The members of Current Swell no longer live together under a single roof — as they did years ago,
when the group first came together as a unit — but the bond between the four friends is stronger than
ever.
Touring the world for the better part of five years, from Brazil to Australia, often has that effect.
Current Swell’s years of experience on the road can be heard — and felt — in the nooks and crannies
of Long Time Ago, the new full-length from this rootsy Victoria, B.C. quartet. The record shifts
between upbeat folk (the title track, Long Time Ago) and singalong-ready roots rock (the first single,
Too Cold) with a fluidity and ease that could only come from continual touring.
The band originally wanted to call its fourth record People Not Places, as if to signify its new lyrical
direction. “We used to write about traveling, because that’s all we did for a while,” says singer-
guitarist Scott Stanton. “But on this record, we wrote mostly about people in our lives.”
Friends, acquaintances — even strangers — have been an integral aspect of Current Swell’s personal
and professional development. Decidedly grass-roots, the band has developed a strong online
following over the years, dating back to the independent release and promotion of its previous
recordings, So I Say (2005), Trust Us Now (2007), and Protect Your Own (2009).
Fans have remained steadfast in their support, something the members of Current Swell do not take
for granted. When the band earned first place at Vancouver’s Peak Performance Project (a 2011 radio
contest which awarded the group $100,500 for top prize), the first people on Current Swell’s thank-
you list were their fans.
“The online community has always backed us,” said singer-guitarist Dave Lang, addressing the group’s
considerable presence through iTunes and YouTube. “That is a big reason for our success.”
Steady momentum at the grass-roots level (the group’s video for its campfire-friendly single, Young
and Able, became a word-of-mouth YouTube success in 2010) has now translated to the stage, where
Current Swell shines. Their ability to capture a crowd was honed the old-fashioned way — through
constant practice. Current Swell has always tweaked things as needed, careful not to move in a
direction that feels inauthentic.
The band, which also features drummer Chris Petersen and bassist Ghosty Boy, started its career
with the most modest of expectations, playing shows in settings that ranged from backyards to
beaches. “When we first got together, we just started writing music for fun,” Stanton says. “Then we
got an opportunity to perform, and then we got an opportunity to tour. It wasn’t something we ever
chased too passionately at first. A lot of things just fell into place for us.”
The quartet struck upon a rhythm soon after, the size of its concerts increasing in tandem with its
rapidly progressing talent. Momentum kept Current Swell moving forward in the years that followed,
culminating last summer with a Canada Day concert before 45,000 people at the B.C. Legislature, one
of the largest concerts of its kind ever in Victoria.
That level of accomplishment (when coupled with sets in support of everyone from the Tragically Hip
and Xavier Rudd to K‘Naan, K-OS, The Beach Boys and more) suggests a band long-removed from its
learning-on-the-fly early days. That didn’t happen by accident.
“We’re all much more educated and knowledgeable about our career nowadays,” Stanton says. “We
feel like we know how to do this for a living.”
Despite years of careful planning and intuitive, thoughtful decisions, some things remain beyond
Current Swell’s control. Case in point: Brazil.
Through a mixture of circumstance and happenstance, the members of Current Swell are now the
beneficiaries of a large and loyal following in Brazil, the largest country in South America. The group
has just returned from a tour of the country, a trek which saw Current Swell headline two large
festivals in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, among the largest cities in the world.
“We’d get an e-mail here and there, ‘Please come to Brazil, I’m a huge fan,’ which was hilarious to
read,” Stanton says of the group’s throng of Brazilian fans. “But then we’d go on YouTube and there
was a bunch of people covering our songs. Someone even covered one of our music videos, lip-
syncing all our lyrics.”
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Ulysses
Current Swell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking through the grass just after dawn?
Have you ever read Ulysses?
No I haven't, but I heard that it's nice in song
I want to go where every mans gone
Settle down where it's warm
Singing songs and writing poems underneath the tree
If it feels right then it can't be wrong
If it feels right then it can't be wrong as far as I can see
Is there a point, a point in waiting?
For in the end it's nothing that you're waiting for
Cause our time, our time is what you make it
You can run with it or break it, can't gamble on what's in store
I want to go where every mans gone
Settle down where it's warm
Singing songs and writing poems underneath the tree.
If it feels right then it can't be wrong
If it feels right then it can't be wrong
If it feels right then it can't be wrong as far as I can see.
We can only hope, we can only hope, what we yearn for comes to us in the end
And if it buckles and falls apart, if it buckles and falls apart
Pick up the pieces and bring it back to the beginning
Well I hope that it comes true, I pray that it comes true
The opening lines of Current Swell's "Ulysses" ask two different questions that both revolve around a sense of wandering and aimlessness. The first question asks if the listener has ever seen the singer's baby walking through the grass just after dawn, which seems to suggest a longing for a sense of peacefulness and natural beauty. The second question asks if the listener has read James Joyce's "Ulysses," a famously dense and difficult novel that itself grapples with questions of purpose and meaning.
The verses that follow continue this theme of seeking and searching, but begin to lean towards a sense of optimism and possibility. The singer wants to go where every man has gone before and settle down where it's warm, suggesting a desire for comfort and stability. He also mentions singing songs and writing poems, implying a creative energy that is critical to his feelings of well-being. The chorus repeats the phrase "If it feels right then it can't be wrong" three times, stressing the importance of following one's intuition and taking risks in order to find happiness.
The final verse introduces a note of uncertainty, acknowledging that the things we hope for don't always come true, and that sometimes things fall apart. But the lyrics end on a hopeful note, envisioning a future where even broken dreams can be rebuilt.
Line by Line Meaning
Have you ever seen my baby
Walking through the grass just after dawn?
Have you ever witnessed something beautiful in its natural surroundings?
Have you ever read Ulysses?
No I haven't, but I heard that it's nice in song
Have you experienced the poetic journey of Ulysses?
I want to go where every mans gone
Settle down where it's warm
Singing songs and writing poems underneath the tree
If it feels right then it can't be wrong
If it feels right then it can't be wrong
If it feels right then it can't be wrong as far as I can see
I desire to explore where all have dared, to make a home where the heart feels at ease, to create art in the midst of nature, and to trust my instincts.
Is there a point, a point in waiting?
For in the end it's nothing that you're waiting for
Cause our time, our time is what you make it
You can run with it or break it, can't gamble on what's in store
Is there any meaning in delaying something? At the end, it's not the result that matters. Your time is precious, so use it wisely without taking chances.
We can only hope, we can only hope, what we yearn for comes to us in the end
And if it buckles and falls apart, if it buckles and falls apart
Pick up the pieces and bring it back to the beginning
Well I hope that it comes true, I pray that it comes true
We can only dream of our desires coming true. And if it falls apart, we can always start again from scratch with hope and prayer.
Contributed by Sadie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.