Combining elements of both rock and folk music, along with disturbingly personal sentiments, dark humor, and a voice able to channel both the falsetto highs of Neil Young and the wavering raspy low tones of Leonard Cohen, Toronto's Hayden Desser has spent his career creating uniquely affecting music.
The critically-acclaimed musician first appeared in the early '90s armed with only his four-track tape recorder, his unexpectedly low vocal range, and an extremely detuned guitar. Going simply by the name Hayden, he recorded his self-released cassette, In September, in 1994, and much of the material included evolved into his first proper LP, 1995's Everything I Long For. Initially self-released on his own Hardwood Records, the debut disc toed the line between beautiful and horrifying, touching on simple details of human interaction as well as delving into macabre tales that still retained an oddly personal edge. After a year of touring Canada, E.T.I.L.F. was picked up by Outpost Recordings (Geffen) and was released worldwide in early 1996. Tours of the U.S., Europe and Japan took up most of 1996, as well as writing and recording the title track to the Steve Buscemi-directed Tree’s Lounge. Hayden’s second full-length record. The Closer I Get (1998) was recorded in Toronto, Bearsville, N.Y., Seattle and Los Angeles. After another year of touring, Hayden closed the book on chapter one of his musical endeavors.
The next couple of years went by without any performances, but during 2000, Hayden began writing and recording in his Toronto home. The self-produced collection of songs was titled Skyscraper National Park and was released in 2001 to world–wide critical acclaim.
The following year, a live concert double CD was released, Live at Convocation Hall, a glimpse, for the listener, into what makes Hayden’s appearances such a favourite among his ever devoted fan base. His natural rapport with the crowd, along with an honest demeanour, has continued Hayden’s reputation as a unique and charming performer.
In 2004, Hayden released his 4th studio album. Elk-Lake Serenade continued in the direction of Skyscraper with it’s collection of warm and memorable recordings. 2004 also heralded Hayden’s return to the road with several tours that took him as far as Australia and New Zealand.
After a long period of writing and recording, Hayden returned in early 2008 with his 5th full-length studio record. In Field & Town is his most musically diverse and textured record to date. It captures his penchant for self-referential fiction and emotionally heavy songs and laces them with sharp hooks and smart lyrics. After supporting The National in Europe in November of ‘07, Hayden completed a sold-out theatre tour of Canada as well as spring and fall North American tours supporting Feist. In Field & Town was released on Fat Possum in the U.S.A. and November saw the release in Europe via the Affairs of the Heart label, combined with Nov./Dec. dates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
www.hardwoodrecords.com
www.myspace.com/hayden
When This Is Over
Hayden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Beside you, in mom's car
I try to get you out
You're strapped to the backseat
I am too
The car is rolling down to water
Why are we
Trapped
What did we do?
I cleaned my room just as she asked me to
Filling up, dirty water
My chin's up, going under
You're still asleep, baby brother
I'll wake you up when this is over
The car is rolling down to water
Why are we
Strapped to our seats?
Trapped
What did we do?
I brushed my teeth just as she asked me to
This is it, baby brother
One more breath together
We're almost underwater
Where is mom?
I miss her
The car has rolled into the water
Why are we dying in this way
What did we do?
I was nice to him
Her boyfriend, this is stupid
When people come to search the lake
We'll be found in our pajamas
They will see
A big mistake is all that this must be
The lyrics of Hayden's song "When This Is Over" paint a vividly tragic scene of a young child waking up beside their baby brother in the backseat of their mother's car as it rolls down into water. The child is desperately trying to untangle themselves from their seatbelt, but they can’t free themselves or their little brother from their restraints. As the car fills up with dirty water, they begin to realize the extent of their situation – they are trapped and are going to die. The child tries to keep their head above the water, waiting for their inevitable fate, comforting their baby brother as he sleeps, promising him that she will wake him up when this is all over.
The lyrics suggest that the mother's boyfriend had something to do with this and that both the children are innocent victims of his actions. The child has done everything the mother asked her to do, but it seems as if the mother's boyfriend thought they were guilty of something heinous. The lyrics "I was nice to him / Her boyfriend, this is stupid" suggest that the child was kind to the mother's boyfriend but still met with an untimely fate. It's a haunting idea that a child can be punished for something he/she didn't do, and despite doing everything right, they die due to someone else's mistake.
The song's lyrics are powerful, and it forces the listener to ponder the consequences of someone else's wrongdoing. It portrays the destruction that the decisions of one individual can wreak on the lives of innocent people, and it's a reminder to always be careful of our actions and their outcomes.
Line by Line Meaning
I wake up
The singer wakes up from their sleep.
Beside you, in mom's car
The singer is in a car with someone else, and it belongs to their mother.
I try to get you out
The singer attempts to get the other person out of the car.
You're strapped to the backseat
The other person is restrained in the backseat of the car.
I am too
The artist is also restrained in the car.
The car is rolling down to water
The car is moving towards a body of water.
Why are we
Strapped to our seats?
The singer questions why they and the other person are restrained in the car.
Trapped
What did we do?
The artist feels trapped and doesn't understand why they are in this situation.
I cleaned my room just as she asked me to
The artist recalls doing something they were asked to do.
Filling up, dirty water
The car is filling with dirty water.
My chin's up, going under
The singer is trying to keep their head above water as the car submerges.
You're still asleep, baby brother
The other person in the car is still asleep and is the artist's younger sibling.
I'll wake you up when this is over
The singer promises to wake up their sibling when the ordeal is over.
This is it, baby brother
The singer realizes that this is the end for both of them.
One more breath together
The singer and their sibling take one last breath before the car is fully submerged.
We're almost underwater
The car is almost completely submerged.
Where is mom?
I miss her
The artist is wondering where their mother is and wishes she was there with them.
Why are we dying in this way
What did we do?
The singer questions why they have to die in this manner and doesn't understand what they did to deserve it.
I was nice to him
Her boyfriend, this is stupid
The singer reflects on being kind to their mother's boyfriend, but regrets it as they are now dying because of him.
When people come to search the lake
We'll be found in our pajamas
They will see
A big mistake is all that this must be
The artist believes that when their bodies are eventually found, people will realize that it was a mistake and they didn't deserve to die in this way.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Paul Hayden Desser
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Colin Nunya
I just learned what this song is about and listened to the lyrics. These words come to mind: Horrific.... awful... haunting... evil... chilling... and GENIUS. Hard to listen to but fucking brilliant. Wow Hayden. Wow.
jjc
Still to this day 23 years after hearing it for the first time I get chills and gooabumps all over listening to this. Hits even harder now that I have children
rexiimmortalis
Goosebumps......I still remember when this story was in the news.....It made me sick to my stomach.....many years and two beautiful children later it's hard to even listen to it without crying.
M W
wow. And I thought "Skates" was the saddest song ever. It's officially been dethroned by this song. Hayden - you win again!!
starlette92
I just listened to Skates and had forgotten how sad it was...then this song was like, "hold my beer" 💔💔💔
Pam King
25 years later and this song still has me shook.
Captain Beefheart
This song was the reason I bought this album. I was 17 at the time. All of these years later (I bought it the day it came out) I am even more awe-struck by its poingant and painful lyrics. The sadness and anger in this song blows me away still - perhaps even more as a father.
Colin Nunya
This is an amazing album. Why dont they play stuff like this on the radio??
Catnap Gee
@Jason VU I guess from one keyboard warrior to another, it just has to be that way since we're .. well, not in person, eh? No, bad and terrible do not. I don't understand the game of semantics you're trying to play. I made a comment and I defended it thusly. I do not mean to ruin everyone's enjoyment, perhaps such reasons for my comments is because my enjoyment is ruined hearing praise to those who are not talented. And if you didn't care, I suppose we wouldn't be having this conversation. That said, sorry to ruin your enjoyment though.
Jason VU
@Catnap Gee wow a keyboard warrior. Bad and terrible mean the same thing, and you don't have to ruin everyone's enjoyment because of your opinion. No one cares and it's kinda rude