Oceans Ate Alaska signed to Density Records in 2012, two years after their formation in 2010. They released two EPs with the label. In 2014, the band signed to Fearless Records. The band was featured on Fearless Records' compilation album 'Punk Goes Pop, Vol. 6', covering "Drunk in Love" by Beyoncé.
The band released their debut album 'Lost Isles' on February 24, 2015 and the next year played the entire 2016 Vans Warped Tour.
On December 16, 2016, the band announced on their Facebook that they were going into the studio to record their second album. They also announced that they had parted ways with vocalist James Harrison. On February 1, 2017 the band officially announced their new lead vocalist, Jake Noakes.
On May 25, 2017, the band released "Covert", the first single with Noakes performing vocals. On June 8, 2017 they released a new single titled "Escapist". On July 28, 2017, the band released their album Hikari' as well as a music video for the song "Hansha".
X-Ray Eyes
Oceans Ate Alaska Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She pulls the veil over her lies
Without a tremor from the lips or a flicker of the eyes
Words, elegantly poised
On forked tongues, ready to feed believers
What a beautiful lie, and the intricacy of having our hands tied
These x-ray eyes, see straight through your disguise, you got nowhere to hide
We can see straight through you with our x-ray eyes
Fools, pull the wool from your eyes.
Can't you see it's a wolf in sheep's clothing?
Feeding off the false conceptions, that slipped from her lips
Lies! It's all fucking lies
Wash your mouth, bitch!
An effortless deceiver
She pulls the veil over your eyes
Filling half hopeful minds, with a half empty prize
Words elegantly poised
On forked tongues, ready to feed believers
What a beautiful lie, and the intricacy of having our hands tied
These x-ray eyes, see straight through your disguise, you got nowhere to hide
Don't waste your time on lies
We can see straight through you with our x-ray eyes
Fee fi foe thumb!
I smell the lies of an English man!
The song "X-Ray Eyes" by Oceans Ate Alaska is a commentary on the concept of deception. The lyrics describe an "effortless deceiver" who is able to easily pull the veil over people's eyes with lies that are elegantly poised on forked tongues, ready to feed believers. The use of the phrase "forked tongues" is a nod to the biblical tale of the snake in the garden of Eden, who used its forked tongue to deceive Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. The song also depicts the use of deception as a beautiful lie that can be used to manipulate people.
The chorus of the song speaks to the title with the lyrics "These x-ray eyes, see straight through your disguise, you got nowhere to hide / Don't waste your time on lies / We can see straight through you with our x-ray eyes." The use of the phrase "x-ray eyes" is a metaphor for being able to see through someone's facade and see the truth underneath. The song encourages people not to waste their time on lies and to see through the deception.
The bridge of the song includes the line "Fee fi foe thumb! I smell the lies of an English man!" which is a reference to the English fairytale "Jack and the Beanstalk." In the story, the giant says "fee-fi-fo-fum" when he smells the blood of an Englishman. This line in the song is a play on those words, suggesting that the lies of the deceiver are as foul as the blood of an Englishman.
Overall, "X-Ray Eyes" is a commentary on the deceptive nature of people and the ability to see through lies and facades. It encourages listeners to be discerning and not be fooled by those who try to manipulate them.
Line by Line Meaning
An effortless deceiver
Describing the subject of the song as someone who easily deceives others without much effort.
She pulls the veil over her lies
The subject tries to hide her lies from others through deception.
Without a tremor from the lips or a flicker of the eyes
The subject is so skilled in deception that they show no signs of being dishonest or untrue.
Words, elegantly poised
The subject uses their words wisely and strategically to deceive others.
On forked tongues, ready to feed believers
The subject is deceptive and speaks with a hidden agenda, intending to brainwash others.
What a beautiful lie, and the intricacy of having our hands tied
The deception is so mesmerising that it's hard to ignore and difficult to escape from.
These x-ray eyes, see straight through your disguise, you got nowhere to hide
The singers have the ability to see through the deceptions of the subject, and no matter how much the subject intends to hide, the truth will eventually come out.
Don't waste your time on lies
The artists advise others not to believe the lies the subject is spreading.
Fools, pull the wool from your eyes.
The artists are warning people to open their eyes and see through the deceptions of the subject.
Can't you see it's a wolf in sheep's clothing?
The artists are comparing the subject to someone pretending to be good but having malicious intentions behind their actions.
Feeding off the false conceptions, that slipped from her lips
The subject spreads misinformation or false ideas, and people are believing them without realising the truth.
Lies! It's all fucking lies!
The artists are expressing their frustration with the subject's constant lies and deception.
Wash your mouth, bitch!
The singers are angry at the subject and demanding them to stop lying.
An effortless deceiver
Repeating the opening line to emphasise the subject's skills in deception.
She pulls the veil over your eyes
The subject is deceiving not only the singers but also the masses, hiding the truth behind the veil of deception.
Filling half hopeful minds, with a half empty prize
The subject is misleading hopeful people by providing them with only half-truths or incomplete information.
Fee fi foe thumb! I smell the lies of an English man!
An allusion to the childhood story 'Jack and the Beanstalk' where the giant smells Jack, the human, and tries to capture him - here the artists are indicating the detection of the subject's lies and deceit, which they compare to the stereotypical behaviour of an English man.
Contributed by Aaliyah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Elliot Simpson
This is still one of their best songs
ANGSTisdead
Yes
Kaiza
This IS their best song
David Hopson
F4cgfdosfxuvohlikjkgkv
7Denty
Favourite song!! Seen this live! Awesome band!!!👌
Shrine Of Malice
Thee most overlooked breakdown :( Still kicks ass up to this day tho!
NotALuckyTurret
Shrine Of Malice 2019
Joan Triminio
Favorite song from the EP
Unwound Time
One of my favorite songs by you guys \m/ Looking forward to your debut album!
IWantYourSandwich
THIS SONG IS EPIC!