The band's 2003 album Up All Night reached the top five of the Australian Albums Chart, it achieved double platinum status and won four ARIA Awards in October. Two further top five albums were issued, Sun Dirt Water in 2007 and Temptation in 2011. The Waifs have three top fifty singles, "London Still" (2002), "Bridal Train" (2004) and "Sun Dirt Water". The band supported Bob Dylan on his 2003 Australian tour and then his 2003 North American tour, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival.
The Waifs founded the independent label Jarrah Records in July 2002, co-owned with fellow musician John Butler, and their common manager Phil Stevens, which handles their Australian releases.
Sunflower Man
The Waifs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was singing in the streets
You laid a sunflower
In the case at my feet
Threw a smile
And you rolled right away
People cheered on the day
That I fell in love
My head was heavy
My clothes they were torn
I'd never felt like
Anybody's princess before
If you knew how much
You blew me away
I'd want to go
And relive that day
It was the day
That I fell in love
Yeah I fell in love
Oh Sunflower Man,
Throw me a dollar,
Reach out your hand
Lay a big sunflower
Down at my feet
It was a buskers dream
The way I fell in love
I fell in love,
When I fell in love
The day you gave
That big sunflower to me
We lay together
And we spoke till the dawn
We spoke of poetry and
We sung some songs
Till the daylight came
I'm not always good
At saying how I feel
This song to some people
It's not a big deal
But you know who it's from
And you know who it's for
I was a poor lonely busker
The day I fell in love
Yeah I fell in love
Close your eyes
Lay your head in my lap
You know I really love that
I thank God for the day
That I was singing in the street
I earned twelve dollars,
A sunflower and you to keep
And I fell in love,
I fell in love,
I fell in love ? And I'm still in love
The Waifs' Sunflower Man is a song that tells the story of a successful and loving relationship that unexpectedly began with a simple gesture of kindness. The song's narrator is a busker who one day, while singing in the streets, is gifted a sunflower by a passerby who throws it into the case at her feet. The Sunflower Man, as she calls him, flashes a smile and moves on. Though he may have left quickly, the memory of this encounter stayed with the singer, and in that moment, she fell in love. The kindness of a stranger and the beauty of a sunflower opened her up to a new experience and a chance at happiness.
Though the song is about love, it is also about the power of small acts of kindness to make a big difference. The sunflower and the smile of the Sunflower Man did more than bring the singer joy; they changed her life. Through their conversation that evening, she was exposed to poetry and music and found kindred spirits in the Sunflower Man. The song is a tribute to the transformative power of love and the role that love plays in making us better, more complete individuals.
Line by Line Meaning
I'll never forget
This memory is etched into my heart and I will cherish it always
I was singing in the streets
I was a struggling musician, performing on the streets to make ends meet
You laid a sunflower
You gave me a small gesture of kindness that brightened my day
In the case at my feet
You placed the sunflower carefully in the collection tin that held any donations I received from the public
Threw a smile
You smiled at me and it was clear that you felt joy in your heart and wanted to share it with me
And you rolled right away
After this brief moment of connection, you continued on your way, perhaps not realizing how much that simple act of kindness would impact me
People cheered on the day
Others who witnessed this exchange felt the energy of love in the air and responded positively
That I fell in love
This moment sparked something in me and I started to feel a deep connection to you
My head was heavy
I was feeling weighed down by the pressures of life and needed a lift
My clothes they were torn
I was not in a position to purchase new clothing and what I wore was in poor condition
I'd never felt like
Until the moment you showed me kindness, I had not experienced being treated like a special person
Anybody's princess before
I never knew the feeling of being cherished and appreciated until you gave me that sunflower
If you knew how much
I cannot express in words how deeply your kindness touched me
You blew me away
Your simple gesture had a profound impact on me, it was like you had given me a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day
I'd want to go
If it were possible, I would want to revisit that day and relive the experience
And relive that day
That moment of connection was so powerful, I would give anything to feel it again
It was a buskers dream
Performing on the streets and receiving love and support from strangers is a dream come true for a struggling musician
The way I fell in love
The experience of receiving kindness from a stranger and feeling a deep connection because of it is what made me fall in love with you
Oh Sunflower Man
You, the man who gave me the sunflower, are forever etched in my memory and in my heart
Throw me a dollar
Donations, no matter how small, from strangers can keep a struggling musician going
Reach out your hand
This simple act of reaching out to another person can have such a positive impact on their life
Down at my feet
Laying the sunflower at my feet was a small gesture, but it had such a big impact on me
We lay together
After our initial exchange, we connected on a deeper level and spent the night together talking and singing
And we spoke till the dawn
Our connection was so strong that time seemed to fly by and we kept talking until the sun rose
We spoke of poetry and
We shared our passions with each other and found common ground in our love of poetry
We sung some songs
We shared our music with each other and found joy in singing together
Till the daylight came
Our connection was so strong that we lost track of time and only stopped talking when the sun came up
I'm not always good
Expressing my feelings is not something that comes easily to me
At saying how I feel
The depth of my love for you is hard to express in words, but I want you to know how much you mean to me
This song to some people
This song may not have meaning to everyone who hears it, but to me it is a tribute to the person who gave me the sunflower
It's not a big deal
Some people may think that a small act of kindness like giving a sunflower is insignificant, but to me it changed everything
But you know who it's from
The person who gave me the sunflower knows that this song is meant for them
And you know who it's for
The person who gave me the sunflower knows that they hold a special place in my heart and this song is a tribute to them
I was a poor lonely busker
My life was not easy and I was struggling to make a living as a musician
The day you gave
The day you gave me the sunflower was a turning point in my life and marked the beginning of a new chapter
That big sunflower to me
The sunflower you gave me may have seemed like a small gesture, but to me it meant everything
Lay your head in my lap
I want to comfort you and be there for you in any way I can
You know I really love that
I cherish the moments when we can be close to each other and share our love
I earned twelve dollars
As a poor busker, even a small amount of money like twelve dollars can make a big difference in my life
A sunflower and you to keep
The sunflower you gave me was a gift that I will always cherish, but more importantly, meeting you was the real treasure
And I'm still in love
That moment of connection on the street, and the deeper connection we formed that night, are still with me and I continue to love you more every day
And I fell in love
The moment you gave me the sunflower changed my life forever and I fell deeply in love with you
Yeah I fell in love
I want the world to know that I fell in love with you and that you are the reason for the happiness in my life
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bill Chant
Such a great song and great story behind it.
Perihan Zokali
just beautiful
João PVN
so beautiful
Marlyinoz1
one of my all time favourites! JO-han with a tan pls listen louve youse xxxx
Tom Baker
lol i sooo wanna be that sunflower man :)