Wallinger recorded the first two World Party albums (Private Revolution and Goodbye Jumbo) practically single-handed. The former reached the US Top 40 and the single ‘Ship Of Fools’ broke into the Top 30 (it was hastily dropped by radio in his native Great Britain because of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster). Goodbye Jumbo took equal amounts of inspiration from the eco movement and the Beatles, and the highly catchy single ‘Message In The Box’ provided Wallinger with his first UK Top 40 hit.
Wallinger’s muse, a relaxed and melancholic take on mid-period Beatles, has not so much been updated as revitalized on his subsequent, sterling work, although a minor breakthrough was made with 1993’s Bang!, which featured Wallinger’s only UK Top 20 hit to date, ‘Is It Like Today’, and reached number 2 on the album charts. On Bang!, Wallinger was joined by Chris Sharrock (drums, ex-Icicle Works) and Dave Catlin-Birch (guitars/keyboards). Some of the reviews for 1997’s Egyptology were unnecessarily cruel (especially the New Musical Express). It was by his standards another good album, which, although still locked into the Beatles’ sound (this time circa 1968), featured some great moments, notably the gentle ‘She’s The One’ and the meatier ‘Curse Of The Mummy’s Tomb’. The former indirectly gave Wallinger a worthy chart-topping single, when Robbie Williams’ cover version reached the top of the UK singles chart in November 1999 (Williams’ songwriting partner Guy Chambers (b. 12 Jan 1963, England) was at one time a member of World Party).
The next World Party album, 2000’s Dumbing Up, retreated from the ambitions of Egyptology, and found Wallinger resorting to his pick ‘n’ mix style of songwriting. He is one of the best magpie songwriters around, and the strong influence of ELO, Bob Dylan (‘Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream’ in the shape of ‘Who Are You?’) and even Rare Bird (shades of ‘Sympathy’ in ‘All The Love That’s Wasted’) could be heard, in addition to strong memories of the Beatles’ ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘Baby You’re A Rich Man’ in ‘Another 1000 Years’.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin.
Is it Too Late
World Party Lyrics
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Sitting there watching as it bleeds
Try your best in the winter light
When it really should be summer night
Is it too late baby?
Too late now
Too late baby
Too late for you to realise
Everything could have been all right
Has it been to long? yeah
Is it too long now
Is it too long for you to make the change
Gotta love yourself to make a better day
I hate the way you don't want to move
What's the matter?
Money rules the groove now
What we're doing here today
Won't make the bad life go away
You gotta grow the beard
Find the doubt
And maybe you'll work something out, hey
Is it too long baby?
Too long now yeah
Too long for you to make the change
You got to love yourself to make a better day, better day
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Look out
Ooh ooh ooh ooh
Recognise your soul
And everythng's alright
You gotta see the whole
And everything's alright
C'mon give yourself a break
Everything's alright
We'll be breathng deep and everything's alright
Well c'mon c'mon c'mon everything's alright
In a dream I was crossing African plains
And elephant's graveyard
A bone dry place
And I was wondering why there was no more rain
And in a pile of bones I saw your face
Is it too late baby?
Is it too late now yeah
It's aright
It's alright
The song “Is It Too Late” by World Party is a soulful and emotionally charged track that explores themes of regret, lost love, and the importance of self-love. In the first stanza, the singer explores the idea of “biting the hand that feeds” and watching as it bleeds. This could be interpreted as a metaphor for a relationship that went sour or an opportunity that was lost due to one’s own actions. The singer reflects on how they tried their best in the “winter light” - a darker, colder time - when it should have been a “summer night” - a more carefree and joyful time. This could mean that, in retrospect, they were not in the right mindset or place emotionally to make the most of their situation, leading to bitterness and regret.
The chorus repeats the question “Is it too late?” and suggests that everything could have been alright if things had been different. However, as time has passed, the opportunity to change things may have passed too. The second verse looks at the idea of change and self-love. The singer implores the subject of the song to “love yourself to make a better day” and make a change. They reflect on how “money rules the groove now” and that material wealth should not be the most important thing in life. The bridge of the song provides some hope and optimism, suggesting that it’s not too late to recognize your soul and find inner peace. The song ends with a dream sequence where the singer is in an elephant graveyard and sees the face of the one they regret losing.
Line by Line Meaning
Talk about biting that hand that feeds
Discussing the act of turning against the source of your sustenance
Sitting there watching as it bleeds
Observing the negative consequences of your actions on the source of your sustenance
Try your best in the winter light
Putting in your best efforts despite unfavorable circumstances
When it really should be summer night
When you should be enjoying life's brightness and warmth
Is it too late baby?
Is the opportunity for change already lost?
Too late now
Change is no longer an option
Too late baby
The opportunity for improvement has passed
Too late now
Change is no longer possible
Too late for you to realise
It's past the point where you can even comprehend your mistakes
Everything could have been all right
If only you had acted differently
Has it been too long? yeah
Has the opportunity for change been lost due to the passage of time?
Is it too long now
Is it too late to fix now?
Is it too long for you to make the change
Have you waited too long to improve yourself?
Gotta love yourself to make a better day
Self-love is necessary to make positive changes in your life
I hate the way you don't want to move
I despise your reluctance to change
What's the matter?
What is the problem?
Money rules the groove now
Money is the driving force behind everything now
What we're doing here today
Our current actions
Won't make the bad life go away
Won't eliminate the harsh realities of our current situation
You gotta grow the beard
You must face and overcome your doubts
Find the doubt
Confront what's holding you back
And maybe you'll work something out, hey
Possibly then you can find a way to move past your obstacles
Is it too long baby?
Is it too late for change, my darling?
Too long now yeah
Change is no longer an option
Too long for you to make the change
It's been too many days for you to fix yourself
You got to love yourself to make a better day, better day
Self-love is crucial to facilitate personal growth
Recognise your soul
Acknowledge and honor your inner being
And everything's alright
Everything will be okay
You gotta see the whole
Observe the bigger picture
And everything's alright
Everything will be okay
C'mon give yourself a break
Cut yourself some slack
Everything's alright
Everything will be okay
We'll be breathing deep and everything's alright
Take a deep breath and everything will be okay
Well c'mon c'mon c'mon everything's alright
Encouragement to be optimistic and hopeful
In a dream I was crossing African plains
In a dream, I traveled across the African savannah
And elephant's graveyard
A place where elephants go to die
A bone dry place
A barren and desolate environment
And I was wondering why there was no more rain
Questioning why the climate has changed
And in a pile of bones I saw your face
Your face appeared amongst the elephant remains
It's alright
Everything will be okay
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KARL EDMOND DE VERE WALLINGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind