Originally part of short-lived Chicago group I Rowboat, Johnson and two of his fellow Rowboat members, guitarist Dan Strack and drummer Brian Belval, created Fruit Bats as a side-project. When I Rowboat split up, Fruit Bats became Johnson's main focus. Spurred on by Califone/Perishable Records honchos Tim Rutili and Ben Massarella, the group recorded their first album, Echolocation, released in 2001.
After tours with Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Modest Mouse and The Shins, Fruit Bats signed with Sub Pop in late summer 2002, recording their second album, 2003's Mouthfuls, which included new bandmate Gillian Lisee.
After relocating to Seattle, the group released their third album, Spelled in Bones, in 2005. Afterward, Eric D. Johnson played with The Shins and Vetiver. In 2008, the Fruit Bats began working together again, with revised membership of Johnson, Christopher Sherman, Ron Lewis, Graeme Gibson, and Sam Wagster. In 2009, they released The Ruminant Band and in 2011 came Tripper.
In November 2013, Eric D. Johnson announced he would be dissolving Fruit Bats. That month they played what was to be their farewell show at a sold out Aladdin Theatre in Portland, OR. The following year Johnson released an album under the name EDJ.
Reforming in 2015, Fruit Bats released their sixth official full-length LP, Absolute Loser, in 2016 via newly formed Los Angeles-based label Easy Sound.
Fruit Bats signed to North Carolina-based independent label Merge Records in 2018. Also in 2018, Johnson formed the folk group Bonny Light Horseman with Josh Kaufman and Anais Mitchell.
In 2019 Fruit Bats’ Merge debut "Gold Past Life" was released.
Fruit Bats’ 2020 album The Pet Parade was produced by Johnson's Bonny Light Horseman bandmate Josh Kaufman.
In 2021, Fruit Bats released a full-album cover of Smashing Pumpkins' 1993 record Siamese Dream.
The Fruit Bats’ double-disc, 20-year career retrospective "Sometimes A Cloud Is Just a Cloud: Slow Growers, Sleeper Hits and Lost Songs" was released in 2022.
Wild Honey
Fruit Bats Lyrics
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Green wind will lift you, under sky blue tongues
Someday your chariot of air will vanish from
this world of wine and bone
And then what remains of you is pure and genuine
as wild honey
Free of form and desire, there before the naked eye to know nobody
No body
Each empire who inherits the sea, rises and retreats into foam
In the ash there stirs a seed, empty between
what's unseen and unknown
To penetrate pure light, penetrate pure light, you gotta suffer some
And then what remains of you is pure
and genuine as wild honey
Free of form and desire, there before the naked eye to own nobody
To owe nobody
No body
No body
No body
To know nobody
Nobody
To owe nobody
No body
The lyrics of Fruit Bats's song Wild Honey offer a poignant perspective on the ephemeral nature of life and the ultimate surrender to the unknown. The opening line "Pick your shadow up, slender on the vine" creates a vivid image of a fragile, weightless figure suspended on a thin wire, ready to be carried away by the slightest breeze. The metaphorical allusion to the frailty of existence is reinforced by the following line "Green wind will lift you, under sky blue tongues", which emphasizes the ethereal quality of our being and the transience of our journey. The phrase "chariot of air" suggests a transcendent experience, almost like a mystical transformation of the self.
However, the song also touches on the notion of an afterlife or a continuation of the self beyond the mortal realm: "And then what remains of you is pure and genuine as wild honey". Here, the idea of purity is associated with the absence of form and desire, a state of being that allows the self to be free from the constraints of physicality and the earthly realm. The phrase "to know nobody" is repeated several times, introducing a sense of detachment from the material world and from the self, as if the truest sense of knowledge can only be achieved by shedding one's individuality and merging with the void.
The song's final lines, "No body / To know nobody / Nobody / To owe nobody / No body", further enforce this idea of ascension and liberation from the self. The repetition of the words "no body" creates a dual meaning: on one hand, it refers to the absence of a physical body, but on the other hand, it suggests the negation of the self, of the ego, and of any sense of ownership or belonging.
Overall, Wild Honey is a hauntingly beautiful song that blends poetic imagery with philosophical musings on the nature of existence and the human condition.
Line by Line Meaning
Pick your shadow up, slender on the vine
Rise from your dormant state and prepare to embrace the world with your unique and graceful presence.
Green wind will lift you, under sky blue tongues
Nature will provide the necessary elements to guide you towards your destiny in the vast and open world.
Someday your chariot of air will vanish from
this world of wine and bone
Your temporary existence will come to an end and all that will remain are the memories of your adventures and experiences.
And then what remains of you is pure and genuine
as wild honey
Your legacy will be an unadulterated and authentic reflection of your true self, just like the sweetness of raw honey.
Free of form and desire, there before the naked eye to know nobody
To know nobody
No body
Your existence in the world will be free of societal constructs and expectations, allowing you to be truly independent and unburdened by the influence of others.
Each empire who inherits the sea, rises and retreats into foam
In the ash there stirs a seed, empty between
what's unseen and unknown
The empires and kingdoms that have come before us have ebbed and flowed with time, leaving behind the remnants of their existence. From their ashes new life will sprout, like a seed waiting to grow in the void between the unknown and the unseen.
To penetrate pure light, penetrate pure light, you gotta suffer some
In order to reach a higher understanding of the world and our place in it we must endure suffering and hardship as we move towards enlightenment.
And then what remains of you is pure and genuine as wild honey
Free of form and desire, there before the naked eye to own nobody
To owe nobody
No body
Through perseverance and struggle we can transcend the boundaries of our physical existence and achieve true authenticity and freedom, owning nothing and owing nothing to anyone.
Contributed by Callie A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.