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.
Yer Fall
Hey Rosetta! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We spread the sheet
And with one last easy laugh
The night released
We breathed the dark, the shaking stars
The distant, constant cars
Breathed the sweet
Air between us
What was it like?
To be young, strong, stupid and drunk
Soft in the jagged night
My open, rosy throat
Dekeing secret knives
Now we close these petals
To the oncoming ice
And I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out.
My love, my love is dead I buried it
In the falling leaves, looking awful green, in the whipping wind
My love, my love is dead I buried it
And it's better hid, all the shit we sling into the whipping wind
My love, my love is dead I buried it
Just an honest kid, I always did everything they said
My love, my love is dead I buried it
What a senseless thing! this heart in shreds in the whipping wind!
The lyrics to Hey Rosetta!'s song Yer Fall describe a nostalgic moment spent with someone special. The song brings back memories of a night spent lying on a sheet in the wet grass. The night is full of laughter and easy breathing as they enjoy the dark, the stars, and the distant sound of cars. The lyrics reflect on what it was like being young, reckless and drunk, free to make mistakes and foolish choices without consequences. The singer compares the moment to a petal, closed and protected from the oncoming ice that represents the harsh reality of life.
The second half of the song takes a somber and introspective turn. The singer starts by confessing that their love is dead and buried in the falling leaves, looking awful green, in the whipping wind. The love they are referring to could be a romantic relationship that ended, or they could be speaking metaphorically about losing a part of themselves. The singer continues to explore the senselessness and pain of lost love, comparing it to a heart in shreds in the whipping wind.
Line by Line Meaning
In the wet grass out back
We were in the backyard, where the grass was still damp from rain
We spread the sheet
We laid out a blanket or sheet on the wet grass
And with one last easy laugh
As the night was ending, we shared one more carefree moment of laughter
The night released
The evening was finally over, and the darkness and quiet of night took over
We breathed the dark, the shaking stars
We took in the beauty of the dark sky and the twinkling stars, which seemed to dance in the sky
The distant, constant cars
We heard the low hum of cars in the distance, a constant reminder of the world beyond our moment
Breathed the sweet
We were breathing in the fresh, sweet evening air around us
Air between us
We were enjoying the closeness we shared, both physically and emotionally
What was it like?
Looking back on that moment, the artist wonders what it felt like to be young and carefree
To be young, strong, stupid and drunk
The artist remembers feeling young and foolish, taking risks and enjoying the thrill of being alive
Soft in the jagged night
Despite the roughness and darkness of the night around them, they shared a softness and intimacy
My open, rosy throat
The artist is vulnerable and open to new experiences and emotions
Dekeing secret knives
The singer is careful of the hidden dangers that lurk in the night
Now we close these petals
The singer is referencing a flower's petals, which they are metaphorically closing to protect themselves
To the oncoming ice
The icy cold of the approaching winter is coming, and the singer is preparing for the hardships to come
And I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out, I'm not coming out.
The artist is refusing to come out, whether that means literally or metaphorically is unclear
My love, my love is dead I buried it
The artist is referencing a past relationship or love that has since ended and been buried
In the falling leaves, looking awful green, in the whipping wind
The singer buried their love in the midst of falling leaves, green with the last remnants of summer, in a windy and tumultuous place
And it's better hid, all the shit we sling into the whipping wind
The singer is saying that it's better to bury the past and leave it there, rather than carrying around all the negativity that has come with it
Just an honest kid, I always did everything they said
The artist may be referencing their younger self, who was more obedient and did what they were told
What a senseless thing! this heart in shreds in the whipping wind!
The artist is lamenting the senseless pain and heartbreak that has come from their past love, which has left them feeling exposed and vulnerable to the harshness of the world around them
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Timothy John Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@trixrforkids2849
Wow I randomly stumbled across this song in my Young the Giant mix, absolutely in love with this song
@leviticus4848
Endway