Biography
Early Life
Born and raised outside of Peterborough, Ontario, Royal Wood grew up in a household filled with music. He began playing piano by ear at the age of four and started lessons at age eight. With the support of his school music program, he had access to a variety of different instruments, and by his teens, he became well-versed in many different instruments, including the guitar, bass guitar, drums, clarinet, and trumpet.
After high school, he studied business at McGill University. During this time, he had limited access to a piano, and focused on his guitar playing while trying to find his voice as a songwriter.
Career
Wood released his first EP, entitled The Milkweed EP, in 2002. This collection of songs were written, arranged, performed and produced by Wood himself. The release garnered much critical acclaim, and critics drew comparisons with Randy Newman, Jeff Buckley, and Tom Waits.
Following the release of his debut EP, Wood set out to create an over-the-top pop record for his full-length debut. Drawing inspiration from The Beatles and The Beach Boys, Wood once again undertook production duties during the recording sessions. In 2004, he released his full-length debut record, Tall Tales on Maple Music. The record’s ornate sound and layered arrangements garnered much critical attention, and Wood was praised for his vocal style and infectious lyricism.
With the goal of creating a more mature and pristine sound, Wood entered Toronto's Reaction Studios in 2005 to begin recording the follow-up to his full-length debut. During the recording session, he used a Steinway grand piano, scored a full string quartet, and also enlisted the help of many well-known musicians, including Hawksley Workman and Kurt Swinghammer. The result was A Good Enough Day, which was released in 2007 on Dead Daisy Records in Canada, and in 2008 on Rounder Europe. The record received much radio attention domestically and abroad, and Wood was praised by critics for his fluent piano playing, melodic lyrical style and production ability.
The record spawned three singles and three music videos, “A Mirror Without”, “Juliet” and “I’m So Glad”. Music from the record has also been featured on several TV and movie soundtracks, including TMN/Movie Central's Regenesis, the CBC series This is Wonderland, the CTV movie Playing House, the film The End of Silence, and the Food Network’s The Surreal Gourmet. Internationally, A Mirror Without was featured on an episode of Grey's Anatomy.
With the success of A Good Enough Day, Wood was invited to share the stage with numerous Canadian songstresses, including Emm Gryner, Sarah Harmer[16], Kathleen Edwards, Sarah Slean, Jill Barber and Serena Ryder.
In support of the Rounder Europe release of the record, he also embarked on a European tour in 2008.
Constantly evolving, Wood wanted to focus his next effort on the lyrics and string arrangements. The result was the 2009 release The Lost and Found EP. With a consistently growing fan base, Wood embarked on his first headlining tour in Western Canada in November, 2009 in support of the new EP. Joined by Atlantic Canadian singer-songwriter Rose Cousins, Wood played to capacity crowds during three-week tour.
In 2010 he released "The Waiting" after which he was named iTunes Songwriter of the Year. With the release of The Waiting he has an upcoming national theatre tour with David Gray and more in the works.
Discography
The Milkweed EP (2002)
Tall Tales (2004)
A Good Enough Day (2007)
The Lost and Found EP (2009)
The Waiting (2010)
Juliet
Royal Wood Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The edge of the town where the graves are
Swallowed in weeds in the throws of those trees
The throws of the trees where my heart lie???s
You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my Juliet then
And we can drift asleep in a lover???s pose
No poison here were safe
Follow me down to the kingdom around
The edge of now where the tracks are
Swallowed in weeds in the throws of those trees
The throws of the trees where my soul lie???s
You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be Ophelia and then
And into the water we will go
But never float away
No never float
I know the bonds will grow with every passing wave
Star-crossed but we???ll never toss the strength of the poet???s page
I know???
Juliet???
You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my Juliet then
And we can drift asleep in a lover???s pose
But never know
You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my Juliet then
And we can drift asleep in a lover???s pose
But never close our eyes
No we will survive
The lyrics to Royal Wood's song "Juliet" are a haunting and romantic plea to a lover to join the singer in a dangerous, but passionate life. The first verse describes a cemetery on the edge of town, and the trees that seem to be holding the graves in a tight embrace. The singer's heart lies in these trees, suggesting that he may have lost someone he loved and buried them there. He asks the listener to be his Juliet, the famous romantic heroine of Shakespeare's play, and to join him in a lover's pose that will never end, but also promises that there will be no poison here to harm them.
The second verse continues the theme of a dark and dangerous love, as the singer invites the listener to join him where the tracks lead to a kingdom that may not exist. He asks them to be Ophelia, another tragic Shakespearean character who drowns in a river, and promises that they will never float away. The chorus repeats the invitation to be his Juliet, but also acknowledges that their love will face challenges and obstacles, like star-crossed lovers from literature. Despite this, the singer is confident that they will survive.
The lyrics of this song speak to the idea of love as a dangerous journey, but one that is worth taking for the sake of passion and connection. The references to Shakespeare's famous romantic tragedies lend a sense of immortality and grandeur to the singer's proposition, making it a timeless invitation to join him in a life that is both thrilling and perilous.
Line by Line Meaning
Follow me down to the edge of the town
Come with me to the outskirts of the town
The edge of the town where the graves are
Where the edges of the town meet the cemeteries
Swallowed in weeds in the throws of those trees
The graves overgrown with weeds and embraced by trees
The throws of the trees where my heart lie???s
Where my heart is set and eternally resting
You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my partner if you choose to come along
You can be my Juliet then
You can play the role of Juliet, my beloved
And we can drift asleep in a lover's pose
We can sleep in each other's arms
But never go away
But never apart from each other
No poison here were safe
Here, we are safe and free from harm
Follow me down to the kingdom around
Come with me to the great kingdom nearby
The edge of now where the tracks are
Where time meets the train tracks
Where time meets the train tracks
The point where time and trains meet
Swallowed in weeds in the throws of those trees
The tracks taken over by weeds and trees
The throws of the trees where my soul lie???s
Where my soul resides, amidst the trees
You can be Ophelia and then
You can assume the role of Ophelia, my lover
And into the water we will go
And we'll wade into the waters
But never float away
But never separated from each other
I know the bonds will grow with every passing wave
With each wave, our connection will strengthen
Star-crossed but we???ll never toss the strength of the poet???s page
Despite the challenges and obstacles, we'll fight for our love
Juliet
The beloved that the singer adores
And we can drift asleep in a lover???s pose
We can joyfully rest in each other's arms
But never know
But never explore the depth of love completely
You can be my one if you wanna go
You can be my partner if you decide to come along
You can be my Juliet then
You can play the role of Juliet, my beloved
And we can drift asleep in a lover's pose
We can slumber soundly, snuggled up
But never close our eyes
But never lose the magic of the moment
No we will survive
Together we'll conquer anything
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@FiStar52
My wife and I danced to this in the backyard of Tuscany. We used it as our Wedding song. Recently we lost our son at 28 days old to S.I.D.S. We have struggled to get out and our rhythm back with life...it takes so much innocence from ya. But yesterday we went to see Royal Wood in Concert at Halifax. He didn't need to play this song but did, I'm not too big a man to admit I cried (as did my wife). The whole concert was a spectacle. Such great sound, such great atmosphere, not expensive and just one of the best things if not the best we've done since losing our Son Mason. Thanks Royal Wood! Big fans.
@digitalguru42
+Karma Cop I'm sorry for you loss. I love the song too.
@bitdropout
Such a tragedy is impossible for most of us to comprehend. Your brief words have made me a little tearful. Stay strong together. I hope someday this will be less painful for you both. Poor Mason
@daryapodolskaya931
Dear Mark (and wife),
I know you don't know me but it doesn't matter. I am truly sorry about your loss. I hope you find enough love and strength to keep the memories of your son alive for as long as you live. I wish you hope and i will for your memory to never fade.
@aaronbillard6968
Thanks for telling us about Mason, Mark. "They existed, they existed. We can be, be and be better, for they existed."
@DLee1923
Mark Fiander So sorry. God Bless. Love to you both !
@HewLibTaco
being human has the best indie songs
@huntermormo261
being human brought me here
@MvHumanoid
Gino was good, remember when we used to watch this?
@LeeAdrian777
In a perfect world there are pianos in fields and I know how to play them. And there is a Juliet too lol. Great song and video!