Ann-Maree Keefe was born in Victoria, Australia, growing up in a family of … Read Full Bio ↴Ann-Maree Keefe was born in Victoria, Australia, growing up in a family of vocalists, pianists and music lovers. “My family listened to so many different genres of music; classical, pop, choral, folk and many more... I’m really grateful for that open-minded foundation and I think someone listening to my songs these days would occasionally hear some of those different childhood influences coming through” Ann-Maree’s career began as a little girl singing in junior choir at her home church, too shy to sing out loud enough to ever get a solo part!

By the age of 18 it was a different story... after a few years of professional vocal training, Ann-Maree was singing in local bands, leading to recording opportunities and television performances. As well as singing professionally, Ann-Maree always loved to sing and lead worship in church. “Singing to express my love and gratitude to God and leading others to do the same is really the most satisfying way I get to use my gift” She has also led church music teams over the years, producing a benefit album a few years ago ‘Revealing Your Love’ using original songs and partnering with artists from her own church to raise much needed funds for the organisations ‘Heal Africa’ and ‘Foundation 61’

Ann-Maree is an acclaimed song writer, writing prolifically over the years, to amass a large body of work including her solo material, worship songs for the wider church and even kids songs. “Song writing is a great passion for me... I seem to be able to express a thought far more effectively within the form of music than I ever could verbally, and I love the ebb and flow of energy that’s created as I craft a song. Then to get to share it with others and experience their involvement and the personal impact a song can have is such a delight”

As well as her solo work, Ann-Maree has also been singing backing vocals with Sons of Korah for the last six years, performing on several studio albums and DVD’s. “Bringing the psalms to life by setting them to music again is a wonderful thing to be involved with and I love working with and touring with the guys. They’re pretty much like family now – like the brothers I never had growing up in a family of girls!”

Her debut solo album ‘Time of the Day’ was warmly received across Australia and beyond, with extensive radio play and a heartfelt response from listeners who closely relate to the songs. “I wrote those songs from my own experience of the times when the journey passes through difficult and painful places. It’s important to acknowledge these experiences but also to celebrate the lessons learned and wisdom gained when our hearts and minds remain open to God’s grace and love during the refining times. I worked with some great musicians on the project too, using an eclectic mix of instruments to create the colours to paint the pictures I had in my mind. All the guys were so generous and inspiring to work with. As well as the Sons of Korah boys, it was fun to make some new muso friends. The making of each album is such a different journey. My husband often says “It’s all about the journey Am” (not so much the destination) He’s so right; I need to remember that...

At the beginning of July 2012, Ann-Maree’s second solo album ‘Cryptology’ was released. “The process of making this album has been quite unique, as I’ve worked with a producer in Melbourne who has also played every instrument on the album, apart from my piano. Adrian Hannan is a remarkably talented and delightful guy who took the project on with such enthusiasm and poured himself into it, taking the time to really think about the story that was being told. At first I was a tiny bit intimidated at the thought of working with someone who has worked with so many top Australian artists, but he turned out to be so down to earth, empowering and just a great person to spend time with.” Cryptology has been carefully crafted. “I was able to take my time with this album, which made the process so enjoyable; no looming deadline, I took as long as it needed to be finished, and I’m really satisfied with the end result. It’s an album to sit down and really listen to; to contemplate.”

Busy
Ann-Maree Keefe Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I didn't have much
And what I had didn't feel like mine
So I thought I'd give it all away
To achieve some peace of mind

It took me a while to realize
That my time on earth is limited
That my resources will only stretch so far

And I'm done before I started

The ones who killed me don't speak to me
They're too busy living
They don't even think of me
But I've forgiven them

If I had made these mistakes
When I was young and dumb
I could say I really learned a lot
And feel secure in my wisdom

The ones who killed me don't speak to me
They're too busy living

They don't even think of me
I'm dead, but I've forgiven them

Overall Meaning

In Ann-Maree Keefe's song Busy, the lyrics tell the story of someone who has struggled to find their place in the world. They haven't had much, and what they did have never felt like it was truly theirs. As a result, they decided to give it all away in an effort to find peace of mind. However, they soon come to the realization that time is limited and resources can only stretch so far. It's as if they feel they are already done before they even started.

Yet, despite the struggles they have faced, the singer has found a way to forgive those who have hurt them. The ones who have "killed" them, whether figuratively or literally, don't even think of them anymore because they are too busy living their own lives. The singer is dead in a sense but feels secure in their wisdom and forgiveness.

Overall, the message of the song seems to be one of self-reflection and acceptance. It's about coming to terms with the cards you've been dealt and finding a way to move forward with forgiveness and empathy for others.

Line by Line Meaning

I didn't have much
I didn't have many resources

And what I had didn't feel like mine
And what I had didn't feel like it belonged to me

So I thought I'd give it all away
So I thought I'd give away all my resources

To achieve some peace of mind
To achieve some mental calm

It took me a while to realize
It took me some time to understand

That my time on earth is limited
That my life is finite

That my resources will only stretch so far
That my resources are limited

And I'm done before I started
And before I knew it, it was over

The ones who killed me don't speak to me
The ones who harmed me don't communicate with me

They're too busy living
They're preoccupied with their own lives

They don't even think of me
They don't even remember me