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.
Things Are What You Make Of Them
Bishop Allen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm spending my days
I'm spending my
I'm spending my days
I'm spending my days
My day-mons yeah
They're taking up inside of my heart
But they were tearing me apart
Well my memory she was packing yeah
And I knew that she would never come back
She handed me a letter and then
Then she vanished in the black
And the letter said
(Things are what you make of them
Things are what you make of them
Let it be
And you know what I mean
Yeah you know what I mean
Things are what you make of them
Things are what you make of them
Let it be
And you know what I mean
Yeah you know what I mean)
Well I met up with my common sense
And I knew it by the way she stared
She said if you don't make a noise
I will never know your there
Ao I purchased me a ticket yeah
For a meeting with Jesus Christ
He shook my hand and offered me
Just this thimble of advice
He was telling me
Hello he-he-hello
Hey come on
Hello he-he-hello
Hey come on
Things are what you make of them
Things are what you make of them
Let be
Things are what you make of them
Things are what you make of them
Let be
Things are what you make of them
Things are what you make of them
You know what I mean
Yeah you know what I mean
The lyrics of Bishop Allen's song "Things Are What You Make Of Them" are about the pursuit of happiness, the struggle to find one's place in the world and how our personal perception shapes reality. The verses build up to the chorus, which repeats the phrase "Things are what you make of them, let it be" as a mantra. The opening lines highlight the repetition and mundanity of everyday life, as the singer spends his days trying to distract himself from his consciousness. The day-mons mentioned could be interpreted to mean demons that haunt the character and prevent him from finding peace.
The singer's memory leaves him, a metaphor for his personal history that he is trying to escape. The letter he received from her suggests that one's perspective can define the experience of one's life. The message in the letter and the advice that Jesus gives him are both the same: things are what you make of them, implying that one's happiness, contentment or fulfillment is entirely in their own control. The song also suggests that personal perception can shape reality and satisfaction in life. The chorus of the song emphasizes this message by repeating the phrase "Things are what you make of them, let it be" like a mantra, inviting the listener to consider the importance of self-determination.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm spending my
The singer is currently using up their time doing something
I'm spending my days
The singer is using their days to do something specific
I'm spending my
The singer is still using their time doing something
I'm spending my days
The artist is using their days to do something specific
My day-mons yeah
The things that fill up the artist's days
They're taking up inside of my heart
The singer is emotionally invested in the things they do
They were trying to keep me entertained
The things the singer is doing were intended to amuse them
But they were tearing me apart
The things the artist is doing are causing them emotional pain
Well my memory she was packing yeah
The artist is losing their recollections
And I knew that she would never come back
The artist knows that they can't get back what they have lost
She handed me a letter and then
The singer has received some kind of message or guidance
Then she vanished in the black
The artist has lost the source of their advice
And the letter said
The singer is reading a written message
(Things are what you make of them
The message is about the importance of perspective
Things are what you make of them
The message is about the importance of perspective
Let it be
The message is advising the artist to accept things as they are
And you know what I mean
The message is clear to the artist
Yeah you know what I mean
The message is clear to the singer
Things are what you make of them
The message is about the importance of perspective
Things are what you make of them
The message is about the importance of perspective
Let it be
The message is advising the artist to accept things as they are
And you know what I mean
The message is clear to the artist
Yeah you know what I mean)
The message is clear to the singer
Well I met up with my common sense
The artist is interacting with their rational side
And I knew it by the way she stared
The singer recognized their own logic through a physical gesture
She said if you don't make a noise
The singer is being told to be quiet
I will never know your there
The singer's rational side won't be present if they are not calm
Ao I purchased me a ticket yeah
The artist is taking an action to cause a change
For a meeting with Jesus Christ
The artist is seeking a spiritual experience
He shook my hand and offered me
The singer is receiving guidance from a wise figure
Just this thimble of advice
The guidance the singer is receiving is small, but significant
He was telling me
The artist is recounting a conversation
Hello he-he-hello
The artist is repeating a greeting
Hey come on
The artist is urging someone to follow them
Hello he-he-hello
The singer is repeating a greeting
Hey come on
The artist is urging someone to follow them
Things are what you make of them
The singer is repeating the earlier message about the importance of perspective
Things are what you make of them
The singer is repeating the earlier message about the importance of perspective
Let be
The singer is repeating the advice to accept things as they are
Things are what you make of them
The artist is repeating the earlier message about the importance of perspective
Things are what you make of them
The artist is repeating the earlier message about the importance of perspective
You know what I mean
The singer is asking if the listener understands the message
Yeah you know what I mean
The singer is confident that the listener understands the message
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Christian Rudder, Justin Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind