Fronted by Projekt Records' Sam Rosenthal, the band's line-up has changed significantly over time. The current lineup has Rosenthal on programming, guitar and keyboards, Jon DeRosa ( Aarktica) on vocals, and Henrik Meierkord on strings. The most notable former members of the band are Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls) on percussion, guitar & bass, and vocalists Athan Maroulis (ex-Spahn Ranch), Nicki Jaine, and long time vocalists, Oscar Herrera & Elysabeth Grant.
The style of Black Tape for a Blue Girl is generally described as "gothic", though their long catalog of music does not often gel with all of the contemporary standards of gothic music over time. The lyrics are by Rosenthal himself and explores powerful emotions of love, vulnerability, isolation, loss, jealousy, and passion.
a livery of bachelors
Black Tape for a Blue Girl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Floating from memory, and what of me?
I glance up for a moment, have I ever really been here before?
I look around, nothing quite as I remember it
A livery of bachelors sadly listen as her steps echo
Echos as she passes slightly out of focus,
fading from view, fading from sight, fading
Always passing by, always heading somewhere, just out of focus
Just out of focus
I still see her before me
She looks quite beautiful
When she passes always later than the rest
The song "A Livery of Bachelors" by Black Tape for a Blue Girl is a melancholic piece that revolves around the idea of reminiscing about someone from the past, and the feeling of being left behind. The opening lyrics "A livery of bachelors calling on her" indicates that the singer is watching a group of men who are trying to get the attention of a woman who is out of reach. The line "Floating from memory, and what of me?" suggests that the singer is questioning their place in the woman's life, and whether they are just a passing memory. As the song progresses, the singer describes their surroundings and how everything feels unfamiliar to them. This further reinforces the idea that time has passed, and things have changed, but the memories of the person they are thinking about remain intact.
Towards the end of the song, the phrase "just out of focus" is repeated several times, indicating that the woman the singer is thinking about is just beyond their reach. They are always "passing by, always heading somewhere" and the singer is unable to catch up with her. The final lines "She looks quite beautiful, when she passes always later than the rest" suggests that the woman is elusive and always a step ahead, which makes her all the more alluring to the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
A livery of bachelors calling on her
A group of unmarried men are visiting her
Floating from memory, and what of me?
As if in a dream, and what is my place in it?
I glance up for a moment, have I ever really been here before?
I look up, wondering if I have been here in the past
I look around, nothing quite as I remember it
Everything is different from how I remembered
A livery of bachelors sadly listen as her steps echo
The unmarried men hear her footsteps sadly
Echos as she passes slightly out of focus,
Her footsteps fade as she moves further away
fading from view, fading from sight, fading
She disappears from sight
A livery of bachelors try to bring her back, bring her back after
The unmarried men attempt to bring her back
Always passing by, always heading somewhere, just out of focus
She always seems to be passing by, out of their reach
Just out of focus
She is always just out of focus
I still see her before me
I can still see her in my mind
She looks quite beautiful
She is very attractive
When she passes always later than the rest
She is always the last to pass by
Contributed by Alyssa H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sam Rosenthal
on All my lovers
SonicHits is a total scam. If you are interested in Black Tape For A Blue Girl, please join our email list at: http://blacktapeforabluegirl.com/elist.html