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.
Texas
Bad Books Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Packed up her bags and then boarded that plane
And I guess that the time I figured you'd wait
Teary face, leaky breath, a bitter taste
Tripped out for 600 years
Who would have thought I'd make it last year?
In a way it makes sense that I died and reappeared
Calm down and make him a drink
Pretty small town and the gossip repeats
She took off her clothes and sat on the bed next to me
My heart is pumping my blood, your hearts not beating at all
In a way it makes sense that it isn't, it just never was
Right now, a sinful exchange
Once done, unspeakable shame
And I should've known where I took the blame
The sweat and the shame fireless flame
Please god don't take him too
Take me, a replicant fool
Lost a gear and now I hardly move
He's a kid, I'm a fool
Please son, where is your faith?
Take off your bushels set fire to your pain
You will heal like a cut, let it scar let it scab, let it stain
In a while I promise you'll see
You're alive, not the blemish or burns that you keep on your feet
I am a towel that is soaked to the core, heavier now than it's gotten before
And something inside of me needs more and more, sooner than later never no more
Sooner than later, never no more
The lyrics to Bad Books’s Texas are both beautiful and anguished, describing the aftermath of a breakup and the struggle to move forward. The singer’s lover has left him, and he is left grappling with his emotions and how to navigate his life now that she’s gone. He reflects on his own mortality and how he’s managed to survive this long, a reminder of the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing love while we have it. The beauty of the song lies in its honesty – the singer doesn’t try to pretend that he’s okay or that he knows how to fix the ache in his heart. Instead, he accepts it, and in doing so, allows the listener to feel their own pain.
The first verse sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer lamenting his lost love and the bittersweet realization that he expected her to wait for him. The second verse takes an unexpected turn, referencing the singer’s own mortality and suggesting that he has survived for a surprisingly long time. This juxtaposition of the mundane and the existential is one of the things that makes the song so compelling. The third verse tells a story of passion and shame, hinting at the possibility that the singer’s relationship fell apart because of infidelity. The chorus is a plea to a higher power, asking for mercy and for the singer’s own pain to be taken away instead of the one he loves.
Overall, Bad Books's Texas is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that captures the rawness and complexity of heartbreak. It’s a song that reminds us that love can be both wonderful and devastating, and that the pain of losing someone is something everyone can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
My love has gone away
The singer's significant other has left them.
Packed up her bags and then boarded that plane
The singer's love interest has physically left town.
And I guess that the time I figured you'd wait
The singer underestimated their love interest's willingness to wait for them.
Teary face, leaky breath, a bitter taste
The artist is experiencing intense sadness and bitterness.
Tripped out for 600 years
The artist has a long history of making questionable choices.
Who would have thought I'd make it last year?
The singer is surprised to still be alive.
In a way it makes sense that I died and reappeared
The singer has changed significantly and feels like a new person.
As that fly you've been swatting for years
The artist feels insignificant and unimportant compared to everything around them.
Calm down and make him a drink
The artist is trying to diffuse a tense situation by offering a drink.
Pretty small town and the gossip repeats
The town the artist is in is small and the rumors about them keep circulating.
She took off her clothes and sat on the bed next to me
The singer is recounting a sexual encounter they had with someone.
My heart is pumping my blood, your hearts not beating at all
The artist feels deeply and passionately about something while the other person involved does not feel anything in return.
In a way it makes sense that it isn't, it just never was
The singer realizes that their feelings were one-sided all along.
Right now, a sinful exchange
The singer is engaging in something they know is morally wrong.
Once done, unspeakable shame
After the singer engages in this act, they will feel extreme guilt.
And I should've known where I took the blame
The artist recognizes that they are responsible for a situation that has gone wrong.
The sweat and the shame fireless flame
The artist feels incredibly embarrassed and ashamed.
Please god don't take him too
The singer is praying that someone they care about will not suffer a similar fate.
Take me, a replicant fool
The singer is willing to take someone else's place, even if it means being a copy of who they were before.
Lost a gear and now I hardly move
The artist feels like they are not functioning at full capacity.
He's a kid, I'm a fool
The artist feels like they are old and foolish compared to someone else involved in the situation.
Please son, where is your faith?
The artist is questioning someone's belief in something.
Take off your bushels set fire to your pain
The singer is urging someone to let go of their pain and emotional baggage.
You will heal like a cut, let it scar let it scab, let it stain
The artist is telling someone that pain will heal over time, but it will leave marks.
In a while I promise you'll see
The singer is encouraging someone to be patient and eventually they will understand.
You're alive, not the blemish or burns that you keep on your feet
The singer believes that someone is more than the physical scars they carry with them.
I am a towel that is soaked to the core, heavier now than it's gotten before
The singer feels like they have absorbed a lot of negativity.
And something inside of me needs more and more, sooner than later never no more
The artist feels incomplete and needs to fill a void, but knows they cannot keep living as they have been.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JOHN ANDREW HULL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind