"This album was recorded in two relatively short days this past September 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. All first takes.
We wrote the music for the songs in Paley’s apartment in Brooklyn over three afternoons when Francis was in New York for a three day run at Joe’s Pub. After which we each took half of the songs to finish off with lyrics, and Francis went off to meet what he sometimes likes to call “the old band” for another tour.
A few days later, we were recording at Jon Tiven’s studio in Nashville. We each sang lead on the songs we wrote lyrics for and sang backup on the others. We worked fast. Francis had Pixies shows each evening, so we had a curfew. Paley recalls finishing the lyrics to one tune literally a minute before cutting the vocal. The two of us on guitars, with legendary Muscle Shoals players David Hood on bass and Spooner Oldham on piano. Damn, those guys are good.
Hope you dig the vibe.”
- Black Francis
Praise
Paley & Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She never saw the same sun
Another town of evil men
And pretty mouths with poison pens
And then there's me
I'm pretty nice
On her advice
Kiss her goodbye
Oh, kiss her good, make it last
'Cause you're the past, praise
Now she's transformed into praise
The highest form of praise, haze
Outside the warm through, sun and storm
Her purple form
But that's just her, that's not you
That's not me, now we're patagones
We need our love, we need our sins
Our periods and our Berlins
And I'll forget her name
And I'll forget her face
Although we have no shame
Although we have some grace
We won't leave a trace, praise
Now she's transformed into praise
The highest form of praise, haze
Outside the warm, through sun and storm, her purple form
In Paley & Francis's song "Praise," the lyrics focus on the character of a woman whose life has always been on the run, never able to see the same sun twice due to constantly being on the move. She ends up in towns full of evil men and poisonous people. However, there is a contrast established with the singer of the song who professes to be a nice person who sets her free into the wild. The chorus reveals that she transforms into praise, the highest form of praise which evokes a sense of haze. The song's tone changes in the second verse to reveal that the woman is not the singer nor the person listening. Instead, they both need their love, sins, periods, and Berlins. They won't leave a trace behind, and the song ends with the chorus reiterating the transformation of the woman into praise.
The lyrics of this song are open to interpretation. One could interpret that the woman is a representation of the singer's past or possibly the past of all those listening to the song. The fact that she transforms into praise, the highest form of praise, could signify the transformation of the past into something positive. The concept of the woman's purple form remains elusive, but it may signify that this transformation is not just evident in the present but also transcends time.
Line by Line Meaning
All of her life was on the run
She spent her entire life avoiding staying in one place for too long
She never saw the same sun
She never had the opportunity to watch the same sunrise or sunset twice
Another town of evil men
She constantly found herself in towns full of bad people
And pretty mouths with poison pens
She encountered deceitful people who spoke kindly but had malicious intentions
And then there's me
The artist draws attention to their own presence in the story
I'm pretty nice
The singer sees themselves as a kind person
On her advice
The singer took the woman's suggestion
I set her free into the wild
The artist allowed her to leave and be free
Kiss her goodbye
The artist bids farewell to the woman with a kiss
Oh, kiss her good, make it last
The artist desires to make the goodbye memorable and meaningful
'Cause you're the past, praise
The woman is now in the past and praised for her transformation
Now she's transformed into praise
The woman has become an object of admiration and praise
The highest form of praise, haze
The woman is now revered to the utmost degree, creating a feeling of confusion or dizziness
Outside the warm through, sun and storm
The woman has been through good times and bad, but has come out on the other side
Her purple form
The woman's new state is vivid and colorful
But that's just her, that's not you
The woman's transformation is unique to her and does not affect anyone else
That's not me, now we're patagones
The artist is different from the woman and they have gone their separate ways
We need our love, we need our sins
The singer recognizes the importance of love and making mistakes
Our periods and our Berlins
The singer identifies with certain places and times that have significance to them
And I'll forget her name
The artist will eventually forget the woman's name
And I'll forget her face
The artist will also forget the woman's appearance
Although we have no shame
Despite not feeling any guilt, the artist has moved on from the past
Although we have some grace
The singer recognizes that they have some level of mercy or forgiveness for the past
We won't leave a trace, praise
The artist will not be affected by the past and the woman's transformation is still worthy of admiration
Now she's transformed into praise
The woman's change has become the subject of reverence
The highest form of praise, haze
Her change is now beyond compare
Outside the warm, through sun and storm, her purple form
The woman's colorful transformation is enduring, whatever the circumstances
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Luke Dyer
Just discovered this album, it's amazing! After seeing them tour together last year
electronicmedium
Saw them both on tour in late 2006. About time they did something together again!
GrandmothersCurse
Bloody brilliant, boys!!
Jeffrey Heimberg
Black Francis's strongest outing since the Fingers Albums. He and Reid Paley make a perfect pairing- played the album twice already and it's only been released a few hours.