In 2006, Glen Hansard (frontman of the Irish band The Frames) collaborated … Read Full Bio ↴In 2006, Glen Hansard (frontman of the Irish band The Frames) collaborated with Czech singer and multi-instrumentalist Markéta Irglová to record and release the album The Swell Season. In 2007, the album was re-released with the duo being re-named The Swell Season. Subsequent releases by the duo continue as The Swell Season

Violinist Marja Tuhkanen and the cellist Bertrand Galen (both fresh from performing with the Irish band Interference) also collaborated on the album. It was released on April 21st, 2006 (coinciding with Hansard's 36th birthday).

Hansard and Marketa starred together in the film 'Once' by writer/director John Carney (a former bass player of The Frames). Many songs of the album The Swell Season were used in this film, which won the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance 2007. Falling Slowly won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Song. In Once, according to the Falling Slowly Songfacts, Hansard played an Irish busker who has a romantic relationship with Irglova's Czech flower seller. Bob Dylan was so taken by the film that he asked Hansard and Irglova to be the opening act on his world tour. For more info: http://www.myspace.com/oncethemovie

Note on tagging tracks:
For the purists out there... Please tag tracks with "The Swell Season" unless it's a live performance featuring only Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová - in which case use "Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová").

Lies
Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I think it's time, we give it up
And figure out what's stopping us
From breathing easy and talking straight

The way is clear if you're ready now
The volunteer is slowing down
And taking time to save himself

The little cracks they escalated
Before we knew it was too late
For making circles and telling lies

You're moving too fast for me
And I can't keep up with you
Baby, if you slow down for me

I could see you're only telling lies, lies, lies
Breaking us down with your lies, lies, lies
When will you learn?

The little cracks they escalated
And before we knew it was too late
For making circles and telling lies

You're moving too fast for me
And I can't keep up with you
Maybe if you'd slow down for me

I could see you're only telling lies, lies, lies
Breaking us down with your lies, lies, lies
When will you learn?

So plant the thought and watch it grow
Wind it up and let it go

Overall Meaning

The song titled “Lies” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova was featured in the movie “Once” directed by John Carney which they star as the lead roles. The song is about a relationship that is falling apart, where one person is telling lies and the other is struggling to keep up with the lies. The song suggests that the only way to fix the relationship is by clearing the air and talking straight.

The first verse of the song suggests that there is a need to give up and figure out what is preventing them from communicating honestly. The second verse describes a volunteer who is slowing down and taking time to save himself, indicating that one person in the relationship is trying to fix things by taking a step back. The bridge suggests that the lies have been building up over time, creating little cracks that have escalated to a point where it is too late to fix the relationship. The chorus talks about the lies breaking them down and how the truth needs to be spoken for the relationship to thrive.

The last verse suggests that they need to plant the thought of honesty and let it grow to save the relationship. The song ends with the line “Wind it up and let it go”, suggesting that they need to let go of the lies and move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

I think it's time, we give it up
We should stop what we're doing

And figure out what's stopping us
Determine what's preventing us from progressing

From breathing easy and talking straight
From communicating without stress or deception

The way is clear if you're ready now
We can proceed if you're willing and prepared

The volunteer is slowing down
The person helping is losing steam

And taking time to save himself
Taking care of his own needs first

The little cracks they escalated
The minor issues became major problems

Before we knew it was too late
We realized too late that the situation was getting out of hand

For making circles and telling lies
For being deceitful and avoiding direct action

You're moving too fast for me
You're progressing too quickly for me

And I can't keep up with you
I'm unable to match your pace