The group initally formed to compete in the National Campus Band Competition in 1997. Temperley and Quartermain were already in a band at the time, Freud's Pillow, but had met with little success and asked Temperley's childhood friend MacLeod to form a new band, which became Eskimo Joe. The band ended up winning the competition prize: a slot at the 1997 Livid Festival and a session in a studio to record their first EP, Sweater. The title track became so successful on national broadcaster Triple J, it gained much airplay and featured in the Hottest 100 of 1998. A second EP Eskimo Joe followed up in 1999.
Later in 1999, Eskimo Joe was signed on to Modular and in 2001, their debut album Girl, which went gold. After splitting with Modular, they signed a new contract with Mushroom in 2002, releasing sophomore album A Song is a City in 2004. The album went double-platinum and earned the group Best Artist the following year.
Settling down for six weeks over Christmas in 2005, the noticeably darker album Black Fingernails Red Wine, was recorded and released the following June, debuting at number one on the ARIA charts and later going platinum. The band (jokingly) described the album as their "stadium rock" record and headed out on extensive touring around the country, including a stint at Live Earth in Sydney.
The band eventually went on to tour the globe, with trips around the US and Europe, before recording their fourth album, Inshalla, in Byron Bay. The album was released in May 2009 and topped the charts at number one in the ARIA album charts. It explores a very different sound for Eskimo Joe, with lead singer Temperley saying the band were a stage where they wanted to do something different musically and also in their personal lives.
Breaking Up
Eskimo Joe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is all that you grab
As you're watching the money fall
Right through your hands
It took such a long, long time now
To build on demand
But this is a war in the cradle of
This modern man
Does this mean we're breaking up? [x3]
Like stones again? [x2]
A mouthful of glass
That cuts up your words
You better watch that nothing's falling out
Watching nothing is heard
Does this mean we're breaking up? [x3]
Like stones again?
It took a long, long, long, long time
To reverse, like a curse
It took a long, long, long, long time
Took long, long, long, long time
And these are the words in the pages of
And this is the law of unspoken love
And this is a war in the cradle of
This modern man
Does this mean we're breaking up? [x8]
Like stones again? [x8]
The lyrics of Eskimo Joe's "Breaking Up" describe the breakdown of a relationship or possibly a business partnership. The opening lines, "A handful of sand is all that you grab as you're watching the money fall right through your hands," suggest that someone has lost or wasted a significant amount of money or resources. The next line, "It took such a long, long time now to build on demand," suggests that this loss may have undone what took a long time and a lot of hard work to build. The line, "But this is a war in the cradle of this modern man," seems to imply that this struggle is a reflection of something deeper, perhaps a larger conflict or societal issue.
The next verse describes the difficulties of communication in the face of this breakdown. The line, "A mouthful of glass that cuts up your words, you better watch that nothing's falling out, watching nothing is heard," suggests that words are not being effectively communicated and that what is left unsaid is as important as what is said.
The repetition of the chorus, "Does this mean we're breaking up? Like stones again?" emphasizes the uncertainty and desperation of the situation. The repeated use of the word "again" suggests that this is not the first time this has happened.
Overall, the lyrics of "Breaking Up" use concrete imagery and vivid language to convey the pain and frustration of a relationship or partnership that is on the verge of collapsing. The use of metaphor and repetition helps to create a sense of urgency and emotional intensity.
Line by Line Meaning
A handful of sand
A small amount of something that slips through your hands with ease
Is all that you grab
All you have left to hold onto
As you're watching the money fall
Observing the thing that you once cherished losing its value
Right through your hands
Slipping away from you without any chance of stopping it
It took such a long, long time now
A considerable amount of effort and time invested over a period of time
To build on demand
To create something of value that is wanted by many people
But this is a war in the cradle of
A battle that's happening in the earliest stages of human society
This modern man
The contemporary human being
Does this mean we're breaking up? [x3]
Asking if the relationship is ending
Like stones again? [x2]
Similar to previous failures in past relationships
A mouthful of glass
A sharp and dangerous situation
That cuts up your words
Making communication difficult and ineffective
You better watch that nothing's falling out
Be mindful of not revealing too much
Watching nothing is heard
Communication is becoming more difficult and unclear
It took a long, long, long, long time
A significant amount of time and effort
To reverse, like a curse
To undo something that has been set in motion and has caused harm
And these are the words in the pages of
The ideas that are written down in history books
And this is the law of unspoken love
The difficult norms and expectations that govern intimate relationships
Does this mean we're breaking up? [x8]
Asking if the relationship is truly over
Like stones again? [x8]
Reverting back to past failures in similar circumstances
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: FINLAY TEMPERLEY BEATON, JOEL PETER QUARTERMAIN, STUART LESLIE MACLEOD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind