1) Franklin--vocalist/guitarist Ralph Darden, guitarist Brian Sokel, bassis… Read Full Bio ↴1) Franklin--vocalist/guitarist Ralph Darden, guitarist Brian Sokel, bassist Roy Binnion (later replaced by Josh Mills) and drummer Greg Giuliano--released a slew of quality music from 1993 to 1999. These four men from Philadelphia, PA brought their own unique style of multi-genre rock to the kids of the world. Take the spirited and soulful sound and then dub and mix it with the angst of punk rock. Blend in the intelligence and vague political overtones of the contemporary Washington D.C. scene, and you get this fine tuned slab of rock.

The band's sound started off more in the Fugazi-esque D.C. post-hardcore vein, which you can hear on 1996's Go Kid Go, released on defunct Canadian label Workshop Records. The album featured nine new songs as well as all of the band's early 7-inch and compilation appearances, making it a primer for any fans coming on-board in the mid-'90s.

But while the band were already showing promise, it was 1997's Building In A And E where the band really developed their own sound. Released by Chicago's File 13 Records, the seven-song EP (the first to feature Mills on bass) was produced by Hopeton "Scientist" Brown, the man who practically invented dub music. What the band came up with on that release was groundbreaking for the time, turning Franklin into sort of a post-hardcore version of Bad Brains - a band who could both be aggressive one minute and then lose themselves in the rhythm the next.

As the band's buzz was building, they signed to Tree Records, then a white-hot Chicago label which had released early work from Pinback, Urban Legends (pre-the Thermals) and others, and was responsible for the absolutely genius Post Marked Stamps 7-inch series, which featured Braid, the Get Up Kids, Rainer Maria, Tim Kinsella and many more. Franklin's first release on the label was the Major Taylor 7-inch, the A-side of which was the title track and also landed its way on a Tree/Southern/Polyvinyl Records sampler in early 1998.

But all of that was a precursor to the group's swan song, 1999's self-titled effort. The band had moved on from post-hardcore and fully embraced dub, but alternated between bass-heavy jams and energetic, lo-fi indie rock. The record opens with a wailing siren before "They Attack" slams itself into gear with thumping drums and oozing bass; a few minutes later, the band deliver "Inventor Of Loud," a positively brilliant piece of brainy indie rock that still sounds better than virtually anyone slogging it up on Pitchfork Music Festival's side stages.

After the band broke up in the early 2000s, Darden went onto found Jai-Alai Savant, who released an EP and LP before slipping into hibernation. He also DJs in Chicago frequently, going under the moniker Major Taylor. His other claim to fame? Atom And His Package wrote a song about him, called "Happy Birthday Ralph." (Sample lyric: "Happy birthday, Ralph/I love you/Even though you are fucking disgusting.") Sokel started up experimental indie-pop duo AM/FM in the wake of Franklin's dissolution; they are now defunct, as well.

2) Franklin is a Drum & Bass DJ/Producer from Bournemouth, United Kingdom.

Drowning
Franklin Lyrics

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(I'm drowning)

All the oceans are pouring out of my eyes
Ever since I met you
Ever since I met you
I am drowning
Drowning you in my mind
So I can forget you

So I can forget you

Now it's too late
It's too late to see this
We both going under
We both going under
All the oceans
Are pouring out of my eyes
Ever since I met you
Ever since I met you

I'm drowning
Drowning

All the oceans
Are pouring out of my eyes
Ever since I met you
Ever since I met you
I am drowning
Drowning you in my mind
So I can forget you
So I can forget you

Now it's too late
It's too late to see this
We both going under
We both going under
All the oceans
Are pouring out of my eyes
Ever since I met you
Ever since I met you

I'm drowning

I'm drowning
I'm drowning
I'm drowning
I'm going under
I'm going under
I'm going under

I'm drowning
I'm drowning

I'm drowning
I'm drowning
I'm drowning
I'm going under
I'm going under

I'm going under
I'm drowning

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Franklin's song "Drowning" describe a feeling of being overwhelmed and lost in the aftermath of a relationship that has gone wrong. The singer feels like they are drowning in the emotions and memories of their past love, unable to escape the pain and hurt that it has caused. The use of the ocean as a metaphor for this feeling is particularly powerful - the vastness and depth of the ocean reflecting the depth of the singer's emotions.

The lyrics suggest that the relationship was perhaps not a healthy one - the singer is trying to forget their past love, and describes both of them as "going under". The repeated refrain of "it's too late" also suggests that the singer has come to the realization that their relationship cannot be saved.

The song is both melancholic and haunting, with the use of repetition emphasizing the sense of being trapped in the singer's emotions. The haunting quality is further reflected in the sparse instrumentation and echoey production of the track, which adds to the feeling of isolation and despair.

Overall, "Drowning" is a poignant exploration of the pain and struggle of letting go of a past love and moving on.

Line by Line Meaning

All the oceans are pouring out of my eyes
I am crying so much that it feels like my tears could fill the entire ocean.

Ever since I met you
I have been feeling this way since the day I met you.

I am drowning
My emotions are taking over and I feel like I am suffocating in them.

Drowning you in my mind
I can't stop thinking about you and it is consuming me.

So I can forget you
I want to forget about you and move on from this pain.

Now it's too late
I realize now that it is too late to fix what we had.

It's too late to see this
I didn't see the warning signs until it was too late.

We both going under
Our relationship is sinking and we can't save it.

All the oceans
My tears are immense in quantity and it feels like an overflow of emotion.

Are pouring out of my eyes
My eyes can't hold back any more tears.

Ever since I met you
My emotions have been overwhelming me since the day I met you.

I'm drowning
My emotions are taking over and it feels like I am drowning in them.

Drowning
I am drowning in this pain and sadness.

All the oceans
My tears feel like an entire ocean.

Are pouring out of my eyes
My eyes are constantly filled with tears.

Ever since I met you
Everything changed when I met you and my emotions have been all over the place.

I am drowning
I am consumed by my emotions and it feels like I can't escape.

Drowning you in my mind
I can't stop thinking about you and it is causing me pain.

So I can forget you
I want to forget about you and move on from this pain.

Now it's too late
I realize now that it is too late to go back to how things were.

It's too late to see this
I was blind to the problems in our relationship until it was too late.

We both going under
Our relationship is coming to an end and we can't save it.

All the oceans
My sadness is so immense it feels like an entire ocean.

Are pouring out of my eyes
I am crying uncontrollably and can't seem to stop.

Ever since I met you
From the moment I met you, I knew this pain would come.

I'm drowning
I am consumed by my emotions and it feels like I can't escape.

I'm drowning
I am consumed by my emotions and it feels like I am drowning in them.

I'm going under
My emotions are taking over and I can't seem to control them.

I'm drowning
I am consumed by my emotions and it feels like I am drowning in them.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Sentric Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Nicholas James Gale, Franklin, Sorana

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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