The band began as an acoustic freak-folk solo project Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, during Frances Quinlan's senior year in high school. The album Freshman Year was released in the summer of 2005. Three years later, in 2008, drummer Mark Quinlan (Frances Quinlan's brother) joined the project, followed by bassist Tyler Long in 2009. In light of the new formation, the name was shortened, possibly to better reflect the change from solo project to full band. Thus far, Hop Along has released one EP, Wretches, in 2009, and one full-length LP, entitled Get Disowned, which was released on May 5, 2012 to a highly positive critical response from independent music press. During the this time, Joe Reinhart (Algernon Cadwallader) was added on second guitar. In October 2014, Hop Along signed to indie rock label Saddle Creek Records, releasing Painted Shut in 2015.
Hop Along's third album Bark Your Head Off, Dog was released in 2018, incorporating strings and more varied instrumentation, as well as a brighter, more expansive sound.
I Saw My Twin
Hop Along Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The first birds of morning cackled from the graveyard
In walked the entourage
Big silver bus in the mountains
Her full hands leapt like fleas on a dog
Belonging without alternative
The waitress jumped over the table
West Virginia, this is how it's done
You take the money and you just run
Try not to look at the look on the nun in the corner booth
It invites nobody in
It's a great black hole of providence
Please take pity upon the heart that lives in me
I have to turn away now
I can't stand watching old ladies eat
The waitress gazes over our table
Big silver bus is long gone
West Virginia, this is how it's done
Sir, could you be a little more gentle?
Unprofitable servant!
Pennsylvania, the 6 A.M. cold sun
Leaves me waiting on the thread of someone
The thread of someone
The song "I Saw My Twin" by Hop Along tells a story of a person who sees their doppelganger working in a Waffle House. The scene is set with the first birds of the morning cackling from the graveyard, as the entourage with a big silver bus in the mountains walks in. The doppelganger's full hands leap like fleas on a dog, conveying the idea of belonging without alternative.
The chorus sings to the tune of "West Virginia, this is how it's done" and describes the way people take the money and just run. The song then shifts to describing the look of a nun in a corner booth, inviting nobody in, and being a great black hole of providence. The singer pleads for pity upon their heart and confesses their inability to watch old ladies eat.
The final chorus shifts back to the theme of the big silver bus, and the waitress who gazed over their table. The song ends with the singer waiting on the thread of someone in the cold sun of Pennsylvania.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Saw My Twin" are brimming with vivid imagery and metaphor. The song paints a picture of a stark, isolated world where people are consumed by their routine and haunted by their own reflections. The lyrics are open to interpretation and can be perceived as a commentary on the human condition and the emptiness of modern life.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw my twin working in a Waffle House
I saw someone who looked exactly like me working at a Waffle House
The first birds of morning cackled from the graveyard
Birds started chirping in the morning from the nearby graveyard
In walked the entourage
A group of people walked in together
Big silver bus in the mountains
There was a large silver bus parked in the mountains
Her full hands leapt like fleas on a dog
The person's hands were very busy and moved around quickly like fleas on a dog
Belonging without alternative
Feeling like they belonged without any other options
The waitress jumped over the table
The waitress jumped over the table to get closer
And begged, "Can I take your picture?"
The waitress asked if she could take a picture of the person
West Virginia, this is how it's done
This is how things are done in West Virginia
You take the money and you just run
Taking the money and running away is the way things are done in this place
Try not to look at the look on the nun in the corner booth
Avoid looking at the expression of the nun sitting in the corner booth
It invites nobody in
Her expression is not welcoming or inviting
It's a great black hole of providence
Her expression seems like a dark abyss of fate
Please take pity upon the heart that lives in me
Please feel sympathy for the emotions that I am feeling
I have to turn away now
I can't bear to look anymore
I can't stand watching old ladies eat
I find it difficult to watch old ladies eating
The waitress gazes over our table
The waitress looks over our table
Big silver bus is long gone
The large silver bus has already left
Sir, could you be a little more gentle?
The person asks to be treated more gently
Unprofitable servant!
Someone who serves but does not bring any profit
Pennsylvania, the 6 A.M. cold sun
It is 6 A.M. in Pennsylvania and the sun is cold
Leaves me waiting on the thread of someone
Leaves me waiting for someone
The thread of someone
Waiting for a connection with someone
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: Christine Frances Quinlan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cameronm600
Lyrics via Genius
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[Verse 1]
I saw my twin working in a Waffle House
The first birds of morning cackled from the graveyard
In walked the entourage
Big silver bus in the mountains
Her full hands leapt like fleas on a dog
Belonging without alternative
[Pre-Chorus]
The waitress jumped over the table
And begged, "Can I take your picture?"
[Chorus]
West Virginia, this is how it's done
You take the money and you just run
[Verse 2]
Try not to look at the look on the nun in the corner booth
It invites nobody in
It's a great black hole of providence
Please take pity upon the heart that lives in me
I have to turn away now
I can't stand watching old ladies eat
[Pre-Chorus]
The waitress gazes over our table
Big silver bus is long gone
[Chorus / Outro]
West Virginia, this is how it's done
Sir, could you be a little more gentle?
Unprofitable servant!
Pennsylvania, the 6 A.M. cold sun
Leaves me waiting on the thread of someone
The thread of someone
@leahliddle324
It's a close contest but this is definitely my favorite song in which the singer belts "WEST VIRGINIAAAA"
@alexanderduerrwilliams143
Right?!?
@lars.equals.laurentius
i cant get enough!!!!!!!
@disorderindminor
I literally cannot get over how good this is, that voice is incendiary
@alexanderduerrwilliams143
West Virginia!!!
@averyamadeusjacobson2650
I absolutely love every aspect of this song
@selvinortiz3962
They deserve more attention, this is a great song!
@scenesfromahed9637
The whole song is so beautiful and amazing in every way, but from about 1:51 to the end it rises to the level of transcendence 😍😭
@darksiderhythm
Could be song of the year here I reckon.
@BillPeschel
The song and the group were namechecked in today's "Zits."
Time to disband.