Their self-released debut album, Remember Who I Am, sold 5,000 copies before it was re-released by Daemon Records, the independent record label run by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. Their folk-rock musical style is heavy on close harmony.
Before the three came together as Girlyman, Nate was an award-winning singer-songwriter, and Doris and Ty (best friends since second grade in Princeton Junction, NJ) were the award-winning duo The Garden Verge. Later, they played and clicked with old friend, JJ, gagged her, and threw her in the Girlyvan.
Members:
Ty Greenstein (vocals, guitar, mandolin and percussion)
Doris Muramatsu (vocals, acoustic guitar, mandolin and banjo)
Nate Borofsky (vocals, baritone guitar, bass guitar)
JJ Jones (drums)
St. Peter's Bones
Girlyman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking over this sweet grave
Winds grew bolder, bruised my shoulder
Not much left to say
Sweet and spare now, holy sparrow
Singing softly outside
When it's colder, we'll feel older
We are breathing, we are seething
We are hardly underway
We have high hopes like the old popes
Even St. Peter's bones decay
In the old times, we made up rhymes
To sing ourselves to sleep at night
It was wild means, singing horse dreams
Did nothing wrong and nothing right
We are breathing, we are seething
We are hardly underway
We have high hopes like the old popes
Even St. Peter's bones decay
Making wishes like wine
Losing sleep and losing time
Maybe silver or green
The world alive, the world unseen
We are breathing, we are seething
We are hardly underway
We have high hopes like the old popes
Even St. Peter's bones decay
The lyrics to Girlyman's song "St. Peter's Bones" convey a sense of weariness and vulnerability, as the singer reflects on their own mortality and the passage of time. The opening lines paint a picture of physical exhaustion, with the singer described as "barely walking" and facing the elements alone. The reference to a "sweet grave" suggests that death itself may be a peaceful release from the struggles of life.
As the song progresses, the tone becomes more contemplative, with a focus on the beauty of nature and the fleeting nature of human existence. The "holy sparrow" singing outside provides a contrasting image to the rough winds and the singer's own fatigue. The line "we have high hopes like the old popes" speaks to the universal human desire for fulfillment and purpose, even in the face of mortality. And yet, the final line of the chorus reminds us that even the bones of St. Peter, the first pope, have decayed over time.
The final verse of the song brings in a sense of searching or striving, whether through the metaphor of "making wishes like wine" or through the idea of exploring the world both seen and unseen. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that, no matter what we do or achieve, we are all subject to the same unavoidable fate. Despite this, the song has an undercurrent of hopefulness and appreciates the present moment, even as we move inexorably towards the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Growing tired, barely walking
I am exhausted and struggling to move forward
Walking over this sweet grave
I am walking over a grave that is dear to me
Winds grew bolder, bruised my shoulder
The winds have become stronger and hurt my shoulder
Not much left to say
There doesn't seem to be much left to talk about
Sweet and spare now, holy sparrow
It is peaceful and quiet, with a holy sparrow singing nearby
Singing softly outside
The sparrow is singing a gentle tune outside
When it's colder, we'll feel older
As it gets colder, we will feel the weight of our age
Not much left to hide
We have nothing left to keep secret
We are breathing, we are seething
We are alive and feeling strong emotions
We are hardly underway
Our journey has just begun
We have high hopes like the old popes
We have ambitious goals, like the popes of old
Even St. Peter's bones decay
Even the most revered things eventually break down and crumble
In the old times, we made up rhymes
In times past, we created poems and songs
To sing ourselves to sleep at night
To help us fall asleep at night
It was wild means, singing horse dreams
Our methods were unconventional, as we sang about dreams of horses
Did nothing wrong and nothing right
We didn't do anything particularly noteworthy, either good or bad
Making wishes like wine
We are making many wishes, almost drunkenly
Losing sleep and losing time
We are anxious and restless, wasting time
Maybe silver or green
Our wishes could be for wealth or nature
The world alive, the world unseen
The world is vibrant and full of life, but there are still things we can't see or understand
Contributed by Mila K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.