biography
Energetic. Raw. Feisty.
These three w… Read Full Bio ↴TOBY
biography
Energetic. Raw. Feisty.
These three words tell you everything you need to know about Australian roots artist Toby on stage.
Toby is a stand out performer - and this is why she is making her mark touring the world - with seven Canadian tours up her sleeve, she also tours throughout Europe, America and Australia playing major festivals, and performing her own headline shows.
For an audience, these live shows are a deeply emotional and joyous experience. For Toby, she wears her emotions, thoughts and adventures on her sleeve as clearly as the delighted smile she sports while playing. It's that chemistry and connection – in between plenty of dancing and jumping from both sides – that makes each performance so strikingly unique and deliciously unpredictable.
Passionate and known for her unwavering commitment to her craft Toby is willing to take the risk and be vulnerable with her thoughts and emotions committed to song.
Perth born TOBY’s new album "SLEEPTALK" is the album you should be listening to! Why?
This album was recorded in San Francisco, California, where TOBY worked with co-producer Carey Williams. They met when TOBY played alongside Etta James (managed by Carey) at a festival in Milwaukee in 2009.
This is TOBY’s fourth full length album and is the culmination of years of touring endlessly throughout Australia, four tours to Europe, eight tours to Canada and memorable performances in the USA.
This album showcases TOBY’s insightful, honest and poignant song writing. It is an invitation to explore her mind and her soul. This critique of the human condition is both personal and broad.
It has captured TOBY’s best songs to date - with a full mature sound, and an incredible line up of musicians!
It tells stories across emotions and continents, yet never loses track of it's Australian roots, giving it a sense of place and time.
But best of all, it is simply full of great songs that people want to hear.
TOBY’s songwriting skills are honed enough to make her radio-friendly, and her voice is naturally soulful, earthy and dynamic enough to appeal to all kinds of music fans. The songs themselves have some seriously infectious hooks and draws in European flavours, some gutsy blues, slow, chilled out reggae and some soulful acoustic ballads.
Half of SLEEPTALK was recorded at Decibelle Recording in San Fran with JJ Wiesler, and the other half in Berkely at San Pablo Recorder with Jon Evans. One track was recorded at Couch Studio with Shaun O'Callaghan, North Fremantle, WA (John Butler Trio)
Carey put together an amazing team of musicians to record the album . Jon Evans played bass on several tracks. Jon has toured and performed with Tori Amos for twelve years. He has also worked with Linda Perry and Paula Cole. Other musicians include Dawn Richardson on drums (4 Non Blondes, Tracy Chapman), Julie Wolf (Ani Difranco, The Indigo Girls, Maceo Parker), David Matthews (Etta James), Claytoven Richardson on backing vocals (Kenny G., Michael Bolton, Elton John, Peabo Bryson, New Kids on the Block, Ricki Martin, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole), Sakai (live performances with Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, and Chaka Khan), Marcie Brown (She has performed with Lucianno Pavoratti, Andreas Bocelli, Dizzy Gillespie, Itzak Perlman and Ray Charles. She has been a member of the Cirque du Soleil.)
TOBY has pulled together experiences from travelling the world, performing her music. She has supported the likes of Sheryl Crow, John Mellencamp, Paul Kelly, The John Butler Trio, Brandy, The Indigo Girls, Gomez, Donavon Frankenreiter, Luka Bloom and Pete Murray. TOBY has performed at major festivals worldwide including Summerfest (Milwaukee, USA), PrideFest (Milwaukee, USA), Big Time Out Fest (Canada) and WA Blues and Roots Fest (Australia)
By not deviating from her fiercely independent origins, TOBY keeps this album real and untamed as she criss-crosses the globe connecting with audiences, injecting them with the passion she feels for music and turning each performance into a memorable party.
www.tobymusic.com.au
www.myspace.com/tobybeard
www.youtube.com/tobybeard
updated August 2010
50 words...
Energetic, raw and feisty, Toby is a charismatic singer, songwriter and guitarist magically weaving together roots, rock and reggae. Passionate and joyous on stage, recent appearances like America's Summerfest prove why Toby is warmly welcomed to festival bills, support slots and headlining shows world-wide.
Boyfriend
Toby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That only keeps you warm when you desire it?
Am I just a fool in the end
Someone that you know you can depend on?
Waiting on you to look my way?
Say it ain't so, but everybody knows
You've always been cold as a fair weather boyfriend
Oh, it's three o'clock in the morning
My cell phone's pouring your number
You're calling, you wanna come over
Am I your one and only, or is it that you're feeling lonely?
Ain't playing red rover, so stop coming me over
But it's so hard to say no to you
Boy, if I only knew
Oh, it's six o'clock in the morning
And I'm crying on your cold shoulder
Is it easy to love me then leave me?
Oh, so you turn off the night
With a switch of the light, it's blinding
I'm always, always finding
It's so hard, wo, it's so hard
And I know you know
That I fall apart every time
And I know you know
Toby’s song Boyfriend depicts the emotional rollercoaster of being in a turbulent and inconsistent relationship. The opening lines of the first verse suggest that Toby’s partner may only be using him when convenient, likening himself to a mere flame in their life, providing warmth only when needed. The second line further highlights this dilemma, asking whether he is only seen as a fool, someone that his partner can depend on when it suits them. The third line continues the metaphor, describing himself as a photo in a frame, waiting for his partner to notice him. These lyrics indicate feelings of insecurity and confusion on Toby’s part, unsure of where he stands in the relationship.
The chorus dives right into the core of the issue, asking directly if Toby’s partner is only around when the weather is fair, meaning during easy and comfortable times. This could be a nod to the fact that his partner is only committed when things are good, but disappears when the relationship becomes challenging. The second verse explores the vulnerabilities Toby has while being in love, admitting that it’s hard for him to say no to his partner, even though he knows they may not have his best intentions at heart. The bridge aims to question whether his partner truly loves him or if he is being used for their own selfish reasons. The final line drives home the overall theme of the song, stating that his partner knows that he breaks a little more every time they treat him poorly.
Overall, Boyfriend highlights the struggles and confusion of being in a relationship where one person gives their all and the other may only be present when times are easy. The lyrics depict an individual trying to work through the challenges of loving someone who may not love them back with the same intensity.
Line by Line Meaning
Am I just a flame in your fire
That only keeps you warm when you desire it?
Am I just something you use when it's convenient and discard when it's not?
Am I just a fool in the end
Someone that you know you can depend on?
Am I just a naive person who you can rely on to always be there for you?
Am I just a photo in a frame
Waiting on you to look my way?
Am I just a memory of something that you used to care about, but now ignore?
Say it ain't so, but everybody knows
You've always been cold as a fair weather boyfriend
I don't want to believe it, but it's common knowledge that you're only there when everything is going well.
Oh, it's three o'clock in the morning
My cell phone's pouring your number
You're calling, you wanna come over
Am I your one and only, or is it that you're feeling lonely?
Late at night, you reach out to me, but I can't help but wonder if I'm just a temporary fix for your loneliness.
Ain't playing red rover, so stop coming me over
But it's so hard to say no to you
Boy, if I only knew
I'm not interested in playing games, so please stop trying to come over all the time. But it's difficult for me to resist you.
Oh, it's six o'clock in the morning
And I'm crying on your cold shoulder
Is it easy to love me then leave me?
After being with you all night, I'm left crying on your unsympathetic shoulder. It seems like it's easy for you to love me for a while, and then just walk away.
Oh, so you turn off the night
With a switch of the light, it's blinding
I'm always, always finding
It's so hard, wo, it's so hard
And I know you know
That I fall apart every time
And I know you know
You have the power to end our time together so easily, and it's overwhelming. I always seem to end up hurting, and I know you're aware of that fact.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TOBY LIGHTMAN, KRISTIAN OTTESTAD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Issa Israel
@Just 1 Me Thanks for your message. On the “hate” thing I was making the point that if the preference of some Black men for non Black women denote “hate” for Black women then we have to be fair and accept that the preferences of some Black women for non Black men must denote hate for Black men. I was just calling out the double standard and hypocrisy inherent in these kinds of convos. I’m a Black on Black love person personally so not defending BM dating out I’m just a fan of being fair and therefore critical - if at all - of both sides for doing the same thing regardless of the reasons and excuses they each come up with.
I disagree with you on your natural leadership point though. The idea that a lack of cooperation or extreme belligerence (for eg) shouldn’t be a problem if a person is a natural born leader is 1) incorrect in my opinion and 2) kinda beside the point. Let me touch on point 2 tho.
It’s a given that every man will not be a good leader. The man’s job in this situation is to develop himself as a leader and to exercise the discipline and maturity (if he possesses it) to wait until he’s “ready” before he marries. When he doesn’t he puts himself in a situation to be disrespected and to fail in his marriage and that happens a lot obviously.
On the other hand though and quite separate from that (remember both the man and the woman can be wrong and the wrongness of one does not excuse or justify the wrongness of the other) the woman’s job IF she decides to build a life with the man isn’t to disregard his role as the head of the family until he becomes a better leader its to rock with him and be patient with him while he tries (whether successfully or not) to bridge the gap and catch up to where he’s supposed to be. If BW don’t want to submit to a poor leader then they ought not choose to be with one and/or have children with one. You can’t choose a bad leader willingly and then refuse to respect the leader as a leader.
Now wise women know how to “lead” for lack of a better word from behind the scenes. It takes tact, skill, cleverness, humility and wisdom. Women have been pulling off the trick of puppeteering in this way for thousands of years. It’s a lost art in our community now though so what we see is too often BW wanting to be in the driver’s seat themselves and to be respected as the leader. This is problematic.
Blake Gildaphish
i can’t get over the fact that adult people aren’t allowed to say words and phrases like:
•sex
•sexual(ly) assault(ed)
•kill(ed)
•murder(ed)
•rape(ed)
•committed suicide OR
•racist
On their own platforms while reporting a story. What exactly is YouTube trying to accomplish here??
While these are very unpleasant things to talk about, they are not profane things to say.
We do not live in a G-rated society.
Case in point: this unfortunate story!
T W
Not even tryna kiss ass rn but I'm a white woman and I don't understand how other white women still want to date a black man after he puts down black women. Is that not a red flag ? His mother is a black woman first of all.
Sydney Cho
I am Asian but half my family is black, 100 percent agree
Kite Johnson
They make it a requirement because they’re insecure
Just 1 Me
Thank you ma'am. Why date someone like that. It's one thing to fall in love with someone outside of your race just because it happened (right place right time...zing) but it's another thing to fall in love with someone specifically because she is black. PROBLEMATIC !!!!! For all these other women out here dating these hateful black men, what does that say about them women... because you are what you eat right?
Mona Dugas
@Mark Quinn Can someone tell me what in the hell is the meaning of your truth .And why would you not want The Truth .
Ralonda T
Right
Justme
I’ll never understand how black men’s hatred for black women is excused as being a preference
Da Baddest
Lol they act like we weren’t slaves together like how tf you love the enemy but don’t even like your own people
Just 1 Me
@Issa Israel I hear you, but BW are going elsewhere for love due to alot (not all) of BM letting it be known that they don't date black women or if they do date black women they have to be light skinned. Alot of BM are using every social media platform to say these things. I don't even have IG, Twitter and etc but I still get those clips of the nonsense and how am I suppose to feel? You have to admit to yourself that BM are wilding out right now...you have to be honest. How many white men disrespect, drag and exclude their own white women? And how many white men say they can't date the olive tan white girl but will take the pasty white one all day? Sounds dumb cuz white is white!! We are doing the white man's job for him..he doesn't even have to lift a finger because we are destroying each other.
BM and this self hatred, conditioning and brainwashing mentality that they wrap up in a blanket called "preference" is making BW leave because they feel like they are not wanted..... BW just want to be truly loved and not used and mistreated. I'm not denying that I haven't heard a few say he needs money or whatever.
BM and BW, for the most part, both came from broken homes so alot of BW have not seen the true role a man and woman play in the household. So alot of BM have not seen those true roles either. What alot of us did see was a BW who had to play mommy and daddy so she had to have masculine moments, she was the head of the house, daddy wasn't there so he wasn't "needed" and there was no time for tears. So why are we blamed for mimicking our only example? Why not give us grace...and we will do the same in return for the BM. Why can't we just build each other up.
FYI I am a beautiful dark skinned black woman who loves black men who also has black children and has never had any of these issues personally but I see this all around me daily. And once again if you have not heard this today, Black man you are appreciated and let's continue to agree or disagree respectfully. All love
Issa Israel
@Just 1 Me Thanks for your message. On the “hate” thing I was making the point that if the preference of some Black men for non Black women denote “hate” for Black women then we have to be fair and accept that the preferences of some Black women for non Black men must denote hate for Black men. I was just calling out the double standard and hypocrisy inherent in these kinds of convos. I’m a Black on Black love person personally so not defending BM dating out I’m just a fan of being fair and therefore critical - if at all - of both sides for doing the same thing regardless of the reasons and excuses they each come up with.
I disagree with you on your natural leadership point though. The idea that a lack of cooperation or extreme belligerence (for eg) shouldn’t be a problem if a person is a natural born leader is 1) incorrect in my opinion and 2) kinda beside the point. Let me touch on point 2 tho.
It’s a given that every man will not be a good leader. The man’s job in this situation is to develop himself as a leader and to exercise the discipline and maturity (if he possesses it) to wait until he’s “ready” before he marries. When he doesn’t he puts himself in a situation to be disrespected and to fail in his marriage and that happens a lot obviously.
On the other hand though and quite separate from that (remember both the man and the woman can be wrong and the wrongness of one does not excuse or justify the wrongness of the other) the woman’s job IF she decides to build a life with the man isn’t to disregard his role as the head of the family until he becomes a better leader its to rock with him and be patient with him while he tries (whether successfully or not) to bridge the gap and catch up to where he’s supposed to be. If BW don’t want to submit to a poor leader then they ought not choose to be with one and/or have children with one. You can’t choose a bad leader willingly and then refuse to respect the leader as a leader.
Now wise women know how to “lead” for lack of a better word from behind the scenes. It takes tact, skill, cleverness, humility and wisdom. Women have been pulling off the trick of puppeteering in this way for thousands of years. It’s a lost art in our community now though so what we see is too often BW wanting to be in the driver’s seat themselves and to be respected as the leader. This is problematic.