Over 15 years, Richard has carved out a corner of hip-hop history by unraveling ornate and dust-caked yarns, often over beat-addled soundscapes, as on his seminal “Language Arts” album series (Anticon released part three, Man Overboard, in ’01), and unadorned as well (he recently became host of CBC’s “Radio 2 Drive” show). For his last record, 2007’s Situation (released on Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label), the man crafted an entire song-cycle around the narrative minutiae of 1957—Rich’s love for a good story is famous. Considering, he couldn’t have found a better partner for his latest work.
Joëlle was raised in Brussels by her Vietnamese mother, a painter and a chef, and remembers fondly the piquant scents she’d chase around mom’s restaurant. She was infatuated with the piano at her primary school, and took lessons when she wasn’t painting or tinkering with music boxes. She learned cello too, pursued photography (she’s now a successful digital video artist), and studied music theory in college, where she discovered that art-making brought back her childhood memories in vivid detail. She has magic secrets—and perhaps a touch of clairvoyance—that she put to work in creating 2006’s striking Greetings From Tuskan LP debut, Lullabies For The Warriors. To this day, there are details that even Rich doesn’t understand about Joëlle’s immaculate productions. Naturally, that’s another detail that he loves.
Bike For Three!’s constituent parts have never met in person, and they might not ever. She found him, and their story unfurls in real time along with their songs. Joëlle sends Rich music; Rich writes to the moods and movements that she’s designed; Joëlle nurtures each piece into an animate whole. Bf3! actually finds Buck 65 eschewing traditional narrative forms in favor of an intimate stream of consciousness (offset by tight rhyme cadence) that mines the craggier depths of romance both requited and out-of-reach, real and imagined (which perfectly befits Bf3!’s working relationship). The things Rich wouldn’t speak of in conversation thus become part of the conversation happening on record.
More Heart Than Brains, Bf3!’s album debut, is Buck 65’s first record to feature all electronic production. Of course, Joëlle has a few acoustic tricks up her sleeve—those music boxes from her youth, for instance—and an approach that seats her comfortably amongst such mercurial beat auteurs as Boom Bip, Modeselektor, Michna, and labelmate Alias. That Rich returns to Anticon a nearly decade later to release his most personal album yet is both an honor and the logical continuation of the label’s own story (Sage Francis did the same with Personal Journals in ’02). As for Bike For Three!, consider this Chapter One.
All There Is to Say About Love
Bike For Three! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Under a magnifying glass in the sun.
You ran fast and you won. It takes time to heal a wing.
A hundred year old photograph doesn't feel a thing.
Tracked courses. The parable lacked sources.
Unbearable first memories of terrible black horses.
Question the funeral procession and the pageant.
The home we chose vs. the one that we imagined.
Break chains...
Make change...
Break chains...
I was boxing with a ghost and drawing maps
While bells were accidentally announcing the collapse.
Trial by journalist and crushed beneath heavy light.
Child's handwriting: I cry for you every night.
... the lonely end. I love you. You're my only friend.
Sailor vs. salesman and nothing bores a genius.
Oceans and time zones. Six doors between us.
Eyes that burn holes through people and indignant hisses.
Alone in our rooms with cures for malignant kisses.
Oh my God. Oh my god. The broken man that cries, 'believe me'.
Merciless, the wind at night and scared to death, my eyes deceive me.
Tie my hands behind my back. Question marks surround my head.
My legs know how to love someone. Alas, there's walls around my bed.
Over the phone, it's good to know we're not alone
With all the broken parts in the world and our own.
The sleeping ache. All the messes that we make.
Sound, you can count on me to come around when you break.
The lyrics of "All There Is to Say About Love" by Bike For Three! present a series of metaphors and images that evoke different aspects of love, from its joys and victories to its pains and losses. The opening lines introduce the image of dragonflies and a gunshot, which can be interpreted as symbols of fleeting beauty and sudden violence. The next line, "Under a magnifying glass in the sun," suggests perhaps the scrutiny and intensity that love can bring to a relationship. The line "You ran fast and you won" implies a sense of achievement and success, but also hints at the fragility of things won too easily. The line "It takes time to heal a wing" speaks to the idea that love, like a physical injury, requires time and care to recover from.
The lyrics then move through a series of fragmented scenes and memories that touch on different aspects of love and relationships. The line "A hundred year old photograph doesn't feel a thing" may suggest the nostalgia and longing that can be stirred by old memories and mementos. The line "Question the funeral procession and the pageant / The home we chose vs. the one that we imagined" speaks to the idea that love and relationships can be fraught with difficult choices and competing desires.
The second half of the song continues to present vivid images and metaphors that evoke different aspects of love, such as "Trial by journalist and crushed beneath heavy light" and "Child's handwriting: I cry for you every night." The line "Sailor vs. salesman and nothing bores a genius" may suggest the tension between pursuing one's ambitions and desires versus being content with simplicity and ease. The final lines of the song, "The sleeping ache. All the messes that we make. / Sound, you can count on me to come around when you break," speak to the idea that love can be messy and painful, but also that it can offer comfort and support in times of need.
Line by Line Meaning
Dragonflies and the agonizing blast from a gun.
An unusual and contrasting natural phenomenon is threatened and destroyed by a violent and destructive force.
Under a magnifying glass in the sun.
Examined closely, scrutinized.
You ran fast and you won. It takes time to heal a wing.
You achieved something quickly and triumphantly, but recovery from an injury or setback will take a while.
A hundred year old photograph doesn't feel a thing.
Even though a photograph is a historical record of emotion, subjects in it cannot feel the emotion conveyed.
Tracked courses. The parable lacked sources.
Journeys or paths have been followed, but the story being told lacks credible origins or evidence.
Unbearable first memories of terrible black horses.
Early memories are horrifying and involve dark and frightening things.
Question the funeral procession and the pageant.
Challenging the ceremony and tradition around death and mourning.
The home we chose vs. the one that we imagined.
The reality of our living situation differs from the idealized version we had envisioned.
Break chains...
Free ourselves from constraints.
Make change...
Create something new and meaningful.
I was boxing with a ghost and drawing maps
Struggling with an intangible force while attempting to plan and navigate one's life.
While bells were accidentally announcing the collapse.
Amidst chaos and destruction, a seemingly positive sign is actually a harbinger of terrible things to come.
Trial by journalist and crushed beneath heavy light.
Public scrutiny can be intense, oppressive, and damaging.
Child's handwriting: I cry for you every night.
Expressing pain and sadness in a vulnerable and innocent way.
... the lonely end. I love you. You're my only friend.
Facing a solitary death, expressing deep feelings for the only person who gave them comfort and companionship.
Sailor vs. salesman and nothing bores a genius.
Pitting two very different types of people against each other, and noting that even smart and creative people need stimulation and interest.
Oceans and time zones. Six doors between us.
Physical distance makes it difficult for people to connect.
Eyes that burn holes through people and indignant hisses.
Anger and aggression that are palpable.
Alone in our rooms with cures for malignant kisses.
Trying to cope with and heal from toxic relationships in isolation.
Oh my God. Oh my god. The broken man that cries, 'believe me'.
Desperation, loneliness, and a desire for validation.
Merciless, the wind at night and scared to death, my eyes deceive me.
Facing frightening scenarios and not trusting one's own judgment or senses.
Tie my hands behind my back. Question marks surround my head.
Feeling helpless and confused.
My legs know how to love someone. Alas, there's walls around my bed.
Physically, I am capable of expressing love, but emotionally, I am unable to connect with others.
Over the phone, it's good to know we're not alone
Distance does not necessarily equate to loneliness.
With all the broken parts in the world and our own.
Acknowledging the brokenness and imperfection of the world and ourselves.
The sleeping ache. All the messes that we make.
Pain and discomfort that exist under the surface of our lives, caused by our own mistakes and missteps.
Sound, you can count on me to come around when you break.
Offering emotional support and willingness to help when a friend is struggling.
Contributed by Owen R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cheesecake134
"I cry for you every night. The lonely end. I love you. You're my only friend." Well goddamn, now I'm profoundly sad.
@Koniaku
just herd it on nme! wicked tune! thanks for video
@aaroozz
i love you
@sodypopy
i gave you the rose when you sang this song at the Troubador!! 11-4-07
@pilgrimbomb
i was there and i remember that . came back to this song today just for the feelz
@danieljoda
Dustin werbeski bring me here