Thirsty Merc have released one EP entitled First Work, and 3 studio albums; Thirsty Merc, Slideshows, and Mousetrap Heart. The band has sold over 200,000 albums, has toured extensively around Australia, and have received heavy airplay in Australia on an impressive number of songs. After breaking through onto the Australian music scene they were nominated for four ARIA Awards in 2005 and Rai was nominated for Song of the Year at the APRA Awards in 2008 for Thirsty Merc's top 2 airplay hit 20 Good Reasons. Their song In the Summertime was selected as the theme song for the Australian TV reality show Bondi Rescue and has been the theme song for seven consecutive seasons.
Three of the founding members of Thirsty Merc - Karl Robertson, Matthew Baker and Phil Stack - had played together in bands in Dubbo in regional NSW. In 2002 they teamed up with Sydney-sider Rai Thistlethwayte to form a band called "Thirsty"; soon after, they moved to Sydney and renamed themselves "Thirsty Merc". The band's name comes from a gas guzzling Mercedes Benz which belonged to lead singer Rai when the band was first rehearsing. The name also is a play on the phrase 'Thirsty Work:' The band members used to say that it was 'thirsty work' being in a rock band.
Thirsty Merc's first EP, First Work, was released on 8 September 2003 on the band's own label Don't Music label. The EP had been recorded independently during downtime at a studio that lead singer Rai worked during the days. The EP's only Single Wasting Time achieved radio airplay on Australian Radio stations Triple J and Nova but failed to chart. The self funded music video to the single became the 'ripe clip of the week' on Channel V. After extensive gigging around Sydney's pubs, reps from Warner Music approached the band after watching the band perform live at the Hopetoun Hotel in Surry Hills, and soon after at the Annandale Hotel.
Thirsty Merc's debut studio album was the self titled Thirsty Merc, released on 16 August 2004. The band again chose to work with Warner Music Australia. The album spent 48 weeks on the ARIA Albums Chart, peaking at #15, and launched the band in the Australian mainstream. The album reached #29 on New Zealand's RIANZ chart. The band worked with producer Lindsay Gravina on the album, who had been producing Australian bands over the past 15 years or so, notably The Living End and Magic Dirt. The band's debut was entirely recorded and mixed on 2 inch tape, and mixed by Gravina himself at his Melbourne studio, Birdland Studios.
Four singles were released from Thirsty Merc: Emancipate Myself, My Completeness, Someday, Someday, In the Summertime, and When the Weather Is Fine. All of the singles charted in Australia, with Someday, Someday reaching #19, while only In the Summertime charted in New Zealand, where it peaked higher than in Australia. In the Summertime was nominated for the 2005 ARIA Award for "Best Video", while Someday, Someday was nominated for "Single Of The Year", "Best Group", and "Best Pop Release". In interviews after the album's release, Thistlethwayte stated that the album was the band trying to "Just be yourself", and that the album was "just about being young and living in Australia".
Prior to the touring of Thirsty Merc's Debut album, guitarist Matt Baker left the band, and was replaced by Sean Carey, whom the band had met when they played a support slot to Carey's band at Kings Cross venue/club 'Club 77. Slideshows, was released on 21 April 2007 via Warner Music Australia. The album was the band's most successful release yet, peaking at #4 in Australia, although it was less successful in New Zealand, only reaching #38. The album's first three singles, 20 Good Reasons, The Hard Way, and Those Eyes, achieved chart success, with 20 Good Reasons reaching #4 in Australia and #17 in New Zealand. The album's fourth single, Homesick, was released digitally, peaking at #57 in Australia.
After the release of Slideshows, Thirsty Merc toured extensively around Australia, playing an album tour in theatres nationally and then regional tours, the biggest of which had 38 shows booked across seven weeks.
Prior to the recording of Mousetrap Heart, lead guitarist Sean left the band indefinitely and this was formally announced on 14 January 2010. Sean was replaced by Matt Smith, who also plays with afrobeat and reggae band The Strides.
On 18 June 2010, Thirsty Merc released their third album, entitled Mousetrap Heart which was recorded mostly in LA with producer Matt Wallace, and two tracks produced in Melbourne with longtime Thirsty Merc producer Lindsay Gravina. The band toured nationally in July 2010 to support the new album. The lead single is the title track, which reached top 15 airplay in Australia and charted Top 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart. The band's next single, All My Life, was featured in the promotional clips for the AFL grand final in 2010. The official music video for All My Life was shot in early October 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand, and follows a narrative of 'heroic love' set on a Thailand military base. The video features Russian model/actress Maria Mazikova, 50 Thai army troops, an Iroquois helicopter and a Chinook helicopter. The All My Life video was directed by Adrian Van de Velde, who also directed the bands ARIA nominated clip In The Summertime.
http://www.thirstymerc.com/
All My Life
Thirsty Merc Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Barefooted out to the water,
My eyes won't sleep.
And I walked out to the bridge,
Where I once had met you.
I could feel your footsteps,
Under my feet.
But now there's nothing I can do,
All my life.
I've waited here for you,
To make my dreams come true.
The force to get me through.
All my life.
Like waves upon the sand,
The ocean meets dry land.
My heart is in your hands.
Yeahh.
I know,
I must be crazy or superstitious
But I swear I thought that maybe,
You'd be here.
But now, I look around your in all my senses
But it breaks my heart to see the view so clear.
You say you only needed time
But time has been so cruel
And there's nothing I can do.
All my life.
I've waited here for you.
To make my dreams come true.
The force to get me through.
All my life.
Like waves upon the sand.
The ocean meets dry land.
My heart is in your hands.
Yeahh.
All my life
I've waited here for you.
To make my dreams come true
A force to get me through.
All my life.
Like waves upon the sand.
The ocean meets dry land.
My heart is in your hands.
All my life.
I waited for you
The lyrics of Thirsty Merc's song "All My Life" are about unrequited love and the pain of waiting for someone who may never come. The song starts with the singer leaving their house and walking barefooted to the water, unable to sleep. They then walk to a bridge where they once met the subject of their love and can almost feel their footsteps under their feet. They had hoped that this person would join them, but they are not there, and it is impossible to ignore the reality of the situation.
The singer acknowledges that they may be crazy or superstitious for believing that this person could still show up, but they cannot help but have faith. However, they also see the clarity of the world around them and know that this person is not coming back. The subject of their love had claimed they only needed time, but it has been too long and the singer can do nothing about it.
Through the song, the singer expresses their love for the person who has left them waiting and how they have waited all their life for this person to fulfill their dreams. However, they are left alone, and their heart is in the hands of someone who is not there. It is a heart-wrenching ballad about unrequited love and the pain of waiting for something that may never come.
Line by Line Meaning
Today, I left my house and I started walking
I left my comfort zone and started searching for something more fulfilling.
Barefooted out to the water,
I embarked on this journey with pure intentions, seeking a fresh start.
My eyes won't sleep.
My mind is restless and persistent in seeking what I desire the most.
And I walked out to the bridge,
I went to the place where we first met, hoping to find you again.
Where I once had met you.
This is where our story began, the place where our paths first crossed.
I could feel your footsteps,
I still feel your presence and influence on this place, even though you're not here.
Under my feet.
Your memories are still fresh and vivid, like they were imprinted on the ground we once walked on together.
But now there's nothing I can do,
I realize that I cannot force fate or make you come back to me, even though I desperately want that.
All my life.
Throughout my entire existence, I have been searching for someone like you, waiting for a chance to be with you.
I've waited here for you,
I've been patiently waiting for you to return, hoping that my love would be enough to bring you back to me.
To make my dreams come true.
I believe that you are the missing piece in my life, the one that can make all my aspirations a reality.
The force to get me through.
Your love and presence are the driving forces that give me strength, hope, and motivation to push forward in life.
Like waves upon the sand,
My emotions, feelings, and desires are as constant and powerful as the waves that shape the shorelines of the oceans.
The ocean meets dry land.
Our love story is like the meeting of two worlds, the merging of two very different but complementary elements.
My heart is in your hands.
My heart belongs to you, and you alone. You have the power to make it happy or break it completely.
I know,
I understand that things might not turn out as I want them to, but I still hold on to hope and faith.
I must be crazy or superstitious
Some might label me as insane or too naïve, but I believe in the possibility of love and fate.
But I swear I thought that maybe,
There were moments when I thought I sensed your presence or heard your voice, leading me to believe that you might come back to me.
You'd be here.
I hoped that you would meet me here, where it all began, and where I'm still waiting for you.
But now, I look around your in all my senses
I examine my surroundings, and the reality strikes me that you're not physically here, and it's not just an illusion or a dream.
But it breaks my heart to see the view so clear.
The realization that you're not coming back is too painful for me to bear, and it shatters my heart into pieces.
You say you only needed time
You told me that you needed some time to sort things out, to figure out your priorities and your path in life.
But time has been so cruel
The time that has passed since then has been harsh and bitter, making me doubt if you'll ever come back.
And there's nothing I can do.
I'm powerless to change the situation, to make you love me again, or to force you to come back.
I waited for you
I chose to wait for you instead of moving on and finding someone else, hoping that you'll eventually realize that I'm the one for you.
Contributed by Nathan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@GumtreeRoadResins
How has this not got more views??????
It's a crime.
@mikthe2004
My favourite Thirsty Merc song, and there is a lot of great songs in their catalogue!! Great band.
@TomSolitude
thirsty merc are the most underrated aussie band, they are so talented
@TheThelowdown
Getting used to the idea that the Merc never fails to keep the quality going! Great vid, great song, great performances all round. Gotta see'm live soon!
@Fordesman
These guys deserve way more credit than they get, this video is very touching. Her eyes in HD are amazing!
@mrmushroom97able
this should have way over 10 million views
@mrswestwick1
Saw them live about 2 weeks ago, this song had me speechless. so beautiful.
@vampirediarieseminem
Thirsy Merc for the win. They never dissapoint when it comes to their music <33
@YellowRegime
God bless you, Christchurch, Everyone in New Zealand is by your side.
@stakavelli
Today is my wedding anniversary. This was our wedding song. Thank you Thirsty Merc, you have made it into my memories!