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
Take Me Home
Thea Gilmore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the drift of an outlaw
I heard there's a warrant out
For my arrest
Among the cute little puritans
The ghosts and the hooligans
All tying nooses
I'll willing to bet
But I'm older now
Braver
The wise imitator
You don't know yet but you're gonna
Take me home
I've got the epilogue notes
In the folds of my coat
A new deck of cards
And the shreds of your dream
Between the merry-go-round
And the soldiers of sound
I'm here holding my own Halloween
Cos I'm older now.........
I'm where the smoke folds
On the corner
I'm where the light is arching its back (take me home)
I'm where the oil is meeting the water
And the train's screeching
Down the track (take me home)
Thea Gilmore's "Take Me Home" is a song with a poetic approach that could be interpreted as the tale of redemption and courage in the face of harsh adversity. The lyrics depict a character who champions bravery to battle the self-righteous yet unforgiving society. In the opening lines, "I came in like a jackdaw on the drift of an outlaw," The singer describes arriving on the scene like a bird, a jackdaw, and how she heard about a warrant out for her capture. It could be inferred that the singer had been living a life considered as mischievous or reckless by society.
The second verse portrays the singer as someone who has grown wiser and more courageous in their years. The term "wise imitator" indicates a person that has learned from their past mistakes and is willing to make use of past experiences in current and future decisions. She is confident and trusts that the person she's addressing will take her home. She has faced the ghosts, the cute little puritans, and the hooligans; she's seen leadership fall and promises broken. But she has persevered, and she has gained the courage to confront any unknowns that lie ahead.
The final verse sums up the singer's whereabouts: "I’m where the oil is meeting the water and the train's screeching down the track." The image suggests turbulence, chaos, and uncertainty, yet the singer isn't afraid of what lies ahead. She is determined and ready to face whatever comes her way with bravery and resilience. Overall, the lyrics could be seen as a depiction of a societal reject slowly but surely winning the battle against any challenges that seemingly unsurmountable.
Line by Line Meaning
I came in like a jackdaw
I entered unexpectedly like a jackdaw bird, perhaps in a mischievous manner.
On the drift of an outlaw
I arrived rebelliously, possibly while drifting or moving aimlessly.
I heard there's a warrant out
Rumors have reached me that an arrest warrant has been filed against me.
For my arrest
The warrant is aimed at having me arrested.
Among the cute little puritans
I found myself amidst an innocent but strict group of people, likely referring to a religious community.
The ghosts and the hooligans
There were also those with deviant or mischievous behavior alongside spirits or the supernatural.
All tying nooses
Both the strict and mischievous united in preparing a noose, a symbol of punishment and death.
I'll willing to bet
I am confident that they are preparing the noose for me.
But I'm older now
I have grown older since that time, implying greater maturity.
Braver
I am also more courageous and unafraid.
The wise imitator
I may have become wise through experience and have learned to imitate successful or admirable characters.
You don't know yet but you're gonna
Others are not yet aware, but they will soon see the changes in me.
Take me home
I am yearning for a place of comfort and belonging, asking to be taken there.
I've got the epilogue notes
I have the concluding or closing notes, likely referring to a story or event.
In the folds of my coat
I am hiding or keeping the notes hidden, perhaps in my coat pocket.
A new deck of cards
I am prepared or equipped with a new set of cards, likely referring to a plan or strategy.
And the shreds of your dream
I also have remnants or fragments of your dream, likely referring to a failed or unfulfilled goal of someone else.
Between the merry-go-round
I am in between cycles or recurring patterns of events, perhaps with a sense of disorientation.
And the soldiers of sound
I am surrounded by a group of people or things that create sound, possibly referring to musicians.
I'm here holding my own Halloween
I am present during my own personal celebration or commemoration of something, referencing Halloween as an example.
I'm where the smoke folds
I can be found where smoke bends or twists in a pattern, perhaps indicating a specific location.
On the corner
This location may be on the corner of a street or at a specific intersection.
I'm where the light is arching its back (take me home)
I am also where light is curving or bending, potentially indicating a location where light is distorted or blocked (and I still want to be taken home).
I'm where the oil is meeting the water
I can be found where oil and water meet, a metaphor for opposing or conflicting elements coming together.
And the train's screeching
I can also be found where a train is producing a loud, high-pitched sound, potentially implying a sense of urgency or chaos.
Down the track (take me home)
This may be happening along a specific track or route, and again I express my desire to be taken home.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: THEA GILMORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
William Packman
I've been a fan for some time but only got rules for jokers recently. It's quite amazing to think that she was only around twenty when she wrote such an incredible collection of songs. What a talent.
James Gale
I think Thea's one of the best ever! Why don't more people recognise the fact...?
marius car
nice song really..as thea's usual standard