After the three founding members originally met in high school, a bassist and a drummer were found, and they all moved to a house in Silver Lake in 2008 to record their album. Their debut album as Local Natives, "Gorilla Manor", was released in the UK on November 2nd, 2009, and saw a US release date of February 16th, 2010. The band's sound has been described as "afropop-influenced guitars with hyperactive drumming and hooky three-part harmonies". They started to attract the attention of the music press after playing nine shows at the 2009 SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Initial reviews of Local Natives have drawn favourable comparisons to Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend.
Utilizing lots of vocal harmonies and drifting, dreamlike melodies, Local Natives have an intricate sound based around the delicate interconnectedness of all of their parts. This gives the band a sound that is able to be orchestral while still feeling understated, evoking the carefully assembled pop of Grizzly Bear. Their debut, Gorilla Manor, arrived in 2009 through U.K. label Infectious Records (with a domestic release coming by way of Frenchkiss in 2010). In 2011, Andy Hamm left Local Natives, leaving them to continue on as a quartet. In 2013, the band returned with its sophomore album, Hummingbird, featuring the single "Breakers".
Official website: http://www.localnatives.com
Heavy Feet
Local Natives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Staples in your jeans
Fireworks at the water
You were holding a styro-foam cup
Held between your teeth
Telling me how you're going to outlive your body
What you said I wrote it down,
It won't speak the same
Maybe I know better than
To read more
Than what's written
After everything
After everything
Left in the sun, shivering.
After everything.
Gathering your storm
I talk to fill the space
You know where so and so was
When they were our age
And every night you seem
To talk me out of everything
Careful what you say next,
Don't waste a sin-gle drop
What you said I wrote it down,
Won't say, won't speak the same
After everything,
After everything.
Left in the sun, shivering.
After everything.
What you said I wrote it down,
It won't say,
It won't speak the same
Maybe I know better than
To read more
Than what's there
After everything,
After everything.
Left in the sun, shivering.
After everything.
The song "Heavy Feet" by Local Natives has a deep and introspective theme that touches on the idea of capturing the essence of the present moment, making it a poignant track that resonates deeply with the listener. The opening lines of the song, "Powder in your hair, Staples in your jeans, Fireworks at the water, You were holding a styro-foam cup, Held between your teeth" create a vivid image of a particular moment in time that the singer is trying to capture. The following lines, "Telling me how you're going to outlive your body," hint at the impermanence of the moment and the inevitability of mortality.
As the song progresses, the theme of transience becomes more apparent as the singer reflects on the fleeting nature of life and the preciousness of what we leave behind. The line, "What you said I wrote it down, It won't say, It won't speak the same" suggests that the singer is trying to hold onto something that has already slipped away, a reminder that even the most vivid memories can fade in time. The repetition of the refrain "After everything" underscores the passage of time and the inevitability of change, while the concluding line "Left in the sun, shivering" implies a sense of loss and longing.
Overall, "Heavy Feet" is a powerful reflection on the fragility of life, the importance of living in the moment, and the struggle of trying to capture something that is, by its very nature, ephemeral.
Line by Line Meaning
Powder in your hair
You have remnants of powder in your hair
Staples in your jeans
You have staples on your jeans
Fireworks at the water
There are fireworks near the water
You were holding a styro-foam cup
You were holding a cup made of styrofoam
Held between your teeth
The cup was held between your teeth
Telling me how you're going to outlive your body
You talked about outliving your body
What you said I wrote it down,
I took note of what you said
It won't say,
However, the note won't reveal much
It won't speak the same
It won't convey the same message as your words did
Maybe I know better than
Perhaps, I realize its limitations
To read more
To expect more information
Than what's written
Than what the note contains
After everything
After all that has happened
Left in the sun, shivering.
I am left feeling cold and exposed
Gathering your storm
You are collecting yourself before unleashing your emotions upon me
I talk to fill the space
I speak to prevent an awkward silence
You know where so and so was
You know the whereabouts of this and that person
When they were our age
When they were our current age
And every night you seem
You make it a habit to
To talk me out of everything
Discouraging me from pursuing anything
Careful what you say next,
Please be considerate of your words
Don't waste a sin-gle drop
Don't let any opportunity go to waste
After everything,
After all that has transpired
Left in the sun, shivering.
I am still feeling vulnerable and uneasy
What you said I wrote it down,
I still remember what you said
Won't say,
However, it won't reveal much
Won't speak the same
It won't convey the same message as your words did
Maybe I know better than
Perhaps, I realize its limitations
To read more
To expect more information
Than what's there
Than what has been communicated
After everything,
After all that has happened
Left in the sun, shivering.
I am left feeling cold and exposed
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Brooking Dessner, Kelcey Paul Ayer, Matthew James Frazier, Ryan Clinton Hahn, Taylor David Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
November.Lover
Lyrics: Powder in your hair
Staples in your jeans
Fireworks at the water
You were holy
A styrofoam cup
Held between your teeth
Telling me how you're going to outlive your body
What you said I wrote it down, I won't say, I won't speak - the same
Maybe I know better than to read more than what's written
After everything, after everything
Left in the sun, shivering
After everything
Gathering your storm
Talk to fill the space
Do you know where so and so was when they were our age
Then every night you seem to talk me out of everything
Careful what you say next, don’t waste a single drop
What you said I wrote it down, won't say, won't speak - the same
After everything, after everything
Left in the sun, shivering
After everything
Colin
Rocket Man has to be my no 1 favourite song and i wanna thank Local Natives for that beautiful beat
Colin
@Jackson sadge
Jackson
too bad they wont let zillakami release it
DontStealMyBread
yessir!
raflblackvans
After watching the video and listening to the song, the meaning becomes a lot clearer. In the song he's remembering someone he must have cared for, but no matter how much he remembers, or how well, it will never be the same. Just like these men, the video speaks of how they remember the sensations they had when they flew, the warmth on their skin.
Just like the person in the song, hence the,"left in the sun, shivering." part. He remembers the words she spoke that night, but those words are now empty, that moment is gone. The warmth is gone.
Things will never be the same.
Charles Veitch
such a beautiful track. Funny video too!
MentholLungs
Every now and again, as seldom as it seems, one single song comes into your life, and completely speaks to you. This is the epitome of brilliant songwriting. Something with feeling. Living, breathing, pulsing. Something I can relate to. A uniquity.
Kevin Graham
What does this song mean?
lamarius Doyle
6 years later still listening lol
Andrius Miliūnas
I Understanding.... In Mother Russia pickle speak to me much same