Murder by Death released its first studio album (Like the Exorcist, but More Breakdancing) in 2002, and has since released seven more studio albums. The band's current lineup consists of two founding members, Adam Turla and Sarah Balliet. Balliet plays cello for the band, an instrument that has been present consistently throughout the band's evolution. Murder by Death's 2012 album Bitter Drink, Bitter Moon reached #76 on the Billboard 200, making it the band's most successful release.
Murder by Death was formed in 2000 in Bloomington, Indiana, by guitarist Adam Turla, cellist Sarah Balliet, percussionist Alexander Schrodt, keyboardist Vincent Edwards, and bassist Matt Armstrong. One of the group's first shows was at the Channing-Murray Foundation's cafe The Red Herring in Urbana, Illinois, with former American Football drummer Steve Lamos' solo project DMS. After the show, the head of the TEAM AV record label with which Lamos was working offered to help Turla and his bandmates secure additional shows. Around the same time the band met Thursday vocalist, Geoff Rickly, when the two bands played on the same bill at a gig in their hometown of Bloomington. Rickly introduced the band, known at the time as Little Joe Gould, to his friend Alex Saavedra (owner of Eyeball Records), who also took an interest in the band. In 2001 the band self-released the eponymous Little Joe Gould EP and early the next year contributed the song "I'm Afraid of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" to the TEAM AV compilation Foreign Nationals. A short time later the group changed their name to Murder By Death, which they felt better represented their sound.
Murder by Death plays a range of music including instrumentals, rock and alt.country. The band uses cello (with an electric cello for live shows) to create a gothic sound with occasional Western references.
The band often arranges themes such as whiskey and the Devil into concept albums. For example, the band's second album, Who Will Survive, and What Will Be Left of Them?, describes a story in which the Devil wages war against a small village in Mexico.
Foxglove
Murder By Death Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She brought me a fever
She laid her hands upon my head
'til I was burning up
I woke alone
I was still burning
The fire was all that was left
It was always you x 4
I cut through the brush
I followed your scent
To find the way to you
To find the way to you
I traveled through floods
Through valley and glade
To find my way to you
To find my way to you
It was always you x 4
I followed a sound
That runs in the deep
I woke and I found
The voice from my sleep
The girl waited for me
Young and pretty
She gave me something cool to drink
And that was it for me
It was always you x 12
(It was always you) x 3
The lyrics to the song “Foxglove” by Murder by Death depict a story about a girl who comes in the night and brings the singer a fever. She lays her hands upon his head until he starts burning up. However, when he wakes up in the morning, the girl is nowhere to be found, but the fire left by her presence remains. The singer then embarks on a journey to find the girl, traversing through floods, valleys, and glades, to find his way to her. He follows a sound that runs in the deep and finds himself in a state of trance. Eventually, he wakes up to find a young, pretty girl who gave him something cool to drink, after which there is a repetition of the line, "It was always you" a total of twelve times.
The lyrics portray a sense of desperation to find someone who had an immense impact on the singer, to the extent that even when they leave, their memories remain. The journey, as depicted in the song is not a physical one but rather an emotional one to find one's inner self. The lyrical metaphors remind us of the burdens we tend to carry within ourselves when we face separation for someone we love. The repetition of “It was always you” drives the point hard, indicating that the person being sought has always been an integral part of the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
A girl came in the night
A girl arrived at the singer's location during the night.
She brought me a fever
The girl gave the singer a fever, likely through some physical contact.
She laid her hands upon my head
The girl placed her hands on the singer's head, possibly as a healing or soothing gesture.
'til I was burning up
The girl's touch caused the artist's fever to intensify greatly.
I woke alone
The artist woke up by themselves after unconsciousness or sleep.
I was still burning
The singer's fever was still present and ongoing.
The fire was all that was left
All that remained was the intensity and pain of the singer's fever.
All that's left of you
The fever reminds the artist of the girl who brought it to them.
I cut through the brush
The artist physically made their way through an obstacle, such as a dense forest.
I followed your scent
The artist tracked down the girl's location by following a trail of her smell.
To find the way to you
The singer's intention in traveling so far was to reach the girl who caused their fever.
I traveled through floods
The artist had to pass through areas of heavy water, like a flood or a river.
Through valley and glade
The singer passed through areas of varying terrain, such as valleys and meadows.
I followed a sound
The singer was drawn towards a particular noise or audible sensation.
That runs in the deep
This sound originated from potentially far away, or from an unknown or mysterious source.
I woke and I found
The artist emerged from sleep and encountered something they had been seeking.
The voice from my sleep
The sound the artist had been following was likely a person's voice.
The girl waited for me
The girl the singer had been searching for remained in place and awaited their arrival.
Young and pretty
The girl is described by the singer as attractive, though this detail may not be particularly relevant to the overall meaning of the song.
She gave me something cool to drink
The girl offered the artist a drink, which may have been refreshing, medicinal, or even poisonous depending on interpretation.
And that was it for me
Following the drink, the artist's story ends without elaboration on the fate of the girl or the artist themselves.
It was always you x 12
The song concludes with a repetition of the phrase 'It was always you', potentially underscoring the idea of the girl being a constant presence or obsession for the artist.
(It was always you) x 3
Once more emphasizing the idea of the girl's inescapable influence on the singer's life.
Contributed by Sarah G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
caeaves
A girl came in the night
She brought me a fever
She laid her hands upon my head
'Til I was burning up
I woke alone
I was still burning
The fire was all that was left
All that's left of you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
I cut through the brush
I followed your scent
To find the way to you
To find the way to you
I traveled through floods
Through valley and glade
To find my way to you
To find my way to you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
I followed a sound
That runs in the deep
I woke and I found
The voice from my sleep
The girl waited for me
Young and pretty
She gave me something cool to drink
And that was it for me
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
(It was always you)
(It was always you)
(It was always you
TheRavenWithoutWings
My best friend in college let me put this CD onto my iPod and I heard this song for the first time while walking alone in the woods. I played it on repeat for days. He took me to see them live at Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville for my 21st birthday and we met the band. It's one of my favorite memories.
Omelet Pan
When I just now looked this video up after years of not thinking about I remembered they played at Jack Rabbits many years ago. I thought of going to that show. Or maybe I did go. Oh shit I just looked at some of your videos and I think I know/knew you through a mutual friend. I definitely met someone named Raven in Camden. Anyway small world if you are who I think you are. It is a great song and very interesting. I played it tons back in the day.
caeaves
A girl came in the night
She brought me a fever
She laid her hands upon my head
'Til I was burning up
I woke alone
I was still burning
The fire was all that was left
All that's left of you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
I cut through the brush
I followed your scent
To find the way to you
To find the way to you
I traveled through floods
Through valley and glade
To find my way to you
To find my way to you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
I followed a sound
That runs in the deep
I woke and I found
The voice from my sleep
The girl waited for me
Young and pretty
She gave me something cool to drink
And that was it for me
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
It was always you
(It was always you)
(It was always you)
(It was always you
Tanakinskywalker
Almost 10 years later, and this is my exact design. The woman. The one I’ve reflected in my media. The one of my dreams. She’s come, and she’s literal fire. I showed her this track the other night. I told her, I’d do anything for her. If we think of time as a linear construct, I already have; everything I’ve done and been through to this day, is for her. It’s always been for her.
naynay
This song makes me tear up a bit , have to really listen to those lyrics❤️
Tommy Dino
That's what I thought, no dislikes cuz it's an amazing song
X O
Great song
Ben Schaefer
Beautiful and selfless.
tmcleanful
This is music.
Soho Joe
Check the live version they did on Improv4Humans ep 225