Once hailed as “Britain’s Best Unknown Songwriter”, Tom Rosenthal is an independent singer-songwriter with a knack for sweet, folksy tunes. Rosenthal has produced a host of LPs and EPs, notably two albums dedicated to his daughters: Bess and Fenn. Notable EPs are the The Pleasant Trees series (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Vol.3), and one of his 2018 releases, Don’t Die Curious.
Rosenthal has released 6 albums to date, all of them self-released on his own label Tinpot Records. Keep a Private Room Behind the Shop was released in 2011, and the latest is Denis Was A Bird in 2021, written about his father's death. His songs have had over 350 million streams on Spotify.
Rosenthal's makes videos for his songs that he posts on YouTube and Vimeo. Tom Rosenthal’s presence in the YouTube community–such as through collaborative songs with dodie, Savannah Brown, or Will Darbyshire feeds into his success in the music industry. Rosenthal’s personal channel features series of vlogs, the first of which spanned March and April 2017, with a second series running through the latter half of 2017; and a large collection of songs (music videos, lyrics videos, acoustic performances, etc.). With a growing online following, Rosenthal sees social media as a fruitful alternative to dependence on traditional record labels.
Rosenthal's music has been used on television soundtracks. "Forgets Slowly", "Lights on But Nobody's Home", and "Take Care" featured in the Skins episode "Alo". "Go Solo" was featured on the soundtrack of the German film Head Full of Honey (2014), the documentary Kid Poker (2015), the NFL documentary Hard Knocks, the film trailer for Felix and Meira, and the Netflix documentary The Least Expected Day: Inside the Movistar Team 2019. "It's OK" features on the film trailers for Comet (2014),[ Anesthesia (2014). and L'odyssée (2016). From 2016 through to 2018 his songs It's OK and Woes have been used on Neighbours.
Rosenthal's song "Go Solo" featured in a TV commercial for the Renault Zoe E-TRON in 2021 and in a 2022 episode of the NBC drama series New Amsterdam.
Rosenthal played his first concert at St Pancras Old Church on Wednesday 13 March 2019, followed by a tour around Europe and a gig at Union Chapel, with over 40 concerts in 2019.
Rosenthal is also known as Edith Whiskers. This started when his cover version on the single "Home", recorded in 2015, went viral on the social media platform TikTok in 2020. Edith Whiskers is depicted as an older lady, that "Edith enjoys long hot baths, a spot of beekeeping and the occasional bike ride." Rosenthal released the song as a single on October 16, 2020 and on a covers album titled Stop Stealing the Covers. "Home" was certified Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2023.
For You To Be Here
Tom Rosenthal Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And walked that bridge to the other side
Mama says it's gonna get cold in the night
But if I picture you then I′ll be alright
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
It's been a little while since I've held your hands
Oh my arms won′t stretch to your distant land
And I′ll pick you out in a second, girl
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
For you, for you, to be here
For you, for you, to be here
It's been too many seconds since I′ve seen your face
And for all I know you're in outer space
Dancing to the rhythms of the shooting stars
Thinking of the times that forever are ours
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
For you, for you, to be here
For you, for you, to be here
It′s been a little while since I've held your hands
Oh my arms won′t stretch to your distant land
Give me every person in the whole wide world
And I'll pick you out in a second, girl
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
Tom Rosenthal's song For You To Be Here is a love song in which the singer expresses his longing to be with his beloved. The first stanza begins with a description of how much time has passed since he last saw her, and reflects on the memories of their time together. The mention of his mother's warning about the cold night introduces a sense of danger, suggesting that the singer needs the comfort of the one he loves to feel secure. He then declares his readiness to be with her, indicating that he has been waiting for her.
In the second stanza, the singer highlights the physical distance between them, expressing the physical pain of not being able to hold her. He then expands on his love by stating that he would choose her above anyone else in the world, demonstrating the depth of his devotion. The chorus repeats the title, emphasizing the central theme of the desire for his beloved's presence. The last stanza touches upon the possibility of her being far away, but the singer's optimism lies in the hope that she is thinking about him in the same way. This further emphasizes the depth of his love and the urgency to be with her.
The song is essentially about longing and the desire to be with someone. The singer is willing to go through any obstacle, no matter how distant, to be with the person he loves. The song conveys an emotional yearning for companionship that is relatable to anyone who has experienced separation from a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
It's been a little while since I looked in your eyes
It's been some time since I last saw you face to face and looked into your eyes
And walked that bridge to the other side
Since we spent time together and crossed the bridge to the other side
Mama says it's gonna get cold in the night
My mother says that it's going to get chilly tonight
But if I picture you then I'll be alright
As long as I picture you in my mind, I'll be okay
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
I'm eagerly waiting for you to be here and I'm ready to welcome you
It's been a little while since I've held your hands
It's been some time since I've held your hands
Oh my arms won't stretch to your distant land
My arms are too short to reach your distant land
Give me every person in the whole wide world
Give me every single person on earth
And I'll pick you out in a second, girl
I'll be able to pick you out from among them in an instant
For you, for you, to be here
I want nothing more than for you to be here with me
It's been too many seconds since I’ve seen your face
Even a few seconds without seeing your face feels like a long time
And for all I know you're in outer space
I can't be sure where you are, you may as well be in outer space
Dancing to the rhythms of the shooting stars
Perhaps you're dancing to the rhythm of the shooting stars
Thinking of the times that forever are ours
Perhaps you're thinking about our moments that we will cherish forever
Writer(s): Tom Rosenthal
Contributed by Thomas O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ghada Benkraiem
LYRICS
It's been a little while since I looked in your eyes
And walked that bridge to the other side
Mama says it's gonna get cold in the night
But if I picture you then I'll be alright
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
It's been a little while since I've held your hands
Oh my arms won't stretch to your distant land
Give me every person in the whole wide world
And I'll pick you out in a second, girl
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
For you, for you, to be here
For you, for you, to be here
It's been too many seconds since I've seen your face
And for all I know you're in outer space
Dancing to the rhythms of the shooting stars
Thinking of the times that forever are ours
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
For you, for you, to be here
For you, for you, to be here
It's been a little while since I've held your hands
Oh my arms won't stretch to your distant land
Give me every person in the whole wide world
And I'll pick you out in a second, girl
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
badlilgoth
It's been a little while since I looked in your eyes
And walked that bridge to the other side
Mama says it's gonna get cold in the night
But if I picture you then I'll be alright
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
It's been a little while since I've held your hands
Oh my arms won't stretch to your distant land
Give me every person in the whole wide world
And I'll pick you out in a second, girl
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
For you, for you, to be here
For you, for you, to be here
It's been too many seconds since I've seen your face
And for all I know you're in outer space
Dancing to the rhythms of the shooting stars
Thinking of the times that forever are ours
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
For you, for you, to be here
For you, for you, to be here
It's been a little while since I've held your hands
Oh my arms won't stretch to your distant land
Give me every person in the whole wide world
And I'll pick you out in a second, girl
I am ready, I am ready for you to be here
Toph
My girlfriend past away in a car accident last week. I've been losing my mind. Most music makes me feel even more depressed as it cannot relate. I tried to take my mind off of everything and watched a documentary about Daniel negraneu. And I heard your song 'go solo'. Your music is so beautiful. And it brings peace to my heart. Thank you Tom Rosenthal.
anonym
my boyfriend committed suicide and before he did it he was sending me that song ..
Ashwin Ravichandran
christopher sayegh I feel sorry for you bruh ! really sorry !!
Math
I'm so sorry, for you.
David S
Good luck !!
AntiVaxMom
I'm dedicating this song to my future wife, whoever she may be. We're dancing to this at our wedding.
Karolina Leśnik
This is just what I thought when I first was listening this song...
Tomek Łaba
+blaketheberry This is so weird, because since I've heard this song I want to make a movie about love... of course with the song on the backgroud! Cheers.
Alyssa D
That's lovely
Emily Rodell-Morris
asl