The term Various Artists is used in the record industry when numerous singers and musicians collaborate on a song or collection of songs. Most often on Last.fm, compilation album tracks appear under the name of Various Artists erroneously because the individual artist is not listed in the album's ID3 information.
Compilation albums, for example.
Sometimes, single releases may be credited to Various Artists when their profits are going to charity and, usually in high-profile cases, are sometimes known by a group name. Examples include Band Aid with their releases of Do They Know It's Christmas? and USA for Africa with We Are The World.
Various Artists is also an actual performance name for Torsten Pröfrock, who runs the German DIN label. Torsten performs also as Dynamo, Erosion, Resilent, Traktor besides some others. He's a good friend of Robert Henke and since the Fall of 2004, he is a member of Monolake.
Various Artists was also a short-lived Bristol punk band formed by brothers Jonjo and Robin Key (originally from Birmingham). Other members were also simultaneously in Art Objects who went on to become The Blue Aeroplanes, the latter the Key brothers also co-wrote some songs and were involved in. When Various Artists imploded, the Key brothers went on to form Either / Or.
Various Artists also appear on tracks from musical theater soundtracks, due to the nature of having many cast members on one song, as well as an ensemble in some cases.
Give It To Me
Various Artists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm all out of breath, my walls are closing in
Days go by, give me a sign
Come back to the end, the shepherd of the damned
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost, no longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive if you show me the way
I'm falling apart, leave me here forever in the dark
Daylight dies, blackout the sky
Does anyone care? Is anybody there?
Take this life, empty inside
I'm already dead, I'll rise to fall again
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost, no longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive if you show me the way
Forever and ever the scars will remain
I'm falling apart, leave me here forever in the dark
God, help me, I've come undone
Out of the light of the sun
God, help me, I've come undone
Out of the light of the sun
I can feel you falling away
No longer the lost, no longer the same
And I can see you starting to break
I'll keep you alive if you show me the way
Forever and ever the scars will remain
Give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Just give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Just give me a sign
There's something buried in the words
Give me a sign
Your tears are adding to the flood
Forever and ever the scars will remain
"Give It To Me" by Various Artists is a powerful song that speaks of one's struggle with their own darkness and the desire for someone to show them the way out. The opening verse sets the tone of the song with the imagery of a dead star shining, lighting up the sky. The singer feels suffocated and trapped, and they plead for a sign to give them direction. The metaphor of the "shepherd of the damned" suggests that they feel like they are lost souls in need of guidance. They can feel themselves falling apart, but they still want to keep their hope alive by finding someone who can help them.
As the song progresses, the singer's despair intensifies. They feel empty inside and already dead, but they are still trying to rise up and survive. The chorus repeats the lines, "I can feel you falling away, no longer the lost, no longer the same, and I can see you starting to break, I'll keep you alive if you show me the way, forever and ever the scars will remain," which emphasize the singer's desperation for someone to guide them out of their despair. The bridge adds to their intensity with the repeated plea to God for help and the acknowledgement that they are out of the light of the sun.
The final verse circles back to the opening verse, with the singer once again asking for a sign, and the closing repetition of "give me a sign" suggests that the singer is still struggling and hoping for a way out.
Overall, the song can be seen as a cry for help from someone struggling with their own inner darkness. The singer recognizes that they are falling apart and need someone to show them the way out. The repeated line "give me a sign" suggests that the singer is still searching and hoping for a way to find the light in the darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
Dead star shine, light up the sky
The singer sees a glimmer of hope in the midst of an otherwise bleak and dark world.
I'm all out of breath, my walls are closing in
The singer is feeling overwhelmed and suffocated by their current circumstances.
Days go by, give me a sign
The singer is feeling lost and directionless, and is searching desperately for some guidance.
Come back to the end, the shepherd of the damned
The artist is calling out to someone or something that they believe can save them from the depths of despair.
I can feel you falling away
The artist is losing someone or something that is very important to them, and they feel helpless to stop it.
No longer the lost, no longer the same
The singer has undergone a significant change, but they are unsure if it is for better or for worse.
And I can see you starting to break
The singer is witnessing the gradual unraveling of someone or something that they care about deeply.
I'll keep you alive if you show me the way
The artist is offering their support and guidance to someone who is struggling, in the hopes that they can help them turn things around.
Forever and ever the scars will remain
The artist recognizes that some wounds may never fully heal, and that they will always carry a part of their pain with them.
I'm falling apart, leave me here forever in the dark
The artist is feeling broken and hopeless, and believes that they are beyond repair.
Daylight dies, blackout the sky
The singer is despairing over the state of the world, and feels overwhelmed by the darkness that surrounds them.
Does anyone care? Is anybody there?
The artist is feeling very alone and abandoned, and is questioning whether anyone truly cares about what they are going through.
Take this life, empty inside
The singer is willing to give up everything, even their own life, in order to find a way out of their pain.
I'm already dead, I'll rise to fall again
The singer feels as though they have already lost everything, and that there is nothing left for them to lose.
God, help me, I've come undone
The singer is reaching out to a higher power, hoping that divine intervention can help them through their difficulties.
Out of the light of the sun
The artist feels as though they are in a very dark and hopeless place, and that there is no way out.
Your tears are adding to the flood
The artist is feeling overwhelmed by the pain and suffering of those around them.
Just give me a sign
The singer is pleading for any sort of guidance or direction, in the hopes of finding a way out of their difficulties.
There's something buried in the words
The singer believes that there is a hidden message or meaning behind the things that they are experiencing.
Your tears are adding to the flood
The artist is feeling deeply affected by the pain and suffering of those around them.
Forever and ever the scars will remain
Despite their efforts to heal and move on, the artist knows that some wounds will never fully go away.
Writer(s): Jatin Lalit, David Darnell Brown, Curtis James Jackson, Kejuan Waliek Muchita, Anjaan Sameer, Albert Johnson
Contributed by Elliot P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.