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.
Busted Heart
Bishop Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the shipwreck shores
Of a dark and strange country
I was born
A stranger thinking out loud
In a foreign tongue
I was out of place
Just a trying to find a friendly face
But they're all gone
And did you ever think
Did you ever think, think,
Lotta people everyday who will surely drown?
And did you ever think
Did you ever think, think,
Who left me all alone in this town?
And a busted heart
Is a welcome friend
And when that heart leaves
What will you do then?
And if I cry
Is that a sin?
And wisdom is a whisper
And I'm trying to understand
What I say, what I think,
Where I sleep, when I breathe
What I do with my hands
The lyrics to Bishop Allen's song "Busted Heart" paint a vivid picture of feeling lost and alone in a strange place. The singer takes the listener on a journey to "shipwreck shores of a dark and strange country," where they feel out of place and are struggling to find a friendly face. Despite this, the singer continues to wonder if anyone has considered the high number of people who will "surely drown" each day.
The chorus brings the theme of a "busted heart" to the forefront, and the singer seems to question whether it's better to have a broken heart as a constant companion or risk losing it altogether. The final lines speak to the struggle of trying to understand oneself and one's purpose in life.
Overall, the lyrics of "Busted Heart" capture the feeling of being lost, both physically and emotionally. The singer's poignant questions about the human condition and the search for meaning will resonate with many listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
Follow me
Come with me
To the shipwreck shores
To a place where all is lost and destroyed
Of a dark and strange country
Of an unfamiliar, eerie land
I was born
I started my life
A stranger thinking out loud
An unknown person speaking their thoughts
In a foreign tongue
In a language not known to me
I was out of place
I didn't belong
I was looking all around
I searched everywhere
Just a trying to find a friendly face
Simply trying to find a welcoming person
But they're all gone
Everyone has left
And did you ever think
Have you considered
Did you ever think, think,
Have you seriously thought, thought
Lotta people everyday who will surely drown?
Many will perish each day
And did you ever think
Have you considered
Did you ever think, think,
Have you seriously thought, thought
Who left me all alone in this town?
Who abandoned me in this place?
And a busted heart
A broken heart
Is a welcome friend
Is someone you can count on
And when that heart leaves
When that person is gone
What will you do then?
What will you do in that situation?
And if I cry
And if I weep
Is that a sin?
Is it wrongful?
And wisdom is a whisper
And knowledge is quietly spoken
And I'm trying to understand
I'm attempting to comprehend
What I say, what I think,
What I speak, what I ponder,
Where I sleep, when I breathe
Where I rest, when I inhale and exhale
What I do with my hands
What I perform using my hands
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christian Rudder, Justin Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind