A t… Read Full Bio ↴Bad Books, simply put, is Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra.
A true accident if there ever was one; Bad Books was never an intended nor calculated side project of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull. Though the two musicians have collaborated and performed together on tour and within the Favorite Gentlemen community of artists for years now, the genesis of Bad Books came from a simple idea to fill space and time off the road by collaborating on a small batch of songs together at the top of the year. With no agenda and no expectations, what was birthed just one week later was Bad Books, a fully realized album encompassing five compositions each from both Devine and Hull, with the members of Manchester Orchestra filling out the sound and the band. The self-titled debut will be released October 19th, 2010 via Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, the record label that was founded and has been run by Manchester Orchestra since 2007.
As songwriters go, Hull and Devine could not be further apart in terms of creative approach. The methodical wordsmith Devine, an English major from Fordham, is known to pine away for great lengths of time just to accurately pin-point one word within a lyric. “I was doing a take of ‘You’re A Mirror I Cannot Avoid’ and stopped myself for fifteen minutes because I was having trouble justifying ending two lines in the same chorus with the word ‘back.’ Just sitting there, staring at the screen, writing different word choices. I asked Andy if he thought it mattered, and he said, ‘Of course it doesn’t.’ Somewhere in that exchange is I think what differentiates us as songwriters. I think Andy trusts his instincts to lead him to the right place in a song, and sometimes I want to outthink my instincts because I’m scared of repeating myself, of resting on my laurels. And I think together, those two approaches meshed really, really well,” Devine said.
Hull echoes that sentiment: “Kevin is very meticulous, where I came in with a few ideas and fleshed them out literally as we were recording. Kevin’s songs were awesome and he was cool enough for me to throw in some ideas to change a part or add a bridge here or there.”
In contrast to previous outputs from Manchester Orchestra and Devine, Bad Books cradles a much more noticeable pop aesthetic and energy than either artist has probably ever showcased before. Nowhere is this more evident than in songs like “You Wouldn’t Have To Ask” and “Holding Down the Laughter”.
Engineered by Robert McDowell (of Manchester Orchestra) with help from drummer Ben Homola, and mixed by Chris Bracco (of Devine’s ‘Goddamn Band’), Bad Books progressed in the most organic and natural way possible. Free from any boundaries or restrictions, Devine and Hull were able to craft a beautiful body of melodies, highlighting arcs of high and low throughout, and utilizing the stark imagery and storytelling for which both of them are known. “There was no governing framework,” Devine says: “No, ‘let’s write these kind of songs and say these kind of things’. We just wrote, arranged and played each song to its end, followed where it led, and I think it brought us both to some pretty unexpected places.”
For Devine, Hull, and the rest of Manchester Orchestra, choosing the direction of the road less travelled resulted in sonic harmonies and woven textures that meshed what these best friends do best. Some accidents were just meant to be.
Petite Mort
Bad Books Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Petit Mort, I sang until you slept
Petit Mort, you took yourself, you bastard
Petit Mort, now sleeping's all that's left
You took apart the sympathetic angle
When you catered to the bitterness inside
Aligned yourself with depths I couldn't handle
Gathered a bouquet
Roses and posies
And straightened my tie
When I got there, you were nowhere I could find
Through layer after layer of subconscious
I hunted for a reason in the woods
I tore apart the map and started backwards
I couldn't picture living there for good
I left you there to finish setting fires
I left you there to propagate your lie
I left you there cos honey, I was tired
I left you but that doesn't make it right
I remember your bedroom
Ivy and clover
You kept me alive
Knives drawn, the butcher world waited outside
Petit Mort, I asked you for an answer
Petit Mort, I sang until you slept
Petit Mort, you took yourself, you bastard
Petit Mort, now sleeping's all that's left
The title of the song, "Petite Mort," means “little death” in French, which is also a euphemism for orgasm. However, the lyrics of the song describe a difficult and painful breakup. The first verse shows the singer addressing the person he has broken up with, whom he refers to as “Petit Mort” (little death). He sings that he had asked them for answers and even sang until they slept, but now all that’s left is sleeping. This could mean that after the painful breakup, they can only find solace in sleeping, as they are unable to move on from the pain.
In the second verse, the singer talks about how “Petite Mort” destroyed the good side of him and brought out the bitterness inside. He says that “Petit Mort” has aligned himself with depths that he couldn’t handle and that he experiences a million daily deaths before he dies. This could mean that the breakup has left him feeling tired and hopeless, as he is unable to find happiness in life.
The last verse talks about how the singer left “Petite Mort” to finish setting fires and propagate their lie. He left them because he was tired, but he acknowledges that it doesn’t make it right. The lyrics describe the painful memories of being in “Petite Mort’s” bedroom, surrounded by ivy and clovers. The knives of the world were waiting outside, and even though the two have parted ways, the singer still remembers the time they spent together in this room. The song captures the raw emotions and complexities of a difficult breakup and the aftermath that people often face.
Line by Line Meaning
Petit Mort, I asked you for an answer
I requested an answer from you, petit mort.
Petit Mort, I sang until you slept
I sang until you fell asleep, petit mort.
Petit Mort, you took yourself, you bastard
You grabbed hold of yourself, you rascal, petit mort.
Petit Mort, now sleeping's all that's left
Now all that remains is sleeping, petit mort.
You took apart the sympathetic angle
You dismantled the sympathetic outlook.
When you catered to the bitterness inside
When you favoured the bitterness within.
Aligned yourself with depths I couldn't handle
You aligned yourself with depths I couldn't manage.
A million daily deaths before you die
Before you die, you undergo millions of deaths, day after day.
Gathered a bouquet
I picked up a bouquet.
Roses and posies
Comprising roses and posies.
And straightened my tie
And adjusted my tie.
When I got there, you were nowhere I could find
Upon arrival, you were nowhere to be seen.
Through layer after layer of subconscious
Through numerous layers of the subconscious.
I hunted for a reason in the woods
I scouted for a reason in the forest.
I tore apart the map and started backwards
I ripped the map apart and commenced heading in the opposite direction.
I couldn't picture living there for good
I could not envision living there permanently.
I left you there to finish setting fires
I abandoned you there to finish setting blazes.
I left you there to propagate your lie
I left you there to spread your deceit.
I left you there cos honey, I was tired
I left you there because, darling, I was exhausted.
I left you but that doesn't make it right
But my departure does not make it correct.
I remember your bedroom
I recall your bedroom.
Ivy and clover
Covered in ivy and clover.
You kept me alive
You kept me from dying.
Knives drawn, the butcher world waited outside
The butcher world lurked outside, knives at the ready.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Kevin Devine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gk47_70
Petit Mort, I asked you for an answer
Petit Mort, I sang until you slept
Petit Mort, you took yourself, you bastard
Petit Mort, now sleeping's all that's left
You took apart the sympathetic angle
When you catered to the bitterness inside
Aligned yourself with depths I couldn't handle
A million daily deaths before you die
Gathered a bouquet
Roses and posies
And straightened my tie
When I got there, you were nowhere I could find
Through layer after layer of subconscious
I hunted for a reason in the woods
I tore apart the map and started backwards
I couldn't picture living there for good
I left you there to finish setting fires
I left you there to propagate your lie
I left you there cos honey, I was tired
I left you but that doesn't make it right
I remember your bedroom
Ivy and clover
You kept me alive
Knives drawn, the butcher world waited outside
Petit Mort, I asked you for an answer
Petit Mort, I sang until you slept
Petit Mort, you took yourself, you bastard
Petit Mort, now sleeping's all that's left
@mechazoids
This band is so underrated
@gk47_70
Petit Mort, I asked you for an answer
Petit Mort, I sang until you slept
Petit Mort, you took yourself, you bastard
Petit Mort, now sleeping's all that's left
You took apart the sympathetic angle
When you catered to the bitterness inside
Aligned yourself with depths I couldn't handle
A million daily deaths before you die
Gathered a bouquet
Roses and posies
And straightened my tie
When I got there, you were nowhere I could find
Through layer after layer of subconscious
I hunted for a reason in the woods
I tore apart the map and started backwards
I couldn't picture living there for good
I left you there to finish setting fires
I left you there to propagate your lie
I left you there cos honey, I was tired
I left you but that doesn't make it right
I remember your bedroom
Ivy and clover
You kept me alive
Knives drawn, the butcher world waited outside
Petit Mort, I asked you for an answer
Petit Mort, I sang until you slept
Petit Mort, you took yourself, you bastard
Petit Mort, now sleeping's all that's left
@callumlightfoot7888
fav song on the album
@isabella4611
used to listen to this song years ago when it just came out i was about 14. always loved this song and i felt like it was a warning for my mums death at 16. im glad to have found this song again
@debrajanosko509
got to dig bad books
@MelodramaticFool21
One of my favorites
@annaryan1675
thank you Linus
@IvysPanicRoom
thats amazing.
@TheNatedogg56
Whoa, it's like Figure 8 era Elliott Smith. This is amazing.
@jeralddean9432
Kevin Devine tends to play with a lot of the same recording techniques, and, often, even uses D-Standard tuning, much like Smith. Seems to be a major influence, and he carried it with him as he approached Bad Books.