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.

Just Friends
Nine Black Alps Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She doesn't know how to relax
Doesn't know how to hold back
And all I can do is laugh

Maybe I'm too much in love
Maybe I don't give a fuck
It's never enough

And it's too late
I'm never around when your heart breaks
Never allowed to make mistakes
Now we're no longer just friends

I wanna believe in your heart
And I wanted to see you off guard
But we're always apart

And now
There's nowhere around left to run
And there's nothing to do but play dumb
So please sing along

And it's too late
I'm never around when your heart breaks
Never allowed to make mistakes
Now we're no longer just friends

Yeah it's too late
I'm never around when your heart breaks
Never allowed to make mistakes
Now we're no longer just friends

Yeah

Yeah
Yeah

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Nine Black Alps's song 'Just Friends' describes a woman who doesn't know how to relax or hold back, making the singer laugh. The following lines express the singer's conflicting emotions - he may be in love and caring for her, but he also doesn't care about the situation. The chorus reflects the distance between the two characters, where the singer is absent during the woman's heartbreaks, and he is not allowed to make mistakes. The last line of the chorus reveals that their relationship has now gone beyond mere friendship.

In the second verse, the singer wishes to believe in the woman's heart and see her off-guard, but they can never be together because they are always apart. The bridge indicates that there is no way left to run or evade the situation, so the only option left is to stay silent and "play dumb." The song ends with the repetition of the chorus, emphasizing that their relationship has changed, and they are now more than friends.

Line by Line Meaning

She doesn't know how to relax
She struggles to unwind or take it easy

Doesn't know how to hold back
She can't control herself or restrain from certain actions

And all I can do is laugh
The situation seems comical to the singer

Maybe I'm too much in love
The artist may have stronger feelings than they should

Maybe I don't give a fuck
The artist may not really care about the consequences

It's never enough
Whatever they have isn't satisfying or fulfilling enough

And it's too late
The damage has already been done, the situation can't be fixed

I'm never around when your heart breaks
The artist isn't present or able to comfort the person they care about when they're hurting

Never allowed to make mistakes
The artist feels like they're not allowed to mess up or cause any issues

Now we're no longer just friends
Their relationship has progressed beyond just being friends

I wanna believe in your heart
The singer wants to have faith in the person they care about

And I wanted to see you off guard
The artist wanted to see the person they care about in a more vulnerable state

But we're always apart
They are physically distant from each other despite their feelings

There's nowhere around left to run
They can no longer avoid facing their situation

And there's nothing to do but play dumb
They feel like they have to ignore or downplay their feelings

So please sing along
The artist is reaching out for support or understanding

Yeah it's too late
The damage has already been done, the situation can't be fixed

Yeah
A common filler word expressing agreement or assent

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARTIN COHEN, SAMUEL FORREST, JAMES GALLEY, DAVID SAMUEL JONES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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