Before Queen, Taylor founded Smile with Brian May. Smile released one album in Japan which is now available throughout the world as Ghost of a Smile. Smile wrote a few of the songs which would later appear on Queen's self-titled debut album, and one - Doin' Alright was featured on the Smile album.
Taylor also fronted another band, The Cross from 1987 to 1991. The first album, Shove it (1988) was a solo album by Taylor in all but name - he wrote all the songs and played most of the instruments himself. This was an experiment that didn't really work for Taylor and in the other two albums by The Cross he allowed the other members of the band to contribute more, resulting in more traditionally styled rock albums.
Out of the four original members of Queen Taylor and guitarist Brian May continued to play as Queen + Paul Rodgers between 2004 and 2008. Of the other original members singer Freddie Mercury tragically died in 1991 and bassist John Deacon retired from music business in the mid-1990's.
In 2009, after the partnership between him, Brian and Paul ended, Roger worked on some new solo material from which his single The Unblinking Eye (Everything is Broken) was digitally released at 23th November at Queenonline.com. At the moment it is unclear how the future of Queen will look like, though Roger has announced that he will do a short tour in the spring of 2010.
Revelations
Roger Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They don't have much to eat
No sugar on the table
But the people stay sweet
I've been to the third world
They've got nothing but hope
Through the starving and dying
It was a revelation, a revelation
A revelation to me
I've been to the U.S.
Promised land of the free
With the workless and homeless
Begging on every street
It was a revelation, a revelation
A revelation to me
Revelation, it was a revelation
And right here in Europe
Far as can been seen
Butter mountains and wine lakes
That much food it's obscene
Now you can label me stupid
Or naive with this song
But when children are starving
I know what's right and what's wrong
It was a revelation, a revelation
A revelation to me
The lyrics of "Revelations," written by Roger Taylor, express his experiences traveling to different parts of the world and witnessing the vast differences in socio-economic conditions. The song starts with his trip to Ukraine, where he finds that people do not have much to eat and there is no sugar on the table, yet the people there are hospitable and kind. He then sings about his experience in the third world nations where poverty and starvation are the main problems, but people there still have hope and are somehow managing to cope with their difficult situations. The main theme of the song is the stark realization that there is a massive divide in global prosperity, and the lyrics effectively shed light on this disheartening issue with simple yet poignant words.
Roger Taylor's revelation does not stop in third-world countries. The songwriter also highlights the issues of income inequality and homelessness that are still rampant in developed countries such as the United States. As someone from Europe, Taylor expresses his brash disappointment with how there are butter mountains and wine lakes, signifying the excess of food supplies, while so many people out there in the world are starving to death. Despite the harsh realities depicted in this song, the most significant revelation comes when he realizes that children are starving, and there is an obligation to stand up for what is right and wrong.
Line by Line Meaning
I went to the Ukraine
I visited Ukraine
They don't have much to eat
People in Ukraine face a shortage of food
No sugar on the table
There is not enough sugar to put on the table
But the people stay sweet
Despite the lack of resources, people in Ukraine remain kind and hospitable
I've been to the third world
Visited developing countries
They've got nothing but hope
People in developing countries have nothing to rely on but hope
Through the starving and dying
Despite starvation and death in developing countries
Sometimes somehow they cope
People in developing countries somehow manage to cope with the challenges they face
It was a revelation, a revelation
The experience was an eye-opener
A revelation to me
The experience taught me something new
I've been to the U.S.
Visited the United States
Promised land of the free
Despite the promise of freedom in the US
With the workless and homeless
Homelessness and unemployment are significant issues in the US
Begging on every street
People begging for money is a common sight in the US
And right here in Europe
The issue is not just limited to developing countries, but also exists in Europe
Far as can be seen
The problem is widespread and extends far beyond a particular region
Butter mountains and wine lakes
Excess of food resources that are wasted in Europe
That much food it's obscene
The amount of wasted food is unacceptable
Now you can label me stupid
You can criticize me for speaking out against this issue
Or naive with this song
You might think that this song expresses naivety or ignorance on my part
But when children are starving
But when there are children who don't have enough to eat
I know what's right and what's wrong
I know that this is a problem that needs to be addressed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROGER TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chanell59
The lyrics of this song are still relevant despite the passage of time.
@marcelosebastian333
Long live Ukraine 2023!
@Dillon12
Still relevant in 2022!!!
Good message!!!
@klaudia9891
Roger's music is so underrated 😣
@user-jj8nb7ql8u
Роджер Тэйлор как всегда хорош!
@chiaradibi4877
I so love this man!
@antoniobattilo4851
His best album! Taylor is a f.....g genius!
@maryrzhevskayaofficial
Hello, Roger! My name's Mary Rzhevskaya! I'm from Ukraine, in living in Mykolaiv City ! I'm 17 years old! After 4 months will be 18 years old! But, I can said only one moment, your sound here and revelations for us Ukrainians people who living here. We will still love your solo songs by your own solo albums, careers and your band QUEEN! You're can do it! You're can will saying about that! Now, 2022! Peaceful skies and will be still to strong people. Slava Ukraine! 🇺🇦❤✌🏻
@meenakshighosh8584
Truthful message told through this beautiful song. Its a Revelation indeed
@AnnikaSenger
Very profound music and lyrics and so relevant in these times of crisis!