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.
starts with you
American Aquarium Lyrics
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If that's the truth then friend I′m dying
I spent a lifetime salvaging shipwrecks
Falling so long, I thought I was flying
I've been falling so long I thought I was flying
Most folks I know don't have a problem
Reaching out when they′re in trouble
Laughs and asks you for a shovel
I just laugh and ask you for a shovel
Any day that ends in "y" is a good day to wreck it
Rip it all to pieces just to start brand new
But then I met you and changed my way of thinking
Now I don't want a day that doesn′t start with you
Don't want a day that doesn′t start with you
She said, "Why do you play all them sad songs?
Who went and hurt you so badly?"
I just laughed and said, "Baby, them sad songs
Is the only thing that makes me happy"
Yeah, sad songs that make me happy
Like a dream she disappeared into the distance
That's when I knew that I′d been bitten
She made me smile more in that instant
Than any sad song ever written
Yeah, every sad song ever written
Any day that ends in "y" is a good day to wreck it
Rip it all to pieces just to start brand new
But then I met you and changed my way of thinking
Now I don't want a day that doesn't start with you
Don′t want a day that doesn′t start
Well, I've been running down these roads for my whole life
Set up shop on the wrong ones at least a couple dozen times
All of this to say
I just had to get out of my own way
To get to you
′Cause any day that ends in "y" is a good day to wreck it
Rip it all to pieces just to start brand new
But then I met you and changed my way of thinking
Now I don't want a day that doesn′t start with you
Don't want a day that doesn′t start with you
American Aquarium's "Starts With You" is a song that touches upon self-destruction, struggling with mental health, and finding love as a way of redemption. The lyrics "They say you're only as sick as your secrets, If that's the truth then friend I'm dying" is a statement on how harboring secrets can eat away at an individual from the inside. The singer of the song has spent a lifetime trying to recover from his emotional wreckage, but his efforts were in vain. In "Falling so long, I thought I was flying, I've been falling so long I thought I was flying," the singer expresses how he's been tumbling or making mistakes for so long that he sometimes feels that, in fact, he's doing well.
The singer of the song is a self-destructive person who is still alive and cannot seem to get out of his own way. He laughs at his sorrow, hitting rock-bottom because he doesn't know how to find a way out. Until he meets someone, the song takes a turn when he finds love. The chorus "Don't want a day that doesn't start with you" talks about how his perspective has shifted, and he has found something to live for. The love he's found helps him change his way of thinking from just ripping things apart to start fresh and towards building a life with someone special.
Line by Line Meaning
They say you're only as sick as your secrets
People's hidden secrets can harm their health.
If that's the truth then friend I'm dying
The singer is struggling with their secrets and how they are affecting their well-being.
I spent a lifetime salvaging shipwrecks
The singer has spent a long time trying to fix things that have gone wrong in their life.
Falling so long, I thought I was flying / I've been falling so long I thought I was flying
The artist has been struggling for so long that they have become numb to their problems and are unable to see how serious they are.
Most folks I know don't have a problem / Reaching out when they're in trouble
Most people are comfortable asking for help when they need it, but the artist is not.
But I'm the kind of guy that hits rock bottom / Laughs and asks you for a shovel / I just laugh and ask you for a shovel
The singer has hit rock bottom so many times that it has become a joke to them, but they still need help getting back up.
Any day that ends in 'y' is a good day to wreck it / Rip it all to pieces just to start brand new
The singer has a destructive tendency and is willing to start over no matter what day it is.
But then I met you and changed my way of thinking / Now I don't want a day that doesn't start with you / Don't want a day that doesn't start with you
The artist has found someone who has changed their outlook on life and they don't want to live a day without them.
She said, 'Why do you play all them sad songs? / Who went and hurt you so badly?'
The artist's love interest questions the reason behind the artist's tendency to listen to sad songs.
I just laughed and said, 'Baby, them sad songs / Is the only thing that makes me happy' / Yeah, sad songs that make me happy
The artist finds comfort in sad songs as they relate to their own struggles and bring them a sense of catharsis.
Like a dream she disappeared into the distance / That's when I knew that I'd been bitten / She made me smile more in that instant / Than any sad song ever written / Yeah, every sad song ever written
The singer is struck by the sudden impact this person has had on their life and how they have brought them more joy than any song ever could.
Well, I've been running down these roads for my whole life / Set up shop on the wrong ones at least a couple dozen times / All of this to say / I just had to get out of my own way / To get to you
The artist has made mistakes in life but realizes that they needed to overcome their own obstacles to find the person who has changed their perspective.
Writer(s): Bradley Justin Barham
Contributed by Brayden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.