...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is an indie rock band which fo… Read Full Bio ↴...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is an indie rock band which formed in 1994 in Austin, Texas, United States. The band currently consists of Conrad Keely (vocals, guitar, drums), Jason Reece (vocals, guitar, drums), Autry Fulbright II (bass) and Jamie Miller (drums, guitar). As of 2018, the band has released nine albums: "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" (1998), "Madonna" (1999), "Source Tags & Codes" (2002), "Worlds Apart" (2005), "So Divided" (2006), "The Century of Self" (2009) and "Tao of the Dead" (2011), "Lost Songs" (2012), "IX" (2014), and "X: The Godless Void and Other Stories" (2020).

The band is best known for their heavy yet anthemic music and their tendency to destroy their equipment at the end of their performances (a rock and roll tradition usually associated with The Who). According to the band's website, the name "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" is taken from both an ancient Mayan ritual chant and an Egyptian burial text. Band members have also claimed that they made it up because it sounded cool and discovered the association after the fact.

The chief creative element of the band consists of Jason Reece and Conrad Keely. The two switch between drumming and lead vocals and guitar, both on their records and during their shows. (On some songs, [former] bass player Neil Busch sings lead vocals). Keely and Reece have been friends since their youth, meeting originally in Hawaii. They each formed their first band in 1993 soon after moving to Olympia, Washington. Keely started a band called Benedict Gehlen that only lasted a year. Nancyville was Keely's next project, though it also was short lived. Reece started with Honeybucket and then formed Mukilteo Fairies while living in Olympia. Dissatisfied with the northwest, the two ventured south to Austin, Texas and started playing as a duo under the moniker, "You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead". The band expanded to include guitarist Kevin Allen and bassist Neil Busch. They then officially changed their name to "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" (adding the conjunction and then the ellipsis for effect). The band is also known by the shorter name "Trail of Dead".

By 1998 they had issued their first release (a live cassette on local Golden Hour Records), followed by a self-titled full-length on Trance Syndicate. In early 2002, Trail of Dead released Source Tags & Codes to immediate critical acclaim, and made numerous critics' year-end top 10 lists.

In 2003, an EP named The Secret of Elena's Tomb followed up, which included amongst others "Mach Schau", which was the first recording of a song the band had written in their early days, as well as "Intelligence", a song with dominant electronic sounds, which was pulled from Jason Reece's electro side-project called A Roman Scandal.

In 2004, Neil Busch left the band due to health issues and was replaced by Danny Wood of The Rise. Together with additional drummer Doni Schroader (ex-Forget Cassettes) and keyboarder David Longoria (The Black), a revamped Trail of Dead embarked on an extensive worldwide tour in 2004-2005, which covered USA and Canada, and cities throughout Europe to promote their album Worlds Apart, which was finally released in January 2005 after some annoying issues with the label's corporate policies.

After the tepid critical and commercial reception of Worlds Apart, Conrad Keely became very frustrated and considered quitting the band altogether. Luckily, the band regrouped to record an EP, but the group's creativity blossomed, resulting in enough material for an album. Their latest full-length album, X: The Godless Void and Other Stories, was released on January 20th, 2020.

Clair De Lune
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Lyrics

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Well the mood settled down
Once the movie hit town
You know all the movies I've seen
You never did understand
How I watched all of them
Can't figure how you never did

Well the moon is so gold

That it conquers the soul
Like that very first moment we kissed
But you never will go far
In a Japanese car
Just thinking of the things that we've missed

What good are promises
If nobody honors them?

And so we never ask 'why?'
Don't say anything nice
And don't talk if we meet on the field
Because I want you to know

That I let it all go
Even if you never did.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Clair De Lune" by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead explores themes of love, loss, and disappointment. The song begins by describing a relaxed mood that arises after watching a movie. The singer then reflects on how their partner never understood their love for movies, despite watching many of them together. The moon is described as gold, conquering the soul, and reminiscent of the first kiss they shared. The singer laments that their partner will never go far, driving a Japanese car, and how they've missed out on so many things.

The chorus of the song questions the importance of promises if nobody honors them. The singer then reveals that they have given up on trying to understand why things didn't work out between them. They don't say anything nice and won't even speak if they meet on the field. However, the singer wants their partner to know that they have let go of all their feelings, even if their partner never did.

Overall, "Clair De Lune" is a poignant reflection on love and relationships. It shows how people can become distant from each other, despite once sharing a close bond. The song is a heartfelt expression of how letting go, even if it is painful, can be the best path forward.

Line by Line Meaning

Well the mood settled down
The atmosphere became calm and peaceful

Once the movie hit town
When the movie was released in the town

You know all the movies I've seen
You are aware of all the films that I have watched

You never did understand
You never comprehended

How I watched all of them
The method through which I watched each and every one of them

Can't figure how you never did
I fail to comprehend how you never managed to do the same

Well the moon is so gold
The moon is shining brightly with a golden hue

That it conquers the soul
The beauty of the moon captivates and mesmerizes one's soul

Like that very first moment we kissed
Similar to the feeling of our initial kiss

But you never will go far
You will not progress much

In a Japanese car
By driving a Japanese-made vehicle