Panes, who plays mandolin and guitar, is accompanied by Georgie Harris (Viola), Joanne Sy (Cello), Sean Hatton (Drums) and Deborah Panes (Vocals).
Panes is a British songwriter with a guitar to his chest and a heart swelling with hopes and dreams. A common on-paper pitch, perhaps, and one sold a thousand times before. But Dorset-born Panes has something special to offer those willing to wait a while for their favourite songs to settle into place.
Panes’ debut album, ‘Little Giant’, isn’t a collection operating at the vanguard of a cutting-edge, ultimately transient scene worthy of clicks for the next few months. It’s not an album that sets out to trick its audience in any way – what you hear is succinct, honest songwriting, from a place of deep personal expression, resonating with universal truths and values. It’s an embracing set, a welcoming one, which represents everything that its maker has worked towards since first picking up a guitar and exploring his innermost thoughts and feelings through song. No follower of fashion, Panes walks to his own beat.
It’s a strange admission for any artist, but nevertheless: “I’ve never really listened to much music,” says Panes. “Influences from other artists, they’re not really that important. I find that my music comes to me from situations I find myself in – those situations can come to me as songs. In terms of first picking up an instrument, my granny was a classical pianist – we’d go to her house, hear her play, and run around in circles. And my mum used to be in a travelling theatre company, so I was encouraged towards culture, towards the arts. But I always thought: if I want to listen to music, I’ll just write it.”
Don’t mistake confidence for arrogance – such statements come from a sincere place, as Panes’ upbringing in Wimborne, once home to novelist Thomas Hardy, proved more inspirational to his writing than any sessions in the company of a parent’s record collection. The natural beauty of Dorset’s open spaces – and those of the Lake District, a place he loves to visit – have become woven into the fabric of his craft. The peace, the silent solitude: it’s here that Panes feels more alive with ideas than he does in the hubbub of his adopted home of London. There’s a pastoral warmth to ‘Little Giant’ that couldn’t have manifested had its roots been laid within urban limits.
The comfort of home, of a tight and supportive family, punctuates proceedings throughout Panes’ debut LP – which is perhaps inevitable, as the collection was recorded there. Beside producer Rupert Coulson – a man with numerous soundtrack credits, as well as experience of working on records by Portishead, Robbie Williams and Oasis – Panes and his band captured the classic 12-string guitar sounds, rippling percussion and sweeping strings that decorate ‘Little Giant’ in, says the singer, “the music room, down at our house – just a small, wooden-floored room. I thought, why not keep the recording close to where I write the songs?”
He continues: “I’m a really big fan of the idea that you don’t need all the stuff you find in a big studio – it’s about how you use the things you do have. Rupert had a lot of imagination, and got a good grasp of the room and harnessed it. I love working in places that have an atmosphere, and I think it’s good to have that extra, background noise on a record. I’m sure there’s an ambulance on the album, actually.”
He was, briefly, the face of a Burberry campaign, something he describes as “random”. “I was on tour,” he says, “and I got a phone call asking me to do it. I just grabbed the opportunity that was in front of me. I went in a musician, and came out a musician. It’s a short episode in my life, but one that’s had some quite big repercussions.” Indeed, a Google search pulls up many attractively composed black-and-white photographs of Panes sporting fine threads – but it’s music that surges strongest in his veins, above all other passions.
And now that you’ve separated your senses from social media for a while, closed your chattering inbox, just what does ‘Little Giant’ offer above more garden variety singer-songwriter recordings? A little patience provides the answers: this is material that truly connects on an emotional level, its gentle rhythms and compelling cadences topped by vocals that can’t be faked, that come characterised by a complete lack of artifice and affectation. His is a deep voice, one that sounds aged beyond its years, perhaps. And yet, it’s telling of timeless stories, endless ache and forever love. It asks that we all find the right way to see the world around us.
One number that specifically addresses the need for optimism is the single ‘Tiger Striped Sky’. Says Panes: “It’s about the idea where we can look at any situation ahead of us in two ways: either it’s challenging, and off-putting, or you can say that you love a challenge. It’s about the idea that you chose your context, and if you put yourself into a negative context, you’re going to come out with stripes on you.”
The title track is about addressing one’s own shortcomings in order to better themselves. “It’s accepting that you have to realise your own vulnerabilities in order to become stronger,” says Panes. “That’s why there’s the line, ‘Have the heart of a giant / But know you’re a man.’ You have to take things step by step. It’s also got that message of hope, as well.”
These songs are, says Panes, “personal, and vulnerable – but expansive, too. Because I don’t want it to just be about me. Here’s a bit of me, to help you understand a bit of you. I think positivity and hope are things worth giving to people, and I think that the album does transmit a lot of hope.”
How Long
Roo Panes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A hypnotic pattern calling forth
Impatience with its steady beat,
For I don't want to sleep.
A new life in this sheltered room,
I feel its balm and I breathe its boon,
The sweet perfume of claire de lune
The scent of what's to come!
Oh how long?! How long?
How long must I wait for tomorrow?
How long?
Well I meet this night with open eyes
Dreams of day, and excited sighs,
Moon shadows of the life outside paint writing on my wall.
It's secrets played before my eyes
What heaven prepares before sunrise
Such beauty met without reply, an orchestra of peace.
Oh how long?! How long?
How long must I wait for tomorrow?
How long?
The opening lines of Roo Panes's song, "How Long," describe the sound of rain falling outside, creating a metered, hypnotic pattern that stirs feelings of impatience in the singer. The singer is eager to experience a new life, but feels confined or sheltered in their current space. Despite this, the singer is comforted by the world around them, the scent of the moonlight and the promise of something more in the future.
The chorus of the song repeats the question, "How long must I wait for tomorrow?" This question seems to be directed at the universe or the powers that be, as the singer feels that they are being held back or made to wait for something important. The singer longs for a future that is promised but not yet arrived, and the repetition of the question emphasizes their feeling of uncertainty and longing.
The verses of the song contrast this feeling of impatience with a sense of wonder and appreciation for the beauty of the world. The singer observes the shadows of the moon, the writing on the wall, and feels that there are secrets hidden in the night that will be revealed in time. The orchestra of peace that the singer experiences seems to offer a counterbalance to the impatience of the rain, and suggests that there is a sense of joy and anticipation in the feeling of waiting.
Overall, "How Long" is a song about the tension between waiting for something important and appreciating the beauty of the present moment. The rain outside creates a sense of impatience, but the singer is able to find comfort and hope in the world around them, even as they long for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
This pitter-patter falling sure,
The rain falling outside has a soothing and repetitive pattern that is lulling me into a contemplative state.
A hypnotic pattern calling forth
The sound of the rain is like a call to action, inviting me to be introspective and encouraging profound thinking.
Impatience with its steady beat,
Despite the calming effect of the rain, it's making me impatient because I don't want to miss out on what the night has in store for me.
For I don't want to sleep.
I'm too captivated by the night's offerings to rest because I'm afraid I'll miss out on something important.
A new life in this sheltered room,
The atmosphere inside the room is warm, comforting and stable which gives me a sense of rebirth and rejuvenation.
I feel its balm and I breathe its boon,
The room is imbuing me with a sense of healing and a gift that I need to gratefully embrace.
The sweet perfume of claire de lune
The nocturnal scent inside the room is reminiscent of night-time flowery fragrances, invoking the beauty of the setting moon.
The scent of what's to come!
The atmosphere hints at a positive, exciting future filled with new opportunities and growth.
Oh how long?! How long?
An expression of impatient anticipation of what the future might hold.
How long must I wait for tomorrow?
Impatience about not knowing what the future holds and wondering how long it will take to find out.
Well I meet this night with open eyes
I'm approaching the night with an open mind and an eagerness to learn and grow.
Dreams of day, and excited sighs,
I have big dreams for what the future will bring and I'm excited just thinking about it.
Moon shadows of the life outside paint writing on my wall.
The moon shines casting shadowy shapes of objects outside creating a nocturnal canvas on the wall of my room.
It's secrets played before my eyes
The night is illuminating secrets and answers to long-awaited questions right before my eyes, reinforcing my trust in the universe.
What heaven prepares before sunrise
The night is offering me a glimpse of the new day and its many possibilities told from a perspective usually only reserved for the heavens.
Such beauty met without reply, an orchestra of peace.
The serenity of the night is so beautiful that it can hardly be expressed in words, conjuring a sense of profound peacefulness.
Oh how long?! How long?
Reiterating the sense of impatience and anticipation of the future.
How long must I wait for tomorrow?
Asking how much longer it will take to reach the future, hoping for it to arrive soon and eager to experience what it holds.
Contributed by Asher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Steph Townsend
Well this is a treasure of a song. The instrumentals are so fantastic and vocals soothing to the ear as always!
AnaMari Velasquez
This pitter-patter falling sure,
A hypnotic pattern calling forth
Impatience with its steady beat,
For I don't want to sleep.
A new life in this sheltered room,
I feel its balm and I breathe its boon,
The sweet perfume of claire de lune
The scent of what's to come!
Oh how long?! How long?
How long must I wait for tomorrow?
How long?
Well I meet this night with open eyes
Dreams of day, and excited sighs,
Moon shadows of the life outside paint writing on my wall.
It's secrets played before my eyes
What heaven prepares before sunrise
Such beauty met without reply, an orchestra of peace.
Oh how long?! How long?
How long must I wait for tomorrow?
How long?
Ross
I breath its balm and I feel its boon
Moneerah Alshammari
I love the vibes of this song..
Mark Van Der Wal
Simply Beautiful
Cedo Mitrovic
great.....Serbia love it
Sadia Zaman
Bro u used to have lyrics below the videos.I hope that function will be available for all your songs :)