The band takes its name from Bishop Allen Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the two lived together after college and has released three albums, "Charm School" (2003), "The Broken String" (2007) and "Grrr..." (2009).
Charm School (2003)
Charm School was Bishop Allen's first record. Recorded in fits and starts over two years, it grew song-by-song as Rice and Rudder wrote and played in their spare time. They recorded all the instruments on the album's 13 songs themselves, using drum loops to hide the fact that neither is a drummer, and almost everything on the record was recorded one track at a time in an ordinary bedroom. Backing vocals by Bonnie Schiff-Glenn and Kate Dollenmayer and supplementary drums by Coll Anderson, all added in the album's final stages, completed the songs.
The EP Project (2006)
In 2006, Bishop Allen recorded and released an EP every month of the year. Each record was titled for the month of its release (January, February, and so on), and, with the exception of August, which was a 14-song live disc, each contained four new studio songs.
The Broken String (2007)
In November 2006, Bishop Allen signed to Dead Oceans, a new sister label to Secretly Canadian and Jagjaguwar, for a modest advance. They began recording a new record that January, at Blackwatch Studios in Norman, Oklahoma, and delivered it two months later. This is Bishop Allen's first true studio recording and was released by Dead Oceans on July 24, 2007.
Grrr.... (2009)
Released in March 2009, this doesn't stray from Bishop Allen's specific brand of lovely indie pop.
03 South China Moon
Bishop Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you trying to prove
Shining like a light, in the night
Put a thought in my head,
Make me worry instead
Burn a hole in my bed
Out of spite,
I just don't get it
There now I said it
I turn the light out
And now regret it (???)
Decide, decide, decide, decide it's true
And I'll come back to you
South china moon,
South china moon
How'd you get in my room?
(How'd you get in my room?)
Little pieces of you
(Little pieces of you)
So bright,
Painted silver and gray
(Painted silver and gray)
Do you think that's okay?
Almost looks like the day
(Almost looks like the day)
But not quite
I just don't get
There now I said it
I turn the light out
And I'll regret it,
Decide, decide, decide, and decide it's true
And I'll come back to you
I'm coming back to you
I'm coming back to you
I just don't get it
There now I said
I turn the light out
And I'll regret it
Decide, decide, decide, decide its true
I'm coming back to you
(South china moon)
I'm coming to you
(South china moon)
I'm coming back to you
In Bishop Allen's "South China Moon," the singer is puzzling over the titular celestial body and its meaning. The moon's brightness and presence disturb the singer's peace of mind, making them anxious and unable to sleep ("Put a thought in my head, make me worry instead, Burn a hole in my bed"). The singer questions the moon's motives, wondering what it is trying to prove by shining so brightly.
The moon acts as a symbol for an outside force that disturbs the singer's inner life. The idea of something so large and seemingly powerful being out of the singer's control is distressing. However, the singer ultimately decides to embrace the strange, chaotic energy of the moon and come back to it ("Decide, decide, decide and decide it's true, And I'll come back to you").
The lyrics of "South China Moon" offer a poignant meditation on the human experience of encountering something that is both beautiful and unsettling. When one is faced with such an enigma, uncertainty and anxiety can arise. However, the singer chooses to confront the mystery and allow it to lead them back to a sense of connection.
Line by Line Meaning
South China moon
The moon in the South China sky
What you trying to prove
Why are you shining so brightly in the night sky?
Shining like a light, in the night
You're glowing like a lamp in the darkness
Put a thought in my head,
You're making me think about something
Make me worry instead
And now I'm starting to get anxious
Burn a hole in my bed
Your brightness is so intense, it feels like it's burning a hole in my bed
Out of spite,
It almost feels like you're doing it on purpose, just to bother me
I just don't get it
I really don't understand why you're shining so brightly
There now I said it
I admitted that I don't understand
And now regret it (???)
I might regret speaking out like this
Decide, decide, decide, decide it's true
I need to make a decision about whether or not your brightness means something important
And I'll come back to you
If it does, I'll come back to try to figure it out
South china moon,
The moon in the South China sky
How'd you get in my room?
I don't understand how your brightness is affecting me indoors
(Little pieces of you)
I'm only seeing small parts of your overall presence
So bright,
But even those small pieces are very intense
Painted silver and gray
Your light seems to be taking on a color or tone that reminds me of silver and gray
Do you think that's okay?
I'm questioning whether your brightness is normal or if it means something else
Almost looks like the day
Your brightness is so intense that it almost looks like daytime outside
But not quite
Still, there's something different about it that I can't quite place
I'm coming back to you
I'll keep studying your brightness until I figure out what it means
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christian Rudder, Justin Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind