In 2001, Rikard Sjöblom and David Zackrisson founded Beardfish together with Petter Diamant on drums and Gabriel Olsson on bass. Drummer Petter Diamant subsequently left the band, and was replaced by Magnus Östgren in 2002; flautist and keyboardist Stefan Aronsson also joined.
Robert Hansen replaced Gabriel on bass, and Beardfish recorded their debut album Från en plats du ej kan se in Stefan's studio in 2003. Stefan left the band shortly thereafter. Despite "Från en plats..." being released and passing by quite unnoticed, Beardfish continued to tour as a four-piece band, with Rikard replacing Stefan's role as keyboardist. The end of 2003 was a very productive period for the band, and saw several demos being recorded.
The year of 2004 was largely uneventful for Beardfish, although they did start recording a second album. After that, however, it took the band nearly a year to begin recording once again.
Come 2005, the band was to be found secluded in a cottage outside the town of Gävle, Sweden preparing to record the rest of the material for their upcoming album.
Björn Arnell, a friend of the band, lent them recording equipment, an arsenal of keyboards and effect pedals, and helped them set things up in an old and stately dining room near town.
The band has described this period as a truly beautiful process, and many songs were recorded, most of them live. So many, in fact, that Beardfish had to release a double album. The Sane Day, their 2 CD album, was released in December 2005.
Almost immediately the band started to rehearse new material, and throughout June and July of 2006 they recorded what became Sleeping in Traffic: Part One. The album was practically finished by the end of the summer, and Beardfish was also asked to play the ProgDay festival in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. After this trip, during which they met Gary Green of Gentle Giant, they recorded one more song, called Roulette, and declared the album finished.
A few labels contacted the band, among them InsideOut Music, who wanted to release the new album. Beardfish signed to InsideOut at the end of the year.
New material continued to be written and recorded, and "Sleeping in Traffic: Part One" was released to many positive reviews. Sleeping in Traffic: Part Two was released in 2008.
In 2009, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater invited Beardfish to tour with them on the Progressive Nation tour, which they readily accepted. Rikard Sjöblom said of this, "When we read on a website that Mike Portnoy had our album "Sleeping in Traffic: Part One" among his favorite releases of 2007, we just couldn't believe it and we were really happy about it! And now we once again gasp for air since we've been asked to join Progressive Nation 2009 together with Dream Theater (one of the biggest bands in this genre today!), Pain of Salvation (hey, fellow Swedes!!!) and Zappa Plays Zappa (being a HUGE Zappa fan myself, I think this is really cool!). Since we've only played the US once before we simply can't wait to come over and rock out!"
Unfortunately, due to the bankruptcy of SPV and Beardfish's label InsideOut, both Beardfish and Pain of Salvation had to drop out of the Progressive Nation tour for 2009.
Beardfish's fifth release Destined Solitaire is available July 28, 2009 through InsideOut Records.
Their Myspace page is http://www.myspace.com/beardfishband
Tightrope
Beardfish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and tell you I love you
Even if you don't
Even if you don't
I'll say the words that I long to hear
"I hold you so dear"
I hold my breath in the moments that follow
Even though you don't
And then you speak so soft I can't hear a word that
you are saying
(what are you saying?)
She's singing songs of passion
She's singing songs of silence
Her words are bolts of lightning:
"What do you see when you look at me?
Am I the one or am I just another
androgynous friend in the passing
How weak am I?
When I'm not in your bed
Do I still figure in your head
Do you think of me in the night
when you can't sleep?"
And she's singing:
"I can never be with you"
I walk the tightrope
and tell you I love you
Even if you don't
Even if you don't
I'll say the words that I long to hear
"I hold you so dear"
The lyrics of Beardfish's "Tightrope" tell a story of a love-struck individual who is unsure whether they have the affections of their beloved. The first verse describes this uncertainty as the singer walks a tightrope, telling their love interest that they love them even if those feelings are not reciprocated. The chorus reveals the singer's vulnerability and desire for affection, as they express a longing to hear the words "I hold you so dear" even if they are not genuine. The second verse introduces a female character who is singing about her own struggles with unrequited love. She sings about her insecurity and fear of being just another passing lover. The chorus returns, with the singer once again walking the tightrope and declaring their love even if it goes unreturned.
In essence, "Tightrope" is a song about the heartache that comes with trying to navigate uncertain romantic relationships. Both the singer and the woman he sings about are struggling with the fear of rejection and the pain of unfulfilled desire. The song is poignant and introspective, capturing the emotional complexities of love and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
I walk the tightrope
I am in a precarious situation, trying to balance between my feelings and yours.
and tell you I love you
I express my affection towards you openly.
Even if you don't
Even if you don't reciprocate my feelings.
I'll say the words that I long to hear
I will verbalize my desire to hear expressions of love from you.
"I hold you so dear"
I deeply treasure and value my relationship with you.
I hold my breath in the moments that follow
After I express my love, I anxiously await your response.
Even though you don't
Even though you don't reciprocate my feelings.
And then you speak so soft I can't hear a word that you are saying
You respond with such ambiguity that it's hard for me to understand what you truly feel.
"She's singing songs of passion"
Another person is expressing their emotions with fervor and intensity.
"She's singing songs of silence"
But at other moments, they remain quiet and reserved.
"Her words are bolts of lightning:"
Their words have a powerful, electrifying impact.
"What do you see when you look at me?"
They question how the other person perceives them and whether they are valued in their eyes.
"Am I the one or am I just another androgynous friend in the passing"
They wonder whether they hold a significant place in the other person's life or if they are just another face in the crowd.
"How weak am I?"
They question their own emotional vulnerability and fragility.
"When I'm not in your bed"
They speculate what happens when they are not physically intimate with the other person.
"Do I still figure in your head"
They wonder if they are still on the other person's mind when they are not together.
"Do you think of me in the night when you can't sleep?"
They question whether they are a thought that keeps the other person awake at night.
And she's singing:
The other person continues to express their emotions through song.
"I can never be with you"
They make it clear that they cannot be intimately involved with the other person.
Contributed by Hailey J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.