She attended Edgbaston C of E College where she gained a GCE pass in music and trained as an actress at the Old Rep Drama School in her home town of Birmingham. Toyah's father ran successful joinery businesses.
She first became well-known during the punk rock era, her appearances in Derek Jarman's 1977 film Jubilee and 1979's Who album-inspired Quadrophenia launching her as a provocative and anti-establishment figure, an image she eventually abandoned.
Fronting a band known as Toyah, her singing career was slow to take off and the band released six singles in the UK before finally hitting the charts in 1981, with "It's A Mystery" and "I Want To Be Free". These singles were also successful on an international level. In 1982, she was voted Best Female Singer at the British Rock and Pop Awards — since restyled as The BRIT Awards, or "BRITs" — and in 1986 she married UK guitarist Robert Fripp. She was one of the first acts to score regularly in the UK Singles Chart with EPs. Also in 1986, Willcox sang lead on the Tony Banks track "Lion of Symmetry". In 1987 she made the top fifty with her version of "Echo Beach".
Since then, she has become a well-known (and more conventional) face on television and in the theatre. She has played straight roles, including in Quatermass (1979) and in Shakespeare plays, and appeared as a presenter of programmes such as Songs of Praise, Holiday (BBC), and Good Sex Guide Late. In 1999, she took the lead in the children's television series, Barmy Aunt Boomerang. She also provides the voiceover for the children's television programmes, the Teletubbies and Brum. More recently, she appeared in the reality television series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! and I'm Famous and Frightened!.
Following her 2000 autobiography Living Out Loud, Toyah had a further autobiographical book published in 2005 documenting her experience of cosmetic surgery, Diary of a Facelift.
She has appeared on radio including the 2002 BBC Radio 4 series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
She continues to perform with her band, releasing a live DVD in 2005, and has a busy schedule with theatre commitments, including appearing on stage in London's West End performing the title role of Calamity Jane at the Shaftesbury Theatre in 2003.
She is currently appearing in the musical 'Vampire's Rock' in theatres across the UK.
I Am
Toyah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My tongue the asp
My town a burial mound
My eyes are jewels
My ears hear tools
put them down
My body sings
Without a sound
Eyes of blind ignorance
See a world of despair
Mountains of man
Hide cities too deep
Cool dark graves where bodies creep
My nose is sharp
it cuts the glass
And then I escape
My back is flat
Off the beaten track
am a landscape
am at peace
The feeling's neat
Then suddenly I awake
Eyes of blind ignorance
See a world of despair
Mountains of man
Hide cities too deep
Cool dark graves where bodies creep
am a waterfall
come tumbling
tumbling
tumbling down
Into infinity
journey to the sea
rain through leaves and trees
On beggars and thieves
On fools that grieve
But I am
I am
I am
stand at my window
Wind and moonlight
Fire my hair
touch the glass
It can't be seen
But it's always there
I'm told I'm free
And I believe
Four walls imprison me
Eyes of blind ignorance
See a world of despair
Mountains of man
Hide cities too deep
Cool dark graves where bodies creep
My fingers are numb
My tongue is blunt
am only me
My eyes are shallow
My ears hollow
am only me
My feet are still
I'm unfulfilled
am only me
My head's a bed
It feels like lead
My mind's totally free
must sleep
am
must sleep
am
must sleep
am
must sleep to dream
am
Side Two: 'Happy ever after?'
The song 'I Am' by Toyah is a reflective and introspective piece about the complexity of identity, the struggle for freedom, and the limitations of the human condition. The first stanza of the song describes a sense of bodily transformation where the singer's fingers become grass, their tongue the asp, and their town a burial mound. This imagery suggests a separation from the physical world, as if the singer seeks to move beyond the confines of their body and mind. The following stanzas contain similar imagery, with eyes becoming jewels and ears becoming tools, and body parts taking on characteristics of freedom, such as wings and singing. Yet despite these transformations, the singer remains confined within the limits of their senses and experiences, unable to escape their own perspective.
The chorus of the song speaks to a broader sense of blindness and ignorance that keeps humans trapped in a world full of despair, war, and death. The mountains and cities in the lyrics symbolize the weight and burden of human existence, while the cool dark graves represent the inevitability of death. The repeated phrase "I am" throughout the song serves as a mantra, a declaration of the singer's existence, and a reminder of the limitations and constraints that come with being human. The final lines of the song suggest a need for sleep and the possibility of dreaming as a way to escape the confines of the earthly realm.
Line by Line Meaning
My fingers are grass
I am soft and delicate like blades of grass
My tongue the asp
My words can be dangerous and venomous like a snake
My town a burial mound
The place I come from is filled with death and sorrow
My eyes are jewels
My eyes sparkle and shine
My ears hear tools
I am aware of how people use me for their own purposes
put them down
I need to reject these things in order to find peace
My feet are wings
I am capable of flight and freedom
My body sings
My whole being is uplifted and joyful
Without a sound
I am silently powerful
Eyes of blind ignorance
People who refuse to see the truth
See a world of despair
They project their own unhappiness onto everything
Mountains of man
Humanity's constant struggle and striving
Hide cities too deep
And the beauty of life that lies within them is often overlooked
Cool dark graves where bodies creep
Death and the inevitable cycle of life
My nose is sharp
I am sensitive to my surroundings
it cuts the glass
I can break through illusions and barriers
And then I escape
I can transcend negative thoughts and feelings
My back is flat
I am lying down and relaxed
Off the beaten track
I am not following the expected path
am a landscape
I contain and embody different aspects of nature
am at peace
I have found tranquility
The feeling's neat
It's a wonderful sensation
Then suddenly I awake
But the illusion of peace is fragile
am a waterfall
I am a powerful and transformative force
come tumbling
I am constantly moving and evolving
tumbling
I am never stagnant or still
tumbling down
I am descending into new realities
Into infinity
I am opening up to the vastness of existence
journey to the sea
My life's journey leads me to the unknown
rain through leaves and trees
I am a part of nature, experiencing its beauty
On beggars and thieves
My compassion extends to all, no matter their station in life
On fools that grieve
I also feel empathy for those who are suffering
But I am
Despite everything, I exist
I am
I am alive and conscious
stand at my window
I observe the world from my place of safety
Wind and moonlight
The natural elements are present
Fire my hair
My passion is ignited
touch the glass
I try to connect with reality
It can't be seen
But sometimes the truth is hidden
But it's always there
It still exists, even if I can't perceive it
I'm told I'm free
Others believe I have autonomy over my life
And I believe
I also want to believe in my freedom
Four walls imprison me
But in reality, I am confined by my circumstances
My fingers are numb
My feelings have been dulled
My tongue is blunt
I struggle to express myself
am only me
Despite everything, I am still myself
My eyes are shallow
Sometimes, I lose sight of what's important
My ears hollow
I struggle to listen and understand
My feet are still
I am stuck and unable to move forward
I'm unfulfilled
I haven't found meaning or purpose yet
My head's a bed
My mind is full of chaos and confusion
It feels like lead
It's exhausting and overwhelming
My mind's totally free
Despite everything, my thoughts and ideas are still my own
must sleep
I need to rest and recharge
am
I exist, but I am also part of something bigger
must sleep to dream
Only in my dreams can I find the clarity and peace that eludes me in reality
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ERIC ROBINSON, KEVIN COYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Maskill
this is pure creative art, i had the album , all my mates were into crap, i was into this, ime forty know , and write, one of my influances, deep poetic heavy.
deniro800
@captainbimble Me too....I had a massive Toyah stitch-on patch on the back of my jacket which was the length and width of my back,and my mates didnt want to be seen with me.Did I care...no.
captainbimble
glad you were one of the chosen few who loved Toyah.
Vixx Hodges
Had this album at Christmas when I was 10 , awesome stuff ❤️
Tony Quigley
not everyone gets this but its perfect
Victoria Parker
What an amazing song.
2012onemanarmy
this is some of the maddest sounds love it
AussieRockChic
thankyou for putting these songs up from Anthem... Love this album, been a long time fan, and still have this on vinyl, but want to find on cd.
LoCoCoRaMa
Sublime....Toyah always take me somewhere....a journey......
Lila Parker
At 58 I still love toyah and never tire of her. My heart my soul , my memories,