Perkins's melancholy songs reflect the personal tragedy he has experienced over the years. His father died of AIDS in 1992. His mother was on board a flight that was flown into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. His debut album, Ash Wednesday, a chronologically sequenced album of songs written before and after his mother's death, was released in February 2007 by XL Recordings with a lead single called "All The Night Without Love". Perkins had help from his elder brother, Oz Perkins, on drums and friend Ethan Gold who produced, arranged, and mixed the album. The album includes backing vocals by Ariana Lenarsky, Shana Levy of indie band Let's Go Sailing, and Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond among others.
His second album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, will be released on March 10, 2009
Oficial website: www.elvisperkins.net
It's Only Me
Elvis Perkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I was a child
Someone was walking through the pillow that night
The snow muted
The pitch of night
A shadow approached across a field in white
It's only me
It's only me
As I drifted
From the dark room
Face lifted from the paper moon
Reflected in the orbit bath
He manages to say before he starts to laugh
You can't always trust
The darkness and the dust
But me, I'm just a man
It's more than I can understand
It's only me
The white noise
Falls away
To reveal the perfect day
Where roses bloomed
Out of thin air
And music rose from down the buried stairs
It's only mine
It's only mine
I grew it in the shade
When the sun couldn't shine
And at times I don't know why
The tears come to my eyes
And what if I go blind
As they flow out of my mind
It worries me
It worries me
That there's someone on my mind
Who I don't see
I close my eyes to disappear
Into the fields of stars between my ears
The dark
As they overlap
We follow one another
As we fade to black
It's only night
It's only night
An ultrasound when I was alive
The shadows go spying on the ones in the wild
They dip their arrows
Into the sea
They wash their arms
As they wait for me
They wait for me
They wait for me
Hey wait for me
Hey wait for me
Elvis Perkins's song "It's Only Me" appears to be a contemplative reflection on the different shades of life and the experiences that shape our perceptions. The opening lines "I heard a sound / When I was a child / Someone was walking through the pillow that night" introduce a sense of apprehension and uncertainty. The darkness of the night is described as being filled with the sound of snow and muted pitch. In contrast to this, the white of the snow is presented as a presence to be feared. The line "The darkness and the dust / But me, I'm just a man / It's more than I can understand" encapsulates the sentiment behind the song, namely that life is a mystery that we can never fully comprehend.
As the song progresses, the tone becomes more introspective. The line "I grew it in the shade / When the sun couldn't shine" suggests a determination to find meaning even in the bleakest of circumstances. Ironically, this determination can sometimes come with an emotional cost, as demonstrated by the lines "And what if I go blind / As they flow out of my mind / It worries me / It worries me / That there's someone on my mind / Who I don't see". The song ultimately closes with the image of shadows dipping their arrows into the sea and waiting for the singer to join them.
Overall, "It's Only Me" seems to be a song about the human condition, and how we strive to find meaning in a world that can often seem incomprehensible. The song's rich imagery and evocative language make it a compelling reflection on the challenges of living a meaningful life.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard a sound
As a child, I heard something that caused me alarm
When I was a child
During my youth
Someone was walking through the pillow that night
I heard footsteps coming from inside my pillow as I slept
The snow muted
The blanket of snow silenced the world around me
The pitch of night
The darkness of the night
A shadow approached across a field in white
I saw a figure moving toward me through a snowy field
It's only me
The person making the sound was myself
And the sound of my heart it startled me
The sound of my own beating heart frightened me
As I drifted
As I fell asleep
From the dark room
From my bedroom
Face lifted from the paper moon
I woke up and saw my face reflected in a moon-shaped cutout on my wall
Reflected in the orbit bath
I saw my reflection in the circular pattern made by the water in the bath
He manages to say before he starts to laugh
Amused by his own thoughts, he barely mutters words before breaking into laughter
You can't always trust
One shouldn't rely completely on
The darkness and the dust
The unknown and fleeting nature of life
But me, I'm just a man
I am only human
It's more than I can understand
There are things that are beyond my grasp
It's only me
There is no one else to blame or take responsibility
The white noise
The background hum of existence
Falls away
Fades out
To reveal the perfect day
The ideal moment
Where roses bloomed
Where flowers blossomed
Out of thin air
As if by magic
And music rose from down the buried stairs
Melodies emerged from the hidden depths
It's only mine
The experience is solely my own
I grew it in the shade
I cultivated it in secret
When the sun couldn't shine
During the darkest of times
And at times I don't know why
Sometimes, without explanation
The tears come to my eyes
I feel overwhelmed with emotion
And what if I go blind
What if I lose sight
As they flow out of my mind
As my thoughts pour out
It worries me
It causes me concern
That there's someone on my mind
That I am preoccupied with someone
Who I don't see
Who is not physically present
I close my eyes to disappear
I shut my eyes to escape reality
Into the fields of stars between my ears
I delve into my own thoughts and memories
The dark
The unknown
As they overlap
As they intertwine
We follow one another
We are interconnected
As we fade to black
As we move closer to the end
It's only night
The darkness is all there is
An ultrasound when I was alive
A medical procedure done during my lifetime
The shadows go spying on the ones in the wild
The darkness observes those in a natural setting
They dip their arrows
They prepare their weapons
Into the sea
Into the immense and unknown
They wash their arms
They clean themselves
As they wait for me
As they anticipate my arrival
Hey wait for me
I ask to be included
Hey wait for me
I ask again to be included
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ELVIS BROOKE PERKINS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind