Previously, Mayberry was a member of the bands Boyfriend/Girlfriend and Blue Sky Archives. Mayberry is a trained drummer and also did a four-year law degree, followed by a Masters in journalism. Cook was a member of Aereogramme and The Unwinding Hours and also wrote music for film and TV. Doherty was a live member of The Twilight Sad. According to Mayberry, "Iain and Martin went to university together so they've known each other for quite a long time".
The band started in October 2011 as a studio project between the long time friends Iain Cook and Martin Doherty. Cook already knew Lauren Mayberry from working with Blue Sky Archives and suggested her as a potential vocalist for the project.
CHVRCHES were influenced by acts such as Prince, Tubeway Army, Robyn, Depeche Mode, Kate Bush, Cocteau Twins, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Laurie Anderson. The band write, record, mix and master everything in a basement studio in Glasgow.
In May 2012, they released the song "Lies". In the same year, CHVRCHES toured with Passion Pit, as the opening band for their concerts and also toured on their own. "Lies" ranked at number 28 on NME's Best Tracks of 2012. CHVRCHES also came fifth on the BBC's Sound of 2013 list.
On 25 March 2013, they released Recover EP. They performed at SXSW and won the Inaugural Grulke Prize (for Developing Non-US Act). The band also supported Depeche Mode on four shows in July during their The Delta Machine Tour 2013.
On 20 September 2013, CHVRCHES released their debut album, The Bones of What You Believe. The album is supported by the singles "The Mother We Share", "Recover" and "Gun".
Links: official site at chvrch.es | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Tumblr | Vimeo
Lungs
CHVRCHES Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You should know that
We're alone this time
Keep your, self a secret
You should know that
I will sell you a future you don't want
Like I did last time
I won't go slow
Offer no resolution
You know that
This will break us
But you push us
As far as we can go
Taking
Every chance to
Find solutions
That never make anyone happy
We are done this time
You don't owe me
Take a
Final look at me
Take it and drink it in
Breathe through me
Fill up your lungs with us
I will keep e-very-thing
You give me
Til the time
We let go
Breathe through me
Fill up your lungs with us
I will keep e-very-thing
You give me
Til the time
We let go
Keep me
In your eyeline
Keep believing
What you said before
I won't
Change direction
I will tell you
That everything's moving too slowly
Just another lie
One more untruth
You won't ever see through me
You will still drink it in
Breathe through me
Fill up your lungs with us
I will keep e-very-thing
You give me
Til the time
We let go
You know that
This will break us
But you push us
As far as we can go
Taking
Every chance to
Find solutions
That never make anyone happy
We are done this time
You don't owe me
Take a
Final took at me
Take it
The lyrics to CHVRCHES' song "Lungs" speak to a relationship that is coming to an end. The song begins with the singer asking how long until the other person leaves them, and warning them to keep their secrets. They acknowledge that they sold the other person a future they don't want in the past and promises to move quickly this time around. The singer doesn't hold back and proceeds to tell the listener that all the things they tell themselves won't offer any resolution. However, the listener continues to push the relationship as far as they can, despite knowing it will ultimately break them. They keep searching for solutions that can never make anyone happy.
The bridge of the song is where it shifts from bleak to almost pleading. The singer asks the listener to breathe through them and fill up their lungs with them, to keep everything they give until the time they let go. They ask the listener to keep them in their eye line and believe what they said before. However, the promises and assurances are short-lived as the singer acknowledges that they won't change direction and that everything is moving too slowly. The song ends with the same plea for the listener to take a final look at them and take it all in.
Overall, the lyrics are powerful in their simplicity, and the repeated phrases, such as "breathe through me" and "take a final look at me," add to the song's haunting quality. The song captures the desperation that can come with a relationship's end and how, even when we know something is wrong or not good for us, we keep holding on.
Line by Line Meaning
How long, til you leave it
Wondering how long until the other person leaves the relationship
You should know that
The singer is emphasizing a point that the listener should be aware of
We're alone this time
The relationship has hit a rough patch and the couple feels isolated
Keep your, self a secret
Asking the other person to keep certain things about themselves hidden
I will sell you a future you don't want
The singer will convince the other person of a future that they don't actually desire
Like I did last time
Referring to a past event where the singer manipulated the other person into something they didn't want
I won't go slow
The singer will not take things at a leisurely pace, but instead move quickly and aggressively
All the things you tell yourself
Pointing out that the other person has been telling themselves certain things to cope
Offer no resolution
None of the other person's self-talk provides solutions to their problems
This will break us
The relationship is in serious danger of falling apart entirely
But you push us
Blaming the other person for causing the problems in the relationship
As far as we can go
The relationship has been pushed to its limits
Taking
Always taking and never giving
Every chance to
Every opportunity is used to try to resolve the problems, but to no avail
Find solutions
Trying to find ways to save the relationship
That never make anyone happy
The attempted solutions never work out
We are done this time
The relationship is officially over
You don't owe me
The other person is not indebted to the singer for anything
Take a
Asking the other person to do something specific
Final look at me
Looking at the singer for the very last time
Take it and drink it in
Remembering the relationship and everything that has happened
Breathe through me
The singer wants the other person to feel them in every breath
Fill up your lungs with us
The singer wants the other person to breathe in their essence
I will keep e-very-thing
The singer will hold onto everything related to the relationship
You give me
The other person is the one who has been providing the singer with everything they've held onto
Til the time
Until the point when the relationship is truly over
We let go
The moment when both parties finally accept that the relationship is over
Keep me
The singer does not want to be forgotten entirely
In your eyeline
Asking the other person to keep them in their thoughts
Keep believing
Asking the other person to hold onto their beliefs
What you said before
Remembering what the other person had said about the relationship previously
Change direction
The singer does not plan to change their course of action
That everything's moving too slowly
The singer is feeling impatient and wants things to move faster
Just another lie
Implying that the singer has been lying throughout the relationship
One more untruth
Admitting that there have been multiple lies throughout the relationship
You won't ever see through me
The other person will never be able to fully understand the singer
You will still drink it in
Despite all of the things the other person won't be able to figure out, they will still remember the relationship
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IAIN ANDREW COOK, LAUREN EVE MAYBERRY, MARTIN CLIFFORD DOHERTY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind