Wilson is self-taught as a producer, audio engineer, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. Under his own name, he has released the albums Insurgentes (2008), Grace for Drowning (2011), The Raven That Refused to Sing (and Other Stories) (2013), Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015), To the Bone (2017), and The Future Bites (2021). He also released a EP, 4 ½ (2016), as well as a series of singles titled Cover Version (released online between 2003 and 2010; released worldwide as a compilation in 2014). His other solo projects can also be found attributed to monikers of his, such as Bass Communion and Incredible Expanding Mindfuck.
He is perhaps best known as the frontman for progressive rock band, Porcupine Tree, for whom he was the sole member during the 1980s and early 1990s. His projects are numerous however, including collaboration with Aviv Geffen as Blackfield; a long-running partnership with Tim Bowness, known as No-Man; teaming up with Dirk Serries in Continuum; as well as a joint album with Opeth's frontman, Mikael Åkerfeldt in Storm Corrosion.
Wilson employs synthesizers and programmed music along with live instruments to create a unique atmosphere for each song he works on, including otherwise-simple pop tunes. In addition to his prolific musical output, Steven has crafted a reputation for the high production quality of his music, and has undertaken production duties with such high-profile artists as Opeth, Dream Theater, Jim Matheos of Fates Warning, Anathema, Orphaned Land, Marillion, Fish, Pendulum, Yoko Ono, and friend Robert Fripp. He is also part way through remixing the albums of King Crimson and other classic artists' back catalogues into surround sound and new stereo mixes.
Drive Home
Steven Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A car upturned in the rain
Wait on in vain
Don't try to bear the blame
Deal with the pain
Dust down your wings again
You need to clear away
And face the truth
Well love can make amends
But while the darkness always ends
You're still alone
So drive home
Pause without end
A moment in time suspends
How could she leave?
Release all your guilt and breathe
Give up your pain
Hold up your head again
You need to clear away
All the jetsam in your brain
And face the truth
Well love can make amends
While the darkness always ends
You're still alone
So drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
(Drive home)
The lyrics of Steven Wilson's "Drive Home" tell a story of heartbreak and the struggle to come to terms with it. The song opens with the image of a cold windowpane and a car overturned in the rain, painting a picture of despair and hopelessness. The singer tells the listener to "wait on in vain" and not to try to bear the blame. Instead, they should deal with the pain and "dust down [their] wings again." The metaphor of wings suggests that the singer is encouraging the listener to take flight again, to rise above their pain and move on.
The second verse describes a moment of suspended time, where the singer asks "how could she leave?" The listener is urged to release their guilt, give up their pain, and hold their head up again. The repetition of the phrase "drive home" is a metaphor for returning to a sense of self and finding one's way back to a place of emotional stability.
The chorus of the song offers some hope, suggesting that love can make amends and that the darkness always ends. However, it is tempered by the acknowledgement that even in the face of this hope, the listener is still alone. The final repetition of "drive home" reiterates the importance of moving forward in the face of heartbreak and pain.
Overall, the lyrics of "Drive Home" speak to the human experience of love and loss, capturing the deep sense of longing and sadness that accompanies heartbreak. They encourage listeners to take back control of their emotions, to face the truth of their situation, and to find a way to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Cold windowpane
Looking through a cold windowpane represents the isolation and separation that the person feels as they are trying to move on from their pain and suffering.
A car upturned in the rain
The flipped over car in the rain represents the chaos and turmoil that the person is experiencing after a traumatic event, like a breakup or loss.
Wait on in vain
The person is waiting for something that will never come or waiting for someone who is not worth waiting for, causing them to feel rejected and alone.
Don't try to bear the blame
The person is told that they should not blame themselves for the situation they are in and that it is not their fault.
Deal with the pain
The person is urged to deal with their pain and not avoid it as it will only manifest in other areas of their life.
Dust down your wings again
The person is encouraged to pick themselves up and try again, to spread their wings and fly.
You need to clear away...
The person is advised to declutter their thoughts and emotions and face their situation head-on.
Well love can make amends
Love has the power to heal, to make amends, to reconcile, and to bring light to darkness.
But while the darkness always ends
The person is reminded that no matter how difficult the situation they are in, there is always hope, and the darkness will eventually pass.
You're still alone
Even though the person is trying to move on, they still feel alone and isolated as they are dealing with their pain and healing.
So drive home
The person is urged to take action, to drive home, to move forward, and not to give up hope.
Pause without end
The person feels stuck and unable to move forward, like they are in an endless pause.
A moment in time suspends
The person is reliving a painful moment in time and feels that they are suspended in that moment, unable to let go and move on.
How could she leave?
The person is questioning how someone they loved and trusted could leave them, causing them to doubt themselves and their worth.
Release all your guilt and breathe
The person is encouraged to let go of any guilt or shame that they are carrying and take a deep breath to release it.
Give up your pain
The person is urged to let go of their pain, to not hold onto it, and to release it.
Hold up your head again
The person is encouraged to hold their head up high and not be consumed by their pain, to move forward and not dwell on the past.
Drive home
The repetition of this line signifies the urgency and importance of taking action, of driving forward and not giving up.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: STEVEN JOHN WILSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BritishArmyTributes
In Steven Wilson's own words:
“The song is based on a story but one that wasn’t mine; it was suggested to me by the guy [Hajo Mueller] who was illustrating, doing the artwork and the book. The idea is about a couple driving along in a car at night, very much in love; the guy is driving, and his partner — his wife or girlfriend or whoever she is — is in the passenger seat, and the next minute she’s gone.
“The guy is crazy: What happened? Where did she go? He does all the obvious things: looks under the seats, stops and checks the road, all of that. The song is basically about missing time; it’s the idea of blocking out time because of something so traumatic that you literally remove it from your mind.
“The story ultimately winds up with the ghost of the partner coming back, years later, and saying, ‘I’m going to remind you now what happened that night.’ There was a terrible car accident, and she died, etcetera, etcetera — again, the idea of trauma leading to a missing part of this guy’s life. He can’t deal with the reality of what happened, so he blocks it out — like taking a piece of tape and editing a big chunk out of it. It’s a sad, very beautiful song about loss.
“It has an extraordinary guitar solo. Guthrie’s playing is just sublime. That, for me, is the memory of this song. I had done a solo on the demo, knowing that I wanted an anthemic, epic solo at the end. In the studio, we did four or five takes, and each time Guthrie would reinvent the idea of what the solo could be.
“The particular solo we chose was either the first or the second one. It was so inspired and had such a beautiful sense of logic and storytelling to it. It’s one take, unedited, and it’s just unbelievably brilliant. And it’s improvised — he didn’t plan anything. It was such a moving experience to hear him play it. I was almost in tears."
@Purohuesos1
Cold windowpane
A car upturned in the rain
Wait on in vain
Don't try to bear the blame
Deal with the pain
Dust down your wings again
You need to clear away all the jetsam in your brain
And face the truth
Well love can make amends
While the darkness always ends
You're still alone
So drive home
A pause without end
A moment in time suspends
How could she leave?
Release all your guilt and grieve
Give up your pain
Hold up your head again
@mohamadabdlghani1550
Cold windowpane
A car upturned in the rain
Wait on in vain
Don't try to bear the blame
Deal with the pain
Dust down your wings again
You need to clear away
All the jetsam in your brain
And face the truth
Well love can make amends
But while the darkness always ends
You're still alone
So drive home
Pause without end
A moment in time suspends
How could she leave?
Release all your guilt and breathe
Give up your pain
Hold up your head again
You need to clear away
All the jetsam in your brain
And face the truth
Well love can make amends
While the darkness always ends
You're still alone
So drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
Drive home
(Drive home)
@yonatan1312
This solo is fucking masterpiece.
@FreezingHell
the great guthrie govan
@Joao-py6rj
and it was done all improvised in one take
@Chinookman
Reminds me of Gilmour.
@MakTalMid
How do people make music like this? I have headphones on, I'm sitting across from my wife and she is looking at me wondering what is wrong because I am suppressing the urge to burst into tears....
@davecrupel2817
Hold her.
Kiss her.
Hug her.
Love her.
Cherish her.
While you still have her.
Because you never know when you might end up in this poor guy's shoes.
@James-uf3mh
Give her xnanx
@Wtahc
slit
@shlomorothstein9691
Probably because you're gay
@esterhudson5104
Lol. 👏👏