Nine Black Alps are a post-grunge/indie rock quartet from Manchester, Engla… Read Full Bio ↴Nine Black Alps are a post-grunge/indie rock quartet from Manchester, England, named after a line in a Sylvia Plath poem and fronted by Sam Forrest.

From their inception in late 2003, the band's energetic live performances earned them a hardcore fanbase after playing for only a few months on the Manchester music scene. In 2004 the band were signed to Island records and spent the year touring the UK and recording their first studio album with producer Rob Schnapf in Los Angeles. In 2005 Nine Black Alps toured the UK extensively, promoting the release of their debut album, Everything Is on 13th June 2005. Their first U.S. single was Cosmopolitan; their album Everything Is was released in America on February 28, 2006.

The band's second album, again recorded in LA with producer Dave Sardy Love/Hate, was released on 29 October 2007 and heralded a split with Island Records shortly thereafter. However, Nine Black Alps went on to self-finance and record their third full-length album with producer Dave Eringa, entitled 'Locked Out from the Inside'. Only available as a download from the band's own website - http://www.nineblackalps.com, the album was a return to the louder, heavier sounds of the first record.

Nine Black Alps, after a hiatus of almost 2 years, have been back in the studio as a 3-piece recording tracks for a fourth album, with a possible release in 2012.

Ironside
Nine Black Alps Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You don't ask much now
You don't ask much of me
Now
You don't belong here
But you'll never leave
Now

Don't ask me please, not anyone

Just let me be
I tried to be like anyone
When I'm alone with me

You took the long way
You took the long way home
Again
Now you sleep late
Now you sleep alone
With them

Don't ask me please, not anyone
Just let me be
I tried to bleed like anyone
When I'm alone with me

Wouldn't it be sweet
To let a good thing die?
Make my life complete
Make me wonder why

Don't ask me please, not anyone
Just let me be

I tried to bleed like anyone
When I'm alone with me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nine Black Alps's song Ironside suggest a feeling of alienation and loneliness. The singer seems to be addressing someone who doesn't belong there but won't leave, perhaps being stuck in a situation or place they don't want to be in. The repetition of the phrase "Don't ask me please, not anyone, just let me be" reinforces the idea of wanting to be left alone and not needing anyone else's help.

The lyrics also explore the idea of trying to fit in and be like everyone else, but ultimately not succeeding. The line "I tried to be like anyone when I'm alone with me" suggests a struggle with self-acceptance and the pressure to conform to societal norms. The final lines of the song "Wouldn't it be sweet to let a good thing die? Make my life complete, make me wonder why" further highlight this sentiment, implying that sometimes it may be easier to just let things go and not fight to fit in.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't ask much now
You don't make many demands of me at the moment.

You don't ask much of me
You don't expect much from me at present.

Now
This is the current situation.

You don't belong here
You don't fit in here.

But you'll never leave
But you will always stay.

Don't ask me please, not anyone
Please don't ask me or anyone else anything right now.

Just let me be
Just leave me alone for a while.

I tried to be like anyone
I attempted to act as others do.

When I'm alone with me
When I'm by myself.

You took the long way
You chose a more difficult path.

You took the long way home
You chose a longer route to get back.

Again
This has happened before.

Now you sleep late
You stay in bed longer now.

Now you sleep alone
You don't have anyone to share a bed with anymore.

With them
But you're still surrounded by others.

Wouldn't it be sweet
Wouldn't it be nice if...?

To let a good thing die?
To allow something good to come to an end.

Make my life complete
To fulfill my existence entirely.

Make me wonder why
To make me question my choices.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MARTIN COHEN, SAMUEL FORREST, JAMES GALLEY, DAVID SAMUEL JONES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS