After breaking up with his girlfriend, moving out of his house, and joining a 12-step program for addiction, Ebert began work on a story about a messianic figure named Edward Sharpe. According to Ebert, Sharpe "was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind ... but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love." Ebert later met singer Jade Castrinos in Los Angeles, California, United States. In the summer of 2009, as Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Ebert and Castrinos toured the country with a group of fellow musicians in a big white school bus.
Its song "Home" was voted number 15 on the Australian Triple J Hottest 100's 2009 countdown, the largest music poll in the world.
Members:
Alex Ebert – vocals, guitar, percussion, piano
Jade Castrinos – vocals, guitar (Past member 2009-2013)
Nico Aglietti – guitar, synthesizer, keyboards, vocals
Stewart Cole – trumpet, percussion, keyboards, tenor ukulele, vocals
Tay Strathairn – piano, vocals
Aaron Older – bass, vocals, banjo, percussion
Josh Collazo – drums, percussion, vocals
Orpheo McCord – percussion, vocals
Nora Kirkpatrick – accordion, vocals
Christian Letts – guitar, vocals
Additional personnel:
Chris Richard – vocals, percussion
Anna Bulbrook – violin, vocals
Aaron Embry – keyboards, piano, vocals
Tyler James – piano, vocals
Ryan Richter – guitar, lap steel, vocals
Michael Farfel – announcer, management
In the Summer
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sister and your brother
Contemplating god,
Out there on the sidewalk
Eating ice cream cones ooh baby,
More things to discover
Masturbating to Miriam Makeba
And Iko Iko Inay,
Can't give us all your crap,
You're not around
Makeup on and curtains drawn
All the cereal bine, oh the summer time
With a plastic cup, for the summer love
No, I don't want to go away
And the television girls all dance in the summer
Singing "la da da..."
Can't give us all your crap,
You're not around
Makeup on and curtains drawn
All the cereal bine, oh the summer time
With a plastic cup, for the summer love
No, I don't want to go away
And the chi-shi stoner girls
And the hard graffiti boys
And the television world all danced in the summer
The song "In the Summer" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros is an exploration of youth and its tumultuous experiences. The first lines of the song set the scene- a group of young people on a summer day, "contemplating god" and enjoying ice cream cones. But the carefree atmosphere is undercut by the mention of "Masturbating to Miriam Makeba and Iko Iko Inay." This line suggests that despite their youth and innocence, the characters in the song are not immune to darker impulses and desires.
The chorus of the song is defiant- "Can't give us all your crap, you're not around." This could be interpreted as a message to the older generations who may try to lecture or control them, or it could simply be a rebellion against any kind of authority. The second verse continues the theme of youthful rebellion, with the lines "Makeup on and curtains drawn, all the cereal bine." This suggests a rejection of societal expectations and the embrace of individuality. The mention of "television girls" and "television world" adds to this idea, with the implication being that the characters in the song are rejecting superficial and manufactured images in favor of a more authentic experience.
Line by Line Meaning
In the summer,
During summertime,
Sister and your brother
Siblings or those close to you,
Contemplating god,
Musing about spirituality or the meaning of life,
Out there on the sidewalk
Outside on the pavement,
Eating ice cream cones ooh baby,
Enjoying treats during warm weather,
More things to discover
Many things left to explore,
Masturbating to Miriam Makeba
Engaging in self-gratification while listening to the music of Miriam Makeba,
And Iko Iko Inay,
Reminiscing on the song Iko Iko Inay,
Ooh the sun is shining good
Basking in the warm sunlight,
Can't give us all your crap,
Stop bothering us with nonsense or negativity,
You're not around
You are not present here,
Makeup on and curtains drawn
Wearing cosmetics despite being indoors,
All the cereal bine, oh the summer time
Enjoying a lazy summer surrounded by cereal boxes or other familiar things,
With a plastic cup, for the summer love
Using a disposable cup for indulging in summer romances or crushes,
No, I don't want to go away
Not wanting to leave this summertime setting,
And the television girls all dance in the summer
Girls from TV shows dancing in this summertime atmosphere,
Singing "la da da..."
Making carefree vocalizations of joy,
And the chi-shi stoner girls
Girls with punk or bohemian style and enjoying drugs,
And the hard graffiti boys
Boys with tough attitudes who vandalize with graffiti art,
And the television world all danced in the summer
Characters from TV shows or films also celebrating summertime with dancing and joy.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ALEX EBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pyro Ed 🎆🎇
In the summer,
Sister and your brother
Contemplating god,
Out there on the sidewalk
Eating ice cream cones ooh baby,
More things to discover
Masturbating to Miriam Makeba
And Iko Iko Inay,
Ooh the sun is shining good
Can't give us all your crap,
You're not around
Makeup on and curtains drawn
All the cereal bine, oh the summer time
With a plastic cup, for the summer love
No, I don't want to go away
And the television girls all dance in the summer
Singing "la da da..."
Can't give us all your crap,
You're not around
Makeup on and curtains drawn
All the cereal bine, oh the summer time
With a plastic cup, for the summer love
No, I don't want to go away
And the chi-shi stoner girls
And the hard graffiti boys
And the television world all danced in the summer
JR
This is one of my favorite Edward sharpe songs… yet it gets no love lol.
Motherwoo
Love this band this song..is lush.
Steven Schuster
Alex du bist so vielseitig, für mich einer der grössten Künstler unserer Zeit!
DAZ
Song is so damn good
metalamazone ist so
..love it ...
Michal Wlodarski
chords please!! love.
Pyro Ed 🎆🎇
In the summer,
Sister and your brother
Contemplating god,
Out there on the sidewalk
Eating ice cream cones ooh baby,
More things to discover
Masturbating to Miriam Makeba
And Iko Iko Inay,
Ooh the sun is shining good
Can't give us all your crap,
You're not around
Makeup on and curtains drawn
All the cereal bine, oh the summer time
With a plastic cup, for the summer love
No, I don't want to go away
And the television girls all dance in the summer
Singing "la da da..."
Can't give us all your crap,
You're not around
Makeup on and curtains drawn
All the cereal bine, oh the summer time
With a plastic cup, for the summer love
No, I don't want to go away
And the chi-shi stoner girls
And the hard graffiti boys
And the television world all danced in the summer
White Antelope
chords?! I think C F F G - and I don't want to go away thoughts?
Tyler Dawley
took me 9 years to see this but its Bb -> Eb lol
Victoria Almanza
What is a television girl