Origins
In the spring of 2010 Schneider traveled from Los Angeles to Northern Michigan. At Lake Huron, he developed songs for the first Lord Huron EP. He named the recording, Into the Sun. Upon his return to L.A., Schneider set to work putting a band together. The first to join him was his percussion-playing childhood friend Mark. Each of the band members of band hail from Michigan.
Into The Sun and Mighty
Lord Huron released two EPs in 2010, Into the Sun and Mighty. Pop & Hiss, the LA Times Music Blog, described Mighty as "full of lush acoustic guitars and Midwestern-accented harmonies as warm as a winter fireplace, but it's the Caribbean-influenced percussion that fans Lord Huron's folk sound into flame,"and Pitchfork could only classify it as "a stylistic superball, bouncing off any wall you put around it." NPR's World Cafe wrote "the band's lush harmonies are backed by a hazy whirlpool of polyrhythmic tropical drums and folk guitars."
Despite the fact that Schneider played all of the instruments on both EPs, he has gathered a band for live performances, which have also gotten positive reviews. "The totality of the experience was like being on hand for a combination drum circle, chamber performance, and Calypso street party," wrote LA Weekly.Some of the larger shows the band has performed at include Lollapalooza (2011) and Outside Lands (2011), as well as a marathon ten shows in four days at the SXSW (2011) music festival.
Discography
EPs
Into The Sun (2010)
Mighty (2010)
Time to Run (2012)
LPs
Lonesome Dreams (2012)
Strange Trails (2015)
Vide Noir (2018)
Long Lost (2021)
Ancient Names
Lord Huron Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I came to have my fortune told
Can't imagine what she saw
While gazing in her crystal ball
Far out past the astral plane
I cast you back from whence you came
Cosmic ash and blackened brain
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
What the fortune teller said
Is I'm alive for now but good as dead
She claims she'd seen it all while she was
Gazing in her crystal ball
If I can't evade my fate
Then I won't sit around and wait
A fallen star will be thy fate
I call you by your ancient names
I gotta get away from here (I'll never see the golden sunrise)
I gotta get away from her (oh, if I leave this place alive)
I gotta get away from here (I'll never see the golden sunrise)
Oh, I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
If I live to see the next sunrise
I gotta get away from her
Oh, if I leave this place alive
The lyrics of Lord Huron's "Ancient Names Part I" tell the story of the singer's visit to a fortune teller who reveals his fate to him. The singer is skeptical of the fortune teller's abilities, claiming "Can't imagine what she saw / While gazing in her crystal ball." However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is struggling with the idea of fate and his own mortality. He tries to resist his fate, stating "If I can't evade my fate / Then I won't sit around and wait." The song ends with the singer determined to escape the fortune teller and his fate, repeating "I gotta get away from here / I gotta get away from her" several times.
The lyrics of "Ancient Names Part I" explore themes of fate, mortality, and the desire for freedom. The singer's struggle with his own fate and the fortune teller's predictions is a universal and relatable theme. The use of imagery, especially the crystal ball and the blackened brain, adds to the mystical and ominous tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, the neon lights burned red and gold
The environment was lit up by bright and vivid lights.
I came to have my fortune told
The singer seeks to learn about their future from a fortune teller.
Can't imagine what she saw
The singer is unable to comprehend the fortune teller's vision.
While gazing in her crystal ball
The fortune teller was using a crystal ball to reveal the future.
Far out past the astral plane
Beyond the realm of our physical world.
I cast you back from whence you came
The singer is sending something back to its origin.
Cosmic ash and blackened brain
The singer is referencing the remains of something in the universe.
I call you by your ancient names
The artist is summoning something significant from the past.
I gotta get away from here
The artist feels the need to escape from their current situation.
I gotta get away from her
The artist wants to distance themselves from the fortune teller.
What the fortune teller said
The singer is reflecting on the fortune teller's message.
Is I'm alive for now but good as dead
The artist's fate is inevitable and grim.
She claims she'd seen it all while she was
The fortune teller believes she possesses great knowledge.
Gazing in her crystal ball
The fortune teller's visions come from her crystal ball.
If I can't evade my fate
The singer is aware they cannot avoid their destiny.
Then I won't sit around and wait
The artist won't be passive in their fate.
A fallen star will be thy fate
The artist believes something powerful will fall from grace.
I gotta get away from here (I'll never see the golden sunrise)
The singer fears they will never experience beauty or happiness again.
I gotta get away from her (oh, if I leave this place alive)
The singer wants to leave the fortune teller's presence alive.
I gotta get away from here (I'll never see the golden sunrise)
The artist is anxious about their future and what they may never experience.
Oh, I gotta get away from her
The artist is desperate to leave the fortune teller's presence.
If I live to see the next sunrise
The artist is uncertain about their survival.
Oh, if I leave this place alive
The singer fears they may not make it out alive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ben Schneider
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mason Morton
Where the neon lights burn red and gold
I came to have my fortune told
I can’t imagine what she saw
While gazing in her crystal ball
Far out past the astral plane
I cast you back from whence you came
Cosmic cash and blackened brain
I call you by your ancient name
Ive gotta get away from here
Ive gotta get away from her
What the fortune teller said is
I’m alive for now
But good as dead
she claimed she'd seen it all while she was
gazing in her crystal ball
I can’t evade my fate
but i won’t sit around and wait
A fallen star will be thy faith
And call you by your ancient name
I gotta get away from here
(I’ll never see another sunrise)
I gotta get away from her
(If I leave this place alive)
I gotta get away from here
(I’ll never see another sunrise)
I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
(Indistinguishable dialogue)
I gotta get away from here
If I live to see the next sunrise
I gotta get away from her
If I leave this place alive
Meme Lord
Well, the neon lights glowed red and gold
I came to hear my fortune told
Can't imagine what she saw
I'm gazing in her crystal ball
Far out past the astral plane
I cast you back from whence you came
Cosmic cache and blackened brain
And call you by your ancient names
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
What the fortune teller said is
I'm alive now but good as dead
She claims she'd seen it all
While she was gazing in her crystal ball
If I can't evade my fate
Then I won't sit around and wait
A fallen star will be thy faith
And call you by your ancient names
I gotta get away from here
(I'll never see the golden sunrise)
I gotta get away from her
(Oh, if I leave this place alive)
I gotta get away from here
(I'll never see the golden sunrise)
I know I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
If I live to see the next sunrise
I gotta get away from her
Oh, if I leave this place alive
Ryan Johnson
[Verse 1]
Well, the neon lights burned red and gold
I came to have my fortune told
Can't imagine what she saw
While gazing in her crystal ball
[Verse 2]
Far out past the astral plane
I cast you back from whence you came
Cosmic ash and blackened brain
I call you by your ancient names
[Chorus]
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
[Verse 3]
What the fortune teller said is
I'm alive for now but good as dead
She claims she'd seen it all
While she was gazing in her crystal ball
[Verse 4]
If I can't evade my fate
Then I won't sit around and wait
A fallen star will be thy bane
I call you by your ancient names
[Chorus/Hook]
I gotta get away from here
(I'll never see another sunrise)
I gotta get away from her
(Oh, if I leave this place alive)
I gotta get away from here
(I'll never see another sunrise)
Oh I gotta get away from her
[Chorus]
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
I gotta get away from here
I gotta get away from her
[Outro]
I gotta get away from here
If I live to see the next sunrise
I gotta get away from her
Oh, if I leave this place alive
Korvin Carry
People talk about the range of actors and actresses all the time...
But can we appreciate the absolute RANGE of Lord Huron in their music styles?! Like, indie folk to alt rock to indie western, and thats just in a few of their albums! They do so damn much and all of it sounds amazing and beautiful, soaking in magic and mystery, power and presence! Amazing!
Мэтью
I personally feel like each album is about the same guy (not necessarily the same girl) but in different points of his life. Lone some dreams and Strange trails give off young and free vibes, while Vide Noir gives off older wiser darker vibes.
Closerto2020 Books
Good comment! I think this album is a lot like the song cycles of 19th Century classical music composers, set to poetry. The lyrics, taken together, tell a story. But the songs may be out of order. Or at least, certain parts of the story are told while the narrator is looking back, reflecting on earlier events, like in “When the night is over”. It’s complex, for sure. The moment of tragic awareness would come with “The balancer’s eye” (“Tell me how does a man change the universe!”). “Ancient names” would seem to describe the unhappy relationship the narrator was in before the emerald star guided him toward another woman, with whom he thought he’d be happier. At least, that’s my take.
J Dogg2223
I think it is..
John Manasseh
The same spirit.
Trescha Lee
Check out their IG. The album is a story ….
Tim O
Ben Schneider is a genius. The way he writes these concept albums is pure gold.
Surplus
LH music brings me to a different place and every album is different and unique in its own perfect way.
- Lonesome Dreams took me inside the imagination of an adventure novelist who never existed and places like a whimsical Indonesia, the Great Lakes, and the central California coast.
- Strange Trails took me to a beautiful mountain town neither in future, nor past and inside the mind of an anti-hero who once had it all then lost it.
- And I have a strong suspicion Vide Noir is going to bring me an unimaginable land lost somewhere between time and space... the Twilight Zone, if you will.
Toma
Yo im hardly relate to this
Surplus
@James Clearly something better than you