T'Pau formed in 1986. The members originated from the towns of Shrewsbury and Wellington in central England and took their name from a Vulcan high priestess in the classic Star Trek episode Amok Time. Their debut single and first hit was the 1987 release Heart and Soul. Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching #4, a feat it repeated in the UK Singles Chart some months later. The same year, the band had their biggest hit with the ballad, China in Your Hand, which spent five weeks at Number One in the UK chart, and also claimed the top slot in several European countries, although oddly the song made little impact on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
They had a number of smaller hits which made it to at least the UK Top 40, including the singles Valentine, Sex Talk (a new recording of early flop single Intimate Strangers), I Will Be With You, and Secret Garden. Their 1987 album Bridge Of Spies (the album was called T'Pau in the U.S.) was a best seller and won several British record industry awards.
Nevertheless, the band failed to maintain their success and split in 1991. But Decker reformed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have in recent years attempted a comeback.
In May 2005, Carol Decker reached the final round of the ITV show Hit Me Baby One More Time, singing the T'Pau hit China in Your Hand.
See also: Official site
Giving Up The Ghost
T'Pau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Across the great divide of the years that have slipped by
All the long and lonely nights I lay bathed in pale moonlight
Upon the bed we graced, now there's just a cold and empty space
Even all my friends say it's time to let you go
It is time to break the hold
So I'm giving up the mention of your name
I'm forgiving us for letting go of love
Giving up the one I want the most
Giving up the ghost
I don't search to find a cure, I don't do that anymore
I learned to lay the blame on the strangers we became
We were just one step away from a truth I couldn't face
But I hoped against it all that our history would break our fall
So I prayed for love to save us and I wished upon a star
But you wished us far apart
So I'm giving up the mention of your name
And I'm giving up the vision of your face
I'm forgiving us for letting go of love
Giving up the one I want the most
Giving up the ghost
It's time to let you go
And you tried to show me how
Well I'm listening to you now
Your silence sends a message clear and loud
So I'm giving up
Baby I'm giving you up
I'm forgiving us for letting go of love
Giving up the one I want the most
I'm giving up the ghost
I'm giving up the mention of your name
And I'm giving up the vision of your face
I'm forgiving us for letting go of love
Giving up the one I want the most
I'm giving up the ghost
It's time to let you go
I'm giving up the ghost
It's time to let you go
I'm giving up the ghost
The lyrics of T'Pau's song "Giving Up The Ghost" portray the story of a person who has been waiting patiently for their loved one to come back to them. Despite the passage of time and the loneliness they have been feeling, they still hold on to the hope that their love will eventually prevail. However, as the reality of the situation becomes more apparent, the singer realizes that it is time to let go and move on.
The lyrics convey a sense of sadness and heartbreak, as the singer comes to terms with the fact that their relationship is over. They are giving up on the hope that their love will be rekindled and are instead choosing to let go of the memory of their loved one. The singer realizes that it is time to start over and move forward, even though it is hard to say goodbye.
Overall, "Giving Up The Ghost" is a poignant and emotional song about the pain of moving on from a relationship that has come to an end. It is a reminder that sometimes, letting go is the only way to move forward and find happiness again.
Line by Line Meaning
I have waited patiently for your heart to call to me
I have been patiently waiting for your love and affection.
Across the great divide of the years that have slipped by
Over the years, we have grown apart and become distant from each other.
All the long and lonely nights I lay bathed in pale moonlight
I spent many nights feeling lonely and pining for your love.
Upon the bed we graced, now there's just a cold and empty space
The bed where we used to make love now feels empty and void without you.
Even all my friends say it's time to let you go
My friends are advising me that it's time to move on from our relationship.
It is time to break the hold
It's time to let go of the emotional grip that you have on me.
So I'm giving up the mention of your name
I am no longer going to say your name or talk about you.
And I'm giving up the vision of your face
I am letting go of the image of your face that is ingrained in my mind.
I'm forgiving us for letting go of love
I am forgiving both of us for accepting the end of our love.
Giving up the one I want the most
Letting go of the person I want to be with the most.
Giving up the ghost
Letting go of the past and moving on with my life.
I don't search to find a cure, I don't do that anymore
I am no longer trying to fix our relationship, I have accepted it's over.
I learned to lay the blame on the strangers we became
I came to realize that we have become strangers to each other and that is the reason for our breakup.
We were just one step away from a truth I couldn't face
We were almost there, but the truth was too hard for me to confront and accept.
But I hoped against it all that our history would break our fall
I believed that our shared past could save our relationship from falling apart.
So I prayed for love to save us and I wished upon a star
I held onto hope that our love would be strong enough to save us.
But you wished us far apart
You, on the other hand, wanted us to be apart.
It's time to let you go
It's time for me to let you go and move on with my life.
And you tried to show me how
You have tried to show me many times that we should end things between us.
Well I'm listening to you now
I am finally listening to what you have been trying to tell me all along.
Your silence sends a message clear and loud
Your silence speaks volumes and tells me that it's time to move on.
So I'm giving up
I am giving up on us and our relationship.
Baby I'm giving you up
I am letting go of you, my love.
It's time to let you go
It's finally time for me to let you go.
Contributed by Declan K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.