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.
Queen of the Rummage Sale
Bishop Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The curator of a great collage
She would rescue every beautiful thing
The brick-a-brack, the hodgepodge
And stack the boxes in her parents' garage
I had to learn how to travel light
With a satchel and an old suitcase
It really wears you down
Cause you're never standing in one place
Odds and ends held together with safety pins
I know there's a lot to fix
So I'm taking it stitch by stitch
If we can, gonna build us a promised land
It comes to us secondhand
I think we'll do fine
Now we're driving down the palisades
It feels good to get out of town
And we're stopping at every yard sale sign
Or use the classified to track ‘em down.
She takes my hand and leads me around
These are colors that I've never seen
So sudden and so bright
In the places that I've been before
And I realize that I'm looking through her eyes
Odds and ends held together with safety pins
I know there's a lot to fix
So I'm taking it stitch by stitch
If we can, gonna build us a promised land
It comes to us secondhand
I think we'll do fine
Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.
I carry boxes up a hundred stairs
And she unpacks and laughs and cheers
And I finally put my suitcase down
Between the picture frames and souvenirs
I think I'll stay for a thousand years
If we can, gonna build us a promised land
It comes to us secondhand
I think we'll do fine
And if we fail we can follow a bread crumb trail
Drop a coin in a wishing well
I think we'll do fine
And in the end we'll be calling up all our friends
All our friends think we'll do fine
The Queen of the Rummage Sale is an uplifting song by Bishop Allen about a girl who loves collecting things from yard sales and flea markets. She is described as a curator of a great collage, rescuing every beautiful thing, and stacking boxes of brick-a-brack and hodgepodge in her parents' garage. Through the song, the singer speaks of how this girl changed his life and taught him how to travel light. Together, they go on a road trip, traveling down the palisades, stopping at every yard sale sign, and using classified ads to track them down. The girl shows him things he has never seen before, and the singer realizes that he is looking through her eyes. The song ends positively, with the singer saying that they will build themselves a promised land by taking things secondhand, and they will do fine even if they fail because they will have each other and all their friends to call on.
Line by Line Meaning
She was the queen of the rummage sale
She was the expert at rummage sales, the one who knew how to find treasures amidst the trash
The curator of a great collage
She had an eye for art and was able to compile seemingly unrelated things to create something beautiful
She would rescue every beautiful thing
She had a tendency to save things that were still good but others may have thrown away
The brick-a-brack, the hodgepodge
She collected various items of all shapes and sizes, without caring if they matched or not
And stack the boxes in her parents' garage
She stored her many treasures in her parents' garage, possibly for future use or sale
I had to learn how to travel light
The singer realised that they had to leave behind some possessions while travelling, due to the abundance of things they had gathered in the past
With a satchel and an old suitcase
The singer had to make do with just a small bag and a suitcase, as opposed to previously having many boxes of items
It really wears you down
The process of carrying heavy possessions can take a toll on one's body or mind over time
To carry on at that pace
To keep travelling and carrying belongings around can become tiring and exhausting
Cause you're never standing in one place
When travelling frequently, one is unable to stay in one place for an extended period of time
Odds and ends held together with safety pins
She took items that were broken or missing parts and held them together with safety pins to make them whole again or usable
I know there's a lot to fix
The artist acknowledges that things may be broken or incomplete, but they want to take the time to fix them
So I'm taking it stitch by stitch
The singer plans to fix everything bit by bit, without feeling overwhelmed
If we can, gonna build us a promised land
By fixing what is broken, the singer hopes to create a future place where things are at their best
It comes to us secondhand
The items they find are often used, but still have value or meaning to the singer
I think we'll do fine
The artist is optimistic about the outcome of their efforts, and believes things will work out
Now we're driving down the palisades
The artist and the rummage sale expert are travelling down a scenic route
It feels good to get out of town
Travelling and exploring new areas can be refreshing and rejuvenating
And we're stopping at every yard sale sign
The rummage sale expert is eager to explore every possible place where she can find interesting items
Or use the classified to track ‘em down.
The rummage sale expert also looks through newspapers and other ads to find hidden items
She takes my hand and leads me around
The rummage sale expert shows the artist all of the interesting things that she has found
These are colors that I've never seen
The artist is amazed by the variety of new colors and patterns they are encountering
So sudden and so bright
The excitement of discovering unexpected and unique things can be overwhelming
In the places that I've been before
The artist has travelled before, but has never seen anything quite like this before
And I realize that I'm looking through her eyes
The rummage sale expert has opened the singer's eyes to new things, experiences and ways of seeing the world
I carry boxes up a hundred stairs
The singer is helping the rummage sale expert carry her haul from the sales back to their dwelling
And she unpacks and laughs and cheers
The rummage sale expert is thrilled to find new treasures, and shares her excitement with the singer
And I finally put my suitcase down
The artist is officially settling down, which is a relief after carrying heavy items around for so long
Between the picture frames and souvenirs
The artist's belongings are nestled in with meaningful and personal items, creating a homey feeling
I think I'll stay for a thousand years
The singer is happy in their new surroundings, and plans to stay there for a long time
Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey.
A chorus to the song that is meant to be catchy
And if we fail we can follow a bread crumb trail
The artist is optimistic that their efforts will pay off, but if they don't, they will try to find another way to succeed
Drop a coin in a wishing well
A traditional method of wishing for good luck and hope
And in the end we'll be calling up all our friends
If everything goes according to plan, the artist and their partner will be excited to share their success with others in their life
All our friends think we'll do fine
The singer's friends are supportive of their goals and believe that they will succeed
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christian Rudder, Justin Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind