Stephen Fretwell (born November 10, 1981) is an English singer-songwriter f… Read Full Bio ↴Stephen Fretwell (born November 10, 1981) is an English singer-songwriter from Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire.

Stephen attended St. Augustine Webster Primary School in Scunthorpe and St. Bede's Catholic School in Ashby before furthering his study at John Leggott College - It was here that he started his first band 'Label'.

Fretwell is a keen fan of bands of the Brit-pop era, such as Oasis, Blur, The Bluetones, Radiohead, and Suede. During this period he formed a band; in order to demonstrate his talent to a wider audience.

After moving to Salford in the autumn of 2000 Stephen started to gain recognition for his music. He earned notice from magazines such as NME, Q Magazine. During this period songs such as Emily and What’s That You Say Little Girl? were first written.

Fretwell decided to stay in Manchester permanently, later releasing 8 Songs which he put out on Northern Ambition, a label owned by a friend. Fretwell later described it as 'The one I did to prove to myself I could put out one proper record'.

Fretwell left university after only one year, discovering that education wasn’t for him at this time, after all he’d only managed to attend two lectures. With this he picked up his guitar and started to perform at local acoustic nights in the Manchester area. The first of these nights being at The Roadhouse, a venue that lay in the centre of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. That night Fretwell impressed a restless and hard to please crowd with his performance.

He later released the Something's Got to Give EP and The Lines, both self-financed. On back of his growing stature and reputation, Fretwell was invited to support bands such as Travis, Elbow, Athlete, Keane and KT Tunstall.

His debut album Magpie, was released in November 2004. The first single taken from the album was "Run" and was subsequently followed by "Emily" which was in the Top 10 airplayed songs. His last single was "Four Letter Words EP". His song " Run “ is the theme tune to the award winning sitcom Gavin & Stacey.

He is known for his curly mop of ginger hair, sombre lyrics and gravelly deep voice. He names his main influence as Bob Dylan. His songs are derivative of Dylan's work, and he learnt to play guitar by playing Dylan's songs on his grandfather's old, unused guitar.

He was described by Q Magazine as 'Scunthorpe's finest export... ever'. The Times magazine said 'Not in your face but in your heart? Yes'. He is signed to Fiction Records and recorded his album at the Abbey Road Studios.

He has just released his new album "Man on the Roof" that recieved the same critical acclaim as "Magpie" with beautiful songs such as "Funny Hat" and "Now"...

The official website can be found at http://www.stephenfretwell.com/.

Scar
Stephen Fretwell Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I don't know, what I should say
I keep my mouth shut through the day
Oh then the night, I know why the night
Brings you such a fright

See that rope, over there
Well it's been here, here for years
No one knows why, what with it I, tend much to do

And that old scar, on my face
Slowly fading away
And it's high time I apologised
To everyone that I've hurt
Maybe I could, be your man
Do you think you can help me darling, see if you can
It just feels right, you and I
Leaning on this bar tonight

And I don't know, what game to play
I played a different one yesterday
And games never move, life seems to do
What I don't wanna it to

Maybe I could be your man
Do you think can help me darling, see if you can
It just feels right don't you think
Somehow tonight
And that old scar on my face
It's slowly fading away
And it's so long since I apologised, to anyone that I've hurt

I still don't know, what I should say

Does it get annoying, with me wasting the day
Falling and drunk, drunken I fell, fell for your spell

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Stephen Fretwell’s song Scar depicts a protagonist who is haunted by his past and trying to find redemption. The opening lines illustrate his struggle to articulate his feelings and communicate them. He keeps his “mouth shut through the day” and only at night does he experience a sense of clarity. The nighttime, however, also brings him “fright,” indicating that his fears are still present and lingering. The reference to the “rope” suggests that the singer has contemplated self-harm or suicide, as it is a common symbol for these themes. He admits that he doesn’t “know why” he is drawn to this object but recognizes it has been present “for years.”

The singer then shifts focus to his physical “scar” that is slowly fading away. This “old scar” represents the emotional pain that he carries from past experiences. He acknowledges that he has hurt people and feels remorseful. He asks for forgiveness and hints that he wants to start over with someone, asking if he could “be your man.” He recognizes that he needs help, and through the lyrics, he is reaching out for assistance.

One idea that underlies the song is the theme of redemption. The singer recognizes that he has made mistakes in the past and is trying to rectify them. The idea of feeling stuck in the past is also present, as the rope symbolizes his self-destructive thoughts. However, the song closes on a hopeful note, where the singer seems to have found some sense of peace and looks forward to starting anew with a new partner.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't know, what I should say
I am unsure of what I should say or do

I keep my mouth shut through the day
I remain silent throughout the day, unsure of how to proceed

Oh then the night, I know why the night Brings you such a fright
At night, fear takes over and you become scared

See that rope, over there Well it's been here, here for years No one knows why, what with it I, tend much to do
I notice the rope, which has been here for a long time, but I do not know why or what to do with it

And that old scar, on my face Slowly fading away And it's high time I apologised To everyone that I've hurt
I reflect on my old scar, which is slowly healing, and realize that it is time for me to apologize to those I have hurt

Maybe I could, be your man Do you think you can help me darling, see if you can It just feels right, you and I Leaning on this bar tonight
I suggest that we could be together, and ask for your help in making it happen. I feel a connection between us as we lean on the bar together tonight.

And I don't know, what game to play I played a different one yesterday And games never move, life seems to do What I don't wanna it to
I am uncertain of how to proceed and feel like life is unpredictable, moving in ways I don't want it to

Maybe I could be your man Do you think can help me darling, see if you can It just feels right don't you think Somehow tonight
Again, I suggest we be together and ask for your help. Tonight feels like the right time for us.

And that old scar on my face It's slowly fading away And it's so long since I apologised, to anyone that I've hurt
I reflect again on my old scar, which is slowly healing. It has been a long time since I have apologized to those I have hurt.

I still don't know, what I should say Does it get annoying, with me wasting the day Falling and drunk, drunken I fell, fell for your spell
I am still unsure of what to say or do, and worry about wasting time. I fell for your influence while I was drunk.

Contributed by Bentley B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS