Lotus Child was born when Zachary Gray and Tom Dobrzanski met in a touring … Read Full Bio ↴Lotus Child was born when Zachary Gray and Tom Dobrzanski met in a touring choir as teenagers, becoming friends while killing time in the green room before concerts on a tour of Europe. As years went by they started drawing more and more from bands like Smashing Pumpkins, Jeff Buckley, and Muse; and so began the search for other members. After hitting it off with music student Peter Carruthers on bass and perpetual student/down-at-heels golfing phenom Miles Bruce on drums, suddenly they had a band on their hands. Lotus Child recorded their first album, a self-titled EP, in the transformed guest room of Tom's basement. Club owners were impressed, and Lotus Child set out to take on Vancouver, scoring regular sell-outs at Mesa Luna Nightclub, The Backstage Lounge, and The Media Club. Audience reaction was overwhelming to Lotus Child’s sophisticated brand of indie pop-rock; seemingly overnight they were being hyped by youthful masses across Canada. With their electrifying live show and a battery of new material, Lotus Child is poised to dominate indie clubs and airwaves throughout the continent. Morale is justifiably high these days at the Lotus Child camp, and when asked about the gruelling schedule the year has become, Gray is philosophical. “Everything’s fallen into place pretty well for us, so I don’t think you could call it gruelling, necessarily. Um…I mean yeah. We’re robots.”

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Had to Laugh
Lotus Child Lyrics

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When you've got your windows boarded up
When a bulging tumour fills your skull
When you're waiting but the calls won't come
There's an unmarked door behind your mail where the doorman's collar hides his guilt.

But at least we know when it rains it rains
No umbrella will change a thing
Hail the buzzards and hail the King for

Watching over us all.

There's a place where evenings just explode
Where the houselights dim and it fills with tones
There's a gaping box with velvet lips that frame the devil's comedy
As ushers hiss to take your seat the wings have caught on fire.

But at least we know when it rains it rains
No umbrella will change a thing
Hail the buzzards and hail the King for
Watching over us all.

You picked a hard time to be alone
With the sky bearing down
And as the rain weeps on your windowsill,
I won't ever make a sound.

But if you think, "Well, hold on,"
You know, you're wrong, you're wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

But at least we know when it rains it rains
No umbrella will change a thing
Hail the buzzards and hail the King for
Watching over us all.

But at least we know when it rains it rains
No umbrella will change a thing

Hail the buzzards and hail the King for
Watching over us all.

Overall Meaning

The song 'Had to Laugh' by Lotus Child is an intriguing piece that delves into the concept of despair and hopelessness experienced by a person who seems to have lost all hope. The opening verse talks about boarded up windows and a bulging tumour filling the person's skull, which can be interpreted both literally and metaphorically. The subsequent lines, "When you're waiting but the calls won't come/There's an unmarked door behind your mail where the doorman's collar hides his guilt" suggest a sense of isolation and a desire for a change. The doorman, who appears to be guilty, represents bureaucracy or the stringent societal norms that restrict one from exploring their full potential.

In the chorus, the lyrics "But at least we know when it rains it rains/No umbrella will change a thing/Hail the buzzards and hail the King for Watching over us all" portray a sense of acceptance of the situation and a willingness to live through whatever fate holds. While the raining symbolizes the troubles and challenges of life, the buzzards and King represent the forces that keep a watch over the person.

The second verse speaks about a place that explodes in the evenings, lit dimly, and filled with tones that transport the person to another world. The "gaping box with velvet lips" can be inferred as a reference to a theatre, with shows that provide a momentary escape from the mundane. Though, the ushers hiss to take your seat while the wings have caught on fire, that is, the artificiality of the show when the person knows the behind-the-scenes tragedies. The subsequent verses continue on the same themes of hopelessness, continued determination to live through it, and the isolation of the person.

Line by Line Meaning

When you've got your windows boarded up
When you feel closed off from the world

When a bulging tumour fills your skull
When you're lost in your own pain and suffering

When you're waiting but the calls won't come
When you're feeling ignored and alone

There's an unmarked door behind your mail where the doorman's collar hides his guilt.
There's a hidden escape from your troubles, but it comes at a cost

But at least we know when it rains it rains
Even in dark times, we can count on the consistency of nature

No umbrella will change a thing
There are some things out of our control

Hail the buzzards and hail the King for Watching over us all.
Acknowledge the hardships and those watching over us

There's a place where evenings just explode
There are moments of intense emotion and release

Where the houselights dim and it fills with tones
Where everything fades away except for the music

There's a gaping box with velvet lips that frame the devil's comedy
Life can seem like a cruel joke

As ushers hiss to take your seat the wings have caught on fire.
Even in chaos, life goes on

You picked a hard time to be alone With the sky bearing down
You're alone in a difficult moment

And as the rain weeps on your windowsill, I won't ever make a sound.
I'll be there for you, silently

But if you think, "Well, hold on," You know, you're wrong, you're wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong,
Even if you hesitate, you'll have to face your reality eventually

But at least we know when it rains it rains No umbrella will change a thing Hail the buzzards and hail the King for Watching over us all.
Despite everything, we must keep going and acknowledge the difficulties we face

Contributed by Abigail F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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