After a well-received debut album and critically acclaimed follow-up EP, th… Read Full Bio ↴After a well-received debut album and critically acclaimed follow-up EP, the band Irving now realizes its full potential with "Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers." An album of inspired variety and stirring depth, "Death In The Garden" casts Irving among the strongest rock bands performing today.

Formed initially by members Alex Church (bass), Steven Scott (guitar) and Brian Canning (guitar), Irving began as a thrown-together rock outfit to accompany a friend’s art opening. Within a month, Brent Turner (drums) joined, and the group began working in earnest on the songs that would eventually appear on its first album, Good Morning Beautiful. The release of GMB in 2002 showcased the band’s penchant for writing witty pop songs with whimsical backup vocals and upbeat melodies.

By the year’s end, Aaron Burrows (keyboards) signed on, and the band was back in the studio. The I Hope You’re Feeling Better Now EP, released in 2003 to critical acclaim, exhibited Irving’s unrelenting willingness to experiment with pop song structures, and highlighted the innate strengths of a band in which all five members are songwriters.

In the two years since the release of the EP, Irving has opened for such notables as Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree. The band’s songwriting has also taken a noticeably more thoughtful turn. While the innate pop sensibilities continue to stand out above all else, Irving’s songwriting has matured—the sounds and structures more intricate, the subject matter more thoroughly realized.

"Death In The Garden, Blood On The Flowers" is the result of five musicians and their distinct influences, bound by an uncanny knack for melody and harmony. With production and engineering help from Phil Ek (The Shins, Modest Mouse), as well as Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart) and Jim Fairchild (from Grandaddy), Irving corrals its many distinct influences into a clear vision. From the oblique percussive start of the title track, to the psych-pop chaos of “Situation” to the so-bizarre-it-works background breathing on “I Want To Love You In My Room,” the band pulls unforgettable hooks out of the most unlikely places.

In 2007, Church left the band to form his own band, Sea Wolf, while the remaining members put Irving on hold to form a new band with singer Claire McKeown, Afternoons, not to be confused with (or sure to be confused with) the Welsh pop band The Afternoons.

Holiday
Irving Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Holiday, take me to another place
And leave me there until I get old
You and me, I could wish we're meant to be
Together until I get old

And we'll sail away into the sun some day
You and me on a holiday
Wait for me or tell me now time will pass

More peacefully

And if you go the world will fell sorry for me
At least on this we'll agree
And I'll hold my breath until you say when
You'll stay young will I old by then?

I could pretend that you and I will never end
If I don't break perhaps we'll bend

Here I am on the shore you wave
To me to come aboard

Overall Meaning

In the song "Holiday" by Irving, the lyrics paint an image of escapism and the desire to find a place away from reality. The singer wishes to travel to another place with their loved one, where they can spend their time together without any distractions or outside interference. He desires to remain in that place until they both grow old. Despite the apparent difference in their ages, the singer is willing to take that risk for the sake of their relationship.

The chorus of the song is both hopeful and melancholic, as it speaks about sailing away into the sun someday, to a place where time passes peacefully. There is also a sense of urgency in the lyrics about the need to take action immediately. The singer implores the love interest to wait for him or to tell him now if time will pass more peacefully. He doesn't want to waste any moment in working towards their shared goals.

Overall, the song "Holiday" by Irving is a poignant anthem to those who want to step away from the hectic, mundane lives that they live, for a new beginning, and the courage it takes to move on to start something new. Another critical message is that time waits for no one if you want to pursue your dreams or desires, you have to take action and do it immediately because the window of opportunity may close, leaving only regret and missed chances.

Line by Line Meaning

Holiday, take me to another place
Irving desires a change of scenery, as he wants to escape from his current environment

And leave me there until I get old
He wants to remain there forever, or at least, until old age catches up with him

You and me, I could wish we're meant to be
Irving believes that he and his lover are destined to be together

Together until I get old
Their togetherness would last till old age

And we'll sail away into the sun some day
They would embark on a romantic excursion in a beautiful location one day

You and me on a holiday
They'd experience an unforgettable getaway together

Wait for me or tell me now time will pass
Either she should wait for him or reveal that time would bring about changes

More peacefully
Irving's request is for such changes to occur without hitches and disturbances

And if you go the world will fell sorry for me
If she departs, it'd be a thing of grief for the whole world

At least on this we'll agree
They share a mutual feeling when it comes to the thought of her leaving him

And I'll hold my breath until you say when
He would wait for her decision concerning their future with bated breath

You'll stay young will I old by then?
Irving's doubt is whether she'd remain young while he ages

I could pretend that you and I will never end
Irving believes that he could convince himself that their relationship would last forever

If I don't break perhaps we'll bend
He thinks that their relationship could withstand any challenge if he doesn't yield to pressure

Here I am on the shore you wave
Irving is on the shoreline, and she's waving to him from the sea

To me to come aboard
She's inviting him to join her on their journey towards a romantic adventure

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRY GIBB, ROBIN HUGH GIBB

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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