Gilmore is said to have become interested in music as a result of her father's record collection, which included work by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Elvis Costello, and Tom Waits, among others. At 16 she left home and began working in a recording studio where she was discovered by her now long-time collaborator, producer and sometime co-songwriter Nigel Stonier, who became her husband in a ceremony in October 2005.
Thea recorded her debut album aged just 17 and then entered a spell of productivity which, in the four and a half years from January 1999 to August 2003, saw her record and release six albums including four "official" releases and two cult albums which were only intended for internet release but which have long since been available in the shops. In 2001, with the release of Rules For Jokers, she hit some kind of national nerve and garnered some attendant airplay but it wasn't until 2003's Avalanche that Thea finally began to make significant waves. Avalanche became Radio 2's Album Of The Week and spawned two hit singles including her first certifiable Top 40 hit Juliet. Thea has gathered countless plaudits over the years - "the best British singer songwriter of the last ten years - and then some" (Uncut), "so good its scary" (Mojo), and "Gilmore is already in a league of her own" (Q) immediately spring to mind - but Avalanche was truly a quantum leap forward and "a breakthrough record" (Times) to boot. And you can bet that Thea remains the only artiste to have her under-$50 video shown on Top Of The Pops.
Increasing radio support and acclaim from the music press led to a lucrative tour of the US in 2004, in support of legendary folksinger Joan Baez. During this time, Gilmore was diagnosed with clinical depression and also split from her personal relationship with Nigel Stonier after seven years, although they continued touring and working together.
In 2005, Gilmore continued touring commitments, for the first time not releasing a new album (the covers collection Loft Music was widely released during 2004). In October 2005, she and Stonier, who, in the light of Gilmore's depression diagnosis, re-started their personal relationship, married in a ceremony near their home in Cheshire.
Gilmore finally returned to recording with the release of Harpo's Ghost in August 2006, after a three-year absence of new material. The album was once again acclaimed in the music press and UK radio lent their support to the single "Cheap Tricks." Gilmore has been touted by Uncut magazine as "the best British singer-songwriter of the last 10 years...and then some" and has gained steady acclaim for each of her albums.
On November 14th, 2006, Gilmore gave birth to her first child with Stonier, a son named Egan, having conducted a UK tour in the autumn while heavily pregnant.
Thea Gilmore writes lyrics that somehow combine awesome poetic grace together with a 21st century barbed undercurrent. She also delivers razor sharp missives on life, love, sex, death, politics and wars (both personal and global) and all with an achingly-beautiful delivery which melts hearts in an instant. Someone once remarked that Thea is a hellraiser with a voice like honey and if you get to meet her you will know what this means. Barely out of her teenage daze, Thea was being compared to everyone from Joni Mitchell to Ryan Adams and Tom Waits and now at 31, Thea is going to make you think sweet somethings all over again.
www.theagilmore.net
If You Miss Me At The Back Of The Bus
Thea Gilmore Lyrics
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Come on up to the front of the bus, I'll be ridin' right there
I'll be ridin' right there
I'll be ridin' right there
You got to come on up to the front of the bus
I'll be ridin' right there
If you miss me at the cotton fields, and you can't find me nowhere
I'll be roomin' over there
I'll be roomin' over there
Come on down to the jailhouse
I'll be roomin' over there
If you miss me in the Mississippi River, and you can't find me nowhere
Come on over to the city' pool, I'll be bathin' over there
I'll be bathin' over there
I'll be bathin' over there
Come on over to the city' pool
I'll be bathin' over there
If you miss me at the picket lines, and you can't find me nowhere
Come on down to the court house, I'll be votin' right there
I'll be votin' right there
I'll be votin' right there
Come on down to the courthouse
I'll be votin' right there
If you miss me at the back of the bus, and you can't find me nowhere
Come on up to the front of the bus, I'll be ridin' right there
I'll be ridin' right there
I'll be ridin' right there
You got to come on up to the front of the bus
I'll be ridin' right there
Thea Gilmore's song "If You Miss Me At The Back Of The Bus" is a powerful and uplifting anthem that speaks to the importance of standing up for oneself and speaking out against injustice. The song was originally written and performed by Reverend Frederick Douglas Kirkpatrick, a civil rights activist and minister who fought tirelessly for the rights of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. The song became a symbol of the movement, particularly during the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, during which African Americans refused to ride on segregated public transportation.
The lyrics of the song speak to the various places and situations where one might be oppressed or marginalized and provides a message of hope, resilience, and perseverance. Each verse offers a different location where the singer may be found if they are missed, urging listeners to keep searching until they are found. The repeated refrain of "I'll be ridin' right there" or "I'll be bathin' over there" or "I'll be roomin' over there" reinforces the message that the singer will not be silenced or pushed aside but will continue to assert their presence and demand recognition and respect.
Overall, "If You Miss Me At The Back Of The Bus" is a powerful and inspirational song that reminds us of the ongoing struggle for equality and justice and encourages us to keep fighting for what is right.
Line by Line Meaning
If you miss me at the back of the bus, and you can't find me nowhere
If you don't see me in my usual place and you can't locate me
Come on up to the front of the bus, I'll be ridin' right there
Just come to the front of the bus, where I'll be seated
I'll be ridin' right there
I will definitely be present and visible
You got to come on up to the front of the bus
To find me, you need to make your way to the front of the bus
If you miss me at the cotton fields, and you can't find me nowhere
If you're looking for me at the cotton fields and I'm nowhere to be found
Come on down, to the jailhouse, I'll be roomin' over there
Just head to the jailhouse, where I'll be residing
I'll be roomin' over there
I'll be staying in that area, in that specific location
Come on down to the jailhouse
To find me, you need to go to the jailhouse
If you miss me in the Mississippi River, and you can't find me nowhere
If you're searching for me in the Mississippi River and I'm nowhere to be found
Come on over to the city' pool, I'll be bathin' over there
Come to the city pool, where you're likely to find me relaxing and swimming
I'll be bathin' over there
You'll find me in that area swimming and having fun
If you miss me at the picket lines, and you can't find me nowhere
If you can't locate me while we're picketing for a cause
Come on down to the court house, I'll be votin' right there
Head to the courthouse, where I'll be exercising my right to vote
I'll be votin' right there
I'll be present at the courthouse to cast my vote
Come on down to the courthouse
To find me, come to the courthouse
If you miss me at the back of the bus, and you can't find me nowhere
If you don't see me where you usually find me on the bus
Come on up to the front of the bus, I'll be ridin' right there
Just come over to where I'll be seated at the front of the bus
I'll be ridin' right there
I'll be visible and present throughout the journey
You got to come on up to the front of the bus
To locate me, you need to make your way up to the front of the bus
Contributed by Avery L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.