Adopting the name from Albert Deutsch's 1948 report on the US mental health system signalled a break with their earlier Mansun/Britpop pastiches in order to marry the hooks and songs to the kind of new post-rock sounds being made by groups like Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Herlihy had landed a development deal with Parlophone Records, giving the band an opportunity to explore expensive and expansive instrumentation & ultimately allowing haunting instrumental The American Revolution to see release in 2002 on Hermetech Records. The limited single Black Dollar Bills followed in 2003; it sold out quickly and gave the band slots at UK festivals as well as a multi-album deal with Sony & Columbia Records.
Preceded by the 2003 single Enemies/Friends, the album's release was postponed indefinitely following Jimmi Lawrence's studio suicide in January 2004; however, the group recorded and toured new experimental material as Thee Dust Rackets and bounced back four months later with album The Lost Riots and UK Top 15 single The Red The White The Black The Blue. Later, Nehemiah was released as another single, reaching #30. Fans who recieved copies of the Dust Rackets record at gigs were encouraged to share them with friends by post and keep them off the internet, allowing as many fans as possible to hear the series while building a strong community around them.
The band spent most of 2005 writing and demoing material for their second album, the vast majority of which was given to their fans in the form of more free 'Dust Rackets' albums and YouSendIt downloads, before returning to the studio with Ken Thomas to record Left. A limited edition EP, Blood Meridian, was released in April 2006. The followup single Sing It Out charted at #39 in the UK and new album Left was expected to gain a similar position. However, the album failed to make the UK top 40 amidst a lukewarm critical response, many of whom were disappointed that the band had moved away from the intense, post-rock stylings of their earlier material, though band members were equally annoyed that Sony Columbia released the main edition of the album in a chart-ineligible DualDisc format.
The band released their final single 'Left' on August 18th 2006, before breaking up later that week. They played their last gig on the 27th at the Reading and Leeds Festival.
Members of the band went on to join projects including ambient electronic/post rock Troubles, Sam's Autechre-influenced solo project 'Blocks, DJs CERN, work with fan groups Tim and Sam's Tim and the Sam Band With Tim And Sam and The Deirdres, Sons of Noel and Adrian and indie rock quintet-duo The Northwestern.
Enemies/Friends
Hope of the States Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The halfway homes and choking jails
There's people on the mend again
With hope to carry on again
It makes me feel that something's right
For everyone who tries to fight
No politics or dirty tricks
All standing up and shouting out
All the money in the world won't save you
We're coming home
All the prisons that you build won't hold us
Just let us go
Then I found a broken heart
With dusty wheezing thing won't start
I'll fix it up and watch it grow
And send it to a happy home
It don't take much to raise a smile
To push yourself the extra mile
I'll stand with you when things go wrong
And lie and say it's not too long
All the money in the world won't save you
We're coming home
All the prisons that you build won't hold us
Just let us go
Come on people
Keep your friends close
Your enemies won't matter in the end
Come on people
Keep your friends close
Your enemies won't matter in the end
In the end
In the end
The lyrics of Hope of the States' song "Enemies/Friends" are a powerful message of hope and resilience, despite the challenges faced by society. The opening lines describe a scene in hospitals, halfway homes, and prisons, where people are struggling but also finding the strength to continue fighting. The singer observes this struggle and feels that something is right, that there is a sense of purpose in the fight against adversity.
The chorus emphasizes that money and prisons are not solutions to the problems faced by society. Instead, the singer encourages people to come together and support each other through difficult times, to keep their friends close and not to worry about their enemies. This message of unity and solidarity is reinforced through the final lines, "In the end, in the end," suggesting that, despite our differences and struggles, we are all in this together and will ultimately find a way forward.
Overall, "Enemies/Friends" is a call to action for people to stand united, to fight against the systems and structures that create division and inequality, and to support each other in the struggle.
Line by Line Meaning
Lately in the hospitals
Recently, in hospitals
The halfway homes and choking jails
As well as halfway homes and overcrowded jails
There's people on the mend again
People are recovering from whatever put them there
With hope to carry on again
They have hope to continue living and moving forward
It makes me feel that something's right
This gives me a feeling that things are getting better
For everyone who tries to fight
For all those who are fighting to overcome their circumstances
No politics or dirty tricks
This has nothing to do with politics or deception tactics
All standing up and shouting out
Everyone coming together and raising their voices
All the money in the world won't save you
No amount of money can protect you from fate
We're coming home
We will find security in our own strength
All the prisons that you build won't hold us
Jails, both literally and metaphorically, cannot keep us contained
Just let us go
Allow us to be free
Then I found a broken heart
Next, I discovered a broken spirit
With dusty wheezing thing won't start
This broken spirit was in bad shape and appeared to be struggling to start anew
I'll fix it up and watch it grow
I will heal this spirit and witness it find its strength again
And send it to a happy home
I will help it find its place in the world where it can flourish and be happy
It don't take much to raise a smile
It doesn't take much to make someone happy or bring joy to their life
To push yourself the extra mile
Simply try harder, go the extra distance
I'll stand with you when things go wrong
I will be there when life is tough and unpredictable
And lie and say it's not too long
I will offer comfort, even if it's not realistic or true
Come on people
Let's all gather and come together
Keep your friends close
Value your friendships and hold onto them
Your enemies won't matter in the end
Don't worry about your adversaries, they are insignificant in the long run
In the end
Ultimately
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, CTM Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ray Dorset
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nicbongo
And if I find a broken heart,
With dusty wheezing thing won't start,
I'll fix it up and watch it grow,
Then send it to a happy home.
It don't take much to raise a smile
to push yourself the extra mile,
I'll stand with you when things go wrong,
and lie and say it's not too long.
All the money in the world won't save you, we're coming home.
All the prisons that you build, won't hold us, just let us go.
All the lyrics are just so inspired, encouraging, beautiful, hopeful. I always come back to this when I need to hear some kind words.
I love and miss these guys so much.
Jon Simmo
What a fantastic song, blew me away the first time I heard and after hundreds of listens that hasn't changed. Saw them live 5 times, really gutted when the split up in 2006. I still remember the feeling I got when I received this CD in the post. I was so excited, had been watching the video on MTV2 for a month or so. A very special song from a very special band...
nicbongo
You saw them 5 times! Never got the chance. Though I'm collecting their EPs now in a futile attempt.
Yea, I miss these guys terribly. Beautiful writing, both musically and lyrically.
haramsoy
I saw them live in Birmingham they were supporting the polyphonic spree and they blew me away I even loved the film that played in the background they should have done well
lee stanley
Saw these a at Sheffield Leadmill in 2004....sounded immense live
Juan Francisco López Rojas
Good bands will never die.
dario HC
This band, people in planes, air traffic... Underrated amazing bands
JonH
Yes! Loved People in Planes 😎
Peter Jones Loco Works [PJLW]
Come on people,
Keep your friends close,
Your enemies wont matter in the end.
morph640
Rip jimmi
nicbongo
And if I find a broken heart,
With dusty wheezing thing won't start,
I'll fix it up and watch it grow,
Then send it to a happy home.
It don't take much to raise a smile
to push yourself the extra mile,
I'll stand with you when things go wrong,
and lie and say it's not too long.
All the money in the world won't save you, we're coming home.
All the prisons that you build, won't hold us, just let us go.
All the lyrics are just so inspired, encouraging, beautiful, hopeful. I always come back to this when I need to hear some kind words.
I love and miss these guys so much.