Changing his name from Jeremy Thomas McRae Blackall to just Tom McRae - he released his first, self-titled album in 2001, during the height of the new acoustic movement, and gained Mercury Music Prize nomination. His second album, Just Like Blood, was released in February of 2003, which was produced by Ben Hillier, responsible for Elbow’s Asleep In The Back, with which McRae’s album shares a similar melancholy but uplifting atmosphere. In 2004, McRae moved to California where he wrote and recorded his next album, All Maps Welcome, which was released in May 2005. His fourth album, King of Cards was released on 14th May 2007. A talented live performer, he supported Tori Amos on the UK leg of her Original Sinsuality tour, Paul Weller, Dido, World Party, The Waterboys among others. He is recognised as an intelligent and talented performer, influenced by, among others, Nick Drake, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Jeff Buckley.
For The Restless
Tom McRae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A train wreck beauty queen
But I don't remember her
On a wall of white and blue
I wrote my name and thought of you
But you would not have known
Through a window of a car
A dream within a trail of sparks
And conversation turns to sleep
And I wait for you to speak
I'm waiting still
So for the restless
Not the peaceful sleeper
This song's for you
And for the faithless
Not the true believer
This song's for you
And I keep my secrets well
Move on and never tell
Some day they'll show
And you raised me to be cruel
You raised me like a bruise
I'm bleeding still
So for the restless
Not the peaceful sleeper
This song's for you
And for the faithless
Not the true believer
This song's for you
She comes to me in dreams
A train wreck beauty queen
Now I remember her
And everything you love will break
You're running out of things to make you
Feel alive
Alive
Alive
Alive
So for the restless
Not the peaceful sleeper
This song's for you
And for the faithless
Not the true believer
This song's for you
It's for you
It's for you
It's for you
It's just for you
The lyrics of Tom McRae's song For The Restless describe a mysterious woman who appears in the singer's dreams as a "train wreck beauty queen". The singer recalls that he never remembered her before, but now remembers her presence as a significant part of his life. He dreams of her image against a "wall of white and blue" and writes his name while thinking of her. The verse "But you would not have known / Through a window of a car / A cigarette's a fallen star / A dream within a trail of sparks" suggests a fleeting memory of her.
The singer is waiting for her to speak during a conversation that has turned to sleep, but she remains silent. He keeps his secrets hidden and never tells them to anyone, but he knows that someday they will come to light. He feels that he was raised to be cruel and is still bleeding from the wounds caused by this upbringing. The chorus of the song speaks directly to those who are restless and faithless, acknowledging their struggles and desires. The final verse emphasizes the fragility of everything that we love and the importance of finding ways to feel alive.
Line by Line Meaning
She comes to me in dreams
He dreams about someone who is like a train wreck beauty queen.
A train wreck beauty queen
He dreams about someone who is like a beautiful mess.
But I don't remember her
Although he dreams of her, he doesn't remember her in reality.
On a wall of white and blue
He wrote his name on a wall that was white and blue.
I wrote my name and thought of you
He thought of someone while writing his name on a wall.
But you would not have known
The person he thought of wouldn't have known about it.
Through a window of a car
He saw something through a car window.
A cigarette's a fallen star
He compares a falling cigarette to a star falling from the sky.
A dream within a trail of sparks
He has a dream while the sparks from the cigarette trail off.
And conversation turns to sleep
After talking, the conversation turns into sleep.
And I wait for you to speak
He waits for someone to speak to him.
I'm waiting still
He's still waiting for someone to speak to him.
I keep my secrets well
He doesn't reveal his secrets.
Move on and never tell
He moves on from the past and doesn't reveal it to anyone.
Some day they'll show
One day his secrets may come to light.
And you raised me to be cruel
He was brought up to be mean by someone.
You raised me like a bruise
He was brought up hurting like a bruise.
For the restless
This song is for those who are restless.
Not the peaceful sleeper
This song is not for those who sleep peacefully.
This song's for you
The song is dedicated to someone.
And for the faithless
This song is for those who are without faith.
Not the true believer
This song is not for the true believers.
And everything you love will break
Everything that you love will eventually be broken.
You're running out of things to make you feel alive
There's nothing left to make you feel alive.
So for the restless
This song is for those who are restless.
This song's for you
The song is dedicated to someone.
It's for you
The song is for one specific person.
It's just for you
The song is exclusively for that one person.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TOM MCRAE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PAOLO NUZZI
extremely talented but still unknown and underrated artist. I saw him once live in 2005 in Naples, he opened for Tori Amos and Nick Cave. Hauntingly beautiful performance it was. Unforgettable.
Marie Brookes
PAOLO NUZZI Oh my god, you are a lucky guy. He's brilliant and Tori Amos is my absolute favourite. Bet that was a great night.
Ganychan
I love Tom, his music is so haunting, and powerful. It's beautiful.
Marion Hassold Fotografin
I so love this song... it's speaking to me
Mr Stabbs
I discovered Tom McRae 16 years ago and never tired of his music. I have never been a peaceful sleeper and my faith in everything has deteriorated in everything over the decades. I'm not a miserable person, but I have had a lot of hard knocks his songs resonate with me.
leiden goes underground innovation
Wat een meesterwerkje !
hiberlehibou
I canNOT sleep listenning to this song!!!!
Mahsa Yavari
finally i have song for me, couln't feel better
Mishal Dattani
good song indeed
Loo Krupa
Radio Paradise brought me here .. Great music