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.
The Whisperers
Roger Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it's only got deeper with the passing of years
We know this from paintings we know this from books
Some men had real magic while others just took
There were gypsies and showmen, and charlatan shamans
There were men who could softly whisper the devils away
John Solomon Rary tamed a horse of the Queen
Laid it down on the ground
You can imagine the scene
For secrets uttered softly into pricked and troubled ears
These men were known as whisperers
These men were known as whisperers
An Indian charm bought for the price of a meal
Was the secret of Sullivan that died with him for real?
We know this from paintings we know this from books
Some men had real magic while others just talked
For secrets uttered softly to soothe all troubled fears
These men were known as whisperers
These men were known as whisperers
For secrets uttered softly to soothe all troubled fears
These men were known as whisperers
For secrets uttered softly into pricked and troubled ears
These men were known as whisperers
These men were known as whisperers
Roger Taylor's song The Whisperers is a tribute to the mysterious and elusive figure of the horse whisperer, a man who could calm and train horses using the power of his voice, gentle touch and intuition. In the first verse, Taylor evokes the historical context and cultural background of the horse whisperer, drawing on the imagery of paintings, books and folklore that speak of the uneasy relationship between men and horses, built on fear and mistrust. Taylor suggests that a select few men possessed a special gift, a "real magic", that enabled them to communicate with and calm horses, while others relied on tricks and illusions to deceive and exploit them.
The second verse of the song introduces some specific examples of horse whisperers who achieved legendary status in their time, such as John Solomon Rary, who was said to have tamed a horse of the Queen by laying down beside it and winning its trust. Taylor's lyrics emphasize the intimacy and vulnerability of this act, as Rary puts his head on the horse's hooves, a gesture of submission and empathy that defies conventional notions of horse-human relations. The song suggests that there were secrets and mysteries associated with these whisperers, and that their power lay not in their techniques, but in their ability to connect with the horses on a deeper level and understand their fears and desires.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "These men were known as whisperers" as a kind of mantra, reminding the listener of the elusive nature of this figure and the reverence in which he was held. Taylor concludes the song with the suggestion that the secrets of the whisperers may have been lost or forgotten, encapsulated in the Indian charm bought by Sullivan that "died with him for real". The song thus creates a sense of nostalgia and longing for a lost art that embodied a special kind of intimacy and respect between humans and animals.
Line by Line Meaning
Between men, between horses there is mistrust and fear
There is a lack of trust and fear between both men and horses.
And it's only got deeper with the passing of years
This fear and mistrust has only grown over time.
We know this from paintings we know this from books
This fear and mistrust has been documented in paintings and books.
Some men had real magic while others just took
Some men truly had the ability to connect with horses, while others just took advantage of them.
There were gypsies and showmen, and charlatan shamans
There were different types of men who claimed to have a connection with horses, including gypsies, showmen, and fake shamans.
There were men who could softly whisper the devils away
Some men had the skill to ease the fears of both men and horses.
John Solomon Rary tamed a horse of the Queen
John Solomon Rary was able to train one of the Queen's horses.
Laid it down on the ground
He was able to lay the horse down on the ground without resistance.
Then he laid down beside it and put his head on it's hooves
He was even able to lay down next to the horse and rest his head on its hooves.
You can imagine the scene
This scene would have been quite remarkable to witness.
An Indian charm bought for the price of a meal
Sullivan bought an Indian charm for very little money.
Was the secret of Sullivan that died with him for real?
It is unclear whether the charm truly had any power or if it was just a fake.
For secrets uttered softly into pricked and troubled ears
These men were known for their ability to quietly speak comforting words to those in distress.
These men were known as whisperers
The people who had this ability were called whisperers.
For secrets uttered softly to soothe all troubled fears
Whisperers used their skill to calm the fears and worries of both men and horses.
These men were known as whisperers
The people who had this ability were known as whisperers.
For secrets uttered softly into pricked and troubled ears
Whisperers were able to softly speak words of comfort to those in distress.
These men were known as whisperers
The people who had this ability were called whisperers.
Contributed by Caleb R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andy Kir
A clarification - he is and always been a great musician
Verena
this song is so calming and i love his voice his voice so much
VIRTUAL´S PETS
I remember this song when I was young...just 17 years... Today have fourty. Was an important part of my life. Just thanks Roger for put music in my life. Cheers from Argentina.
VIRTUAL´S PETS
@Marcelo Sebastian aguante!
Marcelo Sebastian
Aguante Roger locura! 😎
Forgotten Horror Channel
Roger has written some amazing solo songs that should be remastered to the highest quality 🤘🤘
Richard McCombie
Beautiful song.
Aida Maria Bautista Carrillo
Me encanta que tenga la letra. Asi podemos cantarla
Yvonne Johnson
I wish this album was on DVD. Love watching Roger sing.....🥰
김석영
Fully ripen, mellow voice. this variety in his voice is wonderful.