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.
So You Wanna Be a Superhero
Carissa's Wierd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's 5am – I've got no sleep at all
Just thoughts of how I might
Struggle through tomorrow
Too much time in one day
Too much time to occupy
With boring thoughts
And boring moods
Won't tell a single soul that my soul's gone
It's hard to write this song
It's all a joke
It's all been wrote down by someone who's probably dead
I might be leaving soon
I might be leaving soon
There's laughter from below
It's 1am – how could you have known?
The thoughts of silence
That had me
From going back to sleep that night
Wish I could call someone I love
To stop thinking of myself
Long look in the mirror,
Just.. looks so blankly
You were right: I can't do this.
I'm going crazy; it's fine by me
Now you can see
How much I've become empty
I might be leaving soon
I might be leaving soon
I might be leaving soon
My dreams are full of what's not real
I'll fly away and save the world
I'll make you proud someday
I just won't be around to see your face
My life is full of what's not here
I'll go away and save myself
I'll make you proud today
I just won't be around to see your face
The opening lines of the song paint a very relatable situation: banging on the wall and inability to sleep. The lyricist shares their thoughts on how they will manage to get through the following day, burdened by thoughts and emotions that they cannot shake off. The lines "Too much time in one day / Too much time to occupy" convey the idea of being stuck in your own head with no escape, and the boredom of the monotony of daily life.
The line "Won't tell a single soul that my soul's gone" portrays how the person is suffering internally, but they do not want to burden others with their problems. As the song continues, the singer considers leaving soon, as they feel like they are losing their mind. The thought of leaving provides them with a sense of relief that they can no longer find in their daily life. The line "My dreams are full of what's not real / I'll fly away and save the world" suggests that the person is looking for a way out from their reality, to escape to someplace where they can be the hero they always wanted to be.
The song's overall tone is gloomy and melancholic, but it also explores themes of hope, escape, and a longing for something more. The lyrics shed light on the internal struggles of the singer and give listeners a glimpse into how mental health issues can affect someone's everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
There's banging on the wall
There's a loud noise coming from outside
It's 5am – I've got no sleep at all
It's very early in the morning, I haven't slept and I'm tired
Just thoughts of how I might Struggle through tomorrow
All I can think about is the difficulties I'll face tomorrow
Too much time in one day
There's too much time to fill in one day
Too much time to occupy With boring thoughts And boring moods And boring bedtimes
There's too much time to fill with uninteresting thoughts, feelings, and activities
Won't tell a single soul that my soul's gone
I won't confide in anyone about how empty I feel inside
It's hard to write this song
It's difficult to express my feelings through music
It's all a joke It's all been wrote down by someone who's probably dead
Life feels meaningless and predetermined by someone who's no longer alive
I might be leaving soon
I may leave this place or situation soon
There's laughter from below It's 1am – how could you have known?
I hear laughter from somewhere else, even though it's very late at night
The thoughts of silence That had me From going back to sleep that night
The quiet thoughts in my mind are keeping me awake
Wish I could call someone I love To stop thinking of myself Long look in the mirror, Just.. looks so blankly
I wish I had someone to talk to so I wouldn't be so self-absorbed, but when I look in the mirror, I don't see anything interesting
You were right: I can't do this. I'm going crazy; it's fine by me Now you can see How much I've become empty
I admit you were right, I can't handle this situation. I'm okay with going crazy, and now you can see how empty I feel inside
My dreams are full of what's not real I'll fly away and save the world I'll make you proud someday I just won't be around to see your face
My dreams are full of impossible things, but I still want to save the world and make you proud, even if I won't be there to see you
My life is full of what's not here I'll go away and save myself I'll make you proud today I just won't be around to see your face
My life is empty, so I'll leave and save myself. I want to make you proud, but I won't be there to see your reaction
Contributed by Hunter D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jimjam2783
I think there is actually some hope in the changes between the second last verse and the last verse, the last verse changes to say that she will go away and save herself. To me this means she will go to therapy and get help or move away to start a new life. That’s why she won’t be around to see the persons face:
‘My dreams are full of what's not real
I'll fly away and save the world
I'll make you proud someday
I just won't be around to see your face
My life is full of what's not here
I'll go away and save myself
I'll make you proud today
I just won't be around to see your face’
That’s my interpretation anyway.
@retsamgod
This song is the soundtrack to my memories of all my wasted years, years of solitude, disappointments and unfulfilled desires. Regrets of my past deepens with each passing day, as I realize how I've wasted all the opportunities for actually being happy. Now I just wait for the day this growing void consumes what's left of my being, and finally takes me away from this place.
@wd40huffer
fucking hell
@szczesciejestkoloruczarneg749
Don't dramatize. We all come here, mostly at night, we listen and we die. Of course alone. Coco jambo i do przodu, to moje motto, niezłe nie?
@zz-ic6dx
i hope youre still here with us
@bambipickle
@szczęście jest koloru czarnego ja pierdole
@bambipickle
9 years later must say your comment's the most beautiful and relatable thing i've read in a while
@ThePeakIsNeverPassed
The way Jenn's voice cracks when she says 'dead' at the end of the first verse breaks my stupid, fucking drunk heart.
@Frobbl
These parts are why this is one of the most authentic recordings ever. I have yet to hear another record that sounds this authentic.
@rabies4gaybies
Your heart is stupid and drunk but so is mine. Hey, me and you let's open a business. I'm drunk and stupid and stupid
@WhenTheGators69
@Rabies4Gaybies I'm open for it, drunk dumb heart here boy