Born in Camb… Read Full Bio ↴Tom Robinson (b. 1st June 1950) is an English musician.
Born in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, Robinson was the founding member of the Tom Robinson Band, an overtly political band with several hits in the 1970s, such as "2-4-6-8 Motorway" and "Power in the Darkness". Robinson's other best known song is "Glad to be Gay", and he was an outspoken hero of the gay movement in the 1970s.
In the 1980s he fronted Sector 27, another highly political rock band, which released one album and left Robinson virtually bankrupt. He fled to Hamburg to escape his creditors, where he wrote his 1983 hit "War Baby" and released his first solo album North by Northwest. His return to the U.K. led to late-night performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, some of which later surfaced on the live album Midnight at the Fringe.
In 1985 he found a new career as a D.J. for a variety of radio stations, including BBC Radio 1 (standing in for Janice Long), BBC Radio 4 (The Locker Room from 1992-1995), and the BBC World Service.
He has become an advocate for a wider sexuality than his earlier potrayal as only a homosexual campaigner allowed - marrying a woman and starting a family. Robinson maintains that he suffered abuse from Homosexual Activists as a result.
Robinson rarely performs nowadays, save for two annual parties for his fan-base "The Castaway Club", which take place in South London and Belgium in January every year. In the Belgian Castaway concerts, he introduces many songs in Flemish. The Castaway Parties invariably feature a wide variety of established and unknown artists and groups such as Paleday and T.V. Smith.
Too Good To Be True
Tom Robinson Lyrics
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Somebody answered my prayer
Cried out over my shoulder
Only the devil was there
Hold no hope for the future
Or good times seeing me through
Too good to be true
Too good to be true
Can't find the floor or the wardrobe
Can't find my way to the park
Life in a bedsitter bedlam
Afraid to go home in the dark
All day today just excuse for tomorrow
Tomorrow just something to do
Too good to be true
Too good to be true
I've given up reading the papers
I've given up watching TV
Hope in hell I'm able to tell
Whatever happened to me
Facing a phase in the future
Hope I've got something to lose
Too good to be true
Too good to be true
The song "Too Good To Be True" by Tom Robinson Band conveys a sense of hopelessness and disillusionment with life. The lyrics describe a dream wherein the singer prayed for something, but only the devil appeared. This dream perhaps represents the singer's feeling of abandonment, as if their prayers have gone unanswered. The singer seems to be struggling with finding their way in life, feeling lost both physically (not being able to find the floor or wardrobe) and emotionally (feeling afraid to go home in the dark). They express a sense of futility towards the future, seeing each day as a mere excuse for tomorrow, with no hope for anything better.
The phrase "Too good to be true" is repeated throughout the song, adding to the sense of disillusionment. It suggests that the singer may once have had high hopes, but has now been let down so many times that they no longer believe in the possibility of anything good or positive. The final lines suggest a resignation to fate, with the singer hoping that they have something to lose in the future, perhaps implying that they have lost everything else already.
Overall, "Too Good To Be True" is a powerful commentary on the challenges of finding meaning and direction in life when everything seems to fall apart. The lyrics capture a sense of despair and resignation, but also a glimmer of hope that there may be something worth fighting for.
Line by Line Meaning
Dreamed last night I was dreaming
I had a dream where I was dreaming
Somebody answered my prayer
In my dream, someone heard and responded to my prayer
Cried out over my shoulder
I called out for help from someone nearby
Only the devil was there
But the only thing/one that answered my call was the devil
Hold no hope for the future
I don't have hope for the future
Or good times seeing me through
I can't rely on good times to get me through
Too good to be true
None of this seems realistic or possible
Can't find the floor or the wardrobe
I'm feeling disoriented and lost
Can't find my way to the park
I can't get where I want to go
Life in a bedsitter bedlam
My living conditions are chaotic and uncomfortable
Afraid to go home in the dark
I'm scared to go back to where I'm living
All day today just excuse for tomorrow
I'm only going through the motions - today is just a means to an end
Tomorrow just something to do
I have nothing else to look forward to except for tomorrow
I've given up reading the papers
I don't read the news anymore
I've given up watching TV
I don't watch TV anymore
Hope in hell I'm able to tell
I really hope that I can figure out what's going on
Whatever happened to me
I don't understand what's happened to my life
Facing a phase in the future
I know that there's a new stage of life coming up
Hope I've got something to lose
I hope that I have something worth holding onto when that new stage comes
Too good to be true
And again, it all seems too good to be true
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ROBINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind