In 2006 Isobel released a collaborative LP (Ballad of the Broken Seas) with former Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age singer Mark Lanegan, a mixture of folk and more rock-orientated music. October 2006 also saw the release of her latest album, Milkwhite Sheets, a more acoustic folk album, consisting of a mixture of traditional songs alonside Isobel's own compositions.
Isobel's band The Gentle Waves released its first album on Jeepster Records, titled The Green Fields of Foreverland, in 1999. The second Gentle Waves record, Swansong For You came out one year later. In 2002, she collaborated with Scottish jazz musician Bill Wells on a collection of Billie Holliday songs, released by Creeping Bent.
In 2003 Campbell released Amorino, the first solo album under her own name, to very good reviews. Bill Wells was featured here again, along with other jazz musicians.
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan form a unique combination of gruff vocals and dulcet voices. They have released three albums so far: Ballad of the Broken Seas, which received a nomination in the 2006 Mercury Awards, Sunday at Devil Dirt, which was released in May 2008. The album received US release in Fall 2008. And finally their third album Hawk was released in August 2010.
Who Built The Road
Isobel Campbell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twisted and crushed black metal and bones
Who passed the buck who pressed my flesh to yours
Spilling like wine and sweeter than tears
Oh I hope we more than survive
With trembling visions that terrify
So who built the road, who turned it all around
Who built the road, who was the foolish one
Step at a time two hearts in the fire
Who lit the touch, who fanned the flames
With sparks in the dust, spent rivers of desire
Oh why don't we learn from mistakes
We stumble along with so many more to make
So who built the road, who could foresee
That the answers we sought were many miles to go
We were so lonely at times
Fading away, sitting side by side
And we built the road, we were the chain gang
The cross that I bore the devil at my side
Dark angel within the everlasting fire
In Isobel Campbell's song "Who Built The Road", the lyrics express a sense of confusion and uncertainty about the journey of life. The opening line "Who built the road that led to my self-esteem" suggests a sense of questioning who or what was responsible for the singer's self-worth. This idea is further reinforced by the following line "Twisted and crushed black metal and bones" which suggests a difficult, even painful, journey towards self-acceptance.
As the song continues, the singer asks "Who passed the buck who pressed my flesh to yours" implying a sense of blame or responsibility for the choices made in relationships. And yet, there is also a sense of beauty and desire in these connections, as expressed in the line "Spilling like wine and sweeter than tears".
The chorus of the song brings together these conflicting emotions with the lines "Oh I hope we more than survive / With trembling visions that terrify", suggesting a hope for something more meaningful in life, even if it is difficult or scary. The repeated question "who built the road" highlights a sense of searching for answers, and yet the final lines of the song suggest that ultimately it is the singer who has built their own road, with both angels and devils along for the ride.
Line by Line Meaning
Who built the road that led to my self esteem
Reflecting on the journey of finding self-worth and questioning who constructed the path that led to it.
Twisted and crushed black metal and bones
The road was rocky and difficult, made of sharp, damaging materials.
Who passed the buck who pressed my flesh to yours
Questioning who is accountable for the choices that led to intimate connections and questioning responsibility.
Spilling like wine and sweeter than tears
Describing the intense passion and emotion of those connections.
Oh I hope we more than survive
Expressing the desire for a deeper, more meaningful connection than just getting by or existing.
With trembling visions that terrify
Acknowledging the fear that can arise from the vulnerability involved in deep connections.
So who built the road, who turned it all around
Asking for an understanding of how everything changed and progressed to what it is now.
Pick though the wreck scramble in the dust
Analyzing the remains of past events to find a way forward and make sense of it.
Who built the road, who was the foolish one
Curiosity about who was responsible for the decisions that led to the challenging road.
Step at a time two hearts in the fire
Moving forward with intensity, taking risks and accepting vulnerability.
Who lit the touch, who fanned the flames
Wondering who was responsible for igniting passion and desire.
With sparks in the dust, spent rivers of desire
Describing the passionate, explosive nature of intense connections and relationships.
Oh why don't we learn from mistakes
Questioning why it seems difficult to learn from past experiences and mistakes.
We stumble along with so many more to make
Acknowledging the likelihood of making future mistakes and taking things one step at a time.
So who built the road, who could foresee
Musing over who could have predicted how things turned out and who was responsible for underlying factors.
That the answers we sought were many miles to go
Realizing that the journey to find answers is much longer and challenging than expected.
We were so lonely at times
Reflecting on moments of isolation and loneliness along the road.
Fading away, sitting side by side
Describing a sense of detachment and disconnection from what was once passionate and close.
And we built the road, we were the chain gang
Acknowledging personal responsibility and ownership in the creation of the challenging path.
The cross that I bore the devil at my side
Describing the heavy burden of past experiences and the negative impact they can have on one's life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ISOBEL KAREN CAMPBELL, JAMES GERARD MCCULLOCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
stonethecrow80
Their voices fit so good together
Highmuk
love this song
Morgane Lahidji
RIP Mark Lanegan <3
Cristian Pacheco
i'm loved !!!!!!!! ♥♥♥
onlyyesterday1967
Lovely
nasdaq313
duo voices great song in my playlist , idea create playlist - best duet of songs …
jon dam
no idea, but i can tell you who's building the wall
mad dusa
i gotta say, isobel campbell is effed up in a way that seems very, very creepy. probably not her fault. presumably just the usual developmental trauma. still, very creepy.
Greg Wood
Ok snake head!