Three Bells

Album: Courting the Squall (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song came out of a conversation Guy Garvey had with a friend back in 2005. Sitting in her garden at 3 o'clock in the morning, Garvey's pal told the story of how her local church had burned down when she was a child.

    "She described the smoke being illuminated through the stained glass windows, the crazy shapes in the sky above the church, and then how the roof collapsed and what looked like birds made of fire coming out in a plume above the church," he recalled to The Manchester Evening News. "It was pages of hymn books, on fire. I just verbatim wrote that down and put it into meter."

    Garvey kept the song in his back pocket for ten years before recording it as the closer on Counting The Squall.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?

Which Restaurants Are Most Mentioned In Song Lyrics?Song Writing

Katy Perry mentions McDonald's, Beyoncé calls out Red Lobster, and Supertramp shouts out Taco Bell - we found the 10 restaurants most often mentioned in songs.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.