"There's a little folk, blues, indie rock, soul, bluegrass--and a whole lot of down-home harmonizing. It conjures images of old friends sitting on a porch swapping instruments and just letting the tape recorder run." - Doug Wallen
Dr. Dog has been creating music in various incarnations for four years now. Beginning with The Psychedelic Swamp, a concept album realized in the damp ruin of a flooded basement with waterlogged guitars and a digital delay pedal, the band has simmered on the back burner of our musical lives for most of its existence but we've recently renewed our resolve to forge ahead and give Dr. Dog the attention we think it deserves.
Although Dr. Dog has as many as 20 honorary "members" who have assisted in various (mostly spiritual) capacities through the years, the core of the band consists of five musicians. Our standard instrumentation includes two guitars, bass, drums, keyboard and three part harmonies. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Tom Waits, David Bowie and Neil Young are influences, but we would be remiss in not acknowledging our debt to Pavement, Palace Brothers, R. Stevie Moore or Roy Wood.
Currently, the lineup is as such: Toby Leaman on bass and singing, Scott McMicken on woof+mud distortion solo guitar and voice, Frank McElroy on lean clean occasionally tremolo'd guitar, Zach Miller on keyboard(s) and Eric Slick on drums.
We've all done our share of playing. Toby and Scott have played together in a myriad of bands including Raccoon, Unleash the Bastards, and Beard; Andrew played bass in Raccoon and managed the phenomenal The Teeth; Zach has played with Bradford Trojan and Traffic Jam and studied jazz guitar.
Aside from the aforementioned Swamp album - a self-produced, self-recorded low-fi four track recording - we have two other recordings. Toothbrush is a compilation of fourth generation eight-track recordings culled from the past few years. Easy Beat was the first proper record, followed by the 2006 EP Takers and Leavers and two full-length albums, 2006's We All Belong and 2008's Fate. The latest release is called Shame, Shame, and was released April 6th, 2010.
Mirror
Dr. Dog Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And now surface is a blur
Tell the truth like it's a joke
And don't fix the part that isn't broke
I know I'm just a memory
And I know that's how it's got to be
So tell the mirror on the wall
'Mirror, mirror on the wall;
Mirror, mirror on the wall there's no reflection here at all.
I'm so tired that I can't sleep
The secrets that my secrets keep
Down the stairway to the church
Blackbirds hanging in the lurch
I don't want to see my name in stone
I tied a ribbon round a bone
Took a ride in a yellow car
And bought myself an old guitar
Things ain't what they used to be
I gotta devil after me
Tell the mirror on the wall
Mirror mirror on the wall
There's no reflection here at all
Mirror mirror on the wall there's no reflection here at all
Mirror mirror on the wall there's no reflection here at all
You're looking high, you're looking low
You got something on your mind
Did someone give you bad directions?
Where you in the wrong place at the wrong time?
They found a body in the river
They found a note left in the sand
"Leave my worries to the water
And leave my body to the land"
The lyrics of Dr. Dog's song "Mirror Mirror" have a melancholic tone that speaks about a sense of confusion and disorientation. The song seems to revolve around the concept of reflection, whether it be in a literal sense like a mirror or metaphorical sense like examining one's life. The opening lines 'At the bottom there's a stir, and now the surface is a blur' seem to speak of the internal turmoil and confusion that the singer is experiencing, it's as though everything is murky and unclear. The line "Tell the truth like it's a joke" could be interpreted as concealing emotions and thoughts with a façade of humor. The next line "And don't fix the part that isn't broke" could imply that the singer feels they are functioning well enough despite their inner unrest.
The phrase "I know I'm just a memory, and I know that's how it's got to be" could be interpreted as a sense of resignation to the fact that everything is transient and nothing lasts forever. The singer seems to desire a sort of comfort from the mirror as they say, "Tell the mirror on the wall, mirror mirror on the wall; There's no reflection here at all", as though the mirror has the power to show them something they cannot see on their own. The next stanza is marked by a sense of exhaustion, where the singer is too tired to sleep and is holding onto secrets, symbolized by the line "The secrets that my secrets keep." The image of the 'blackbirds hanging in the lurch' is vivid and ominous, indicating that something dark is lurking or about to happen. The line, "I don't want to see my name in stone" could represent a fear of becoming a permanent fixture, the idea that one's existence will be forever etched in memory.
Line by Line Meaning
At the bottom there's a stir
Something is stirring at the bottom; perhaps something is about to come to the surface
And now surface is a blur
Now that something is starting to surface, things are becoming unclear or confusing
Tell the truth like it's a joke
Be honest, but don't take things too seriously--laugh a little and don't make a big deal out of it
And don't fix the part that isn't broke
If something isn't broken, don't try to fix it--leave it be
I know I'm just a memory
I am aware that I am simply a memory for someone else
And I know that's how it's got to be
I understand that this is just the way things are
So tell the mirror on the wall
Go ahead and speak to the mirror on the wall
'Mirror, mirror on the wall;
Address the mirror by saying, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall'
There's no reflection here at all
There is no reflection to be seen in the mirror
I'm so tired that I can't sleep
I'm exhausted to the point that I can't even fall asleep
The secrets that my secrets keep
Even my secrets have secrets
Down the stairway to the church
Walking down a staircase toward the church
Blackbirds hanging in the lurch
Blackbirds are waiting or hesitating before making a decision or commitment
I don't want to see my name in stone
I don't want to be memorialized in stone after I'm gone
I tied a ribbon round a bone
I tied a ribbon around a bone--perhaps as a keepsake or reminder of something
Took a ride in a yellow car
Took a ride in a car that was yellow in color
And bought myself an old guitar
Purchased an old guitar for myself
Things ain't what they used to be
Things have changed and are not like they used to be
I gotta devil after me
I feel like a devil or some kind of trouble is following me
You're looking high, you're looking low
You're searching high and low for something
You got something on your mind
There's something weighing on your mind or bothering you
Did someone give you bad directions?
Did someone lead you astray or give you incorrect information?
Where you in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Did you end up somewhere you shouldn't have been or at a time when you shouldn't have been there?
They found a body in the river
Someone discovered a body in the river
They found a note left in the sand
Someone found a note that had been left or written in the sand
"Leave my worries to the water
The note said to leave one's worries to the water
And leave my body to the land"
The note also said to leave one's body behind on land
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: SCOTT MCMICKEN, TOBY LEAMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Bliffenstimmers
Lyrics:
At the bottom there's a stir
And now surface is a blur
Tell the truth like it's a joke
And don't fix the part that isn't broke
I know I'm just a memory
And I know that's how it's got to be
So tell the mirror on the wall
'Mirror, mirror on the wall;
There's no reflection here at all
Mirror, mirror on the wall there's no reflection here at all.
I'm so tired that I can't sleep
The secrets that my secrets keep
Down the stairway to the church
Blackbirds hanging in the lurch
I don't want to see my name in stone
I tied a ribbon round a bone
Took a ride in a yellow car
And bought myself an old guitar
Things ain't what they used to be
I gotta devil after me
Tell the mirror on the wall
Mirror mirror on the wall
There's no reflection here at all
Mirror mirror on the wall there's no reflection here at all
Mirror mirror on the wall there's no reflection here at all
You're looking high, you're looking low
You got something on your mind
Did someone give you bad directions?
Where you in the wrong place at the wrong time?
They found a body in the river
They found a note left in the sand
"Leave my worries to the water
And leave my body to the land"
@MrBillSasquatch
No way. The more people that know great music the better. I'd rather enjoy this with a bunch of people than just a few.
@GreenlanternDc1
favorite band! i cant believe i went so long without hearing them. Their lyrics in this song are insanely meaningful and hit so close to home...
@alexanewman6918
STILL SLAPS
@katiemerrill1433
Whenever they sing the chorus it reminds me of the Beatles:)
@MagpieDynamics
The sort of song I’d expect to hear during a travel montage.
@pepepan4350
goes so hard
@chriskolb3167
Saw you guys in Louisville a few years back. When I was seeking dead you made me feel alive.
@crackerbargle
"Leave my worries to the water
And leave my body to the land"
@bobkraft4364
Hell of a song
@eyakimicki
I just found this and I guess my name is very similar