Manchester Orchestra has released several extended plays and six studio albums: I'm Like A Virgin Losing A Child (2006), Mean Everything to Nothing (2009), Simple Math (2011), Cope (2014) (as well as its accompanying acoustic version, Hope), A Black Mile To The Surface (2017), and The Million Masks of God (2021). They are signed to independent record label Favorite Gentlemen Recordings, which is distributed through Sony Music Entertainment, and Loma Vista Recordings.
Manchester Orchestra originated in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. They are named after the English city Manchester, a place rich in musical history (The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Oasis, New Order, Happy Mondays). Feeling increasingly alienated at his "small-town-Georgia, Christian high school", Hull became so frustrated that he spent his senior year studying at home. Early in their career, the band recorded an album entitled Nobody Sings Anymore. However, it was never released due to the shift in the band's musical direction and personal changes undergone following its recording. The band stated that "the band that made the record was different to the band now." Some of the tracks written for the album were released instead on the EP You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, but Brilliance Needs a Good Editor.
Following You Brainstorm, I Brainstorm, but Brilliance Needs a Good Editor, Manchester Orchestra recorded and released their debut album I'm Like a Virgin Losing a Child. This album gained the attention of the music industry, and eventually led to their signing with Canvasback. The album was released nationwide July 27, 2007. Guitarist Robert McDowell did not appear on this album. The song Wolves At Night was featured in the video game NHL 08.
In October of 2008 the band recorded their second EP, Let My Pride Be What's Left Behind, with producer Dan Hannon and engineer Brad Fisher. It was released October 7, 2008.
In early September 2008, the band announced on their Myspace blog that they had begun recording their second album entitled Mean Everything to Nothing with producer Joe Chicarrelli (The Shins, My Morning Jacket). On February 4, 2009, the band posted a link to a free download of the single I've Got Friends and performed an acoustic version at The Fly’s In The Courtyard Sessions. The album was released April 21, 2009.
On January 26, 2010, the band released a digital split EP with Kevin Devine entitled I Could Be The Only One. Following the release of the Manchester Orchestra/Kevin Devine split EP, it was announced that Kevin Devine would record a full-length album along with the members of Manchester Orchestra later that year, with half the album written by Devine and half by Andy Hull. On April 10, 2010, it was announced the new project's name was Bad Books, and that the album would be released under that moniker, and not "Manchester Orchestra + Kevin Devine" as previously speculated. The self-titled full-length Bad Books album was digitally released on October 19, 2010, and on CD on November 9, 2010.
On March 2010, in an interview with the Dallas Observer, Hull mentioned that the band had begun work on a follow up to 2009's Mean Everything to Nothing tentatively entitled Let Go of Your Sorrowful Groaning. He also said that the band have around 34 songs they are demoing and that in writing this album he was imagining a "spiritual miscarriage". Later that year in an interview with Rip It Up magazine, the band announced that they were in the middle of recording their third full-length album. Although without a title, they explained that the album was completely different to anything they had released in the past. The album was being recorded with Dan Hannon and balanced between Blackbird Studios (Nashville, TN) and their own Favorite Gentlemen Studios (Atlanta, GA).
On October 23, 2010, during an appearance at Radio 104.5 in Philadelphia, following a Bad Books show in support of their recently released self-titled debut album, Manchester Orchestra debuted an acoustic version of the title track of their new album, Simple Math. Originally scheduled for release in March 2011, the band announced in January of 2011 that their third full-length studio album, Simple Math, would be released on May 10, 2011, as well as announcing the album's tracklist and revealing that the album was set to be a concept album.
For more info, check out their official site: http://www.themanchesterorchestra.com/ca/home
I Can Barely Breathe
Manchester Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We wrapped ourselves inside a dirty blanket
Citing different opinions
On whether we should move
When the houses came
They ate up everyone like they were fishes
Saying, "Come on, come on
And then I saw your face
You're turnin' skin into a dirty secret
I watched the beauties, watched the fire
And the fire burn the beauty in their eyes
When I took the blame
We laid in ruins tryin' to quote your phrase
We're yelling, "Someone's got the answers
But I'd rather think there's nothing to be found"
And if you knew I was dyin' would it change you?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change you?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change anything?
So when you see me falling backwards
Down the wall that says, I'm still alive?
Don't be cautious when I'm cautiously approachin' on the other side
Yeah, everybody has their reasons that's the reason we're all gonna die
Because if seein' is believin' then believe that we have lost our eyes
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
I fly so high, don't touch me now
We all deserve
We all deserve something
The lyrics to Manchester Orchestra's song 'I Can Barely Breathe' tell a story of a dark flood that has come, and people looking for shelter decide whether they should leave or not. As they move onto higher ground, they come across houses that consume them as if they were fish. The houses seem to be urging the people to come and join them in the end of the world. However, amidst all this chaos, the singer of the song sees someone, presumably the love of his life or someone dear to him, who is turning skin into a dirty secret. He watches as the fire consumes the beauties and burns the beauty in their eyes.
The singer then takes the blame and quotes his loved one, and they both realize that no one has the answers they seek. The chorus questions whether knowing that someone is dying would change anything. The song then turns towards the end, with the line, "so when you see me falling backward down the wall that says I'm still alive, don't be cautious when I'm cautiously approaching on the other side." This line suggests that the singer knows that the people around him are cautious and that he doesn't mind them approaching him when he falls.
The verses of the song are poetic, and the images they evoke are quite haunting, with the houses eating people like fish and the fire burning the beauty in their eyes. The chorus is a question that asks whether we would do anything differently if we knew that someone we care about was dying. The song seems to be talking about the futility of life and how we are all going to die eventually, and there is nothing we can do about it.
Line by Line Meaning
When the dark flood came
When times became tough and overwhelming
We wrapped ourselves inside a dirty blanket
We tried to find comfort in something that was already stained and uncomfortable
Citing different opinions
Expressing varying views
On whether we should move
On whether we should take action
When the houses came
When society came and consumed us
They ate up everyone like they were fishes
People were treated like insignificant creatures
Saying, "Come on, come on
Pressuring us to conform
It's the end of the world"
Telling us the situation is hopeless
And then I saw your face
And then I saw the truth
You're turnin' skin into a dirty secret
You're hiding your true self and experiences
I watched the beauties, watched the fire
I witnessed the good and the bad
And the fire burn the beauty in their eyes
And the negativity consumed the positive aspects of their lives
When I took the blame
When I took responsibility
We laid in ruins tryin' to quote your phrase
We were completely destroyed and struggling to remember your words of wisdom
We're yelling, "Someone's got the answers
We're desperately searching for guidance
But I'd rather think there's nothing to be found"
But I believe that there may not be a solution
And if you knew I was dyin' would it change you?
If you knew I was struggling, would you act differently towards me?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change?
If you knew I was struggling, would anything change in your actions or perceptions?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change you?
If you knew I was struggling, would you act differently towards me?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change anything?
If you knew I was struggling, would anything change in your actions or perceptions?
So when you see me falling backwards
So when you see me struggling and losing faith
Down the wall that says, I'm still alive?
Down the wall that I'm using to prove my worth
Don't be cautious when I'm cautiously approachin' on the other side
Don't be hesitant to reach out to me when I'm trying to navigate through difficult times
Yeah, everybody has their reasons that's the reason we're all gonna die
All of us have explanations for our actions; that's ultimately why we all will eventually pass away
Because if seein' is believin' then believe that we have lost our eyes
If what we perceive is our only basis for belief, then we have lost our ability to truly see
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
Because when I'm alone, I'm at my peak
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
Because when I'm alone, I'm at my peak
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
Because when I'm alone, I'm at my peak
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
Because when I'm alone, I'm at my peak
I fly so high, don't touch me now
I'm achieving such a high level that I don't want anyone interfering
We all deserve
We all have the right to
We all deserve something
We all have the right to something meaningful and fulfilling
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDY HULL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iryna Shubets
Lyrics
When the dark flood came
We wrapped ourselves inside a dirty blanket
Citing different opinions
On whether we should move
When the houses came
They ate up everyone like they were fishes
Saying, "Come on, come on
It's the end of the world"
And then I saw your face
You're turnin' skin into a dirty secret
I watched the beauties, watched the fire
And the fire burn the beauty in their eyes
When I took the blame
We laid in ruins tryin' to quote your phrase
We're yelling, "Someone's got the answers,
But I'd rather think there's nothing to be found"
If you knew I was dyin' would it change you?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change you?
If you knew I was dyin' would it change anything?
So when you see me falling backwards
Down the wall that says, ?I'm still alive?
Don't be cautious when I'm cautiously
Approachin' on the other side
Ya everybody has their reasons
That's the reason we're all gonna die
Because if seein' is believin'
Then believe that we have lost our eyes
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
'Cause when I fly solo I fly so high
I fly so high, don't touch me now
We all deserve
We all deserve something
Mr.Martyr
This was my cousins favorite band and favorite song. He was killed by a drunk driver 2 weeks before we were going to see them live. M.O. wrote his initials on their drum head and dedicated the show to him. I’ve never cried so hard in public in all my life when they closed the show out with this song. A moment I’ll never forget.
(I still have the drum head.)
Rest in paradise Dereck.
Copi Quinn
♥️
Kat Kipe
I absolutely love: "You're turning skin into a dirty secret. I watched the beauties, watched the fire, and the fire burn the beauty in their eyes." What I love about this song is you can pull out any one sentence and it has SO much meaning. This has been my favorite song for probably over a year. This song and this band are so underrated.
Pan Kamerzysta
"If you knew I was dieing would it change you? If you knew I was dieing would it change ANYTHING?!" - some songs just were ment to be and some people were blessed with talent to write them. This one has been written a long time ago. And also it is one of the first videos sboot on RED ONE. ;)
Jenifer Strickland
@Ethanride I still want that as a tattoo. I like it because you have to see it in writing or hear it a couple of times to not initially think "so low." I also like that in the lowest of times , we sometimes finds the best parts of ourselves or find a new altruistic hobby.
Ethanride
Cause when I fly solo, I fly so high
Kasou
this is the only band I have found that sounds like Brand New, which makes me incredibly happy. I love this kind of rock sound
Copi Quinn
🙏♥️🙏🙏
Julia W
i feel this song on a spiritual level <3
Happi
Most of their songs are like that. <3