Lead singer, Florence Welch, was an art-college drop-out, from Camberwell (London), who was discovered singing Motown covers in a nightclub toilet, drunk. ”The Machine” name originated with an in-joke between Welch and Summers. Musically, Florence + The Machine's sound is sometimes referred to as soul-inspired indie rock. Welch grew up listening to The White Stripes and Kate Bush and says she writes metaphorical songs that are "stories with consequences and weird morality issues."
2008
Florence + The Machine's music has received praise across the British music media, especially from the BBC, who played a large part in their rise to prominence, by bringing them into the spotlight as part of "BBC Introducing" (a program to support unsigned artists) - firstly at South By South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas in March 2008 and later that year (Sept 2008) the band recorded a full session for the BBC at their Maida Vale studios.
2009 - 2010 - first awards and first studio album - "Lungs"
At the Brit Awards 2009, Florence + The Machine received the Critics' Choice Award at the Brits in the UK. The award was introduced in 2008 (when it was awarded to Adele) and focuses on new and emerging British talent, voted for by a panel of music industry experts.
The band's début album was "Lungs" (Jul 2009, Universal), preceded by third single Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) (Jun 2009, Moshi Moshi). "Lungs" went on to become number one in the UK album charts in January 2010, and won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 Brits, where they performed a hugely popular collaboration, You've Got the Dirtee Love (live at The Brit Awards 2010) with Dizzee Rascal - a mix of You've Got the Love, the Candi Staton cover from "Dog Days Are Over" (Nov 2008, IAmSound), and Dizzee’s Dirtee Cash (Sept 2009, Dirtee Stank).
2011 - second studio album - "Ceremonials"
The second album "Ceremonials" (31 Oct 2011, Island) - with which Welch was inspired for the title and some themes from a '70s Super 8 film of an art installation, she recalls: "... this big procession of kind of coquette-style hippies and all these different coloured robes and masks, and it was all to do with colour, really saturated, brightly coloured pastas and balloons. I saw it a couple years ago, and it was called 'Ceremonials' and then, like, Roman numerals after it. And the word sort of stuck with me, and I think the whole idea of performance ...". The album is also influenced by hymns, poems and church bells.
2012 - MTV Unplugged album - "MTV Unplugged"
In 2012, the band released a live album - "MTV Unplugged" (Apr 2012, Universal) - as part of the MTV Unplugged series. It was filmed in December 2011 in New York’s oldest synagogue building, Angel Orensanz Center, with the band being backed by a ten-person choir.
2015 - third studio album - "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful"
The band's long awaited third studio album is called "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful". It was released on May 29, 2015 on Island Records.
2018 - fourth studio album - "High As Hope"
The band's fourth studio album is called "High As Hope". It was released on June 29, 2018 on Republic Records.
I'm Not Calling You a Liar
Florence + the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just don't lie to me
I'm not calling you a thief
Just don't steal from me
I'm not calling you a ghost
Just stop haunting me
And I love you so much
I'm gonna let you
There's a ghost in my lungs
And it sighs in my sleep
Wraps itself around my tongue
As it softly speaks
Then it walks then it walks with my legs
To fall
To fall
To fall at your feet
Oh, but for the grace of God go on
And when you kiss me I'm happy enough to die
I'm not calling you a liar
Just don't lie to me
And I love you so much
I'm gonna let you
I'm not calling you a thief
Just don't
And I love you so much
I'm gonna let you
Oh
I'm not calling you a ghost
Just don't
There's a ghost in my mouth
And it talks in my sleep
Wraps itself around my tongue
As it softly speaks
Then it walks then it walks
Then it walks with my legs
To fall, to fall, to fall
To fall, to fall, to fall
To fall, to fall, to fall
To fall, to fall, to fall at your feet
Oh, but for the grace of God go on
And when you kiss me, I'm happy enough
The lyrics of Florence + The Machine's "I'm Not Calling You A Liar" explore the complicated dynamic between two individuals in a relationship. The singer is expressing a need for honesty and trust in the relationship, but is also willing to sacrifice everything for the person they love, even if it means getting hurt. The opening lines - "I'm not calling you a liar, just don't lie to me" - set the tone for the song, indicating that the singer has reason to doubt the honesty and sincerity of their partner. In the next line, "I'm not calling you a thief, just don't steal from me," the singer is asking for respect and trust in the relationship.
The second verse brings up the idea of a ghost haunting the singer, which can be interpreted as a metaphor for emotional baggage from a past relationship. The line, "There's a ghost in my lungs and it sighs in my sleep," suggests that the singer is carrying past hurt and trauma with them in their current relationship. However, despite these issues, the singer is still willing to fall at their partner's feet and sacrifice everything for them.
Overall, the song is a reflection on the complexities of relationships and the struggle to balance trust, love, and emotional baggage. It shows that despite these difficulties, the singer is still willing to love and sacrifice for the person they care about.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not calling you a liar
I am not saying that you are untruthful
Just don't lie to me
But please, do not deceive me
I'm not calling you a thief
I am not accusing you of stealing
Just don't steal from me
Just do not take anything that belongs to me without permission
I'm not calling you a ghost
I am not denying your existence
Just stop haunting me
But please, stop showing up in my life unexpectedly
And I love you so much
Despite everything, I have strong feelings for you
I'm gonna let you
I am willing to let you
Kill me
Cause, in a sense, you have power over me.
There's a ghost in my lungs
I feel like there is something trapped inside me
And it sighs in my sleep
It is so deep rooted that it affects me even when I'm asleep
Wraps itself around my tongue
It affects my speech and what I say
As it softly speaks
The voice is gentle, yet it is always there
Then it walks then it walks with my legs
It takes control of me completely
To fall
I am willing to risk
To fall
Even though it could be hurtful
To fall at your feet
To give in to you completely
Oh, but for the grace of God go on
I am relying on Grace to see me through this
And when you kiss me I'm happy enough to die
Your affections make me so happy that I'd rather die than live without them
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Florence Leontine Mary Welch, Isabella Janet Florentina Summers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@charlybrown1109
I'm not calling you a liar
Just don't lie to me
I'm not calling you a thief
Just don't steal from me
I'm not calling you a ghost
Just stop haunting me
And I love you so much
I'm gonna let you kill me
There's a ghost in my lungs and it sighs in my sleep
Wraps itself around my tongue as it softly speaks
Then it walks, then it walks with my legs
To fall, to fall, to fall at your feet
There but for the grace of God go I
And when you kiss me, I am happy enough to die
I'm not calling you a liar
Just don't lie to me
And I love you so much
I'm gonna let you...
I'm not calling you a thief
Just don't...
And I love you so much
I'm gonna let you...
I'm not calling you a ghost
Just stop...
There's a ghost in my mouth and it talks in my…
@frankpeters1857
Dragon age 2 is what got me here it's an amazing song.
@infiniteadam7352
6 years waiting for a reply....hope you enjoyed the rest of the album! Lover to Lover by Florence is one of my favorites!
@olgak7395
Dragon Age 2 just finished, the records in the end brought me here
@isabelwingert710
This song is severely underrated.
@SassyXSandwichX
I forgot how good Florence and machine was
@candicebaire6868
What a shame. Her greatness can't be forgotten!
@Aissless
But I'm not calling you a truther, either.
@NightWayke
Aissless LOL.......Oh my jeebus, this made my damn day!
@jennygraeff6183
:-) like
@lori9885
thank you