Department of Eagles began in 2001, when Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus we… Read Full Bio ↴Department of Eagles began in 2001, when Daniel Rossen and Fred Nicolaus were randomly assigned to live together by New York University. During their academically lax spring semester, they made an "album" of beat-type songs best described as "What DJ Shadow's retarded little brother would sound like." Nevertheless, a small record company in California heard the CDR and wanted to release a couple of 7" singles. Around that time, a friend's father, Jeff Saltzman, invited the group to record in his new studio. Fred and Dan used the opportunity to record the bulk of their debut album, which featured a blend of the beat-type stuff and more straightforward songwriting. It was released in 2003 and did fine, selling a modest number of copies and garnering some decent press.

In 2004, the group graduated from college and moved into an apartment in Brooklyn with an aggressive, hirsute landlord named Baki. Shortly thereafter, Daniel joined the group Grizzly Bear and began playing guitar and singing with them (he went on to write a goodly portion of their sophomore album, Yellow House). Fred tried to escape his boring magazine job by going on tour opening up for the band Subtle, but the tour was cancelled when Subtle's bus crashed, tragically injuring keyboardist Dax Pierson. DOE was on something of a hiatus. Then in 2005, a British label re-released their debut album in Europe under a different title, and the group began working on new material. This time around, the music featured little-to-no electronic embellishments and was inspired by Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, Paul Williams, and Paul McCartney. On October 7, 2008 they released their follow-up, In Ear Park, on 4AD.

Daniel plays guitar, bass, piano, drums, cello, and sings. He majored in Linguistics. His grandfather, Robert Rossen, directed the critically acclaimed movies All the Kings Men and The Hustler. Fred plays drums and various random instruments. He majored in Art History. His father, Martin Nicolaus, wrote the definitive translation of Karl Marx's Gundrisse.

www.departmentofeagles.com

Department of Eagles went on to join Grizzly Bear with their recording of 2009 LP 'Veckatimist'

What Can Be Done
Department of Eagles Lyrics

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The walls are coming down all around me
The walls are coming down all around me
The walls are coming down
but I can't explain, it's not my fault

and God, what would we do without each other?
and God, what would we do without each other?
and God, what would we do, and what can be done?

It's not my fault

The walls are coming down all around me
The walls are coming down all around me
The walls are coming down but I can't explain

It's not my fault
What we're gonna do

Overall Meaning

with our lives?

The lyrics of Department of Eagles's song, "What Can Be Done", speak of the crumbling of one's surroundings and the feeling of helplessness that comes along with it. The repeated lines "The walls are coming down all around me" emphasize the sense of impending doom and loss of control that the singer is experiencing. The next set of lines, "but I can't explain, it's not my fault," could be interpreted in a few ways. On one hand, it suggests that the singer doesn't know why the walls are coming down. On the other hand, it could mean that the singer feels undeserving of the situation, as though they don't deserve the pain that is being caused.

The chorus of the song brings in the idea of God and the importance of human connection. The repetition of "and God, what would we do without each other?" shifts the focus away from the crumbling walls and towards human relationships. It suggests that it is those relationships that truly matter when it feels like everything else is slipping away. It also raises existential questions about the purpose of life and what can be done in response to the chaos and uncertainty in the world.

Overall, "What Can Be Done" is a melancholic and introspective song that explores themes of loss, helplessness, and the importance of human connection. The repetitive lyrics and haunting melody create a sense of unease and desperation that further emphasize the emotions being conveyed.

Line by Line Meaning

The walls are coming down all around me
I feel like everything around me is falling apart.

The walls are coming down
Everything is collapsing, and I feel helpless to stop it.

but I can't explain, it's not my fault
I don't know why everything is falling apart, but it's not my fault.

and God, what would we do without each other?
I realize that I need others in my life to make it through tough times.

and God, what would we do, and what can be done?
I'm wondering what we could do to fix things and make them better again.

What we're gonna do
I'm asking myself and others what actions we can take to overcome these struggles.

Contributed by Blake Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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