After two EPs ("The Chambers and the Valves" and "Bible Belt"), the band were signed to Transgressive Records in 2010. "No Rest", their first single on the label, was released in March 2011. They recorded their debut full-length album, "Shallow Bed", in Connecticut with Peter Katis (producer for The National, Jónsi and Interpol), and released it on March 5, 2012. An acoustic version of "Shallow Bed" was released by download only on 17 December 2012.
The band's projects also include creating a charity t-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for Asylum Aid (in March 2011) and designing "Mammoth", a limited edition beer brewed with Signature Brew (in November 2012).
Their second album, "Alarms in the Heart", was released on August 25th, 2014.
They announced their split on their Facebook page on 12 November 2015, along with the release of their final EP, Hooves of Doubt.
Peter Liddle crafted a solo album 'Casual Labour' released 13 July 2018, with a gang of his musical friends, including several from the Dry the River family bassist Scott Miller, keys player Patrick Pearson, string-player Will Harvey, writer Matthew Reynolds along with producer Pete Miles.
Weights & Measures
Dry the River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now get up and leave
The familiar sting of the woodcutter's swing to the tree
I'll fall in the forest
To elbows and knees
And it won't make a sound
Since there's no-one around here to see
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
If the spirit has left you baby
Don't lie to yourself
Put them old records on
And admit that it's gone somewhere else
Just because we're beasts of blame by nature
Doesn't mean that you should carry it again
It's a question of needs and not rosary beads in the end
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
There's no patron saint of silent restraint
Baby there ain't no sword in our lake
Just a funeral wake
You were the coldest star in the sky
Only I couldn't see it: I was blind.
And in comes the black night
Calling your name since you were born
Only I couldn't hear it: I was empty as a drum.
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
And there's no patron saint of silent restraint
Baby there ain't no sword in our lake
Just a funeral wake
The song "Weights & Measures" by Dry the River is a heart-wrenching ballad that deals with the end of a relationship. The song starts with the singer acknowledging that their lover has made their decision to leave and the familiar sting of this decision slashes like a woodcutter's axe on a tree. The singer is then ready to fall to the ground in despair but realizes that there is no one there to witness the fall. The words "I was prepared to love you and never expect anything of you" suggest that the singer was aware from the beginning that the relationship would end eventually, but chose to love regardless.
The chorus of the song suggests that the lover has lost their spirit, but is in denial about it. The singer asks them to put on old records and accept that the relationship has gone somewhere else. The lines "Just because we're beasts of blame by nature doesn't mean that you should carry it again" hint that the lover has been through this before and should not go through the pain again. The singer also makes a point that there is no patron saint of silent restraint and no sword in the lake, just a funeral wake. These lines suggest that the lover should not hold back their true feelings and should accept the reality of the situation, despite it being painful.
The third verse speaks about the singer's blindness to the lover's true nature. They describe the lover as the coldest star in the sky, but they were too blind to see it. The reference to "the black night calling your name since you were born" suggests that the lover has always been an unknown entity, and the singer could never fully understand them. The empty drum analogy further emphasizes the emptiness the singer feels at the end of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You've made your decision
You have chosen to leave, it's final
Now get up and leave
It's time for you to go
The familiar sting of the woodcutter's swing to the tree
The pain of separation is like the blow of an axe to a tree
I'll fall in the forest
I will be crushed and alone
To elbows and knees
I will be completely broken down
And it won't make a sound
My pain and suffering will go unnoticed
Since there's no-one around here to see
There's no one here to witness my sorrow
I was prepared to love you
I was ready to give my heart to you
And never expect anything of you
I did not want anything in return
If the spirit has left you baby
If you no longer love me
Don't lie to yourself
Do not deceive yourself
Put them old records on
Listen to some comforting music
And admit that it's gone somewhere else
Acknowledge that our love is lost and gone forever
Just because we're beasts of blame by nature
We tend to blame others for our misfortunes
Doesn't mean that you should carry it again
You don't have to carry the burden of our failed love again
It's a question of needs and not rosary beads in the end
Love is about fulfilling each other's needs, not just saying prayers
You were the coldest star in the sky
You were distant and cold
Only I couldn't see it: I was blind.
I was blinded by my love for you
And in comes the black night
Darkness and sorrow have arrived
Calling your name since you were born
It's been inevitable that our love would end
Only I couldn't hear it: I was empty as a drum.
I was numb and unaware of our love fading away
And there's no patron saint of silent restraint
There's no divine power that can keep love alive through silence and repression
Baby there ain't no sword in our lake
There's no magical weapon that can save our love
Just a funeral wake
Our love story has met its end
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JON WARREN, JONATHAN WARREN, MATTHEW TAYLOR, PETER LIDDLE, PETER DUNCAN LIDDLE, SCOTT MILLER, WILLIAM HARVEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nazrin Hasanova
You've made your decision
Now get up and leave
The familiar sting of the woodcutter's swing to the tree
I'll fall in the forest
To elbows and knees
And it won't make a sound
Since there's no-one around here to see
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
If the spirit has left you baby
Don't lie to yourself
Put them old records on
And admit that it's gone somewhere else
Just because we're beasts of blame by nature
Doesn't mean that you should carry it again
It's a question of needs and not rosary beads in the end
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
There's no patron saint of silent restraint
Baby there ain't no sword in our lake
Just a funeral wake
You were the coldest star in the sky
Only I couldn't see it: I was blind.
And in comes the black night
Calling your name since you were born
Only I couldn't hear it: I was empty as a drum.
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
And there's no patron saint of silent restraint
Baby there ain't no sword in our lake
Just a funeral wake
Nazrin Hasanova
You've made your decision
Now get up and leave
The familiar sting of the woodcutter's swing to the tree
I'll fall in the forest
To elbows and knees
And it won't make a sound
Since there's no-one around here to see
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
If the spirit has left you baby
Don't lie to yourself
Put them old records on
And admit that it's gone somewhere else
Just because we're beasts of blame by nature
Doesn't mean that you should carry it again
It's a question of needs and not rosary beads in the end
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
There's no patron saint of silent restraint
Baby there ain't no sword in our lake
Just a funeral wake
You were the coldest star in the sky
Only I couldn't see it: I was blind.
And in comes the black night
Calling your name since you were born
Only I couldn't hear it: I was empty as a drum.
I was prepared to love you
And never expect anything of you
And there's no patron saint of silent restraint
Baby there ain't no sword in our lake
Just a funeral wake
Subhana Guluzade
Buralarda da bizimkilərdən görmək :)
m rein
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Jillian Sauls
I feel sorry for anyone who’s never heard this song.
Ai Meu Cóccix
Man... I love this song. And I really can't convey how much I love it...
Selika Ibarra
i want to be friends with all this people because i feel we would get along for similar tastes in music!
Dan Jenkins
Hello, friend. 🙂
moustachioification
nah, I'm just sad
Semper Fidelis
We are friends
anyway.
João Neto
I love how dramatic but obstinated this song is. It's beautiful, soothing but inspiring, rebel and the same time lyrically pure. One of my favourite songs ever!