On 11 March 2018 the band announced, via a heartfelt email to fans, that David Jakes would be leaving for mental health reasons. In August 2018, he was subsequently replaced by Jack Bennett. In April 2020 the band released their first material with Bennett on Easy Life Records; the single “Bound” was premiered on BBC Radio One.
Members
Current
Mark Trotter (lead guitar/backing vocals)
Gavin Edgeley (drums/backing vocals)
Andrew Bushen (bass guitar)
Ross Smithwick (rhythm guitar/backing vocals)
Jack Bennett (lead vocals)
Former
Joel Mason (rhythm guitar)
David Jakes (lead vocals)
Backroads
Lonely The Brave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my eyes couldn't take them in
Just want to fall here silently
Into the arms of people I love
Under waiting stars as the ships come rolling in
But look at the way the faces turn
Eyes burn why (eyes burn why)
But look at the way the faces turn
Eyes burn why (eyes burn why)
If you be the sky then I'll be the bird
So the power lines were leaning
And all was lost here
Make a vow with the city lights
With your fingers crossed
You said I'd be a place and time
Said I'd be a man
Making eyes with a sea of lies
So you understand
That you're raping on my dreaming
And you're ruining my best made plans
The rat he turned and bared his teeth at you
The wake is calling, what you gonna do?
But your head's gone
And it won't be long
The rat he turned and bared his teeth at you
The wake is calling, what you gonna do?
But your head's gone
And it won't be long
So the sinners stopped and the villains turned
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
Let's meet the mountains and see what they heard
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
"Backroads" by Lonely The Brave is a song that describes the struggle of someone who is lost and seeking to find their way back home. The first verse starts with the singer acknowledging that they have seen things that are too overwhelming to take in. They express their desire to fall silently into the arms of their loved ones while looking up at the waiting stars as ships come rolling in. However, the singer then realizes that the people around them are not supportive, as indicated by the way their faces turn and their eyes burn. In response to this, the singer suggests that if the people around them choose to be the sky, they will choose to be the bird.
The second verse continues the story by describing how everything around the singer appears to be unraveling. Power lines are leaning, and all seems to be lost. The singer then recalls the promises made by someone about being a place at a certain time and also being a man. The person who made these promises then makes eyes with a sea of lies, which has ruined the singer's best-made plans. The rat, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for a person representing deceit, bares its teeth at the singer, while the wake is calling. However, the singer's head is gone, and it won't be long until they respond to the wake's call.
The chorus is a beautiful melody, and it speaks to the singer's desire to escape their current circumstances with their loved one. The singer imagines themselves and their loved one at the top of a mountain, listening to what the mountains have to say while the singer is the sky and their loved one is the bird.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw things that the rat saw
I saw things that were dark, disturbing and unpleasant
And my eyes couldn't take them in
Those things were too much for my mind to comprehend
Just want to fall here silently
I just want to succumb to the feeling and collapse
Into the arms of people I love
I want to be embraced by the people I hold dear
Under waiting stars as the ships come rolling in
Let's just lay here and wait for the ships under the stars
But look at the way the faces turn
Observe how people's expressions change
Eyes burn why (eyes burn why)
Their eyes reflect pain and discomfort
If you be the sky then I'll be the bird
If you're the higher power, I'll submit to you
So the power lines were leaning
The world was feeling unsteady and out of balance
And all was lost here
Everything felt hopeless and undone
Make a vow with the city lights
I promised something to the bustling cityscape
With your fingers crossed
But deep down, I wasn't confident in my promise
You said I'd be a place and time
You promised I'd achieve great things in specific moments
Said I'd be a man
You believed I'd become the best version of myself
Making eyes with a sea of lies
I was fooled by a deceptive ocean of deceitful people
So you understand
This was my state of mind and you know it
That you're raping on my dreaming
You're violently destroying my hopes and aspirations
And you're ruining my best made plans
You're undermining my well-thought-out goals
The rat he turned and bared his teeth at you
The rat represented the cruel reality that threatened me
The wake is calling, what you gonna do?
I could hear the sound of destruction calling out to me
But your head's gone
My thoughts were scattered and irrational
And it won't be long
This state of confusion won't last long
So the sinners stopped and the villains turned
Even the wicked paused to take notice
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
I'll be the mighty protector and you'll submit to me
Let's meet the mountains and see what they heard
Let's explore the secrets hidden in the mountains
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
I'll be the all-knowing and you'll follow me
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
I'll control your destiny while you submit to me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Andrew Bushen, David Jakes, Gavin Edgeley, Mark Trotter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dirceu Rodrigues
Saw things that the rat saw
And my eyes couldn't take them in
Just want to fall here silently
Into the arms of people I love
Under waiting stars as the ships come rolling in
But look at the way the faces turn
Eyes burn why (eyes burn why)
If you be the sky then I'll be the bird
But look at the way the faces turn
Eyes burn why (eyes burn why)
If you be the sky then I'll be the bird
So the power lines were leaning
And all was lost here
Make a vow with the city lights
With your fingers crossed
You said I'd be a place and time
Said I'd be a man
Making eyes with a sea of lies
So you understand
That you're raping on my dreaming
And you're ruining my best made plans
The rat he turned and bared his teeth at you
The wake is calling, what you gonna do?
But your head's gone
And it won't be long
The rat he turned and bared his teeth at you
The wake is calling, what you gonna do?
But your head's gone
And it won't be long
So the sinners stopped and the villains turned
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
Let's meet the mountains and see what they heard
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
And I'll be the sky and you be the bird
marcis2401
Don't know if the band reads comments here, but I just wanted to share my story regarding this song. So at age 20 I was living alone with my great-grandmother and taking care of her. She was 94 years old, and she was not able to do much. Given her age, she had started to lose her mind and act really weird, which really traumatized me at that time.
So it's a really sunny autumn day. Leaves have turned to yellow and red. I am sitting in my room and waiting for the paramedics to come and take a look at my great-grandmother, who sleeps in her bed and is not moving. She had cried about being tired and wanting God to take her already for a long time, and that morning she was complaining about not being able to move.
I am completely numb. I don't think or pay attention to anything else. BBC Radio 1 is playing somewhere in the background. The paramedics arrive, go into her room and close the doors. I have no idea what is going on in there. I have my back turned on all the commotion, so I'm looking outside the window to the leaves and the sky, where planes are flying over my house. Suddenly I hear the first chords, but I don't really pay any attention. I don't want to think anything, because I don't know what to feel or think. Suddenly, clear as that sunny day, I hear words: "If you be the sky then I'll be the bird," and funny enough a bird (which I also tattooed years before this happened) flies by my window, flaps it's wings around in front of me for a while and then shoots up the sky and disappears. For the first time that day I felt calm. My great-grandmother died that day, and now, whenever I hear this song, I remember that moment - the sunny autumn day, the song, the bird and the sense of relief, knowing that everything is alright, she can finally rest in peace.
With this, I guess, I just wanted to tell you, the band, a massive thank you for creating this song! It came to me in a really difficult time and somehow it made everything better. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Gaidamang phaomei
Lovely ... God bless her soul ..!! Thanks for sharing your story
Dave Gibson
Goosebumps. Thanks for sharing.
M
Hey bud, I know trotter, I'm positive he reads these. Love the story. Death is the final release from pain, I've watched an old girlfriend and my mother die, those moments are poignant moments in anyone's life that scar themselves into your brain. Hope you're doing great 2 years on. I love this song, I used to hear them practicing it in the next room at upland studios back in the day, it's changed a fair bit over the years.
Michelle Bolton
Amazing story ❤️
David LH
The Universe works for all of us, Peace be with you always
Saint4ndy
Music is probably the most important aspect of my life, and I have to say this is the best song I’ve ever heard. It’s been on repeat all week and I can’t stop singing “The rat he turns and bares his teeth at you, the wake is coming what you gonna do”. Well done 👏👏👏
Nafo
I am proud to be Ukrainian!!Слава Україні - Героям Слава!
Amir Wasli
this band is so underated, they produced the most well written songs ever. british never fail to amazes me
Simon Ware
Best British band for a long time. Stadium bound. Absolutely love this group, every song on the album is great.