The band, which con… Read Full Bio ↴Duels are a five piece band from Leeds, England.
The band, which consists of core members Jim and Jon Foulger (guitar and vocals respectively), drummer James Kirkbright and bassist Jon Maher, have recently been joined by ¡Forward, Russia! guitarist Whiskas. Additional Duels members include, or have included, Katherine Botterill on keyboards and backing vocals and violinist Lesley Turner.
They create dark and often anthemic new-wave pop with sinister undercurrents to craft a unique, vibrant sound, while recalling legendary artists such as Wilco, Robert Wyatt, David Bowie and Pulp along the way.
Their first album, 'The Bright Lights & What I Should Have Learned' was released in August 2006 to widespread critical acclaim and after extensive touring, Duels commenced work on their second full-length release, the self-produced 'The Barbarians Move In'.
Recorded in a converted barn on the North Sea Coast and showcasing a darker, more organic sound, Jon Foulger suggested the album is about "nature fighting back". It was digitally released via duelsmusic.com on Valentine's Day 2008, with a UK physical release on This Is Fake DIY Records on April 28th.
The band are currently working on their third full-length album, details of which can be found on www.duelsmusic.co.uk
Duels have opened for Kaiser Chiefs and former Blur guitarist Graham Coxon, and have toured the UK and Europe with The Rakes.The band played the Radio1/NME Stage at the Leeds/Reading Festivals and opened the main stage at T In The Park in 2006.
Do You Hear What I Hear
Duels Lyrics
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Do you see what I see
Way up in the sky little lamb
Do you see what I see
A star, a star
Dancing in the night
With a tail as big as a kite
With a tail as big as a kite
Said the little lamb to the shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
Ringing through the sky shepard boy
Do you hear what I hear
A song, a song
High above the tree
With a voice as big as the sea
With a voice as big as the sea
Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
Do you know what I know
In your palace wall mighty king
Do you know what I know
A child, a child
Shivers in the cold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Let us bring him silver and gold
Said the king to the people everywhere
Listen to what I say
Pray for peace people everywhere
Listen to what I say
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
He will bring us goodness and light
The child, the child
Sleeping in the night
He will bring us goodness and light
Duels's song "Do You Hear What I Hear" tells a story of a chain of messengers, from the night wind to the shepherd boy to the mighty king, spreading a message of hope and joy about the birth of a child. The lyrics begin with the night wind asking the little lamb if it sees a star in the sky with a tail as big as a kite. The little lamb then asks the shepard boy if he hears a song ringing through the sky with a voice as big as the sea. The shepard boy responds by asking the mighty king if he knows that a child is shivering in the cold and invites him to bring silver and gold to the child. Finally, the king spreads the message to the people everywhere, urging them to pray for peace and proclaiming that the child will bring them goodness and light.
The song's lyrics are inspired by a personal tragedy. It was written by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne, who were a husband-and-wife songwriting team. They had written the song as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis, following Regney's experiences serving in the French Resistance during World War II. However, they were both deeply depressed at the time, due to the struggle of dealing with their young son's diagnosis of blindness, and the songwriting process helped them find hope and beauty amidst their pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Said the night wind to the little lamb
The night wind is asking the little lamb if it can see what is in the sky.
Do you see what I see
The night wind is asking the little lamb if it sees what it sees in the sky.
Way up in the sky little lamb
The night wind is telling the little lamb that what it sees is high up in the sky.
A star, a star
The night wind is describing what it sees in the sky as a star.
Dancing in the night
The night wind is describing the movement of the star as dancing.
With a tail as big as a kite
The night wind is describing the star as having a tail that is as big as a kite.
Said the little lamb to the shepard boy
The little lamb is asking the shepard boy if he hears what it hears.
Do you hear what I hear
The little lamb is asking the shepard boy if he hears what it hears.
Ringing through the sky shepard boy
The little lamb is describing what it hears as ringing through the sky to the shepard boy.
A song, a song
The little lamb is describing what it hears as a song.
High above the tree
The little lamb is describing where the song is coming from as high above the tree.
With a voice as big as the sea
The little lamb is describing the voice in the song as big as the sea.
Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
The shepard boy is asking the mighty king if he knows what he knows.
Do you know what I know
The shepard boy is asking the mighty king if he knows what he knows.
In your palace wall mighty king
The shepard boy is acknowledging the status of the mighty king and telling him where what he knows can be found.
A child, a child
The shepard boy is describing what he knows as a child.
Shivers in the cold
The shepard boy is describing how the child is feeling in the cold.
Let us bring him silver and gold
The shepard boy is suggesting that they bring the child silver and gold to help him.
Said the king to the people everywhere
The king is addressing the people and asking them to listen to what he has to say.
Listen to what I say
The king is asking the people to listen carefully to what he is about to say.
Pray for peace people everywhere
The king is asking the people to pray for peace all over the world.
The child, the child
The king is referring to the child that the shepard boy mentioned.
Sleeping in the night
The king is describing the child as sleeping.
He will bring us goodness and light
The king is telling the people that the child will bring them goodness and light.
The child, the child
The song is repeating the line about the child to emphasize the importance of the child.
Sleeping in the night
The song is repeating the line about the child sleeping to emphasize that the child is vulnerable.
He will bring us goodness and light
The song is repeating the line about the child bringing goodness and light to emphasize the positive impact the child will have.
Contributed by Oliver W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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I don't know what to the sound quality during upload. I'll try to fix it.