As a teenager, DeVille had a band named Billy and the Kids. He moved to London looking to form a band, but was unsuccessful in finding like-minded musicians. Eventually he landed in San Francisco where he formed a band with bassist Ruben Siguenza and drummer Tom "Manfred" Allen. The band played under the names Billy DeSade & the Marquis and the Lazy Eights before settling on the name Mink DeVille. Later, DeVille took the band to New York City, where they helped to pioneer punk rock music and were one of the original house bands at CBGB, the New York nighclub where punk rock music was born in the mid-1970s.
The typical DeVille song -- if any of his songs can be called "typical" -- is filled with romantic conviction and yearning. Latin rhythms, Blues riffs, and strains of country music can be heard in DeVille songs. Spanish Stroll was a hit in the U.S. and the UK in 1978; Storybook Love (nominated for an Academy Award in 1987) is the theme song of the movie The Princess Bride.
DeVille suffered from drug addiction for many years, which stifled his career. Among fellow musicians and songwriters, he was widely respected. Songwriter Doc Pomus said about Deville, "He knows the truth of a city street and the courage in a ghetto love song."
DeVille died of pancreatic cancer during the night of August 6, 2009 in a New York hospital.
DeVille had homes in New Orleans and Mississippi.
Ruler of My Heart
Willy DeVille Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where can you be ? I wait patiently
My heart cries out from pain inside
Where can you be ? I wait patiently.
When you're alone and the going gets rough
Come back, come back, come back, I've had enough.
Hear my cry ease this pain
Mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm.
When you're alone and the going gets rough
Come back, come back, come back, I've had enough.
Now make me a king, happy again
Hear my cry ease this pain
Mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm
In "Ruler of My Heart," Willy DeVille sings about being in love with someone who has the power to completely consume him. He refers to the person as the ruler of his heart and the robber of his soul, demonstrating how deeply he feels about this individual. He expresses his longing and impatience for this person to return to him, and how he cries out in pain from not having their love.
The chorus speaks to a turning point in the relationship where DeVille has had enough of feeling alone and the inability to connect with the person he loves. He pleads for them to return to him and make him a king once again, so he can find happiness in their love and ease the pain he feels inside.
The lyrics give a sense of vulnerability and desperation, which is emphasized by DeVille's voice and the soulful backing harmonies. This song captures the feeling of being deeply in love and the pain that comes with being apart from the one you love.
Line by Line Meaning
Ruler of my heart, robber of my soul
The one who holds my heart and controls my being, stealing my essence.
Where can you be ? I wait patiently
I long for you, and though I search, I wait for you to return.
My heart cries out from pain inside
My heart is filled with such immense pain and agony that it must cry out just to release some of the anguish.
When you're alone and the going gets rough
Come back, come back, come back, I've had enough.
When you face a hard time and are alone, please come back to me because I can't handle it anymore.
Now make me a king, happy again
Hear my cry ease this pain
Mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm.
I implore you to relieve me of my heartache and restore me to my former glory, making me whole and complete again.
Contributed by Aubrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.