Mason's popularity rose after musician Conor Oberst discovered his music backstage at a Bright Eyes show. Oberst would soon sign Mason to his new record label, Team Love and release his debut LP. Since then, he has toured with the likes of Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Ben Kweller, and Unbusted, and played such venues as the Glastonbury Festival, South By Southwest, and the Offshore Ale House.
Mason's debut album Where The Humans Eat, and singles (Oxygen and So Long), charted in the UK Singles Chart and Albums Chart in 2005. Mason went on to release The Ocean Gets Rough in 2007.
Willy’s new album, 'Carry On', was recorded over the course of 2011 in south London with producer Dan Carey (MIA, Hot Chip, Franz Ferdinand) and is released in December 2012.
“The album itself is about growing up and trying to find one’s place” Mason says. “I think of this record as the third and final chapter to a particular narrative that started with ‘Where the Humans Eat’”.
Carry On
Willy Mason Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And in that lamp there is a lonely moth
He’s got one night, he’s got one life
And one thing on his mind, and that’s the fire
He doesn’t care from where it comes
He only knows he’s got to run
Toward the brightest promise in his eye
His wings have burned, he’s falling down
I just watch, and wonder how we carry on
It was a world I never made
I just fell into this old parade
They told me it’s my time to shine
And they got ways to light me up at night
They didn’t care from where I came
It seemed they lost their pride and shame
Looking for a fire of their own
One last ember hits the ground
The wood’s all burned, it's ashes now
If you look up to the moon, you’ll help me carry on
Old man in a bar tonight
He sits down on a stool to watch the fight
He says “One last drink to light me up
And then I do believe I’ve had enough”
Chasing dreams that end in pain
I’ve chased the sun, I’ve chased the rain
But nothing ever seemed to fill my cup
I see the angels circling now
I feel the moon behind the clouds
That’s the kind of fire I’d be proud to carry on
The song "Carry On" by Willy Mason is a poignant commentary on the human condition, focusing on the pursuit of happiness and purpose in a seemingly meaningless and arbitrary world. The first verse describes a moth's obsession with fire, which symbolizes the human quest for fulfillment. The moth is driven by a singular desire, and although he may not know the source of the fire, he blindly chases it until his wings burn and he falls. The second verse is more personal, describing the singer's feeling of being swept up in the "old parade" of life, with others propelling him towards his supposed destiny. Although he tries to find his own fire, he realizes that nothing seems to fill his cup.
The chorus of the song takes on a more universal note, with the repeated phrase "carry on" suggesting that although life may be difficult and often lacking in meaning, the human spirit has the ability to persevere, to continue the fight, and to find satisfaction in the search for something greater. The final verse introduces an old man in a bar, who has chased after his own dreams and now sits with the knowledge that he has had enough. He seeks one last drink to light him up before he is done, but the true fire that he sees is the "angels circling now", suggesting a sense of acceptance and peace.
Overall, "Carry On" is a song that speaks to the complex and often painful realities of human existence, while offering a sense of hope and comfort in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Beside my bed there is a lamp
I have a lamp beside my bed
And in that lamp there is a lonely moth
There is a solitary moth in the lamp
He’s got one night, he’s got one life
The moth only lives for one night
And one thing on his mind, and that’s the fire
The moth's only desire is to reach the flame in the lamp
He doesn’t care from where it comes
The moth doesn't care where the fire comes from
He only knows he’s got to run
The moth has an innate desire to reach the fire
Toward the brightest promise in his eye
The moth is drawn towards the brightest point in its vision
Now he’s circling to the ground
The moth is now hovering close to the ground
His wings have burned, he’s falling down
The moth's wings have caught fire and it's now falling down
I just watch, and wonder how we carry on
I observe the moth's plight and wonder how humans persevere in tough times
It was a world I never made
I didn't create this world
I just fell into this old parade
I was born into society without any say
They told me it’s my time to shine
They've said it's my time to succeed
And they got ways to light me up at night
They have methods to make me feel successful
They didn’t care from where I came
My background didn't matter to them
It seemed they lost their pride and shame
It appears they've lost their values and principles
Looking for a fire of their own
They're searching for their own success
One last ember hits the ground
The last remains of the fire fall to the ground
The wood’s all burned, it's ashes now
The firewood has burnt away completely
If you look up to the moon, you’ll help me carry on
You can motivate me to continue by looking towards the moon with me
Old man in a bar tonight
An elderly man is presently at a bar
He sits down on a stool to watch the fight
He takes a seat to observe a brawl
He says “One last drink to light me up
He requests one final beverage to intoxicate him
And then I do believe I’ve had enough”
And after that, he feels he's reached his limit
Chasing dreams that end in pain
Having aspirations that lead to disappointment and suffering
I’ve chased the sun, I’ve chased the rain
I've pursued numerous things in life
But nothing ever seemed to fill my cup
But nothing has satisfied me thus far
I see the angels circling now
I sense my time is coming to an end
I feel the moon behind the clouds
I'm aware of the celestial body in the sky
That’s the kind of fire I’d be proud to carry on
That's the sort of motivation that would compel me to persist
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: PETER RONALD MASON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
IanWS
chills...
hhutcheo
❤️
Josh
This is unreal
Futures
these words and this music is magical, it is poetry in motion it is artistic vision it is beautiful it is in me it is all around it is sound it is profound it is intrinsic it is real, it is feeling it is sailing it is drifting laughing crying it is life it is meaning it is leaving stealing selling capitalising and everything in betweening it is sound