Crywank are a three-piece Anti-Folk band from Manchester, England. They are… Read Full Bio ↴Crywank are a three-piece Anti-Folk band from Manchester, England. They are self-managed, unsigned and focus mostly on sad or silly songs.

Crywank started in 2009 with Jay Clayton attempting to do some folk-punk influenced acoustic music with no previous experience playing guitar. The first album "James is going to die soon" was inspired by a painful break up. Jay stated that "I wrote these songs out of frustration and sadness and they ended up making me feel a lot better, I hope they have a similar effect on you".

In 2012 Crywank released their second album 'Narcissist On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown'. Described as "a collection of paranoid songs mostly about me trying to understand my own sadness along with the concept of sadness as a whole. It was fueled by self help books and pot."

In late 2012 Dan Watson joined Crywank on percussion, and in early 2013 they released tour demos for their third album 'Tomorrow Is Nearly Yesterday And Everyday Is Stupid' which was released in October 2013.

In 2016 Jay and Dan began couch surfing to afford to be able to tour as much as possible. Over the next four years they performed over 500 shows in over 30 countries and released four albums.

Crywank announced their breakup following a world tour in 2019, alongside the album ‘fist me til your hand comes out my mouth’’ a huge departure in sound and the first release to include songwriting from Dan and explained the tense relationship between Jay and Dan that had developed over the years on the road.

Their breakup tour was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and the North American and European dates had to be rescheduled numerous times. During this time Jay was in a house fire, which led to the release of a solo Crywank album ‘Just Popping In To Say Hi’ that was written and recorded over three days.

Between 2022-2023 Crywank managed to continue their final tour and performed 100 shows in the USA and over 50 shows in the UK and Ireland, often with bass player Jules Noel (AKA Guard Petal). In 2024 it was announced that Crywank will no longer be breaking up and Jules would be joining the band.

The name Crywank comes from reclaiming a cruel nickname given to Jay during a period of depression. Jay has since said that if they knew how popular the band would have become they probably would’ve chosen a different name.

Paperclips
Crywank Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This is a song, this is a song
About paperclips
This is a song about paperclips
This is a song about paperclips
You never go out to buy 'em,
But you lucky if you find them
You can pick one up off the floor
To keep your documents in order

This is a song about paperclips

Overall Meaning

The song Paperclips by Crywank is a simple yet profound ode to the humble paperclip. Throughout the song, the lyrics declare repeatedly that "this is a song about paperclips" and remind the listener of the many ways in which paperclips are used. The lyrics explore the idea that paperclips are an often overlooked but essential tool that we all use to keep our documents and lives in order. They point out that paperclips are not things that we actively seek out or purchase, but rather objects that we stumble upon and are grateful for.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the utilitarian value of paperclips, mentioning how they can be found on the floor and used to keep documents organized. This repetition of the phrase "this is a song about paperclips" and the simple, straightforward lyrics create a sense of earnestness and sincerity that is at the heart of Crywank's music.

Line by Line Meaning

This is a song, this is a song
I am acknowledging that this is a musical piece.

About paperclips
The focus of this song is on paperclips.

This is a song about paperclips
I am again emphasizing that this song is specifically about paperclips.

This is a song about paperclips
I am repeating myself to drive home the point that this song is solely focused on paperclips.

You never go out to buy 'em,
Paperclips are not often an item that one goes out to purchase.

But you lucky if you find them
It may be difficult to come across them, but consider oneself fortunate if one does.

You can pick one up off the floor
They are a common enough item that one may find them on the floor and pick them up.

To keep your documents in order
The ultimate goal of a paperclip is to assist in organizing papers.

This is a song about paperclips
I am ending the song with a final reminder that the focus of this musical piece was solely to discuss paperclips.

Contributed by Eli H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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