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
This Town
Thea Gilmore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am your worst fear
I'm a mortuary postcard
I'm a graveyard souvenir
And have I got your attention
Now put your hands where I can see them
Give me your heart and soul boy
Cos you aint gonna need them.
I've seen your sort before you know
The kind that likes to mess around
You think you're riding with the wind
You think you're dancing underground
And you think it is your birthright
To drink and take your fill
But for all your running honey
Well you've just been standing still
Now you aint gonna heaven
And you aint gonna hell
There's a place worse than either
From what I hear tell
You're gonna stay in this town this town this town
You're gonna stay in this town this town this town.
Well hello my little car crash
I am your only hope
I’ll be your silver bullet
I’ll be your knotted rope
Cos I hate to see you suffer
Unless you suffer right
I almost wanna show you mercy
But not quite.
So calling all you angels
Calling all you devils too
Well this poor excuse for living's
Just not good enough for you
Now you aint gonna heaven
And you aint gonna hell
There's a place worse than either
From what I hear tell
You're gonna stay in this town this town this town
You're gonna stay in this town this town this town
Oh you're gonna stay in this town this town this town
Yeah you're gonna stay in this town.
Well I can tell what you are thinking
That one day you’ll make amends
But the creeping hands of static
Are gonna get you in the end
And soon you'll be a memory
Of a shadow of a lie
You’ll be a cautionary tale
Oh the boy who couldn't fly.
And you're gonna stay in this town this town this town
Said you're gonna stay in this town this town this town
Yeah you're gonna stay in this town this town this town this town
You're gonna stay in this town.
The lyrics to This Town by Thea Gilmore depict a manipulative presence, warning the subject of their wrong choices and predicting their future. The persona of the song is depicted as a morbid figure, describing themselves as a "mortuary postcard" and a "graveyard souvenir". They claim that they are the individual's worst fear and demand their "heart and soul" because they will not need them. The persona then goes on to highlight the subject's current lifestyle, explaining how they have been "running" but have "just been standing still". The song's chorus emphasises that the subject will never leave the town they reside in, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for their current life path.
The second verse follows a similar theme, with the persona describing themselves as the "only hope" for the "car crash" subject. They claim to want to show mercy, but not quite. The song then takes a greater perspective, calling out to both angels and devils, stating that the world is "just not good enough" for them. The song's final verse concludes by warning the subject that they will soon become a memory and a "cautionary tale".
Overall, the song paints a dark picture of a manipulative presence using fear to push the subject into a more favourable lifestyle. The repeated chorus emphasises that the subject will never leave their current situation and serves as a warning to the listener to avoid the same fate.
Line by Line Meaning
Well hello my little train wreck
Hello, person who is not doing well and is headed towards disaster
I am your worst fear
I am the thing that scares you the most
I'm a mortuary postcard
I represent death and the end of life
I'm a graveyard souvenir
I am a reminder of death and the people who have died
And have I got your attention
Do you understand the seriousness of the situation now?
Now put your hands where I can see them
Stop what you're doing and listen to me
Give me your heart and soul boy
Give me your all, your complete attention and effort
Cos you aint gonna need them.
Because you won't need them where you're going
I've seen your sort before you know
I've encountered people like you in the past
The kind that likes to mess around
People who don't take things seriously and like to play games
You think you're riding with the wind
You think you're in control and can go anywhere
You think you're dancing underground
You think you're living your life in secret or out of the public eye
And you think it is your birthright
You believe that you are entitled to live your life the way you want
To drink and take your fill
To consume as much as you want, without limits
But for all your running honey
Despite all your efforts
Well you've just been standing still
You haven't really made any progress or achieved anything
Now you aint gonna heaven
You won't go to heaven when you die
And you aint gonna hell
You won't go to hell when you die
There's a place worse than either
There's a place that's worse than heaven or hell, according to rumor
From what I hear tell
According to what I've heard
You're gonna stay in this town this town this town
You'll be stuck in this place, without really moving forward
Well hello my little car crash
Hello, person who is hurting and causing harm to themselves and others
I am your only hope
I am the only chance you have to turn things around
I’ll be your silver bullet
I'll be the solution to your problems
I’ll be your knotted rope
I'll be the lifeline that you need to climb out of this situation
Cos I hate to see you suffer
I don't want you to keep hurting
Unless you suffer right
Unless you face the consequences of your actions and make things right
So calling all you angels
Calling out to the good and righteous people
Calling all you devils too
Calling out to the bad and misguided people
Well this poor excuse for living's
This way of living that you're doing
Just not good enough for you
Isn't satisfactory or sustainable for you
Oh you're gonna stay in this town this town this town
You'll remain stuck in this situation, without any progress or development
Well I can tell what you are thinking
I know what you're thinking
That one day you’ll make amends
That one day you'll fix what you've done wrong
But the creeping hands of static
The unchanging nature of the situation
Are gonna get you in the end
Will eventually catch up to you and cause problems
And soon you'll be a memory
You'll eventually fade away and be forgotten
Of a shadow of a lie
Of a small part of a bigger deception
You’ll be a cautionary tale
Your story will serve as a warning to others
Said you're gonna stay in this town this town this town
You'll remain stuck in this situation, without any progress or development
Yeah you're gonna stay in this town this town this town this town
You'll remain stuck in this situation, without any progress or development
You're gonna stay in this town.
You'll remain stuck in this situation, without any progress or development
Contributed by Ruby H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.