Codeine released their first album Frigid Stars on the German label Glitterhouse in 1990. The album was released on Sub Pop the following year.
Their second release, the Barely Real EP was issued in 1992. Immerwahr rejected several of the songs after the recording session. Some of these songs were re-recorded for the final album. The song w. is a solo performance on piano by David Grubbs (of Bastro, Squirrel Bait and Gastr del Sol). A somewhat different full-band version of the song appears on Codeine's next album, but titled Wird.
Brokaw left the band after the release of Barely Real to play full-time with his other band Come. He was replaced by Douglas Scharin of the band Rex.
Codeine's next and final release was the full-length album The White Birch, released in 1994. David Grubbs also participated on the album. After this release the band broke up. Stephen Immerwahr has since then been playing with the band Raymond, while Douglas Scharin continued in June of 44 and later HiM.
The band reformed in May 2012 for a Mogwai-curated ATP I'll Be Your Mirror in London. They played their final reunion show in July 2012 in New York.
Pea
Codeine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hope it shines on me
And gives me everything...well, almost
Some people seem
To be just small hard peas
Sometimes I think it's me
I try so hard for bruises on your back - just to get you back
Just to get you back
Just to get you back
Just to get you back
Just to get you back
When I see the sun
I hope it shines on me
And gives me everything
To be one mile high
Then I would kill you all
What I gave to you, just meant nothing
When I see the sun
I hope it shines on me
And gives me everything
When I see the sun
I hope it shines on me
And gives me everything...well, almost
The lyrics to Codeine's song Pea tell a story of longing, regret and desperation. The opening lines "When I see the sun, I hope it shines on me, and gives me everything...well, almost" suggest a bittersweet yearning for fulfillment and a sense of being almost satisfied but not quite. The following lines "Some people seem, to be just small hard peas, sometimes I think it's me" seem to express a feeling of being insignificant and unworthy compared to others, and a sense of self-doubt or inadequacy.
The chorus "I try so hard for bruises on your back, just to get you back" suggests a struggle to regain someone's affection or attention, even if it involves causing harm or inflicting pain. The repetition of "just to get you back" emphasizes the desperation and determination in this pursuit. The next line "tiny and mean" implies that the effort is not only hard but petty, insignificant or perhaps even cruel.
In the second verse, the tone shifts to anger and resentment as the singer declares "then I would kill you all, what I gave to you, just meant nothing". This suggests a sense of being taken for granted or unappreciated by those whom he has tried to please or win over, and a feeling of contempt towards them or even a desire for revenge. The repetition of "when I see the sun, I hope it shines on me, and gives me everything" reinforces the longing expressed earlier, but now with a hint of bitterness or cynicism.
Overall, Pea is a dark and introspective song that deals with themes of insecurity, obsession, and disillusionment. It exposes the raw emotions and vulnerabilities of human nature, and suggests that even when we strive for connection or satisfaction, we may ultimately fail or hurt ourselves and others in the process.
Line by Line Meaning
When I see the sun
Whenever I see the sun, I pray it casts its rays on me
I hope it shines on me
I yearn for its warm and soothing effect on my spirit
And gives me everything...well, almost
I wish the sun can satisfy all my desires and not just some of them
Some people seem
There are those individuals who appear
To be just small hard peas
To be insignificant and unimportant
Sometimes I think it's me
I often wonder if I am also one of those insignificant individuals
I try so hard for bruises on your back - just to get you back
I put in a lot of effort and endure pain just to win you back
I try so hard for bruises on your back, tiny and mean
I go through the agony of inflicting small and petty injuries on your body
Just to get you back
All these actions are geared towards winning back your love
When I see the sun
Whenever I glimpse the sun
I hope it shines on me
I wish it could radiate its light upon me
And gives me everything
I long for it to provide me with all my cravings
To be one mile high
If I could rise to a great height above the earth, like one mile high
Then I would kill you all
I want to eliminate everyone around me, including you
What I gave to you, just meant nothing
All the love, care, and attention I showed to you was worthless and insignificant to you
When I see the sun
Every time I perceive the sun
I hope it shines on me
I yearn for its warmth and radiance to bless me
And gives me everything
I desire it to give me all that I long for
When I see the sun
Whenever I catch a glimpse of the sun
I hope it shines on me
I pray it illuminates my path and brightens my life
And gives me everything...well, almost
It should grant me all that I crave, though not entirely.
Contributed by Asher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
lacrahuntington
I never heard about this band I find it amazing. Can't believe it's from the 90's and that's my decade.
Nonada
great song, i've been listening to it for like 12 years now
earmud
one of the greatest bands that i had the pleasure of seeing, luckily. thanks for the post.
Spinning Art
The song to accompany my epiphany!😇
M B
I love this song. I call my bestfriend Pea, and when she went away I played this song for her..and she came back. My Pea came back.
Armando Babolo
I think I am falling in love with someone far away from here. From tomorrow I will tell her I name her Pea. I hope she will shine on me then...
Chris McBane
One of the most beautiful things I've read in recent times. I wish you both all the happiness in the world.
Marc Bulté
Perfection. In depth, writing, length, mood, theme, the amount of broken heart, revenge agression, hope, notes that underwent a process of near fatal ropewalking on a chord not needing much so to tilt towrds this abyssimal horror vacuum in which dissolutes the arcane cores thus forming the astral essences which get picked up and are finally ready to gulf through the soundsystem.
A Bon
Most stilted language I've seen in a comment in a while.
Mossy Moose
Huh? Lol