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
Wolves At Night
Manchester Orchestra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Arms stretching like a kite
That time will eventually grow, I'm so sure of it
I've got a reason to long for songs
That tells why your legs and arms
Are actually able
Well, have you seen my baby girl?
She's lonely, yeah, oh, oh, oh
I've got to crucify myself if I am gonna believe you
I've got to promise that I'll finish all the things I said
I'd do to begin with too
I've got to make my bed if I am gonna lay with you
'Cause a disaster's a disaster
No matter what Christian language you drag it through
'Cause I confide in wolves at night
Well, have you seen my baby girl?
She's lonely, so lonely
'Cause I confide in wolves at night
I'm like a virgin losing a child
So lonely, so lonely
Swear I did what I could for your rights
You swear you did what you could for my eyes
And I'll try nothing, try something, try anything
I swear I did what I could for your rights
And you swear you did what you could for my eyes
And I'll try something, for nothing, for something
Something
I swear I did what I could for your rights
You swear you did what you could for my eyes
And I'll try something, try nothing, try anything
The lyrics to Manchester Orchestra's song "Wolves At Night" appear to be about a troubled relationship between two people. The first verse describes the singer seeing someone (presumably their significant other) bent down on the bedside with their arms stretched out like a kite. The second line, "That time will eventually grow, I'm so sure of it" suggests that the singer is optimistic that the relationship will improve with time. The second stanza talks about the singer's longing for songs that explain why their significant other's legs and arms are able to do what they do. It's unclear what this means, but it could be interpreted as a desire to understand their partner's motivations and desires.
The chorus, "I confide in wolves at night" suggests that the singer is seeking solace and refuge in wolves, perhaps as a metaphor for their own primal instincts. They then ask if anyone has seen their "baby girl," who is apparently lonely. The second half of the song is a repetition of the chorus and the same verses, with the addition of lines about making amends and promises to each other. The song ends on the repeated refrain of "I swear I did what I could for your rights, you swear you did what you could for my eyes, and I'll try something, try nothing, try anything." This could represent a desire to fix the relationship and make amends, even if it means trying different things.
Overall, the song seems to be a melancholic reflection on a troubled relationship and the desire to make things right. The use of the metaphor of wolves adds an interesting layer of complexity to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I could of sworn that I saw you knee bent on the bedside
I vividly remember seeing you on your knees beside the bed
Arms stretching like a kite
Your arms were extended high in the air, reaching as if you were a kite
That time will eventually grow, I'm so sure of it
I am absolutely certain that time will heal all wounds
I've got a reason to long for songs
Music gives me a reason to keep going
That tells why your legs and arms
Music can explain the abilities of the human body
Are actually able
And how they can do amazing things
'Cause I confide in wolves at night
Because it's the wolves that I trust when darkness falls
Well, have you seen my baby girl?
Do you happen to know the whereabouts of my daughter?
She's lonely, yeah, oh, oh, oh
She's feeling quite isolated and in need of companionship
I've got to crucify myself if I am gonna believe you
I must make some big sacrifices if I'm going to trust you
I've got to promise that I'll finish all the things I said
I need to keep all the commitments that I made to you
I'd do to begin with too
Including the things I promised myself that I would do
I've got to make my bed if I am gonna lay with you
I need to tidy up my life and get my act together before we can be intimate
'Cause a disaster's a disaster
No matter how you try to spin it, a disaster is still a disaster
No matter what Christian language you drag it through
Even using religious terms won't change the fact that something has gone wrong
I'm like a virgin losing a child
I'm experiencing a profound loss that feels like a fundamental part of me is gone forever
Swear I did what I could for your rights
I swear that I did everything I could to protect your freedoms
You swear you did what you could for my eyes
You're swearing that you did all in your power to open my eyes to the truth
And I'll try nothing, try something, try anything
And now I'm left with nothing but to keep trying - anything that might make a difference
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANDY HULL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Joey Harris
When I got my NHL 2008 game, I discovered this song and band. This song was always on repeat!
Traumwandler
same here :)
Shreduardo Yo
Wtf really??
shadwell420
One of the best bands of this century
andrey vasquez
shadwell420
Skyler Overstreet
Raven Martinez holy Fuck ramshackle glory such a difference I thought i was the only one with that kind of music taste from indie to folk punk garbage......pat the bunny is inspiring af
shadwell420
I'll check them out, thanks!
Raven Martinez
Listen to ramshackle glory
mctraveller85
I can't believe a song so good only has 92.8k views. That means only a select few have heard this song and love it for what ever reason.
Mav D
Damn. 11 years??! I remember seeing them in Richmond twice. One time, I’m pretty sure they opened with cage the elephant and damnit if I didn’t just go to see them. I’m awake at almost 2am at the age of 32 belting these songs next to my boyfriend who is passed out. Will forever love Manchester Orchestra.