The autumn leaves were falling,
On these old cathedral walls,
There were candles in the darkness,
Singing in the choir,
And reading out the names,
Of all the ones who've gone before,
Well I could tell that you were thinking,
About the meaning of it all;
And you said to me "Who will open up my eyes,
To the wonder, and the glory, and the stars in the sky?"
And you said to me "For this road I'm travelling on,
I need someone beside me forever, who? Who?"
And I said "It's me, and I'm ready to go,
Ready to show, that I'll never let you down,
And I want you to know, that this power will grow,
Every day, every beat of my heart,
Forever, forever;"
We went down to the river,
And we found a small caf?,
They say that over in the corner,
Sat the writer Ernest Hemingway,
And here he made his story of the lovers in the war,
And through it all they stayed together,
Till the rain had to fall;
And you said to me "Who will be the one apart,
Who will teach me, with conviction, all the ways of the heart?"
And you said to me "On this journey of my life,
I need someone to love me forever, who? Who?"
And I said, listen "It's me, and I'm ready to go,
Ready to show, that I'll never let you down,
And I want you to know, that this power will grow,
Every day, every beat of my heart,
I love you, I love you;
It's me, and I'll never let you down,
And I want you to know, that this power will grow,
Every day, every beat of my heart,
Forever, I love you, forever."
"Well, I'll tell you, this is a very complicated song, because I had the idea of the chorus years and years ago and I didn't feel comfortable with whatever verse I put around it. The key is 'It's me - and I'm ready to go.' Now, that is the title, but it's also the key to the whole song - and I had to work out, backwards, ready to go where? Why is it me? So, what it is, it's a guy and a girl and, on two separate occasions, she has had an experience that has made her ask questions and wonder about the future of, not only their relationship, but of herself, mortality, the world... It's a big thing that's happened to her, and in trying to work that out, I put her and her lover in a cathedral. She's reading the names of those who have passed away, and she tums around to me - or her lover - and says 'What's it all about?' She turns to him and says 'I need somebody with me in my life.' And then the first chorus comes in and, almost like taking an aspirin to remove a headache, he just says 'Don't worry - I'm here. I'm here for you, and I will always be here for you.' And then they move to a certain place, where Ernest Hemmingway wrote 'A Farewell To Arms'. One of the things about that book is that it's always raining; rain always represents doom and gloom. She's read this book, and so has he (in this song) and they go to this famous cafe in Northern Italy where Ernest Hemmingway apparently used to go - and maybe wrote some of Farewell To Arms. So, anyway, she's been very moved by this place and, again, she's moved to ask him questions: 'Who will be the one apart who will teach me of conviction, all the way to the heart?' And then he says, with great passion - which is why my voice jumps the octave - 'It's me.' It's very dramatic; it's almost like it's from a musical. That's always the idea I had - like walking down a street and glimpsing in a window, and seeing action; you're not quite sure what's going on, but it seems valid and there seems to be a big story behind it."
The Getaway Gazette, September 1997
"The song 'It's Me (And I'm Ready To Go)' was inspired by my love of cathedrals. I think they are the most astounding architectural triumphs of mankind. And I adore going into them, particularly in Europe. The French cathedrals are beautiful, the cathedral of Notre Dame for example. In England I often go to Salisbury cathedral and Winchester cathedral, if I am in the area, St. Paul's cathedral in London. They are extraordinary places, not only very deeply spiritual and historical, but also you just admire the craftsmanship. You look at the top of Salisbury cathedral, it is hundreds of metres in the sky, and there were people working in the 12th century up there, I mean, that is really astounding. So the song 'It's Me (And I'm Ready To Go)' came from the idea of a trip around one of these places with somebody that you love very much. And you can see that person is troubled by looking at the gravestones of those who have gone before. And just asks the question 'Why are we here?'. In the first chorus I say gently 'I am here for you. If you ask who is there beside you forever, it is going to be me.' And in the second chorus, well I jump the octave, I sing very powerfully and higher 'It's Me (And I'm Ready To Go)'. There's no question about it, these two are deeply in love and trying to answer some of these perennial questions that mankind has always had about why are we here."
Man On The Line, January 2004
Albums
"It's Me (And I'm Ready To Go)" appears on the following albums:
