The band released their debut album, Good Feeling (1997), to moderate success where it debuted at number nine on the UK Albums Chart and was later awarded a silver certification from the BPI in January 2000. The band gained greater success with their second album, The Man Who (1999), which spent nine weeks at number one on the UK Albums Chart, totalling 134 weeks in the top 100 of the chart. In 2003, The Man Who was certified 9× platinum by the BPI, representing sales of over 2.68 million in the UK alone. Following this success, the band released their third effort, The Invisible Band (2001) album. The Invisible Band went on to match the success found with their previous album, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and spent a total of four weeks at the top spot, fifteen weeks in the top ten, and a total of fifty-five weeks in the top 100 chart, as well as peaking at thirty-nine on the US Billboard 200 album chart, spending a duration of seven weeks in the Billboard 200 chart. A year following the release of The Invisible Band, the BPI awarded Travis with a 4× platinum certification for the album.
In recent years, the band's discography has included studio albums 12 Memories (2003), The Boy with No Name (2007), Ode to J. Smith (2008), Where You Stand (2013), Everything at Once (2016) and 10 Songs (2020). In 2004, the band released their first greatest hits album, Singles, which spent nineteen weeks in the top 100 of the UK albums chart. Travis have twice been awarded best band at the BRIT Awards and were awarded the NME Artist of the Year award at their 2000 ceremony, and in 2016 were honoured at the Scottish Music Awards for their outstanding contribution to music. The band are widely said by the media to have paved the way for other bands such as Keane and Coldplay to go on to achieve worldwide success throughout the 2000s, particularly with the success of The Man Who.
Craft Recordings celebrated the 20th anniversary of Travis' breakthrough year with two simultaneous releases: Live at Glastonbury '99, plus expanded editions of The Man Who – both of which were released on 21 June 2019.
On My Wall
Travis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But how could I resist?
When everything you are and say and do
Is perfect as it is.
I didn't really mean to go this far
But now I've broken in
And now I wanna stay and stay away
You see
These old record sleeves
Don't keep me warm at all
The TV won't answer me
Like all the people on my wall.
I only want to try to be your friend
If you don't have enough
Sometimes I think you know that in the end
That you and I are us.
You see
These old record sleeves
Don't keep me warm at all
The TV won't answer me
Like all the people on my wall.
And I don't mind
If you don't write
Or call on me
One day the faces
On my wall
Will fall for me.
I don'I how any choice
A little voice
Says I belong to you
And you won't ever be
Rid of me
No matter what you do
You see
These old record sleeves
Don't keep me warm at all
The TV won't answer me
Like all the people on my wall.
The lyrics of Travis's song "On My Wall" speak to a sense of obsessive infatuation with someone. The singer didn't intend to "steal" from this person, but they couldn't resist their allure. The song suggests that this person is seemingly flawless, and everything they say and do is perfect, hence the singer's desire to be close to them. The lyrics also imply that the singer's infatuation has taken a more dangerous turn; they have broken in and now feel the need to stay away from every place they have been.
The second verse of the song further highlights the singer's fixation, and they state that they only want to be friends with the person they are obsessed with. The lyrics suggest that the person might not have enough friends, and the singer feels like they should be there to fill that void. The song then moves on to the singer's sense of loneliness, highlighting their inability to connect with other people. The old record sleeves and the TV don't answer them, suggesting a disconnection from the world around them.
The chorus of the song which is repeated twice connects the previous verse, with the old record sleeves and TV signifying the singer's fleeting connections and comparing it with the "people on my wall". The song ends on a somewhat ominous note, with the singer suggesting an unshakeable connection, stating that they "belong" to this person and will never be rid of them no matter what they do. Overall, the singer's lyrics speak to the complicated emotions involved in obsession and infatuation, which can lead to isolation and a dangerous disconnect from reality.
Line by Line Meaning
I didn't ever mean to steal from you
I didn't intend to take anything from you without permission.
But how could I resist?
However, your possessions are so enticing that I couldn't help myself.
When everything you are and say and do Is perfect as it is.
Your personality and actions are so flawless that it's hard to not be attracted.
I didn't really mean to go this far
I didn't plan on taking things this far.
But now I've broken in
I've gone to the extent of breaking into your house.
And now I wanna stay and stay away From every place I've been
I don't want to leave your house and want to avoid going back to where I came from.
You see These old record sleeves Don't keep me warm at all The TV won't answer me Like all the people on my wall.
The things in your house that I took do not provide me with comfort. I have become so infatuated with you that I am now talking to the pictures of the people on your wall.
I only want to try to be your friend If you don't have enough Sometimes I think you know that in the end That you and I are us.
I just want to be your friend in case you don't have enough. In the end, you and I should be together.
And I don't mind If you don't write Or call on me One day the faces On my wall Will fall for me.
I don't care if you don't communicate with me, because one day I am convinced that the people on your wall will love me.
I don'I how any choice A little voice Says I belong to you And you won't ever be Rid of me No matter what you do
I do not have a choice in this matter due to a voice in my head telling me I belong to you. You will never be able to get rid of me, no matter how hard you try.
You see These old record sleeves Don't keep me warm at all The TV won't answer me Like all the people on my wall.
Once again, the things I took from your house do not provide me with comfort. Nor does the TV or the people on your wall.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DOUGLAS WILLIAM PAYNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@martazambruno5655
This song cheers me up every time 💚
@mindi5380
Favorite song on the new album. Love it!!!
@Fernando_sanabria
Really love this song so much!! Makes me feel so happy.
@spectrebride
OMG I've been humming to this song for the whole morning, and I've been going through album by album to find it, and I've found it! The bane of knowing the song but not the title or the album
@mariiblack
Vuelta al sonido clásico de Travis c:
@theheytherejulia
Loving the album!!!!
@Andvier
Travis..... i really love this album
@ramtinassassin
The chorus is fabulous...
@alucardhellsing7013
Esta musica siempre me pone feliz
@cherriesvu
one of my favorite songs