep sleep right in the middle of the chorus. Sure glad it did! What a great poet and musician!!!
John HOlland
I bought this cd in ninth grade. It must still be around here somewhere... I could listen to this forever.
atydbu
i completely agree with what youre saying, but jesus, he deserves fame so much, i mean, this is just incredible
edit kit
Reminds me so much of Bob Dylan. This guy is awesome
Jeff Voss
Heard Robert Francis play this song on Carson Daly the other night. I never watch that show, but this song caught my ears while flipping channels. Very pretty.
JS pr3s3nts
I like this version better than the other one because of the use of those folk instruments!
Saf
I really love this version !