They formed in 2005 and spent their last couple of years in school writing songs that would eventually become their debut album. In 2007, after leaving education, they began to take the band more seriously and took to the road, touring relentlessly for the next 4 years playing hundreds of shows around the UK and Ireland. Starting off in opening slots for anyone who would have them, they progressed to slots on much higher profile UK wide tours with the likes of Billy Talent, Enter Shikari, Against Me, Twin Atlantic and You Me At Six, and quickly gained themselves a country-wide following of fans.
October 2009 saw the self-release of their debut album ‘Thank You’. The band decided they would put the album up for free download via their website with the idea that they wanted as many people as possible to hear their music without expecting them to pay out, or download it illegally, effectively ‘officially’ leaking the album. ‘Thank You’ received fantastic feedback in various national press reviews and took the band from their relatively ‘local’ status to a more well-known, yet still underground, national name within the UK music scene. To date the album has had well over 35,000 downloads and rising.
Work on the bands follow up release is now under way as they take time out from touring to write & record. Canterbury will be playing a few select UK festivals this summer.
Éléphant
Canterbury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, I'm cold!
I'll stay the same, won't change my ways,
Until I'm old
But I'm not old, no!
Yeah, you gotta get out,
A little you behind
It will be harder to find
Takes a step back and forth
Where you're spending your time
Now you're losing your mind!
You've got the heart of an elephant, the head of a whale
You're losing your touch and you're destined to fail
You got the legs like the rest of them, but you never strain
Your battle's begun, and now you're walking away!
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Sleep and slide with the time
Did you find gold
Are we going home?
I move around up the ground
Until I find gold,
I want all the gold.
Yeah, you gotta get out,
A little you behind
I've been through all of your...
It will be harder to find
Takes a step back and forth
Where you're spending your time
Now you're losing your mind!
You've got the heart of an elephant, the head of a whale
You're losing your touch and you're destined to fail
You got the legs like the rest of them, but you never strain
Your battle's begun, and now you're walking away!
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
You've got the heart of an elephant, the head of a whale
You're losing your touch and you're destined to fail
You got the legs like the rest of them, but you never strain
Your battle's begun, and now you're walking away!
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
The lyrics of "Elephant" by Canterbury are both complex and relatable. The opening lines "You said, 'alright, I'm fine, I'm sighing, but I'm cold!'" express a feeling of detachment that is common in our generation, where people often try to put on a strong front but are secretly struggling. The singer then declares that he will stay the same and not change his ways, even as he gets older, but he is not yet old. This can be interpreted as the internal conflict we often face between wanting to stay true to ourselves and also wanting to grow and evolve.
The chorus of the song, "You've got the heart of an elephant, the head of a whale, you're losing your touch and you're destined to fail" can be understood as a warning to the subject of the song, that they are becoming complacent and risk failing in life. The line "You got the legs like the rest of them, but you never strain" suggests that while the person may have potential, they are not putting in the effort to fulfill it. The line "Your battle's begun, and now you're walking away!" expresses the idea that the person is giving up before they have even begun to fight.
Overall, "Elephant" is a song that speaks to our generation's feeling of internal struggle, the desire to stay true to ourselves, and the need to put in hard work to achieve our goals.
Line by Line Meaning
You said, 'alright, I'm fine, I'm sighing, but I'm cold!'
Even though you say everything is alright, you are still bothered and feel cold.
I'll stay the same, won't change my ways, Until I'm old, But I'm not old, no!
You refuse to change your habits, but you are still young and have a lot of life left to live.
Yeah, you gotta get out, A little you behind, I've been through all of your..., It will be harder to find, Takes a step back and forth, Where you're spending your time, Now you're losing your mind!
You need to break away from your old self, as it will become increasingly difficult to do later. You are starting to feel lost due to how you use your time.
You've got the heart of an elephant, the head of a whale, You're losing your touch and you're destined to fail, You got the legs like the rest of them, but you never strain, Your battle's begun, and now you're walking away!
You have the strength to be successful, but you are failing because you don't put in the effort. You are walking away from your struggles, and it will not help you in the long run.
Sleep and slide with the time, Did you find gold, Are we going home?, I move around up the ground, Until I find gold, I want all the gold.
You are going through life without a clear purpose, hoping to find something valuable, and will not stop until you have enough of it.
Oh, oh, oh now the time is just done
Time has run out, and it's too late to make changes.
Contributed by Maria N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sean Crowley
Would have loved to have seen it in person!
Lemon Lady
Shameful. Never see this when idolizing Mike Smith!
Horses, Animals and Everything
Disgusting. This park needs to be shut down.
Delfina Torres
Es horrible que hagan competir a los elefantes