It didn't take long before Josh's unique voice and song writing style, influenced by the likes of Elliott Smith, Evan Dando, and Sparklehorse, began to find favour amongst music tastemakers, critics and Triple J listeners. The first taste, the assured 'Kids Don't Sell Their Hopes So Fast', found high rotation on Triple J and soon 'Silver' and the gently sweeping 'Doldrums' followed to similar praise and airplay. These tracks are now available on the CD 'Recordings 2003-2005' through The Million records.
Josh signed to Ivy League Records in 2005 and shortly afterwards travelled to New York for some further writing, performing and demoing and upon return set about recording what was his debut release under his own name, a mini album entitled "Feeding The Wolves".
"Feeding the Wolves" signified a great deal more than a change in name: It revealed a huge step in the development of Josh as an artist and songwriter. The subject matter was as broad as titles like "Beg Your Pardon", "Private Education", "Middle Of The Hill" and "Goldmines" suggest, however it's Josh's lyrics that draw this collection of songs together into a complete package. He cleverly dissects human emotion and feelings and shows them for what they are: complex, abstract, fascinating.
There is hope in the opening track 'Beg Your Pardon' and in 'Fill You In' there is emptiness and longing. The first single, 'Middle Of The Hill', is a near-stream of consciousness of a suburban childhood - family affection coloured by those sometimes darker, sometimes trivial details that for some reason stay with you. 'Goldmines' a vision of a land, or maybe a talent, stripped of its riches - but here and there a flash of colour survives. A relationship that seems to be an ongoing test is at 'Private Education's' centre. The title track finishes it, with Josh quick to point out the Wolves are not those wanting a piece of you for whatever reason - but those uncontrollable, irrational, emotions inside yourself that you have to keep in check.
With production by the much-lauded Wayne Connolly (You Am I, Underground Lovers, Youth Group, just about any Australian act of note...), "Feeding The Wolves" had the artist now rightly known as Josh Pyke letting his talent flow without constraint. The words seem to tumble out of him: honest, evocative, and emotional all at once. The playing - again mostly all Josh - is one moment sweetly melodic, then turning urgent and insistent as needs be. This range of feelings, packaged so they bounce around inside your head like good songs do, and given so generously, go together to make "Feeding The Wolves" the sound of an artist beginning to realise an enormous potential.
In 2007 Josh released his first full-length album 'Memories and Dust'. Although the record features three of the stand-out tracks from 'Feeding the Wolves' there are a further 8 tracks of similar quality, including the title track, which was the first single taken from the new batch. The release is again through Ivy League Records.
Josh's second album Chimney's Afire was released 4 October 2008 and was recorded at Sydney's Linear Recording studios. The first single off the album was "The Lighthouse Song", and the second was called "Make You Happy".
The Summer
Josh Pyke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And pour it loose through your garden
So the hinges on your windows would rust and colour
Like the boats pulled up on the sand for the summer
And your sweet clean clothes would go stiff on the line
And there'd be sand in your pockets and nothing on your mind
But every year it gets a little bit harder
And we could jump in the river upstream
And let the current carry us to the beginning where
The river met the sea again
And all our days were a sun-drenched haze
While the salt spray crusted on the window panes
We should be living like we lived that summer
I wanna live like we live in the summer
And I'll remember that summer as the right one
The storms made the pavement steam like a kettle
And our first goodbye always seemed like hours
In the car park in between my house and yours
And if the summer holds a song we might sing forever
Then the winter holds a bite we'd never felt before
But time is like the ocean
You can only hold a little in your hands
So swim before we're broken
Before our bones become
Black coral on the sand
The lyrics of Josh Pyke's song "The Summer" evoke feelings of nostalgia and longing for the carefree days of youth. The singer wishes he could bottle up the sea breeze and bring it to his loved one's house so that they can experience the same sense of freedom and relaxation that he felt during his teenage years. He remembers the days of jumping in the river upstream and letting the current carry him back to where the river met the sea, reflecting on the idea that time is fleeting like the ocean and we must make the most of it before we become "black coral on the sand."
As the song progresses, Pyke acknowledges that it becomes increasingly difficult to recapture those feelings of youth as we grow older, but he still longs to live like he did that summer. The storms that made the pavement steam like a kettle and the bittersweet goodbyes in the car park between his house and his loved one's house are still etched into his memory. He recognizes that while there is a joyousness to the summertime, winter can hold a harshness that we may not have felt before.
Overall, "The Summer" is a wistful reflection on the passing of time and the loss of the carefree, easy days of our youth.
Line by Line Meaning
If I could bottle up the sea breeze I would take it over to your house
If it were possible to capture and transport the refreshing sea breeze, I would deliver it to your home.
And pour it loose through your garden
The sea breeze would be released to flow freely through your garden.
So the hinges on your windows would rust and colour
The sea breeze will oxidize and change the color of the hinges on your windows.
Like the boats pulled up on the sand for the summer
The color and texture of the rust on the hinges will be similar to that of the boats left on the shore during summer.
And your sweet clean clothes would go stiff on the line
The sea breeze would make your freshly washed clothes stiff when hung out to dry.
And there'd be sand in your pockets and nothing on your mind
You would have sand in your pockets and a clear mind, unburdened by worries.
But every year it gets a little bit harder
As time passes, it becomes more challenging to relive the carefree experiences of the past.
To get back to the feeling of when we were fifteen
It becomes increasingly difficult to recapture the emotions and mindset we had when we were fifteen years old.
And we could jump in the river upstream
We used to be able to go upstream in the river and jump in.
And let the current carry us to the beginning where
We would allow the river's current to carry us back to the beginning where
The river met the sea again
the river flowed into the sea once more.
And all our days were a sun-drenched haze
Our days were filled with bright sunshine and a dreamy, hazy atmosphere.
While the salt spray crusted on the window panes
Due to the salt in the air, a crust would form on the window panes.
We should be living like we lived that summer
We should strive to live life as we did in that unforgettable summer.
I wanna live like we live in the summer
I desire to live life as we lived during that memorable summer.
And I'll remember that summer as the right one
I will always consider that summer to be the best one.
The storms made the pavement steam like a kettle
During storms, the pavement would steam like a boiling kettle.
And our first goodbye always seemed like hours
Our initial parting always appeared to last much longer than it actually did.
In the car park in between my house and yours
Our first goodbye often took place in the car park between my home and yours.
And if the summer holds a song we might sing forever
If there is a specific joyful memory attached to summer, we should cherish it forever.
Then the winter holds a bite we'd never felt before
Winter can be harsh, and it can bring a type of pain that we had never experienced before.
But time is like the ocean
Time is similar to the ocean in many ways.
You can only hold a little in your hands
Just as you can only hold a small amount of water in your hands, you can only hold onto a small part of time.
So swim before we're broken
We should live life to the fullest before we become too old or unwell to do so.
Before our bones become
Before we get old and our bones start to deteriorate
Black coral on the sand
which would resemble black coral resting on the beach.
Contributed by Matthew C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MrAtomicHero
Josh Pyke - The Summer LYRICS
If I could bottle up the sea breeze I would take it over to your house
And pour it loose through your garden
So the hinges on your windows would rust and colour
Like the boats pulled up on the sand for the summer
And your sweet clean clothes would go stiff on the line
And there'd be sand in your pockets and nothing on your mind
But every year it gets a little bit harder
To get back to the feeling of when we were fifteen
And we could jump in the river upstream
And let the current carry us to the beginning where
The river met the sea again
And all our days were a sun-drenched haze
While the salt spray crusted on the window panes
We should be living like we lived that summer
I wanna live like we live in the summer x3
And I'll remember that summer as the right one
The storms made the pavement steam like a kettle
And our first goodbye always seemed like hours
In the car park in between my house and yours
And if the summer holds a song we might sing forever
Then the winter holds a bite we'd never felt before
We should be living like we lived that summer
I wanna live like we live in the summer x3
But time is like the ocean
You can only hold a little in your hands
So swim before we're broken
Before our bones become
Black coral on the sand
We should be living like we lived that summer
I wanna live like we live in the summer x3
If I could bottle up the sea breeze I would take it over to your house
And pour it loose through your garden
London Loves
Everyone who loves this song should hear the version Josh Pyke recorded with the Sydney Orchestra. So beautiful!
Ariel+Two
I remember landing at Melbourne airport after my first time abroad to Europe for 6 weeks with my family at 14. This song played as everyone took their seatbelts off and stood up to get their carry on. I felt such a homey peace of being back in Australia I remained seated and smiling.
phillip willis
Every couple of years i come back to this song just to appreciate how much things have changed since i heard it when i was in high school around late 2008.
Matthew
This kinda hit home ngl haha
2g1gg
"Time is like an Ocean, we can only hold a little in our hands. So we swim before we're broken, before our bones become black coral on the sand" Beautiful Beautiful lyrics!
Dawn
That is my favorite line in the song. It strikes a cord to my soul.
vlora gajraku
My best friend moved away, and i told him i missed him dearly he sent me this song and told me to play it when i missed him. I cant keep my tears in when this plays It was THE best summer with him <3
sevsrose
I love this song. Josh Pyke's music is magical to me. It transforms my heart and transports my mind. It's incredibly beautiful. I wish I could have a summer like the one that he sings about. <3
MrAtomicHero
Josh Pyke - The Summer LYRICS
If I could bottle up the sea breeze I would take it over to your house
And pour it loose through your garden
So the hinges on your windows would rust and colour
Like the boats pulled up on the sand for the summer
And your sweet clean clothes would go stiff on the line
And there'd be sand in your pockets and nothing on your mind
But every year it gets a little bit harder
To get back to the feeling of when we were fifteen
And we could jump in the river upstream
And let the current carry us to the beginning where
The river met the sea again
And all our days were a sun-drenched haze
While the salt spray crusted on the window panes
We should be living like we lived that summer
I wanna live like we live in the summer x3
And I'll remember that summer as the right one
The storms made the pavement steam like a kettle
And our first goodbye always seemed like hours
In the car park in between my house and yours
And if the summer holds a song we might sing forever
Then the winter holds a bite we'd never felt before
We should be living like we lived that summer
I wanna live like we live in the summer x3
But time is like the ocean
You can only hold a little in your hands
So swim before we're broken
Before our bones become
Black coral on the sand
We should be living like we lived that summer
I wanna live like we live in the summer x3
If I could bottle up the sea breeze I would take it over to your house
And pour it loose through your garden
TurricaN
I was staying at a snowboarding hostel in near the slopes of Hakuba, Japan.
Winter morning, snow falling outside, I hear this beautiful song come on from the staff's stereo as they're preparing breakfast. Instant love!