Mat Brooke and Jenn Champion formed Carissa's Wierd out of Seattle in 1995, and released three albums before their 2003 breakup. Their plaintive, melancholy, beautiful music won over many who were exposed to it. The band's lineup changed throughout the band's existence. Mainstays in the band included violinist Sarah Standard, drummer (and later bassist) Ben Bridwell, drummer Sera Cahoone, drummer Creighton Barrett, and keyboard/accordian player Jeff Hellis. Their final album, Songs About Leaving, was a modest success in the Northwest, topping many critics charts and leaving fans hungry for more. Sadly, the band decided to go their separate ways in September of 2003. Jenn is now performing under the name S and Brooke and Bridwell went on to create Band of Horses. Brooke has since moved on to become part of Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone has launched her solo career. As of April 2007, both Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone have been signed to Sub Pop Records. In March 2010, Hardly Art announced that it would release a compilation of Carissa's Wierd material, with songs picked by Brooke and Champion, followed by reissues of the group's first three full-length records. The band played a reunion show on July 9, 2010 to support the compilation.
On August 2, 2011, Hardly Art announced pre-orders for a new 7", called 'Tucson,' and would include two new songs, the band's first recordings in over seven years featuring the original lineup. The 7" would include the songs 'Tucson' and 'Meredith & Iris,' and on August 4, 2011, Meredith & Iris was put up for stream on soundcloud. It was also announced that the band would be playing another reunion show in Seattle on September 24, 2011.
Drunk With the Only Saints I Know
Carissa's Wierd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everyone was wearing their halos
This is how we look when we die
Decorations on the tables
X-marks over our eyes
Cleanse the faces of
All the ones you love
Think about how your friends are
Just because they'll love you anyways
Doesnt mean they forget everything you say
Im not so sure about anything
I never stop and think about anything at all
Im not so sure about anyone
I never stop and think about anyone at all
This is how we all look when we die
Im pretty sure we're crazy, saying that we're all just assholes
The lyrics to Carissa's Wierd's song "Drunk With the Only Saints I Know" speak to the human experience of mortality, relationships, and self-doubt. The opening lines, "Drunk with the only saints I know / Everyone was wearing their halos," paint a picture of a funeral or wake, where the living are mourning the loss of someone they loved. The next lines, "This is how we look when we die / Decorations on the tables / X-marks over our eyes," continue to set the scene of death and the rituals that surround it. The imagery is both macabre and beautiful, capturing the paradox of human existence and the meaning we try to find in it.
The song then shifts to a meditation on relationships - specifically, how we sometimes take for granted the love of those closest to us. The lines "Think about how your friends are / All the people who you'll ever do wrong / Just because they'll love you anyways / Doesn't mean they forget everything you say" suggest that we have a responsibility to cherish our loved ones, even when we know we'll inevitably hurt them. The singer expresses a sense of detachment from both people and ideas, admitting, "I'm not so sure about anything / I never stop and think about anything at all" and "I'm not so sure about anyone / I never stop and think about anyone at all." Despite this uncertainty, the song's closing lines offer a wry take on humanity as a whole, observing, "I'm pretty sure we're crazy, saying that we're all just assholes."
Overall, the lyrics to "Drunk With the Only Saints I Know" are poetic and introspective, grappling with big ideas about death, love, and human nature. The song invites listeners to reflect on their own mortality and the relationships they have with others, while also acknowledging the inherent messiness and contradictions of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Drunk with the only saints i know
Under the influence of the only people I consider good in this world
Everyone was wearing their halos
People appeared to be saints, angels, or good people
This is how we look when we die
People who passed away have a peaceful and angelic appearance
Decorations on the tables
Referring to flowers or other memorial decorations at a funeral
X-marks over our eyes
Referring to closing eyes and marking the eyes with an X as a way of representing death
Cleanse the faces of
All the ones you love
Wipe the tears off the faces of those you love
Think about how your friends are
All the people who you'll ever do wrong
Just because they'll love you anyways
Doesnt mean they forget everything you say
Reflect on how the people you wronged never forget how you've hurt them, even if they still love you
Im not so sure about anything
I never stop and think about anything at all
The artist is uncertain about everything and tends not to reflect on things
Im not so sure about anyone
I never stop and think about anyone at all
The artist is not certain about anyone and tends not to reflect on others
This is how we all look when we die
Im pretty sure we're crazy, saying that we're all just assholes
People all look peaceful when they die and despite thinking that we are all flawed, saying that we are all bad seems insane to the artist
Contributed by Gianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.