The band has released two EPs, 'The Starlight EP' (2009) and 'Misfortunes & Minor Victories' (2010). Budgets being tiny for the EPs, the band borrowed an eight-track recorder and captured every intimate breath and soaring crescendo in their own homes and at an isolated house in Northumberland. Handmade sleeves for both EPs reinforced the self-sufficient approach.
Their debut album 'Gracious Tide, Take Me Home' was released on 19 September 2011 through Bella Union . The album was produced by Paul Gregory, as he did the band’s first two EPs. Relishing their independence, the band eschewed a recording studio for the album, though the loud bits were done in a basement of a shop in Newcastle.
www.LanternsOnTheLake.com
Every Atom
Lanterns on the Lake Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I knocked on every door in your estate
I′ve seen the cavalry march for peace
But I haven't caught a glimpse of you in weeks
If I have to split every atom,
Just to find a trace of you
That′s what I'll do
I carved your silhouette with a rusty blade
I caught a cavalier and a king or two
But I couldn't get a peep out of them on you
But if I have to split every atom,
Just to find a trace of you
That′s what I′ll do
From the blue Olympus Mountain to underneath the carpet
And your mother hit the roof when I dug up all her orchids
But I said I would, and that's just what I′ll do
That's what I′ll do
I waited round til the edge of time
I saw comets fly, Andromeda and the Milky Way collide
Because if I have to split every atom,
Just to find a trace of you
If I have to split every atom
That's what I′ll do
That's what I'll do
In the song "Every Atom" by Lanterns on the Lake, the singer is desperate to find someone they've lost and is willing to go to extreme lengths to do so. The lyrics express an intense longing and an obsessive determination to locate this person. The opening lines describe the singer taking the other person's cigarettes to their secret place and knocking on doors around their estate in search of them. The intensity increases in the chorus, with the singer declaring that they'll "split every atom" if they have to in order to find a trace of the person. The second verse continues along the same theme, with the singer claiming to have swum around a sunken ship and carved the other person's silhouette with a rusty blade. They also mention catching a cavalier and a king but not being able to get any information about the missing person.
The third verse takes us on a journey from Olympus Mountain to beneath a carpet, with the singer's search widening but still unsuccessful. They mention digging up the other person's mother's orchids, a detail which adds depth to the song's portrayal of the singer's obsessive search. The final lines of the song describe the singer waiting at the edge of time and witnessing the collision of galaxies, further emphasizing the enormity of the effort they're willing to put into finding the person they've lost.
Overall, "Every Atom" is a song that speaks to the pain of losing someone and the intensity of the desire to reclaim them. It's a song that explores the lengths we'll go to for the people we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I took your cigarettes to our secret place
I went to the place where we used to go and took something that belonged to you as a way to feel closer to you.
I knocked on every door in your estate
I tried to find you by searching every possible place you could be, including your home and the homes of your friends and family.
I′ve seen the cavalry march for peace
I have witnessed large groups of people come together with the intention of finding peace, but even that hasn't brought me any closer to finding you.
But I haven't caught a glimpse of you in weeks
Despite my efforts to find you, I have not seen you or heard from you in a long time.
If I have to split every atom,
Just to find a trace of you
That′s what I'll do
I am willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how difficult or seemingly impossible, to find even the smallest trace of you.
I swam around the Lusitania and sang your name
I traveled to faraway places and called out your name in the hopes that you might hear me and respond.
I carved your silhouette with a rusty blade
I attempted to recreate an image of you using whatever tools and materials were available to me, even if they were not the best or most appropriate for the task.
I caught a cavalier and a king or two
But I couldn't get a peep out of them on you
I have spoken with many people, including important or powerful individuals, but none of them have been able to provide me with any information about your whereabouts.
From the blue Olympus Mountain to underneath the carpet
And your mother hit the roof when I dug up all her orchids
But I said I would, and that's just what I′ll do
I have searched everywhere, from the highest peaks to the lowest depths, and have even caused some trouble in the process. However, I am committed to finding you no matter what.
I waited round til the edge of time
I saw comets fly, Andromeda and the Milky Way collide
I have been patient and persistent in my search, even as time seems to stretch on endlessly. I have witnessed incredible events like cosmic collisions, but still, I have not found you.
Because if I have to split every atom,
Just to find a trace of you
If I have to split every atom
That's what I′ll do
That's what I'll do
I will stop at nothing to find you, even if it means that I have to do the seemingly impossible. I will continue to search for you no matter what it takes.
Writer(s): Robert John Allan, Angela Mee Yee Chan, Hazel Emily Wilde, Oliver Anthony Aidan Ketteringham, Paul Allen Gregory
Contributed by Victoria Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Norang E
I took your cigarettes to our secret place
I knocked on every door in your estate
I’ve seen the cavalry march for peace
But I haven’t caught a glimpse of you in weeks
If I have to split every atom just to find a trace of you
That’s what I’ll do
I swam around the Lusitania and sang your name
I carved your silhouette with a rusty blade
I caught a cavalier and a king or two
But I couldn’t get a peep out of them on you
But if I have to split every atom just to find a trace of you
That’s what I’ll do
From the blue Olympus Mountain to underneath the carpet
And your mother hit the roof when I dug up all her orchids
But I said I would, and that’s just what I’ll do
That’s what I’ll do
I waited round until the edge of time
I saw comets fly, Andromeda and the Milky Way collide
Because if I have to split every atom just to find a trace of you
If I have to split every atom
That’s what I’ll do
That's what I'll do
Halet Osis
This is wonderful. Love you Hazel. You and the band are fantastic
softlightsymphony [band]
Every Atom is that perfect blend of atmosphere, melodic rawness and beautiful heartache that you all seem to effortlessly nail every time . Goosebump material. Well worth the wait.
Please come to the states...
simeonross
This is playing on repeat! Amazing!
Norang E
Getting chills from the tunes and her voice!
ХССГ
GOD THIS IS SO MUCH HEARTBREAKING AND BEAUTIFUL I LOVE YOU GUYS
please come to Russia one day! I know it might be quite hard and expensive, but you really have a lot of fans out here and we all love your art! can't wait for your new album!!
Tootsieroll Tootsieroll
I hope she never changes. So beautiful inside and out. So genuine and cares about people. Amazing person and at her age. I have nothing left lost all and gave up she really inspires hope within me. I'm serious my life and where I'm at, humanity and how I be been treated and struggling to go day to day. She is a Angel and gives me hope. I was laying in a park one day listening to some of her music, hungry, cold etc I noticed someone else worse off than I and just by her inspiration I gave them all I had and you know I'm ok I made it through the month. At least I'm trying to live and find purpose.
Chris Ellington
how old is she?
Segi gise
the lyrics are beautiful! heartbreking and brave, reminds me of big thief a little
<3 bravo
Drizzle
Reminds me a bit of The Lumineers as well
Bolid La Rochelle
The National...Other lives...