The early birthing pains of O’ Brother saw Michael Martens, Johnny Dang, an… Read Full Bio ↴The early birthing pains of O’ Brother saw Michael Martens, Johnny Dang, and his brother Anton Dang joined in making quiet climbs from graceful notes , a struck pose to an older guitar focused indie-rock. But as is the duty of all freshman bands members fade off and new friends, like Tanner Merritt and Aaron Wamack, joined establishing a new vision, and accidentally stumbling into the dark 2009 debut EP The Death of Day.

“The music we like to put together is dark, but so is the subject matter, so the medium has to be as well,” O’ Brother’s lead singer/guitarist Tanner Merritt spells out the capturing of the Georgia band’s first five written songs.

To break the cimmerian shade of an album based around sleep and its emboss to the natural world a dynamic had to be created, a wall of density given breathe and firm grip around melodies unable to wander. The expected sprawl of soft, then loud, then back to soft was sacrificed projecting a new luminance where the strength was in the tiny twisting light that exhales from the EP as a whole.

The band sought to keep their on stage essence by laying the album down live, forgoing the studio temptation to fill each space. Recorded by Brad Fisher with assistance from Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull the best takes were chosen for keys and effects to be added in later creating the soundscapes tucked beneath each song.

Since the 2009 release the band has shared stages with Thrice, Circa Survive, Manchester Orchestra, Biffy Clyro. Ready to record again the band is in a new dawn; where the sun is rising and a new eclectic output is being embraced.

“I think we are enjoying the writing of our full length more than we did with the EP,” Martens explains the bands next step. “It is more of a shared experience with this one because everyone is writing. The music is coming out better than ever and we are really happy to be coming into our sound.”

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LAY DOWN
O'Brother Lyrics

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Live, learn, and let it lie. Skip to the end to wonder why
And I lay down
Here you’ll find that we all are, blossoms that bloom to fall apart
And I lay down

So Abba father are you sleeping as we toil through your gardens keeping?
So I’ll lay down and begin to grow, right beneath your garden window

Keep your tired hands to ground, as blood feeds the dirt to which you’re bound
And I lay down

Here you’ll find that we’ve all been dead men
And I lay down

Overall Meaning

The song "Lay Down" by O'Brother is a melancholy tune that explores the themes of mortality, growth, and submission to a higher power. The lyrics offer a contemplative perspective on the transience of life and the inevitability of death as part of the natural cycle of growth and decay. The opening lines "Live, learn, and let it lie. Skip to the end to wonder why" suggest that the journey of life is a learning process that ultimately leads to death, but the purpose of life remains elusive. The phrase "lay down" is repeated throughout the song, which suggests a surrender or acceptance of one's mortality.

The reference to "blossoms that bloom to fall apart" implies that life is a fleeting moment of beauty that inevitably gives way to decay and death. The use of imagery from a garden in lines like "toil through your gardens keeping" and "blood feeds the dirt to which you're bound" further emphasize the cyclical nature of life and death. The reference to "Abba father" is a biblical allusion to God as the ultimate creator and caretaker of life. The line "are you sleeping" suggests a sense of abandonment or neglect on God's part, as the singer struggles to understand the purpose of life and wonders if God is aware of their struggles.

Overall, "Lay Down" is a poignant reflection on the human condition and the inevitability of death. The repeated reference to "laying down" evokes a sense of surrender or submission, which may be interpreted as either peaceful acceptance or desperate resignation.

Line by Line Meaning

Live, learn, and let it lie. Skip to the end to wonder why
Experience life and move on without dwelling on the outcomes. Leave the future to chance.

And I lay down
I surrender to the natural order of things and accept my fate.

Here you’ll find that we all are, blossoms that bloom to fall apart
We are all temporary beings, living only to wither away eventually.

So Abba father are you sleeping as we toil through your gardens keeping?
God, are you unaware of our struggles as we work to maintain your creation?

So I’ll lay down and begin to grow, right beneath your garden window
I will submit to your will and grow where you place me, even if it is right under your watchful eye.

Keep your tired hands to ground, as blood feeds the dirt to which you’re bound
Continue to work the land, for it is from it that you draw your sustenance and meaning.

Here you’ll find that we’ve all been dead men
Regardless of how much we try to control our lives, we are all ultimately at the mercy of fate.

And I lay down
Once again, I acknowledge the futility of resisting the natural course of life and surrender to it.

Contributed by Anthony D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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