In 2005, frontman Baker arrived home from a road trip with a suitcase full of poems and melodies. Hey Rosetta! was formed soon after with the addition of a string section (cellist Romesh Thavanathan and violinist Kinley Dowling) and rhythm section (bassist Josh Ward, drummer Phil Maloney, and guitarist Adam Hogan). Since that time, they blossomed into a powerful group whose explosive live shows earned them a devoted following.
The band's album, Seeds, was produced by Tony Doogan (Belle and Sebastian, Mogwai, Wintersleep) and revealed a maturing lyrical depth and an atmosphere rooted to the band's passion for epic musical experiences.
It was while recording 2008's breakthrough album Into Your Lungs (and around in your heart and on through your blood) that Tim Baker began to fully realize his vocal and lyrical abilities, and the band made a huge creative leap forward. Into Your Lungs garnered a slew of awards and critical accolades, was short-listed for the prestigious Polaris Music Prize, and Hey Rosetta! were named one of Billboard's Top 5 new Canadian acts.
During the three solid years of touring after Into Your Lungs was released the concept of Seeds was born. "The title track, "Seeds", came about while out on the highway a few years ago" muses Baker. "In a way it's about what our lives had become, and how we're like seeds that float around into different fields and cities, bringing something and trying to build something for the people that come to see us."
The group developed the sonic landscapes found on Seeds while maintaining an extensive tour schedule that took them to Australia, China, Europe, the US and on numerous tours of Canada (including a tour of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut). The band then holed up in Newfoundland to finish the songs before traveling to Halifax, NS to record with renowned producer Tony Doogan at The Sonic Temple. "Tony was really incredible at getting all the sounds and tones we'd dreamt up. He's an amazing engineer and for all his Scottish bluster and pop-rock dogma, he is very sensitive, patient, and a gifted producer," says Baker (who wrote all of the songs except "Downstairs", "Young Glass", and "Seeds" which were co-writes with guitarist Adam Hogan).
Thematically, Seeds explores everything from depression to procreation. "Young Glass" was written after reading J.D. Salinger's "Franny and Zooey". Baker explains:
"It's sort of directed at the novel's main character, Franny.. it describes a sleepwalking scene that didn't actually occur in the book, but one that I imagined. We spent a lot of time flying and sleeping on planes and in airports and I was always finding myself in half-waking states, feeling, as one does, all alone somewhere between dream and reality. When I'd wake up, I was always surrounded by people, going about their business. I like that; a sort of evidence that even when we think we are completely alone, we are not. So I wrote Franny, a character who is plagued by such thoughts, a song about it. but it's really about everyone".
First single "Welcome" is a song about Baker's close friends who were expecting a baby:
"I wrote a song for the little soon-to-be, who now is a 18 month old girl named Madeleine; healthy and beautiful, just like her parents" explains Baker, "I was just sitting with them talking to the unborn baby in a sort of cynical, joking way. You know, like "stay in there as long as you can kid. Sorry, but it's a mess out here..." and so on. Later, alone, I was thinking about what it means to bring new life into the world, how it's sort of sad but also so hopeful and kind of religious".
Hey Rosetta! decided to break up at the end of 2017.
Black Heart
Hey Rosetta! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You darkest dirt
Hardest paradox I ever learned
You're tireless
And I tire quick
It's the easy death of reason within my chest
You bright sun
Hardest cryer I ever heard
You cry out your orders
You cry out your pain
And every letter's followed like its sacrosanct
I'm at the mercy
Of an idiot tyrant king
I jump high! talk loud! and listen? I'm always listening!
Cause he built his throne from my bones and skin
I love, I hate, I hate to live this way
A dog, a slave, we do what our deity dictates
And I just want
Someone to lean on
I just want someone
To lean on me.
In Hey Rosetta!'s song Black Heart, the lyrics talk about a deep internal struggle with conflicting emotions towards oneself and others. The first few lines seem to indicate a paradox where the person being addressed is both bright and dark, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for their duality. The line "hardest paradox I ever learned" could mean that the person singing the song has learned to embody both light and dark characteristics and navigate their inner contradictions. This is further emphasized by the lines "you're tireless, and I tire quick", suggesting a sense of exhaustion in trying to reconcile these conflicting emotions.
The following lines "it's the easy death of reason within my chest" alludes to the idea that sometimes, one's emotions can override their rational thoughts, causing them to make unwise decisions. The second verse refers to the person being addressed as a "hardest cryer I ever heard" and how they cry out their orders and pain - this could be interpreted as someone who is both demanding and vulnerable. The lyrics allude to a sense of obligation to follow their orders, almost like they are a tyrant king, and the line "he built his throne from my bones and skin" could be a metaphor for how the person singing the song feels oppressed by the other person's demands and feels like they are being used for their own benefit.
The last two lines of the song show a sense of despair and hopelessness, where the person singing seems to be yearning for someone to lean on but also yearning to be needed in return. This could be interpreted as a deep desire for a sense of balance, where they are not constantly giving without receiving in return.
Line by Line Meaning
You bright sun
You are like a bright sun shining in my life
You darkest dirt
You are the darkest and dirtiest thing I have encountered
Hardest paradox I ever learned
You are the most difficult paradox for me to comprehend and comprehend
You're tireless
You are hardworking and never tire
And I tire quick
I am quickly exhausted and tired
It's the easy death of reason within my chest
My rational and logical thinking easily fades away when I am with you
Hardest cryer I ever heard
You are the most difficult person to listen to when you cry
You cry out your orders
You are commanding and demanding when you cry
You cry out your pain
Your pain is intense and expressed through crying
And every letter's followed like its sacrosanct
Every word you say is believed to be sacred and gospel-like
I'm at the mercy
I am completely at your mercy
Of an idiot tyrant king
You are like an idiotic king with tyrannical power over me
I jump high! talk loud! and listen? I'm always listening!
I am constantly jumping, talking, and actively listening to your every word
Cause he built his throne from my bones and skin
Your power over me is so great that you have constructed your very own throne out of my bones and skin
I love, I hate, I hate to live this way
My emotions towards this situation are complicated and contradictory
A dog, a slave, we do what our deity dictates
We are obedient and blindly following a higher power in our lives
And I just want
All I want is
Someone to lean on
Someone to rely on and support me
I just want someone
All I really want is someone
To lean on me.
To need me and rely on me as much as I need and rely on them.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Timothy John Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Guarlaon
this is one of my favorites songs!!
Andrew Mackenzie
Beautiful track
ramekor
good song :D
jin blank
<3