A Great Big Pile of Leaves is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, Ne… Read Full Bio ↴A Great Big Pile of Leaves is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, currently signed to Topshelf Records. It was founded by guitarist/singer Pete Weiland and drummer Tyler Soucy, who began creating and recording their music in 2007. After the release of their first two EPs The Fiery Works and The Fiery Works II, Tucker Yaro joined the group. The trio then recorded their first full-length album, Have You Seen My Prefrontal Cortex?. In November 2011, the band released two EPs entitled Boom! and Live from the Living Room with Topshelf Records. Both EPs were released on limited edition vinyl and are also available for digital download. They are currently working on a new album.

A Great Big Pile of Leaves formed when Farewell to Arms, a band that Weiland and Soucy were in, split up. The duo then moved from Connecticut to Brooklyn, New York and released their first two EPs. Tucker Yaro then joined the band as the bassist and they began playing live shows. Along with their music, the band are known for their unique name. In an interview with AMP, Tyler Soucy, the band's drummer, said that Weiland and himself "would always go to this brewery in [his] hometown after writing and recording. We’d sit there for hours talking about names, Google searching to see what had been taken, and it probably took us about a month to settle on the name A Great Big Pile of Leaves. It was actually one of Pete’s first suggestions and it seemed to be the name that we kept circling back to, and one day it just stuck. I think it’s pretty memorable and I’d like to think it stands out from the sea of band names out there today." He also described the name as being "a throwback to being a kid and having fun".

Egocentrism
A Great Big Pile Of Leaves Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everyone is in their best suit
But I am out of reach
We're headed to the office
But I just want the beach
But when we're headed to the party
Everyone's ready to go
Am I alone?
When you're on your way to work

Everyone is a jerk
I wanna run them off the road
Am I alone?
But when we're headed to the party
Everyone's ready to go

And I would give up my seat
If you promise to come along

Overall Meaning

These lyrics are about feeling disconnected from the world around you. The singer is surrounded by people who are going through the motions of day-to-day life, but they feel left out, like they're not on the same wavelength. They would rather be at the beach than at the office, and when they're driving to work, they're frustrated by the other people on the road. It's as though they're observing the world from a distance, but they're not a part of it.

The dichotomy between going to work and going to a party is another interesting aspect of the lyrics. When it's time to go to work, everyone is in their best suit but they're also rude and inconsiderate. The singer is disenchanted with them and wants to lash out. But when it's time to go to a party, everyone is excited and ready to go, and the singer is willing to sacrifice their own comfort to make someone else happy. The contrast shows that the singer is capable of empathy and connection, but only in certain circumstances.

Line by Line Meaning

Everyone is in their best suit
All of the people around me are dressed up and presentable

But I am out of reach
I feel isolated and disconnected from those around me

We're headed to the office
Our destination is a place of work and professionalism

But I just want the beach
Personally, I desire relaxation and leisure activities instead

But when we're headed to the party
In contrast, when we are on our way to a social gathering

Everyone's ready to go
Others are enthusiastic and excited to participate in the event

Am I alone?
Do I stand alone in my feelings and desires?

When you're on your way to work
During a typical morning commute

Everyone is a jerk
People tend to be rude and insensitive while rushing to their jobs

I wanna run them off the road
I feel frustrated and angry enough to want to cause harm

Am I alone?
Is this feeling unique to me or is it shared by others?