They released their debut album Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down - which contains the UK Top 10 hit 5 Years Time - in August of 2008.
A year later, following the end of a relationship between Charlie Fink and Laura Marling, the band released The First Days Of Spring, a concept album written about Laura. It came with a film to accompany the album, written and directed by Charlie.
The band's third album Last Night on Earth was released in March 2011. This album produced a hit single with L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N., which sold over 242,000 copies in the UK that year.
In 2013 their fourth album, Heart of Nowhere, was released. This release was also accompanied by a short film of the same name.
The band announced their split on 1 April 2015, stating that the band members would pursue solo musical projects.
Slow Glass
Noah and the Whale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sing it's not just music but the pains not brief
We sing, how your love is like a knife to the back
Well I was stabbed and bleeding
But still begging for attack
But I was looking through slow, slow glass
Looking through slow
Well I heard you been singing
Well I was, what I am
Well I never tried to change you, honey I'm your biggest fan
And I loved you back then
But I don't recognize you now
Yeah in fact we're almost strangers and I don't know how,
But I've been looking through slow, slow glass
Yeah I've been looking though slow, slow glass
The lyrics "We'll sing love songs about heartbreak and grief, sing it's not just music but the pains not brief" highlights the idea that music can be therapeutic. As humans, we often seek comfort in music, especially when dealing with heartbreak and grief. Music has the ability to evoke emotions and connect people on a deeper level. The next line, "We sing, how your love is like a knife to the back, well I was stabbed and bleeding but still begging for attack" shows how sometimes we can knowingly enter into situations that will hurt us, yet we still do it, sometimes even craving the pain.
The chorus reveals the focus of the song - looking through "slow glass". Slow glass is a concept where the material is so thick that light takes a longer time to pass through it than it does in normal glass. Hence, objects seen through slow glass appear delayed and distorted. This metaphor may symbolize how memories and past experiences can color our present perception, often making it difficult to see people or situations clearly. The lyrics "I was looking through slow, slow glass" suggest that the singer is looking back at a past love with a distorted perception. The following lines, "Well I heard you been singing, well I was, what I am, well I never tried to change you, honey I'm your biggest fan, and I loved you back then, but I don't recognize you now" further illustrate the idea that things have changed and the singer is struggling to see this person clearly.
Overall, Slow Glass is a song about the difficulty of reconciling the past with the present. The lyrics convey how memories can color our perception, making it difficult to recognize people and situations as they are. Additionally, the song highlights the power of music in helping us deal with heartbreak and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
We'll sing love songs about heartbreak and grief
We will express our sorrow and mourning through the words of love songs.
Sing it's not just music but the pains not brief
Our music is not simply entertainment, but a reflection of the profound suffering that we are experiencing.
We sing, how your love is like a knife to the back
We sing about the pain of being betrayed and hurt by someone we trusted and loved deeply.
Well I was stabbed and bleeding
I have been deeply hurt and wounded by this experience.
But still begging for attack
Despite the pain, I am still longing for closeness and connection with the person who hurt me.
But I was looking through slow, slow glass
I am seeing things in a distorted way, looking through a lens that makes everything seem slow and unclear.
Well I heard you been singing
I have heard that you have also been expressing your feelings through music.
Well I was, what I am
I am the same person I have always been, despite the hurt and pain.
Well I never tried to change you, honey I'm your biggest fan
I have always accepted and appreciated you for who you are, and despite the hurt, I still have love for you.
And I loved you back then
I had strong feelings of love for you in the past.
But I don't recognize you now
You have changed so much that I don't even feel like I know you anymore.
Yeah in fact we're almost strangers and I don't know how
Our relationship has deteriorated to the point where we feel like strangers, and I don't know how we got here.
But I've been looking through slow, slow glass
Once again, I am seeing things in a distorted way that makes it difficult to truly understand what is happening.
Yeah I've been looking though slow, slow glass
I am struggling to make sense of my emotions and my relationship with you because of this distorted view I have.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHARLES FINK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind