The crew augments Theo's book-open vocals and beautiful fingerpicking with a suitably eclectic array of instrumentation. Laura Carter and Robbie Cucchiaro, both formerly of Athens' legendary and notoriously horn-buoyed Neutral Milk Hotel, head up a brass-and-winds section comprised of Laura's celebratory trumpet, Robbie's Baritone Euphonium, a couple clarinets, harmonica, recorder and whatever else you can pack into a touring-trunk and bring along for a blast. Rhythmic backbone comes courtesy of Southern punkrock siren Madeline Adams' bass, Matte Cathcart's drumming and some right-on Fender Rhodes piano provided by Hot New Mexicans' mainman Patrick Jennings.
The catchy, heartfelt crunch of the album's opener, "Circles Round The Moon," segues seamlessly into the brassy, beautiful circus-lullaby, "Tambourine-n-Thyme." Things get sad and stripped down with "Tiny Rainbows" -- a gentle plaint nudged toward the light by the brilliant horns. And "Broken Cityscapes" gets positively naked: Theo's adamant vocal sounds above his acoustic guitar and a couple rattles.
Theo's lyrical voice is ruralist, lovelorn and punkrock in the most primal way: he looks to explicate a world gone way wrong on the most basic, inhumane levels. Experiences gained on the touring road and at his home at the Orange Twin Conservation Community have led him to question the empty life of the modern American, and the disquieting ways the inherent Dystopia have made itself manifest on our own interior landscapes."
-Orange Twin
Tiny Rainbows
Nana Grizol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fancied you all I had left
We knew it was true and instinctively left
One another to mend our own holes in our chests
In a dream we were pieces of ships
We were attached from our feet to our hips
And forgetting that icebergs were only the tips
As we crashed I could read the relief on your lips
And we all were one
And everyone just became part of the sun
And then shot back out in a gajillion rays
All our ancestors and children and the futures they made
Would just shine down and light up the day
And our lives blended better than our bodies ever could
In the days when we were made out of flesh or wood
Yeah we weren't the same color though we knew that we could be
We were ourselves but blended at the edges like it should be
And now separated your color now shines on my sleeve
With my parents, favorite teacher, first ever pen pal and me
And the more that we share I guess the more that we grow
And we all became tiny rainbows
The lyrics to Nana Grizol's song "Tiny Rainbows" are rich and multi-layered, exploring themes of love, identity, and unity. The song tells the story of a relationship that ultimately ends in separation, but also highlights the beauty of human connection and the way that we can remain connected even after we part ways. The opening lines of the song are poignant and powerful: "You were the only one / I fancied you all I had left."
The singer goes on to describe the way that they and their partner "instinctively left / one another to mend our own holes in our chests." This suggests that the breakup was necessary in order for both individuals to focus on their own healing and growth. In the dream sequence that follows, the singer and their partner are "pieces of ships" attached at the hip, but ultimately crash into an iceberg. However, the experience is not entirely negative, as the two are able to "become part of the sun / and then shoot back out in a gajillion rays." This dream sequence seems to represent the idea that while we may experience bumps and setbacks in our relationships, ultimately we are all connected and part of something larger.
The final verse of the song touches on the idea that our individual identities are shaped by our connections to others. The singer notes that they and their former partner were "not the same color," but that they blended together at the edges. This idea of blending and merging is echoed in the final lines of the song, where the singer reflects on the many people who have touched their life in various ways, and how all of these connections have created a vibrant tapestry of human experience. The image of "tiny rainbows" is a fitting metaphor for this idea, as each color is distinct and unique, but also contributes to the overall beauty of the rainbow as a whole.
Line by Line Meaning
You were the only one
You were my one and only
I fancied you all I had left
I liked you with all my heart
We knew it was true and instinctively left
We both recognized our love and left everything else behind
One another to mend our own holes in our chests
We needed each other to heal our emotional wounds
In a dream we were pieces of ships
In a dream, we were parts of a whole
We were attached from our feet to our hips
We were inseparable
And forgetting that icebergs were only the tips
We ignored the warning signs that could lead to trouble
As we crashed I could read the relief on your lips
Even when things went wrong, we found comfort in each other
But most dreams were better
Despite hardships, we had a positive outlook on life
And we all were one
We were all connected
And everyone just became part of the sun
We felt a sense of unity
And then shot back out in a gajillion rays
We felt energized and full of life
All our ancestors and children and the futures they made
We felt connected to our past, present, and future
Would just shine down and light up the day
We felt hopeful and optimistic
And our lives blended better than our bodies ever could
We felt a deeper connection beyond the physical
In the days when we were made out of flesh or wood
In the days when we were human
Yeah we weren't the same color though we knew that we could be
We recognized and celebrated our differences
We were ourselves but blended at the edges like it should be
We felt a sense of unity while maintaining our individuality
And now separated your color now shines on my sleeve
Even though we are apart, you still have an influence on me
With my parents, favorite teacher, first ever pen pal and me
We are all connected through our experiences and relationships
And the more that we share I guess the more that we grow
Sharing our experiences with others helps us to learn and grow
And we all became tiny rainbows
We all have unique colors that blend together to create something beautiful
Contributed by Benjamin M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.