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.”
Silver Moon
Roo Panes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where I once dreamed
Beneath a silver moon they will find me
My heart a pilgrim, my mind a slave
Oh! My eyes can't stand to see the light of day
'Cause life is lost without love wouldn't you say
And then meet your hands all beneath your knees.
My love is faithful, your love is true
And I know the silver moon will shine for you
Oh! I know the silver moon will shine for you
"Silver Moon" is a song by Roo Panes that depicts a person reminiscing and reflecting on their past while standing by the water underneath a silver moon. The opening lines of the song "Down by the waters, where I once dreamed, beneath a silver moon they will find me" carry a strong sense of nostalgia that is further established in the rest of the lyrics. The singer describes themselves as a pilgrim, a wanderer without purpose, and a slave to their own mind. They are unable to bear the light of day as they believe without love, life is lost.
However, they attempt to find peace by personally inviting their loved one to join them by the water. The singer's love is faithful and true, and they are aware that the silver moon will shine for them. The singer is seeking redemption, a new beginning, and a chance at happiness with the person they love.
Overall, the song conveys a message of hope and a yearning for love, peace, and forgiveness. Through the use of poetic language and the captivating melody, the song shows Panes' ability to create a meaningful and emotional connection with his listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Down by the waters
I was once at a place near water bodies
Where I once dreamed
It was a place where I used to dream
Beneath a silver moon they will find me
I used to be found under a silver moon
My heart a pilgrim, my mind a slave
My heart was always wandering, but my mind was tied down
Oh! My eyes can't stand to see the light of day
For me, daylight was unbearable
'Cause life is lost without love wouldn't you say
I think life is incomplete without love
I want you to would follow, me to my peace,
I want you to come with me and find peace
And then meet your hands all beneath your knees.
Please sit down and put your hands underneath your knees
My love is faithful, your love is true
I am loyal in love, but you are genuine in love
And I know the silver moon will shine for you
I am sure the silver moon will shine for you
Oh! I know the silver moon will shine for you
I am absolutely certain that the silver moon will shine for you
Contributed by Grayson I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Daniel Vitor
Down by the waters
Where I once dreamed
Beneath a silver moon they will find me
My heart a pilgrim, my mind a slave
Oh! My eyes can't stand to see the light of day
'Cause life is lost without love wouldn't you say
I want you to would follow, me to my peace
And then meet your hands all beneath your knees
My love is faithful, your love is true
And I know the silver moon will shine for you
Oh! I know the silver moon will shine for you
Daniel Vitor
Down by the waters
Where I once dreamed
Beneath a silver moon they will find me
My heart a pilgrim, my mind a slave
Oh! My eyes can't stand to see the light of day
'Cause life is lost without love wouldn't you say
I want you to would follow, me to my peace
And then meet your hands all beneath your knees
My love is faithful, your love is true
And I know the silver moon will shine for you
Oh! I know the silver moon will shine for you
Fallenemiko
Lend me your hands, I’ll bring you from your knees **
TheNoiseLessGamer13
"Life is lost with out love wouldn't you say" in my opinion the strongest line of this whole song... beautiful song
pearl harbor
"My heart a pilgrim, my mind a slave, in I cant stand to see the lite of day. " And then the following sentence, ohh so painfully true.
Nabil Ahmad
Facts
meg ortiz
TheNoiseLessGamer13 truth
avurto
This version is so more powerfull than the original tune
Noah McDaniel
Lyrics: Down by the waters, where I once dreamed, beneath a silver moon they will find me. My heart a pilgrim, my mind a slave, oh my eyes can't stand to see the light of day. 'Cause life is lost without love wouldn't you say. I want you to would follow, me to my peace, and then meet your hands all beneath your knees. My love is faithful. Your love is true, and I know the silver moon will shine for you. Oh I know the silver moon will shine for you
Sonia Lopez
Lyrics: Down by the waters, where I once dreamed, beneath a silver moon they will find me. My heart a pilgrim, my mind a slave, oh my eyes can't stand to see the light of day. 'Cause life is lost without love wouldn't you say. I wish you to would follow, me to my peace, and then meet your hands all beneath your knees. My love is faithful. Your love is true, and I know the silver moon will shine for you. Oh I know the silver moon will shine for you
blaphkin bubbaloo
Roo panes, says in metaphors that come as close as words can to say what words can never really convey; but to those who have experienced what he has... it all makes perfect sense.