The band's first release was in 2007 with an EP titled When The Sea Became A Giant. The band released a full-length album, What It Takes To Move Forward, in 2009. The band is signed to Count Your Lucky Stars Records and has released albums on a number of other labels, such as strictly no capital letters (UK), Topshelf Records, Stiff Slack (Japan), and Hobbledehoy Record Co (Australia). The band released their second album You Will Eventually Be Forgotten on August 19, 2014. On February 16, 2016, the band announced their final tour before their breakup on their official Facebook page.[2]
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Labels: count your lucky stars / strictly no capital letters / stiff slack / keep it together / topshelf
Water
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
in the room my brother and i once shared
was swallowing up the walls again
(a forest of latex reclaiming acres of land)
you were there too!
swimming in your father's army jacket and sprawled across my floor
like an arm of the sea separating the rest of the world from you and me
when i woke, the first thing i checked were the walls-
still dressed like new in a brown sugar coat
and you were still beside me
your face was warm and flushed with sleep
i am trying so hard not to take this all for granted
so you do not stir, i lay back down quietly
hands nestled or anchored just behind the small of your back
In "Water," Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) tells the story of a dream that the singer had. In this dream, the singer sees their childhood room with the sea foam green paint that once covered the walls. They notice that the paint is swallowing the walls up again, almost like a forest of latex that has reclaimed the area. The dream brings up memories of the singer's brother, with whom they shared this room. The singer then sees the person they love in the dream, their face warm and flushed with sleep. The person is lying on the singer's floor, sprawled out like an arm of the sea separating them from the rest of the world.
When the singer wakes up, they immediately check the walls to see if they are still covered in the sea foam green paint. The walls are now dressed in a brown sugar coat, showing that the dream was just a memory. The person they love is still lying there with them, their face warm and flushed with sleep, and the singer is trying their best not to take this moment for granted. They lay back down quietly, not wanting to stir the person they love. Their hands are anchored behind the small of the person's back, cherishing the moment of love and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
last night, i dreamt the old, sea foam green paint
The singer had a dream about the sea foam green paint which used to exist in the room they shared with their brother.
in the room my brother and i once shared
The sea foam green paint was related to the room which the singer shared with their brother.
was swallowing up the walls again
The sea foam green paint was taking over the walls of the room once again, in the singer's dream.
(a forest of latex reclaiming acres of land)
The sea foam green paint was spreading so much that it seemed like a forest of latex was reclaiming acres of land.
you were there too!
The artist saw someone else in their dream, and it turned out to be someone they knew in real life.
swimming in your father's army jacket and sprawled across my floor
The person in the dream was wearing their father's army jacket and lying on the singer's floor.
like an arm of the sea separating the rest of the world from you and me
The person in the dream represented a connection between the singer and their own world, creating a separation from the rest of the world.
when i woke, the first thing i checked were the walls-
After waking up, the first thing the artist did was check if the sea foam green paint was still on the walls in real life.
still dressed like new in a brown sugar coat
The sea foam green paint was not taking over the walls in real life; instead, the walls looked new with a brown sugar coat of paint.
and you were still beside me
The person from the dream was still beside the artist in real life.
your face was warm and flushed with sleep
The person from the dream was sleeping soundly next to the singer in real life.
i am trying so hard not to take this all for granted
The artist is aware of how nice it is to have the person from the dream sleeping next to them in real life, and is making a conscious effort to appreciate it.
so you do not stir, i lay back down quietly
To not wake the person from the dream sleeping next to them, the singer laid back down quietly.
hands nestled or anchored just behind the small of your back
The singer put their hands behind the small of the person's back to hold them close without disturbing their sleep.
Contributed by Ian J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.