Barthel and Carter were friends since junior high school. Barthel pursued a visual arts degree while Carter formed the experimental band Grand Habit. In the summer of 2007 they reunited and worked on finishing some beat ideas Carter made earlier. The duo was originally called Charlie Everywhere when performing around the Saratoga Springs area on the local label Sub-Bombin Records. When they signed to BBE Records they changed the name to Phantogram, to avoid legal issues.
In March 2009, they self-released a five song EP, Phantogram EP, which featured four songs that ended up being on the full length. In the same year they released another EP, Running From the Cops on BBE Records.
The band's debut album Eyelid Movies was released in September 2009, on BBE Records in Europe, and in February 2010, on Barsuk Records in the US. The album received generally favorable reviews. The singles "Mouthful of Diamonds", "When I'm Small" and "As Fas As I Can See" supported the album.
Phantogram have supported acts such as Metric, The xx, J-Live, Brazilian Girls and have toured with The Slip, Zero 7 and Minus the Bear.
Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter were inspired by artists like J Dilla, Serge Gainsbourg, My Bloody Valentine, Madlib, Sonic Youth, The Beatles and David Bowie.
In 1 November 2011, the band issued the EP Nightlife. This EP includes the single "Don't Move".
The duo collaborated with Big Boi from OutKast on three songs from his second studio album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors: "Objectum Sexuality (feat. Phantogram)", "CPU (feat. Phantogram)" and "Lines (feat. A$AP Rocky & Phantogram)". Phantogram are also credited as producers for the song "Objectum Sexuality".
Official site: http://www.phantogram.net
Make a Fist
Phantogram Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You don't have to be this
You don't have to do this now
Silver shine
Fly me to the ocean
Take me to the future now
Make a fist
You don't have to be this
Is this the future
This is the future
Make a wish
Watch me disappear
And see me turn into a hound
Bloody fangs
Growing from your gums
And bleeding on the ground around
I relate to things I hate
Don't know why
Is this the future
This is the future
The song "Make a Fist" by Phantogram is a melancholic and thought-provoking track. The lyrics go beyond surface-level and provide an introspective look into the human condition. The refrain of "Make a fist, you don't have to be this, you don't have to do this now" expresses a sense of hopelessness and frustration, urging the listener to hold on and resist giving in to darkness. The phrase "Silver shine, fly me to the ocean, take me to the future now" presents a contrast between the utopian future many strive for and the current reality that falls short of such aspirations.
The second verse of the song is even darker and more disturbing. "Make a wish, watch me disappear and see me turn into a hound" evokes a sense of loss and despair. The idea that someone or something can transform so drastically and disappear completely is understandably terrifying. The imagery of "bloody fangs growing from your gums and bleeding on the ground around" paints a picture of fear and pain. The lines "I relate to things I hate, don't know why" suggest that sometimes we may feel more comfortable with negative emotions, even if we do not thoroughly understand why.
Overall, "Make a Fist" is a powerful song that captures the struggle and complexity of the human experience. It urges us to hold on even when it feels like everything is falling apart and to remember that we do have the power to resist.
Line by Line Meaning
Make a Fist
Assertive call to action. Take control.
You don't have to be this
You are not defined by your past or your circumstances.
You don't have to do this now
You have choice in your actions and can change course.
Silver shine
Reference to the unattainable, the ideal.
Fly me to the ocean
An invitation to escape reality.
Take me to the future now
An urgency to move forward.
Make a wish
A hopeful expression of desire.
Watch me disappear
A plea to be invisible, to blend in.
And see me turn into a hound
Feeling like an outcast, perhaps low self-esteem.
Bloody fangs
A physical representation of inner turmoil or anger.
Growing from your gums
The anger is all-consuming, a part of oneself.
And bleeding on the ground around
A depiction of destruction and pain caused by that anger.
I relate to things I hate
An admission of negative self-identity.
Don't know why
A lack of understanding the root of self-hatred.
Is this the future
A question posed about the unknown.
This is the future
An affirmation about the inevitability of what lies ahead.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSHUA CARTER, SARAH BARTHEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ahmet Keskinoğlu
Make a fist
You don't have to be this
You don't have to do this now
Silver shine
Fly me to the ocean
Take me to the future now
Make a fist
You don't have to be this
You don't have do this now
Is this the future
This is the future
Make a wish
Watch me disappear
And see me turn into a hound
Bloody fangs
Growing from your gums
And bleeding on the ground around
I relate to things I hate
Don't know why
Is this the future
This is the future
youzstinkz
honestly, upon simply seeing the name of the song... Make A Fist, i immediately thought of getting veins ready for drawing blood/injecting. (making a fist with your hand is common before inserting the needle) but that is because i am a recovering heroin addict. when she says: "You don't have to be this, You don't have to do this now." it's kinda like the voice in your head telling you you shouldn't do it. you know it's going to end up bad in "the future." "Watch me disappear, and see me turn into a hound. bloody fangs...etc" To me it's talking about the transformation from who you were before you became this person, this addict... and turned into a monster, so to speak. "I relate to things I hate" is easily a thought i would think while living this life. i hated everything, including the drug, which i loved at the same time. i related to it because i hated it, much like i hated myself. if that makes any sense. and then at the end when she says "Is this the future?" This is the future." is me/the addict talking to themselves. seeing what they are becoming asking is this how it's going to be? is this what it's come to? if i continue down this path, this IS the future.
but that's just my personal interpretation. :)
Ingdude77
Good luck Bro.
Hellcat
You still alive?If yes and you in huge suffer I feel bad for you,
Derek Rodriguez
youzstinkz I've sample n abused never addicted lucky me
youzstinkz
i'm glad my comment has been found. more importantly, i'm happy others have discovered the song.
Lucas Pavan
@youzstinkz I enjoyed reading this.
Cader Ules
How is this band not huge?!?!?!? I love all of their songs.
Kaneda Andiolini
Eargasm every time
william p
One of their most slept on tracks...
MCLemonyfresh
I like that the time signature is 5/8. 5 fingers in a fist :)