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
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Ringing through the sky shepard boy
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
The lyrics to Duels' song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" are a conversation between four different characters: the night wind, the little lamb, the shepherd boy, and the mighty king. This conversation culminates in a call to action for all the people to pray for peace and hope that the child they speak of will bring goodness and light. The first verse begins with the night wind asking the little lamb if it sees the same thing he does in the sky: a star with a tail as big as a kite, dancing in the night. The second verse sees the lamb asking the shepherd boy if he hears the same thing it does: a song ringing through the sky with a voice as big as the sea. The third verse is where the conversation takes a political turn as the shepherd boy asks the king if he knows what he knows (regarding the child shivering in the cold), and suggests bringing him silver and gold. Finally, the king addresses the people, calling on them to pray for peace, and stating the child who is sleeping in the night will bring them goodness and light.
The lyrics to "Do You Hear What I Hear?" have been interpreted as having religious and political undertones. Some believe that the "child" referenced in the song is Jesus, and that the song is a call to celebrate his arrival. The call for peace switches the focus of the song from the religious to the secular, and can be seen as a reflection of the times it was written in, in the midst of the Cold War.
Line by Line Meaning
Said the night wind to the little lamb
The wind asked the lamb if it had noticed something unusual.
Do you see what I see
The wind asked the lamb if it could observe what the wind was seeing.
Way up in the sky little lamb
The wind indicated that the object being observed was high up in the sky.
A star, a star
The object being observed was a star.
Dancing in the night
The star appeared to be moving gracefully through the night sky.
With a tail as big as a kite
The star had a remarkable, kite-sized tail.
Said the little lamb to the shepard boy
The lamb shared its observations with the shepherd boy.
Ringing through the sky shepard boy
The lamb described the sound accompanying the star in the sky.
A song, a song
The sound accompanying the star was a harmonious song.
High above the tree
The source of the song was elevated, above the trees.
With a voice as big as the sea
The source of the song had an immensely powerful voice.
Said the shepard boy to the mighty king
The shepherdboy passed on news of the star and the song to the mighty king.
Do you know what I know
The shepherd boy enquired if the king had knowledge of the star and the song.
In your palace wall mighty king
The king was in his palace within the walls of the kingdom.
A child, a child
The star was indicating the presence of a child.
Shivers in the cold
The child was shivering and struggling in the cold.
Let us bring him silver and gold
The shepherd boy suggested that the king offer the child valuable gifts of silver and gold.
Said the king to the people everywhere
The king spoke to all the people with the intention of spreading a message.
Listen to what I say
The king implored everyone to carefully pay attention to his words.
Pray for peace people everywhere
The king urged everyone to pray fervently for peace.
The child, the child
The child remained the focal point of the message.
Sleeping in the night
The child was sleeping during the night.
He will bring us goodness and light
The child was symbolic of a divine power that will bring salvation and enlightenment.
Writer(s): Noel Regney, Gloria Shayne
Contributed by Keira K. 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.