“I just fell in love with a forty-five (rpm record) been kept alive in a box over 30 years old,” sings Chris Henderson, the front man of the Hartford, CT, band BRONZE RADIO RETURN. This lyric, from their full-length debut album, OLD TIME SPEAKER, begins to paint the picture that enables your understanding of the group and their music. Like listening to old Bluesmen on your iPod Touch, BRONZE RADIO RETURN is about the juxtaposition of the old and the new. The love for these old records is a mutual feeling shared by the band members, who attribute their sound to the music that came long before their childhoods.
The serious nature of the band members’ musicianship led them to study their craft for their higher education. They met playing throughout CT and NY in various permutations through mutual friends. The way they modernize this traditional American style of music is what makes them truly unique. “We each offer a different spin on the music we play,” offers Henderson, who professes great appreciation for Ben Harper and Muddy Waters. “That’s really how we found our unique sound. Everyone has a voice and adds to it.” Bandmates Struble and Griffith cite Stevie Wonder, while Tanen is moved by the modern-day Stone Temple Pilots’ tight bass groove. CCR and Stevie Ray Vaughn light Fetkowitz’s fire, and Warner rounds it out with a push from Tom Petty.
Producer, Doug Derryberry (Bruce Hornsby, Ben Folds Five) discovered BRONZE RADIO RETURN's considerable talents at a NYC show and produced their first EP. More recently, the Northeastern band’s collaboration with Midwestern producer/multi-instrumentalist Chad Copelin brought them to a Southern studio and resulted in the creation of a ten-song album. OLD TIME SPEAKER has brought the band's sound to a whole new place, and the band has made it their mission to experience as much of this country as possible, hitting the road for incredibly long stretches to share their music with as many as possible.
Myspace Records brought BRONZE RADIO RETURN into their stable of 'Friends and Family' – the best unsigned bands on the popular portal. Exemplified by tracks like “Pullin’ on the Reins,” “Strawberry Hill,” and “Wolves,” OLD TIME SPEAKER has what it takes to please lovers of all kinds of Rock & Roll.
Henderson concludes, “Ultimately, we want to make people move when they hear our music.” With their non-stop touring, get ready for BRONZE RADIO RETURN to ‘move’ into your town soon!
Sticks And Stones
Bronze Radio Return Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We found the pipe here that leaks between the walls
And like you it begins to all wash away from within
No more time on your side, nothing to tie you here
[Chorus:]
It's like sticks and stones and rubber and glue
Letters strung together that get stuck on you
Don’t stick around here to feed the mouth that bites you
Familiar is the spice and it salts your wounds
Don’t stick around here to feed the mouth that bites you
Oh, it’d be your shame
If you became another hanger in the closet where you hung yourself to blame
With the letters of your name, feel lost and rearranged
To the corner, to the man, a man, a man
Every day you wash your body down
Can’t scrub away the scars beneath your skin
[Repeat Chorus:]
The lyrics of Bronze Radio Return's song Sticks and Stones focus on the idea of leaving behind negative situations in life. The first verse speaks of a leaking pipe between walls, a metaphor for hidden problems that eventually become too much to bear. The line "And like you it begins to all wash away from within" suggests that the problems can eat away at a person from the inside out, much like the water from the leaking pipe. The chorus then comes in and describes the negative aspects of the situation as "sticks and stones and rubber and glue," with letters strung together that get stuck on you. The singer then urges the subject of the song to leave the situation, expressing that there is nothing keeping them there.
The second verse of the song continues with the same metaphorical imagery, describing scars beneath the skin that cannot be washed away. The chorus is repeated once again, with a focus on the familiarity of the situation and its ability to salt the subject's wounds. The final lines express the importance of leaving the situation behind, emphasizing the shame that would come from becoming another hanger in the closet where the subject has hung themselves to blame. The use of the metaphor of hanging oneself in a closet suggests a sense of suffocation and hopelessness.
Overall, the lyrics of Sticks and Stones urge the listener to leave behind negative situations that are causing harm, whether physical or emotional. The use of metaphorical imagery and repetition convey the sense of urgency and importance of taking action to make a change.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, just leave it all*
Forget about everything and move on.
We found the pipe here that leaks between the walls
We discovered a major problem that is hidden and affecting us in ways that we can't see.
And like you it begins to all wash away from within
Just like the problem, you are slowly disappearing from the inside out.
No more time on your side, nothing to tie you here
You don't have any more time to waste, and there is nothing left to keep you here.
It's like sticks and stones and rubber and glue
Letters strung together that get stuck on you
Don’t stick around here to feed the mouth that bites you
I can see it in your eyes and your black and blues
Familiar is the spice and it salts your wounds
Don’t stick around here to feed the mouth that bites you
Just like the childhood rhyme, negative words and actions stick to you and hurt. Don't stay where you are being hurt; it is evident in your eyes and bruises. Familiarity may make it feel comfortable, but it only makes the wounds hurt more. Don't stick around just to keep getting hurt.
Oh, it’d be your shame
If you became another hanger in the closet where you hung yourself to blame
With the letters of your name, feel lost and rearranged
To the corner, to the man, a man, a man
It would be a shame if you became another victim to your own negative thoughts and feelings. Blaming yourself only causes you to feel lost and disoriented. Don't let yourself be trapped in a corner, or under someone else's power.
Every day you wash your body down
Can’t scrub away the scars beneath your skin
You may try to wash away the pain, but the emotional scars remain and can't just be cleansed like a physical wound.
[Repeat Chorus:]
The chorus repeats the message of not staying in a negative situation that hurts you.
Writer(s): Christopher R. Henderson
Contributed by Katherine H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@StarlessGaze
I have been searching for this song for days. I finally have found it. Thank heavens. This song is beautiful.
@oopsadaze
Lyrical Poetry with Musical Harmony-Another Beautiful Song-This Band is off the rock and on to the ROLLl!!!
@ziggylinklater
So stoked on this song
@adrianel192
Amazing song
@ciaracolgan3767
my favorite part is "i can see it in your eyes in your black and blues"
@adrianel192
Got this off of 90210 Love It
@venisehawkins8999
Found this song on 90210
@alainaking6635
+Venise Hawkins Same, such a good song.
@chocopuffs11
haha, no dislikes!
@musabmo2253
#90210