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.”
Know Me Well
Roo Panes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stripping down with yesterday's eyes
You know me as I was you see me as I will be
And I still had a lot of growing
When you took me and you shaped me with those hands
You know me better than myself
Make me better than I am
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
When I think about my past
I see our love too many years before you came
In my hopes and my dreams
With the wax and the moon wanes
And you saw what I could be
Please teach me how to be what I was meant to be
See without you I was nothing
But with you can be anything
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
What can I fear
When I know that I walk by your side
You're the fortress
Within which I got nothing to hide
None can take me
I'm the tower the world cannot fell
'Cos I'm stronger
When I know that you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
In Roo Panes's song "Know Me Well", the lyrics are a tribute to a person who knows the singer inside out. The song talks about how the subject of the song has been with the singer through thick and thin, seen him in his past and future, and has shaped him to be a better person. The lyrics point out that this person knows the singer as he was in the past, how he is presently, and how he will become in the future. As a result, this person has been able to guide him towards the right path and make him better than he was. The singer attributes their personal growth and strength to the influence of this person in his life.
The continuation of the lyrics in the song highlights the importance of this person's presence in the singer's life. Without this person, the singer was nothing, but with them, he can become anything he wants. The lyrics also reveal that the singer had hopes and dreams before this person came into his life. Still, the subject of the song was the one who saw something more significant in him and taught him how to become what he was always meant to be. The final line of the song "you know me well" reiterates the theme of the song, which is the person's deep understanding of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Well you know me with that ancient gaze
You have known me for a long time, and your understanding of me is deep and thoughtful.
Stripping down with yesterday's eyes
Through your eyes, I am able to confront and release negative aspects of my past.
You know me as I was you see me as I will be
You have a comprehensive understanding of who I am, both in the present and in potential.
And I still had a lot of growing
I was not yet fully developed when we met.
When you took me and you shaped me with those hands
You have had a significant positive impact on my life.
You know me better than myself
You have a deep understanding of me that even transcends my own self-awareness.
Make me better than I am
Your presence in my life inspires me to improve myself.
Oh, you know me well
Your understanding of me is profound.
Know me well
You have an intimate knowledge of who I am.
When I think about my past
Reflecting on my history brings to mind the presence of our love.
I see our love too many years before you came
Love played an important role in my life, long before we met.
In my hopes and my dreams
My aspirations and desires have always included a loving partner.
With the wax and the moon wanes
My emotions and desires have ebbed and flowed like the phases of the moon.
And you saw what I could be
You recognized my potential and believed in me.
Please teach me how to be what I was meant to be
I look to you for guidance on how to fully realize my potential.
See without you I was nothing
Your presence in my life has been transformative and essential to my well-being.
But with you can be anything
With you by my side, I am empowered to achieve anything.
What can I fear
I feel brave and confident with you beside me.
When I know that I walk by your side
Knowing you are with me gives me strength.
You're the fortress
Your love is my stronghold.
Within which I got nothing to hide
I feel safe and open with you.
None can take me
I am confident and secure with you.
I'm the tower the world cannot fell
With your love, I am steadfast and unshakeable.
'Cos I'm stronger
Your love has strengthened and empowered me.
When I know that you know me well
Your deep understanding of me is a source of strength and comfort.
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sandra Dunkel
Beautiful song.... beautiful voice :-)
Jonah
(UPDATED)
Well you know me with that ancient gaze
Stripping down with yesterday's eyes
You know me as I was you see me as I will be
And I still had a lot of growing
When you took me and you shaped me with those hands
You know me better than myself
Make me better than I am
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
When I think upon my past
I see I loved you many years before you came
in my hopes and my dreams
With the wax and the moon wanes
And you saw what I could be
Please teach me how to be what I was made to be
See without you I was nothing
But with you can be anything
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
What can I fear
When I know that I walk by your side
You're the fortress
Within which I got nothing to hide
None can take me
I'm the tower the world couldn't fell
'Cos I'm stronger
When I know that you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Ольга Щукина
Вдруг, кому-нибудь тоже запала в сердце эта песня, а английского не знает. Предлагаю мой подстрочник по русски:
Примерный подстрочник:
Я как на ладони, ведь ты все время вглядываешься в меня пристальным древним оком, ругая за вчерашние ошибки.
Ты знаешь кем я был и кем я буду.
И до сих пор во мне есть огромный потенциал для роста.
Ты принял и сформировал меня,
ты знаешь меня лучше, чем я сам себя и делаешь меня лучше, чем я есть.
Ты разбираешься во мне как никто другой.
Ты знаешь меня очень хорошо. Очень. Очень хорошо! (Прям таки насквозь!)
Когда я оглядываюсь назад, я вижу, что (наша обоюдовзаимная) любовь возникла за долго до того, как ты вошел в мою жизнь.
Она была и в моих мечтах, и в моих надеждах, то нарастая, то убывая вместе с луной.
Ты видел кем я мог бы стать, пожалуйста, научи меня воплотить в жизнь то, ради чего я задуман.
Я понимаю, что без тебя я был никто, но с тобой я могу стать всем!
Ты разбираешься во мне как никто другой.
Ты знаешь меня очень хорошо. Очень. Очень хорошо!
Чего же мне бояться, когда я знаю, что я иду примкнув к тебе.
Ты моя крепость, мне не нужно нечего от тебя скрывать.
Никто и никогда меня не сломит, я одна из твоих башен, того мира, который нерушим.
Я сильнее, когда знаю, что ты знаешь меня как никто другой.
Ты знаешь меня очень хорошо. Очень. Очень хорошо! (с)
Alex Cox
I can feel God's love for his creation's so clearly in this song and video. THANKYOU ROO PANES.
Emily Su
agreed!!
Scott
Every artist has that one track that will always be amazing no matter how old it is, this is that.
L1b3r7in3
Control you came back ;)
cassy dikenai
agreed but his is indigo home ;)
XEVN
Yes it is! @cassy its both 😎
Tony White
Wow a 5 year old comment, let’s keep it alive for the next ones 🙌🏻
Jannis B
and Once
Jonah
(UPDATED)
Well you know me with that ancient gaze
Stripping down with yesterday's eyes
You know me as I was you see me as I will be
And I still had a lot of growing
When you took me and you shaped me with those hands
You know me better than myself
Make me better than I am
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
When I think upon my past
I see I loved you many years before you came
in my hopes and my dreams
With the wax and the moon wanes
And you saw what I could be
Please teach me how to be what I was made to be
See without you I was nothing
But with you can be anything
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
What can I fear
When I know that I walk by your side
You're the fortress
Within which I got nothing to hide
None can take me
I'm the tower the world couldn't fell
'Cos I'm stronger
When I know that you know me well
Know me well
Know me well
Oh, you know me well
Know me well
Know me well