“The first time we drove into New York we were all crammed in a tiny rental car. We came out of the Lincoln Tunnel and 'You Will Leave a Mark' was playing on the radio,” A Silent Film vocalist/pianist Robert Stevenson says, recalling hearing his group’s career-opening single scoring a powerful moment of its inaugural 2010 U.S. tour. The Oxford quartet had just released its debut of epic and ambiently anthemic indie rock, The City That Sleeps, on Bieler Bros. Records, a Florida-based indie with an incongruously niche heavy rock profile. Despite the curious association, A Silent Film had an impressive American welcome. The group became the longest charting band on Sirius XM’s Alt 18 Countdown, shifted 200K downloads as iTunes’ Discovery Download, and sold 75K digital singles.
“Never in my dreams could I imagine the songs I wrote in my bedroom as someone else's soundtrack to the skyline of New York City. It was only three and a half minutes but it opened my eyes to the greater possibilities of sharing our music,” Robert says. The American tour was a transformative experience for A Silent Film and the group decided to relocate to Arizona and record their sophomore album in the rustic environs of the West. The band’s latest, Sand & Snow, released June 5th, 2012 is a snapshot of the fevered creativity inspired by an impulsive tryst with Americana. “Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan are massive inspirations to me. I felt like I always had a kinship with America; as soon as I could experience it, and I didn’t have to read it in a book anymore, I needed it for writing,” Robert says of the creative necessity of the move. “Previously I had written everything in Oxford, but as soon as I saw America, it changed my process; I wanted to live and breathe it.”
In addition to Robert Stevenson, A Silent Film is rounded out by Karl Bareham (guitar), Ali Hussain (bass) and Spencer Walker (drums). A Silent Film formed in 2005 and has garnered favorable comparisons to Coldplay, The Killers, and Snow Patrol. Its new offering is aligned with its formative poetic and expansive pop-rock aesthetic but there is a freshly confident depth and distinction evident in the writing. Sand & Snow is searchingly hopeful with emotive hooks and romantically purposeful lyrics.
Thirteen Times the Strength
A Silent Film Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I have tied a weight to my ankle bones
Now I take my wrongs to Davey Jones
And you can find a man with a better soul
I don't ever want to see a face like that
So I've left my clothes on the river bank
I don't want to face you with a heavy head
Sinking underwater
Fighting like a feather
Slipping underneath the world
This weight upon my shoulder
Crushing all my hopes
It's thirteen times the strength
Of anything I felt on earth
I am not the man I thought I was
Always let you down when you need me most
I am an American loading my gun
Pushing little children with plastic ones
I don't ever want to see a face like that
So I've left my clothes on the river bank
I don't want to face you with a heavy head
I've taken my body to the river bed
Sinking underwater
Fighting like a feather
Slipping underneath the world
This weight upon my shoulder
Crushing all my hopes
It's thirteen times the strength
Of anything I felt on earth
Sinking underwater
Fighting like a feather
Slipping underneath the world
This weight upon my shoulders
Crushing all my hopes
It's thirteen times the strength
Of anything I felt on earth
Sinking underwater
Fighting like a feather
Slipping underneath the world
The lyrics to A Silent Film's song Thirteen Times The Strength explore a sense of failure and dissatisfaction with oneself. The singer expresses a desire to escape from their own shortcomings, feeling as though they have let down those they care about and are not the "man" they thought they were. The weight they have tied to their ankles symbolizes the burden of their mistakes, and they choose to take their "wrongs" to the bottom of the sea to be forgotten. This sense of disappointment is also projected onto the world around them, as they describe themselves as an American loading a gun and pushing plastic children. The repetition of sinking, fighting, and slipping underneath the world further emphasizes the weight and inescapable nature of this sense of failure.
One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that they speak to a broader societal discontent and disillusionment, echoing the disillusionment of the post-9/11 era in which the song was written. The singer's frustration with themselves and their surroundings resonate with a sense of hopelessness and lack of agency that many were feeling at the time. Overall, the lyrics of Thirteen Times The Strength are a powerful reflection on the struggle to reconcile one's expectations of oneself with reality and the weight of one's past decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
I am not the man I thought I was
I am realizing that I have not lived up to my own expectations of who I should be
I have tied a weight to my ankle bones
I am burdened by the weight of my mistakes and regrets
Now I take my wrongs to Davey Jones
I am choosing to let go of my past and bury my wrongs with the ocean's depths
And you can find a man with a better soul
I acknowledge that there are better people than me who lead more virtuous lives
I don't ever want to see a face like that
I am avoiding a confrontation with someone who I have hurt or wronged
So I've left my clothes on the river bank
I have discarded my physical possessions in an attempt to symbolically shed my old self
I don't want to face you with a heavy head
I am ashamed of my actions and do not want to confront someone while I am weighed down by guilt
I've taken my body to the river bed
I am choosing to immerse myself in water as a way to cleanse myself of my past mistakes
Sinking underwater
I am physically and emotionally descending
Fighting like a feather
I am struggling despite feeling weak and powerless
Slipping underneath the world
I am losing touch with reality and falling deeper into my own internal struggles
This weight upon my shoulder
I feel the burden of my past actions and the guilt associated with them
Crushing all my hopes
My mistakes and regrets are overwhelming and preventing me from moving forward
It's thirteen times the strength
The weight of my past mistakes feels much stronger than any physical weight I have ever carried on earth
Of anything I felt on earth
I have never experienced anything as heavy and burdensome as the weight of my own guilt and regret
Always let you down when you need me most
I consistently fall short of being there for those who rely on me
I am an American loading my gun
I recognize the violent tendencies and aggressive actions that are often associated with American culture
Pushing little children with plastic ones
I am guilty of perpetuating harmful and destructive behaviors, even to the most vulnerable members of society
Contributed by Jayce I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
PsychicMonkey44
"The City That Sleeps" should have been nominated for album of the year. Every song on the album has a deep emotional impact that everyone can connect with. Thirteen Times the Strength is arguably my favorite song of ALL TIME and deserves more recognition than it is getting.
Marilyn samaniego
MrAceman24 I had the cd but it’s not on iTunes
kris kemp
This band, this guy (singer, songwriter, piano player, guitarist, lyricist) is so talented. The drummer is amazing, too. I watched them live last night at Rough Trade NYC (performance space, record/book/coffee shop) in Williamsburg, NY. They were great. November 6, 2015. Thanks guys. You were fantastic. I was dancing around! :)
Desss
After finding about "You Will Leave a Mark", I've gone curious about more of their music. Thank you curiosity for your taste in music. ^_^
Elena Obregon
Siempre me encantó esta song mientras estaba en la secundaria
ci2ici2i
Fast becoming my favorite song by you guys! Where was this filmed? Cool dam.
thehighroller3000
i love the song, it should get more views and fanss.!!!!
Celia Denatala
i love this song too woooh there not heard much but they should be
FrictionDivisionTV
Cool song and video
Serena Rodholm
Finding out he was supposed to be a kind of spirit following her but then they ran out of money. When Robert admitted he felt it looked creepy in the video I had to check it out.