Lilys, led by singer/songwriter Kurt Heasley, are a notoriously difficult b… Read Full Bio ↴Lilys, led by singer/songwriter Kurt Heasley, are a notoriously difficult band to categorize. With an ever-evolving lineup, home base, and a sound that swings pendulum-like between My Bloody Valentine-influenced shoegazer and indie guitar pop, the answer to the question, "Who are the Lilys?" depends of the qualifiers of "when" and "where."
Along with Apples In Stereo, Olivia Tremor Control, Of Montreal and other bands, Lilys set much of the tone for the American East Coast rock scene in the 1990s
"A Nanny In Manhattan" became a #16 hit in the UK after being used in a 1998 ad campaign for Levi's jeans.
In winter of 2000 K. began recording Precollection in Philadelphia. Three producers and three years later enter Guru of Soul, producer MIchael Musmanno, combining his affections for pop and esoteric rock to deliver all subsequent Lilys recordings.

Elizabeth Colour Wheel
Lilys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh how I saw her
And almost lived this way
If you weren't how I taught you
We'd both know what I said

With your head full of sorrow
You go on your way
All your life I can follow

And I'll lose you all the time

Oh how I saw you
And now she I could see
As you paint on an island
You saw inside of me

With your head full of sorrow
You crawl home and die

All your life I can't follow
But I'm with you all the time

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Lilys' song "Elizabeth Colour Wheel" are enigmatic and open to interpretation. The song appears to be about unrequited love and the complicated nature of relationships. The first verse seems to suggest that the singer almost lived their life in a certain way because of how they saw Elizabeth, but something prevented this from happening. The second verse could be interpreted as Elizabeth being an artist who had an insight into the singer's inner self, but the verse concludes with a sense of loss and separation. The line "All your life I can't follow, but I'm with you all the time" suggests that the singer is unable to be with Elizabeth, but they still carry her with them in some way.

The repetition of the phrase "with your head full of sorrow" in both verses establishes a mood of melancholy and longing. There is a sense of distance and separation between the characters, as well as a feeling of uncertainty and ambiguity. The lyrics are poetic and use vivid imagery to convey complex emotions.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh how I saw her
I had an encounter with her

And almost lived this way
I was close to living this way

If you weren't how I taught you
If you weren't how I trained you

We'd both know what I said
We'd both understand what I said

With your head full of sorrow
You are burdened with grief

You go on your way
You continue on your path

All your life I can follow
I can follow you throughout your life

And I'll lose you all the time
But I'll frequently lose sight of you

Oh how I saw you
I had an encounter with you

And now she I could see
And now I can see her

As you paint on an island
As you create something private and secluded