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.
Dimmer
Bishop Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Am I just a little glimmer
like a tiny bobbing head
of an ocean swimmer?
Olly olly oxen free
Can you see me?
as I slowly eat my dinner?
Though my stomach might agree
I'm hardly getting thinner
Olly olly oxen free
Can you see me?
I would choose the darkest horse
That's the horse I'd ride
The stables would be shadowy
and we'd start the race behind
They'd take their feet
and toss their hats
and yell out in surprise
You wouldn't need binoculars
You'd see it with your own two eyes
Am I dimmer every day?
Am I shrinking, am I shrinking?
Can you recognize my thoughts?
Do you care what I am thinking?
Olly olly oxen free
Can you see me?
You see me now
but it takes a lot of squinting
and there isn't any shade
and the sun is unrelenting
Olly olly oxen free
Can you see me?
I would choose the darkest horse
That's the horse I'd ride
The stables would be shadowy
and we'd start the race behind
They'd take their feet
and toss their hats
and yell out in surprise
You wouldn't need binoculars
You'd see it with your own two eyes
In Bishop Allen's song "Dimmer," the lyrics evoke a sense of insecurity and the fear of fading into obscurity. The opening lines of the first verse ask, "Am I dimmer every day? / Am I just a little glimmer / like a tiny bobbing head / of an ocean swimmer?" The singer is worried about their dwindling presence in the world and feels like they are fading away. The use of ocean imagery in this verse adds to the sense of vastness and how small the singer feels.
The chorus of the song repeats the children's game chant, "Olly olly oxen free / Can you see me?" The singer is asking if anyone is paying attention to them, suggesting a feeling of loneliness in their insecurity. In the second verse, the singer wonders if they are disappearing as they eat their dinner, saying "Do I slowly get erased / as I slowly eat my dinner?"
The song's bridge repeats the idea that the singer would "choose the darkest horse" and that they would "start the race behind." This choice reflects the singer's feelings of being an underdog and overcoming obstacles. The final lines of the song come back to the question of whether anyone can see the singer, saying "You see me now / but it takes a lot of squinting."
Overall, "Dimmer" is a poignant and relatable exploration of the fear of being unnoticed and forgotten.
Line by Line Meaning
Am I dimmer every day?
Is my light fading day by day?
Am I just a little glimmer
Am I only a faint spark of hope?
like a tiny bobbing head
similar to the movement of a tiny swimmer in the vast ocean
of an ocean swimmer?
barely making progress in the great journey of life?
Olly olly oxen free
a nostalgic invitation to a game of hide and seek
Can you see me?
Do you notice me amidst the noise and chaos of the world?
Do I slowly get erased
Is my existence fading away?
as I slowly eat my dinner?
disappearing along with the enjoyment of everyday things
Though my stomach might agree
Even though my hunger is appeased
I'm hardly getting thinner
I'm not losing any weight, as a symbol for being unnoticed
I would choose the darkest horse
I would pick the most unlikely and unnoticed option
That's the horse I'd ride
that's what I'd go with despite the odds against me.
The stables would be shadowy
The place to begin would be dark and ominous
and we'd start the race behind
starting long after the competition has already begun
They'd take their feet
Other people would run forward with confidence
and toss their hats
even their most prized possessions they would willingly lose to race ahead
and yell out in surprise
all in shock as the dark horse arises ahead of them
You wouldn't need binoculars
No tool would ever be necessary to see the success
You'd see it with your own two eyes
All the clarity required would be visible without any aid
Can you recognize my thoughts?
Do you understand what I am thinking?
Do you care what I am thinking?
Does my existence matter to you?
You see me now
You notice me at the moment
but it takes a lot of squinting
but only after some deep observation and attention
and there isn't any shade
and there's no temporary escape from the scrutiny
and the sun is unrelenting
Life keeps on encumbering and remains relentless
Contributed by Joshua L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Atrok Antonio
Toi rober que padre que les dieras la letra para que hicieran tu canción, para tu video con tu elfa
Laura Taylor
Fave song by Bishop Allen. Life = Complete
Viga
This is like my theme song
Stardust'72
When I was 8 or 9 I saw this playing in an Abercrombie and Fitch while I was waiting for my mom to stop shopping, I could never figure out what it was and I’ve had really vague memories of this until I found it just now.
luckii starr
Saaaaammmeee, I just kept googling olly olly oxen free for a long long time like a weirdo until I vaguely remembered some more of the lyrics haha
Yasna Nuñez
This song is my life 3
John William K-L
Nice!
David Martinez Olivares
Vengo de te amo sobretodo en calzoncitos jaja
Lalo
totally
Jose Barrera
Au au