The band met and formed in Greenville, North Carolina, USA while studying art at East Carolina University. Their first band was Art Lord & The Self-Portraits, which was also composed of Adam Beeby and Kymia Nawabi and lasted from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, Cashion, Herring, and Welmers formed Future Islands, along with Erick Murillo, the bassist for The Kickass. Other former members include Samuel N. Ortiz-Payero (drums, 2008) and Denny Bowen (drums, 2009–2013 in studio; 2013–2014 touring)
Future Islands released Little Advances in April 2006, and a self-released split CD with Welmers' solo project Moss of Aura in January 2007. In July 2007, they recorded their debut album, Wave Like Home, with Chester Endersby Gwazda at Backdoor Skateshop in Greenville, North Carolina. After a Halloween party in 2007, Murillo quit the band. In late 2007 and early 2008, the band relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The "Feathers and Hallways" 7" was recorded in Oakland, California during their first US tour and was their first release as a focused three-piece. Upset! the Rhythm released Wave Like Home on 25 August 2008. The cover art was designed by Kymia Nawabi, a former member of Art Lord & The Self-Portraits. In 2009 the band signed to independent Chicago record company Thrill Jockey.
Their second album, In Evening Air, was recorded in the band's living room in the historic Marble Hill neighborhood in Baltimore and released on 4 May 2010.Their third full-length album, On the Water, was recorded in Elizabeth City, NC's historic, waterfront Andrew S. Sanders House. It was released on 11 October 2011.
These early albums from Future Islands are often associated with other bands affiliated with Wham City, such as Videohippos, Santa Dads, Blood Baby, OCDJ, Adventure, Dan Deacon, Weekends and Double Dagger.
In 2014, they released Singles with hit-track Seasons (Waiting on You). The band and song gained critical acclamation from Pitchfork and NME and performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman, a performance that went viral. In 2017, they released The Far Field and most recently in 2020 they released As Long As You Are.
For Sure
Future Islands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was impoverished
Those ties that wind
And stared into open lanes
Stared into long long nights
Howling and still
West of the Eastern Cove
Dawn of your eyes
Dust off your smile
When you say "Us"
You make me trust
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
That's how much I feel in everything you are
You know, I know
Hot as the day
When we sat on stones
Watching the fish, run
Under our feet, and flow
And dove from the rocks
Scraping my knees and toes
And blood, with me, rose
Slow from the sea
And you were waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
You were waiting for me
It's just how much
When you say "Us"
You don't know just how much
You make me trust
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
That's how much I feel in everything you are
I know, I know
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
I will never keep you from just who you are
I know, I know
The lyrics of the song "For Sure" by Future Islands are poignant and emotive, exploring the themes of trust and love. The opening lines "Perish the Pain, I was impoverished, those ties that wind, and stared into open lanes, stared into long long nights, howling and still" set the tone of the song, expressing the pain of the past while yearning for a brighter future. The next lines "West of the Eastern Cove, carving the wind, dawn of your eyes, dust off your smile" evoke an image of a landscape and new beginnings.
The chorus, "When you say 'us,' you make me trust, I will never keep you from an open door, I know, you know, that's how much I feel in everything you are," emphasizes the importance of trust in a relationship and the ongoing commitment to supporting one another. The imagery in the following lines "Hot as the day, when we sat on stones, watching the fish run, under our feet and flow, and dove from the rocks, scraping my knees and toes, and blood with me rose, slow from the sea" captures a beautiful moment shared between two people, being completely present in the moment and experiencing the fullness of life together.
The song closes with the repetition of "I will never keep you from an open door, I know you know, I will never keep you from just who you are, I know, I know," as if to reassure the listener and their partner of the depth of their commitment to living full and authentic lives together, with no barriers or inhibitions. Overall, the lyrics of "For Sure" are evocative and beautifully crafted, capturing the complexities and joys of what it means to be in a loving, committed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Perish the pain
Let go of the pain
I was impoverished
I was lacking and suffering
Those ties that wind
Those connections that twist and turn
And stared into open lanes
And gazed into open paths
Stared into long long nights
Gazed into the darkness of the night
Howling and still
Screaming and yet calm
West of the Eastern Cove
On the western side of the eastern inlet
Carving the wind
Moving through the wind
Dawn of your eyes
Beginning of the light in your eyes
Dust off your smile
Erase the sadness and show your joy
When you say "Us"
When you refer to us as a unit
You make me trust
You make me believe in you
I will never keep you from an open door
I will never prevent you from opportunities
I know, you know
We both understand
That's how much I feel in everything you are
That's how deeply I am moved by all that you are
Hot as the day
Scorching like the heat of the day
When we sat on stones
When we were sitting on rocks
Watching the fish, run
Observing the fish swim
Under our feet, and flow
Beneath our feet, moving smoothly
And dove from the rocks
And jumped from the rocks
Scraping my knees and toes
Hurt my knees and toes
And blood, with me, rose
Blood flowed from my injuries
Slow from the sea
Gradually coming from the ocean
And you were waiting for me
And you were patiently anticipating my arrival
Waiting for me
Hoping for me
It's just how much
It's simply how deeply
You don't know just how much
You aren't aware of how much it moves me
I will never keep you from just who you are
I will never prevent you from being true to yourself
I know, I know
I understand completely
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Michael Lowry, Samuel Thompson Herring, William Cashion, John Gerrit Welmers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Lyrics
Perish the pain
I was impoverished
Those ties that wind
And stared into open lanes
Stared into long long nights
Howling and still
West of the Eastern Cove
Carving the wind
Dawn of your eyes
Dust off your smile
When you say "Us"
You make me trust
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
That's how much I feel in everything you are
You know, I know
Hot as the day
When we sat on stones
Watching the fish, run
Under our feet, and flow
And dove from the rocks
Scraping my knees and toes
And blood, with me, rose
Slow from the sea
And you were waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
Waiting for me
You were waiting for me
It's just how much
When you say "Us"
You don't know just how much
You make me trust
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
That's how much I feel in everything you are
I know, I know
I will never keep you from an open door
I know, you know
I will never keep you from just who you are
I know, I know
Patoc32
Two certain things in life: 1- death; 2 - feeling a strange comforting nostalgia in every Future Islands song
Jazzy Woop
I just lost my best friend. I concur.
Eliseu Carvalho
São Fodas!
Renatto Rojas
cierto
Hamlet Giragosian
"Life" is the absence of death; therefore, there is no death in life. But Future Islands's comforting nostalgia is FOR SURE.
Bader AMF
Exactly how I feel ..
EJarbinks
The Show bringing all of us together to some great music, regardless of our backgrounds and preferences. Love to see it 🤟🏽
TK
Yes sir
Joey Sauvage
💯👊💪
howtolife678
Ngl MLB The Show is how I find most of my new music