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.
Chinatown Bus
Bishop Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And slept the whole way up by 95
The driver, cut and weaved so crazy, just his luck kept him alive and I guess I believe his rhythm on that morning after New Year's Eve
And I remember Shanghai
How I wasn't sure just what was safe to eat
The chickens pecked and wandered at the bare feet of the children hawking figurines of workers smiling
What's the Chinese word for cheese?
Watched a sidewalk butcher
His instinctive understanding made the carcass snap and clarify beneath his nimble hand that held the knife so long, so many times, the handles' changed to shapes just like his fingers and his palms
And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
Anymore
It's 2AM in Tokyo
And still too soon to call back to the people who will soon begin the day I polished off and I will walk a mile amidst the neon lights that advertise
I don't know just what they sell
I tell the taxi driver
To the Park Hyatt-o
And his gloves are pristine white, just like the girls I used to know would wear to dance their first cotillion
Every single one of them named Jennifer
I clutched at the Saint Christopher
I picked up at some country abbey long ago when I believed he'd keep me safe and make me happy but it seems the luck he brings is not the common currency a penny in Japan
And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
And I, I am a broken glass
Shards upon the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
Anymore
The song "The Chinatown Bus" by Bishop Allen tells a story of someone traveling through various cities and feeling disconnected, lost, and broken. The song begins with the singer describing their experience on a bus in Chinatown, where they slept the whole way and the driver's crazy driving made them question their safety. The singer then reminisces about their time in Shanghai, where they were unsure of what was safe to eat and saw children selling figurines of workers. It's not clear what the singer is searching for in these places, but the imagery suggests that they are trying to find some sort of connection or understanding of the world.
The singer then travels to Tokyo and describes the neon lights and taxis. They mention a taxi driver who wears pristine white gloves reminiscent of debutantes' cotillion gloves, and the singer clutches a St. Christopher medal for protection, hoping that it will bring them happiness and safety in Japan. But despite these attempts, the singer feels broken and disconnected, like a shattered glass that won't hold anything anymore.
The lyrics of the song are written in a way that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. One possible reading is that the singer is searching for something intangible that they can't quite grasp. They travel from place to place, trying to find meaning in their experiences, but they are unable to connect with anything. The use of imagery in the song, like the children selling figurines and the pristine white gloves, adds a dreamlike quality to the lyrics and suggests that the singer is searching for something that may not be real or attainable. Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on the feeling of disconnection that can come with traveling and trying to find your place in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
I caught the bus in Chinatown
I boarded a bus in the Chinatown area
And slept the whole way up by 95
I slept the entire bus journey along the 95 highway
The driver, cut and weaved so crazy, just his luck kept him alive and I guess I believe his rhythm on that morning after New Year's Eve
The driver drove recklessly, but luckily survived. Perhaps due to the New Year's Eve hangover, I believed his driving to have some rhythm.
And I remember Shanghai
I recall my visit to Shanghai
How I wasn't sure just what was safe to eat
I was uncertain about the safety of the food available there
The chickens pecked and wandered at the bare feet of the children hawking figurines of workers smiling
The barefoot children sold figurines of smiling workers while chickens pecked around them
What's the Chinese word for cheese?
I wondered what cheese is called in Chinese
Watched a sidewalk butcher
I observed a butcher working on the sidewalk
His instinctive understanding made the carcass snap and clarify beneath his nimble hand that held the knife so long, so many times, the handles' changed to shapes just like his fingers and his palms
The butcher's skillful handling of the knife made the carcass fall into perfect pieces under his experienced hands. The handles of the knife have changed shape due to the extensive use.
And I, I am a broken glass
I am like a shattered glass
Shards upon the floor
Pieces scattered on the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
I cannot hold anything anymore
It's 2AM in Tokyo
It is 2 AM in Tokyo
And still too soon to call back to the people who will soon begin the day
It is still early to call people who are about to begin their day
I polished off and I will walk a mile amidst the neon lights that advertise
After finishing something, I will walk a mile surrounded by neon lights that advertise something.
I don't know just what they sell
I am not sure what is being advertised
I tell the taxi driver
I instruct the taxi driver
To the Park Hyatt-o
To the Park Hyatt hotel
And his gloves are pristine white, just like the girls I used to know would wear to dance their first cotillion
The gloves of the driver are spotlessly white, like the ones girls wear for their first cotillion dance.
Every single one of them named Jennifer
All the girls I knew were named Jennifer
I clutched at the Saint Christopher
I held onto the Saint Christopher medal
I picked up at some country abbey long ago when I believed he'd keep me safe and make me happy but it seems the luck he brings is not the common currency a penny in Japan
I obtained the medal from a rural abbey. I believed it would bring me safety and happiness, but now it seems its luck is not valued in Japan.
And I, I am a broken glass
I am like a shattered glass
Shards upon the floor
Pieces scattered on the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
I cannot hold anything anymore
And I, I am a broken glass
I am like a shattered glass
Shards upon the floor
Pieces scattered on the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
I cannot hold anything anymore
And I, I am a broken glass
I am like a shattered glass
Shards upon the floor
Pieces scattered on the floor
Won't hold nothing anymore
I cannot hold anything anymore
Anymore
Not to the same extent as I used to
Contributed by Alaina M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.