Hally and Emmerichs met in music secondary school in Melbourne, drawn together by a shared love of songs with no boundaries or expectations. The duo initially unveiled three EPs, then their debut album, Stadium cake, released 2016.
Oh Pep! have been bringing their recordings to the stage, first trekking around Australia and then touring internationally since early 2015. They've performed at key festivals including CMJ, SXSW, Primavera, Glastonbury and Nashville's Americana Music Festival, and on the airwaves for Seattle's KEXP and NPR's Tiny Desk. KCRW named Oh Pep! an artist who 'won' CMJ and NPR's Bob Boilen proclaimed that "the Melbourn band's music is infectious. Their harmonies are sweet, with lyrics that are thoughtful, deep, funny and poetic."
In Australia their debut albumwon 'The Age Music Victoria Award' for Roots Album of the Year. Oh Pep! toured Europe supporting Lake Street Dive and Basia Bulat, and in North America with Natheniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Lord Huron, Mountain Goats and Valerie June.
Oh Pep!'s second album was released in 2018.
Boat Song
Oh Pep! Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cuz the people there don't know me anymore
Everywhere I go, people wanna know
When I'm coming home and I'm not sure
There is no man-made history here
Just future plans that only I have to make clear
No one here to feed, no one to hold dear
But you can't see that cuz you're like them
And they say…
Abandon your ship, abandon your ship
Let go of all your hoops
And I'll reel you back in
But I can't swim on land,
The current's too strong
There's an ocean behind me
And I know there's one behind you
Yeah I think you should try sailin'
There are risks but I know what they are
And it's only dangerous when we're drifting apart
Can't you be my anchor, promise to be still
Can't you be my love, cuz I'm sinking
And I need to float
They say…
Abandon your ship, abandon your ship
Let go of all your hoops
And I'll reel you back in
But I can't swim on land,
The current's too strong
There's an ocean behind me
And I know there's one behind you
Yeah I think you should try sailin'
It might do you some good
You have to let go of all your sheets
And let me reel you back in
So we can get back to where we can begin
The song "Boat Song" by Oh Pep! is a reflection of the singer's desire to escape from her past and find a new sense of purpose. The opening lines, "I can't go back to the shore/Cuz the people there don't know me anymore" suggest a feeling of displacement and disconnectedness. The singer has moved on from her old life, but finds herself at a loss when it comes to building a new one.
The song is a call to take risks and move forward, to embrace the unknown and to trust in oneself. The lyrics suggest that it's better to take a leap of faith than to stay stagnant in life. The singer finds freedom in the open sea, where there's no one to judge her and she's free to make her own plan.
The chorus, "Abandon your ship, let go of all your hoops/And I'll reel you back in" repeats the idea of letting go of the past in order to move forward. It's a call to trust the people around you and to rely on them for support. The singer asks her partner to join her on this journey, to take a risk and sail into the unknown together. The song is ultimately about the transformative power of taking risks and embracing the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't go back to the shore
I cannot return to where I was because they won't remember me anymore.
Cuz the people there don't know me anymore
The people I knew before will not recognize me now.
Everywhere I go, people wanna know
People inquire about my plans, anticipating to know when I'll come back.
When I'm coming home and I'm not sure
I'm not certain when I'll return to where I'm from.
There is no man-made history here
There is no previous history created or acknowledged by humans in here.
Just future plans that only I have to make clear
Only I have the responsibility to make my future existence certain.
No one here to feed, no one to hold dear
Nobody expects me to take care of them or love them, so I am unencumbered.
No one to upset ‘bout things that happened yet
I'm not responsible for anything that has gotten done in this place, so nobody blames or blames me.
But you can't see that cuz you're like them
You cannot comprehend the nuisances of my life, as you are like the people I abandoned.
Abandon your ship, abandon your ship
Leave behind everything you hold dear.
Let go of all your hoops
Set yourself free from all of the distractions that have got you tied up.
And I'll reel you back in
I'll help you recover from whatever kept you confined.
But I can't swim on land,
I can't rescue you without your readiness to leave your current location.
The current's too strong
The challenges of abandoning your ways are too dangerous to maneuver alone.
There's an ocean behind me
I have traversed rough waters to arrive here.
And I know there's one behind you
You have struggles of your own that I'd like to help you overcome.
Yeah I think you should try sailin'
I reckon you should try challenging yourself to set sail.
There are risks but I know what they are
I comprehend the risks, but I'm willing to take them since I'm prepared.
And it's only dangerous when we're drifting apart
We are only in danger when we don't communicate honestly and openly with one another.
Can't you be my anchor, promise to be still
Will you stick by me and furnish the continuity that will keep me established?
Can't you be my love, cuz I'm sinking
I need you to comfort me as I get weighed down.
And I need to float
I need you to buoy me up to the surface so I can start swimming again.
It might do you some good
It could benefit you to take the risk and detach yourself.
You have to let go of all your sheets
You must accept that you cannot bring everything with you.
And let me reel you back in
Please allow me to help you get through it.
So we can get back to where we can begin
We'll be able to return to our homes after we've cleared our heads and hearts.
Contributed by Levi T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.