Cochrane was born in Lynn Lake, Manitoba to Violet and Tuck Cochrane, a bush pilot. The family relocated to Etobicoke, Ontario in the West Deane Park area when Tom was four years old. He purchased his first guitar at age 11 by selling a toy train set. He attended Martingrove Collegiate Institute in the 1960's. In the early 1970s, he was performing in coffee houses across Canada. He eventually made his way to Los Angeles where he found a job writing theme music for My Pleasure is My Business, a Xaviera Hollander movie. Unable to find steady income from music, Cochrane returned to Toronto where he drove a taxi cab and later took a job on a Caribbean cruise liner to help pay the bills. Cochrane went back to Los Angeles in 1976, trying to sell his songs to publishers but without success, and returned to Toronto in 1977. Cochrane walked into the El Mocambo club one night in Toronto and came across a band of locals calling themselves Red Rider. After an audition, they agreed to Cochrane joining the band as lead singer and songwriter, a decision that would change their musical careers.
After the Red Rider era, Cochrane set off on his soloist path again. In 1990, Cochrane took his family to West Africa where he helped to raise awareness and money for the World Vision famine relief organization. That experience shaped his next album Mad Mad World which contained the internationally acclaimed hit single "Life is a Highway".
The three-CD box set Ashes to Diamonds, including material by both Red Rider and Cochrane as a solo artist, was released in 1993.
In 1995, he released Ragged Ass Road and followed that with a Canadian tour in 1996. The tour resulted in Songs of a Circling Spirit, a live CD and multi-media package of previously released material.
In June 1999, Cochrane was involved in a light plane crash in Montreal, after his plane's engine stalled just after take-off. Fortunately, no one was injured.
At the 2003 Juno Awards, Tom Cochrane was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. The special award ceremony took place April 5, 2003 at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. According to the Life Is a Highway Songfacts, his other honors include seven Juno Awards, being an Honorary Colonel in the Canadian Air Force, and having been inducted onto the Canadian Walk of Fame. They take their rock stars seriously in Canada.
In December 2003 he was one of the musical guests on a CBC special called, Rick Mercer's Christmas in Kabul.
He currently lives with his family in Oakville, Ontario.
On July 2, 2005, Cochrane took part in the Live 8 concert series.
Cochrane's new album "No Stranger" recorded in rural Ontario was released in October 2006.
"Life Is A Highway" was re-made in 2006 by the country band Rascal Flatts for the motion picture "Cars" and became a successful country single.
All The King's Men
Tom Cochrane Lyrics
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There's nothing you can say
The man in the moon won't fall on you
He doesn't live there anyway
You don't have to be a soldier
To fight in your private war
Let the blood you might see rain down on me
You don't have to fight no more
There's nothing you could say
There's nothing you could send
There's nothing that could change the facts
Not all the king's men
You'll ride upon the stallion
And I'll ride upon your mare
We'll ride so far, ride so hard
Far away from here
And when we look back upon them
It all will become so clear
And the gates will open up for us
And we won't have no more fears
There's nothing you could say
There's nothing you could send
There's nothing that could change the facts
Not all the king's men
Look away, look away
You might be tired and troubled but not today
And when they come down upon you
I won't let them get anything on you
And I'll be there for you, babe
Oh, no they won't
Look away, look away
You might be tired and troubled but not today
And when they come down upon you
I won't let them get anything on you
And we'll dance away
All those fears and troubles
We look away
We both were motherless children
They sent us separate ways
And the family you'd seen beat down on you
And mine it was okay
I've come to take you back, May
Save you from this fate
They won't have any more chances
To treat you this way
There's nothing you could say
There's nothing you could send
There's nothing that could change all that
Not all the king's men
Look away, look away
You might be tired and troubled but not today
And when they come down upon you
I won't let them get anything on you
And we'll dream away
All those fears and troubles
We look away
The lyrics to "All The King's Men" by Tom Cochrane are evocative and emotional, telling the story of two motherless children who were separated and suffered different fates. The song is a message of hope and redemption, as the singer promises to save his beloved May from her abusive family and protect her from harm.
The first verse sets the tone for the song, with the singer urging May to shut her eyes and not say anything. He assures her that she doesn't have to be a soldier to fight her private war, as he is willing to bear the brunt of the battle and let the blood rain down on him. The repeated refrain "There's nothing you could say, there's nothing you could send, there's nothing that could change the facts, not all the king's men" is a powerful statement of the futility of trying to change what has already happened, but also of the singer's determination to fight for May's future.
The second verse continues the theme of escape, with the imagery of riding on a stallion and mare and leaving their troubles behind. When they look back, everything will become clear and the gates will open up for them, symbolizing a brighter future free from fear. The repeated refrain takes on a more urgent tone in this verse, as the singer promises to protect May from harm when they come down upon her.
The final verse reveals more about May's past and the singer's mission to save her. They were both motherless children who were separated, but May suffered at the hands of her abusive family while the singer's family was okay. He promises to take her back and save her from her fate, with the repeated refrain emphasizing the power of his love and protection to overcome even the might of all the king's men.
Overall, "All The King's Men" is a powerful song of hope and redemption in the face of adversity, with vivid imagery and emotive lyrics that tell a poignant story of love and protection.
Line by Line Meaning
Shut your eyes, my darling
Close your eyes, my love
There's nothing you can say
You can't change the situation
The man in the moon won't fall on you
No need to be afraid of things that won't happen
He doesn't live there anyway
The fear is baseless
You don't have to be a soldier
You don't need to be brave
To fight in your private war
To battle alone
Let the blood you might see rain down on me
I will protect you from harm
You don't have to fight no more
You don't have to struggle
There's nothing you could say
Words won't change the truth
There's nothing you could send
No message or letter will help
There's nothing that could change the facts
The situation will remain the same
Not all the king's men
Not even powerful people can help
You'll ride upon the stallion
You'll have a strong and fast horse
And I'll ride upon your mare
I'll ride with you
We'll ride so far, ride so hard
We'll go far away and fast
Far away from here
Leaving behind our troubles
And when we look back upon them
Looking back on our past problems
It all will become so clear
Our actions will make sense
And the gates will open up for us
We'll find new opportunities
And we won't have no more fears
We won't be afraid anymore
Look away, look away
Don't focus on the negative
You might be tired and troubled but not today
Don't let your problems weigh you down
And when they come down upon you
When trouble comes your way
I won't let them get anything on you
I'll protect you from harm
And I'll be there for you, babe
I'll support you
Oh, no they won't
They won't hurt you
And we'll dance away
We'll be happy
All those fears and troubles
Without any fears or problems
We look away
We won't be bothered by negativity
We both were motherless children
We both had a difficult childhood
They sent us separate ways
We were separated
And the family you'd seen beat down on you
Your family treated you poorly
And mine it was okay
My family treated me well
I've come to take you back, May
I want to rescue you from your situation
Save you from this fate
I want to change your life
They won't have any more chances
Your family won't hurt you again
To treat you this way
To mistreat you like before
And we'll dream away
We'll have happy dreams
All those fears and troubles
Without any fears or problems
We look away
We won't be bothered by negativity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Thomas William Cochrane
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind