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.
Empire City
Bishop Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm looking for a good place to sit
All my lines get so complicated
That I take a fall into the orchestra pit
Samson suffered the same fate
Powerless and losing his hair
Somewhere in the wings there's a sensible whisper:
All the sneaky things we could do in the dark
And with every chance, I'd end up missing my mark
In the city of night, out in the city of snow
We kept playing the part where she's letting me go
She always reminds me:
We're playing the part where she's letting me go
Somewhere in the Empire City
Someone takes a curtain call
I'm so broke at the end of the evening
That you'll find me hopeless in the back of the hall
Brutus suffered the same fate
They left him all alone with his shame
Somewhere in the wings there's a sensible whisper:
When you wield the knife, learn to carry the blame
The song Empire City by Bishop Allen explores the themes of failure, powerlessness, and the performance aspect of life. The first verse talks about the struggle of the singer to find a good place to sit in the front of the footlights. The language used here metaphorically indicates that the singer is looking for a comfortable spot in life but does not know where to find it. The lines being complicated symbolize the difficulties faced by the singer in understanding and coping with life's challenges, leading him to fall into the orchestra pit. This also highlights the singer's powerlessness and inability to control his fate.
The second verse draws a parallel between the singer's fate and that of Samson and Brutus. The reference to Samson losing his hair and being powerless suggests the theme of vulnerability and the fleeting nature of power. Similarly, Brutus's shame and isolation signify the consequences of making the wrong choices. The sensible whisper in the wings represents the voice of reason and practicality that advises us to learn from our mistakes and carry the blame instead of blaming others.
The bridge of the song reflects upon missed opportunities and failed relationships. The sneaky things done in the dark allude to the regrets and mistakes of the past. The song then concludes with the singer's helpless state in the Empire City, which emphasizes the struggle of finding one's place and purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Somewhere in the front of the footlights
I am searching for a prominent spot in front of the stage
I'm looking for a good place to sit
I want a comfortable location to watch the show
All my lines get so complicated
My character's dialogues in the play are intricate and challenging to perform
That I take a fall into the orchestra pit
The complexity of my lines occasionally causes me to trip and tumble into the area where the musicians play
Samson suffered the same fate
The biblical character Samson went through a comparable ordeal
Powerless and losing his hair
Samson lost his strength when his hair got cut by his enemies
Somewhere in the wings there's a sensible whisper:
Behind the stage, people are tactful and offering good advice
When the hero dies, does the audience care?
The audience might not care when the principal character in a story dies
All the sneaky things we could do in the dark
All the secretive and underhanded deeds we could commit during the night
And with every chance, I'd end up missing my mark
Despite every opportunity that presents itself, I still seem to fail to accomplish my objective
In the city of night, out in the city of snow
In the dark urban area, out in the snowy streets
We kept playing the part where she's letting me go
We kept acting out the scene where she is leaving me behind
She always reminds me:
She keeps reminding me:
We're playing the part where she's letting me go
We are acting the scene where she is breaking up with me
Somewhere in the Empire City
Somewhere in the bustling metropolis
Someone takes a curtain call
Someone is receiving applause and taking a bow after the performance
I'm so broke at the end of the evening
I am extremely poor by the end of the night show
That you'll find me hopeless in the back of the hall
I will be in despair in the back of the auditorium
Brutus suffered the same fate
The Roman politician Brutus went through a comparable ordeal
They left him all alone with his shame
They left him isolated, filled with regret and remorse
When you wield the knife, learn to carry the blame
If you decide to deceive someone, be willing to receive the burden of guilt
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind