Formed in 2006, the band derived its name from the Wilco song, “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” and is led by band founder and lead vocalist/ guitarist BJ Barham. A new lineup was announced in April 2017 with new faces joining the ranks: Crooks drummer Joey Bybee, Damn Quails bass player Ben Hussey and guitarist Shane Boeker – all from Texas – along with Nashville pedal-steel player Adam Kurtz, who also fronts Music City's experimental Buck Owens tribute Buck N' Stuff. Bybee left in August 2018 and was replaced by Nashville-based drummer Matty Alger, who in turn left in February 2019. Kurtz left the band after the Mile Zero fest in January 2019, and Hussey left in July 2019.
Their first album, Antique Hearts, was released in 2006, followed by The Bible and the Bottle in 2008.
In 2012, American Aquarium released two albums: Live in Raleigh and Burn. Flicker. Die.
The band released their sixth original album, Wolves, in February 2015.[7] The band's fans helped raise $24,000 through a Kickstarter project to help fund the album's production, and the album was recorded in Asheville, North Carolina at Echo Mountain.
On November 25, 2016 "Live at Terminal West" was released by the band from a live show recording in November 2015 at Terminal West in Atlanta, Georgia.
Things Change was released on New West Records in 2018, followed by
Lamentations (on New West Records) in 2020.
Heads Carolina Tails California
American Aquarium Lyrics
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Leave this one horse townlike two rebels without a cause.
I got people in Boston.
Ain't your daddy still in Des Moines?
We can pack up tomorrow.
Tonight, let's flip a coin
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
Up in the mountains, down by the ocean.
Where? It don't matter, as long as we're goin'
Somewhere together. I've got a quarter.
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
We can load what we own in the back of a U-haul van.
Couple modern day Moses', searchin for the promised land.
We can go four hundred miles before we stop for gas.
We can drive for a day, and then we'll take a look at the map.
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer.
Up in the mountains, down by the ocean.
Where? It don't matter, as long as we're goin'
Somewhere together. I've got a quarter.
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
We're gonna get outta here if we gotta ride a Greyhound bus.
Boy, we're bound to outrun the bad luck that's tailin' us
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer.
Up in the mountains, down by the ocean.
Where? It don't matter, as long as we're goin'
Somewhere together. I've got a quarter.
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
O--oh, California! Carolina! California!
"Head's Carolina, Tails California" is a song about two people looking for a fresh start in life. The singer suggests that they leave their small town and go on a road trip with no specific destination in mind. They decide to flip a coin to determine which direction they should go: heads, Carolina, or tails, California. The lyrics suggest that the couple is willing to go anywhere, as long as they are together. The idea of escaping is repeated throughout the song, and the two seem to be searching for an adventure in their lives.
The song's chorus reinforces the idea of searching for something better. It doesn't matter where they end up, as long as they are together. They are searching for something "greener" and "warmer," implying that they are looking for a change and hoping to find a better life somewhere else. The repetition of "Heads, Carolina, Tails, California" reinforces the idea of taking a chance and being willing to go wherever the coin takes them, regardless of the outcome.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, what do you say we just get lost?
Let's leave this place and start an adventure.
Leave this one horse town like two rebels without a cause.
Let's escape our dull small town and be reckless.
I got people in Boston.
We have contacts in Boston that we could visit.
Ain't your daddy still in Des Moines?
We can check in on your father in Des Moines.
We can pack up tomorrow.
We can leave this town as soon as tomorrow.
Tonight, let's flip a coin
We can decide between two options by flipping a coin tonight.
Heads, Carolina Tails, California.
We can choose between heading to Carolina or California.
Somewhere greener, somewhere warmer.
Let's go somewhere with nicer weather.
Up in the mountains, down by the ocean.
We can choose between a mountain or beach location.
Where? It don't matter, as long as we're goin' somewhere together.
The location doesn't matter as long as we're together on this adventure.
I've got a quarter.
We can flip a coin to decide between two locations.
We can load what we own in the back of a U-haul van.
We can fit everything we own in the back of a U-haul van.
Couple modern day Moses', searchin for the promised land.
We are like two pioneers on a journey to find a better place to live.
We can go four hundred miles before we stop for gas.
We can travel 400 miles without needing to stop for gas.
We can drive for a day, and then we'll take a look at the map.
After a day of driving, we can reevaluate our direction.
We're gonna get outta here if we gotta ride a Greyhound bus.
We'll leave any way possible, even if it means taking a bus.
Boy, we're bound to outrun the bad luck that's tailin' us
We believe leaving town will help us escape our bad luck.
O--oh, California! Carolina! California!
Excitement about the possibilities of Carolina or California.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TIM NICHOLS, MARK D SANDERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind