Originally formed as Pilate in 1999, the Toronto-based rock quartet changed… Read Full Bio ↴Originally formed as Pilate in 1999, the Toronto-based rock quartet changed their name to “Pilot Speed” in mid-2006, in order to avoid possible lawsuits as their music spread internationally from their native Canada. Pilate were born in 2000 after vocalist and New Zealand native Todd Clark left the music program at the University of Western Ontario where he’d been studying and placed an ad online for potential bandmates. Bassist Ruby Bumrah, a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, answered the call, bringing with him fellow alums Chris Greenough (guitar) and Bill Keeley (drums). Citing influences like Crowded House, Radiohead, and U2 for Pilate’s especially sweeping brand of melodic rock — not so dissimilar to acts like Keane, Coldplay, and Snow Patrol — they released the six-song EP For All That’s Given, Wasted in the summer of 2001. It quickly sold out its initial pressing and established the guys as players in the Canadian music scene.

They then landed opening slots on shows for Broken Social Scene, DFA 1979, and Hot Hot Heat, and received the honor of Best Unsigned Band at the 2002 North by Northeast music conference (Canada’s version of SXSW in the U.S.). Soon after, Pilate inked a deal with indie MapleMusic Recordings, which then released their full-length debut, Caught by the Window, in 2003. The album produced two hits on national radio and MuchMusic, as the guys toured North America, Australia, and Japan. Their follow-up, Sell Control for Life’s Speed, appeared back at home in mid-2006, after which the band changed its name to Pilot Speed.

Their first album under their new name "Wooden Bones" was released April 28th, 2009

Merchandise and news is available from their Official site.

I Won't Blame You
Pilot Speed Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Your door wide open
these words you've spoken
Hang like rainclouds pending the storm

Cut me slowly
Like you owe me
I feel like being torn

Show me 'round the rooms in your house,
Down the hallway to your doubt

And I won't blame you
I won't blame you
I won't blame you

A season's ended
Our bloodline's blended
Lives change with the melting snow
There's no easier decisions
Just life we've been given
Resigned to failing control

Show me 'round the rooms in your house,
Down the hallway to your doubt

And I won't blame you
I won't blame you
I won't blame you

Lay them at my table
Secrets meant for me
Life we know's not simple
This loving not for free

Show me 'round the rooms in your house,
Down the hallway to your doubt

And I won't blame you
I won't blame you
I won't blame you
I won't blame you

I won't blame you
(fading repeat)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Pilot Speed's "I Won't Blame You" invoke a sense of vulnerability and intimacy, with the singer opening with the image of an open door and words that hang like rainclouds, pending the storm. The imagery becomes even more vivid as the singer describes feeling like they are being cut slowly, torn apart by emotion. It's clear that this is a deep connection that has been damaged in some way. The chorus, which repeats three times, serves as a reassurance to the other person. The singer is saying that, no matter what happens, they won't blame the other person for any pain or mistakes that may occur.

The second verse continues with the same sense of introspection, introducing the idea that a season has ended and bloodlines have blended. There's a sense of melancholy resignation to the fact that life sometimes doesn't go the way we want it to. The final lines of the verse emphasize this, with the phrase "resigned to failing control" serving as a harsh reminder that sometimes we don't have power over our own lives.

The final repetition of the chorus includes an interesting addition, with the word "fading" appearing before the final "I won't blame you." This could be interpreted in a number of ways - perhaps it's a reference to a fading relationship, or to the singer's own fading strength, or to the idea that this reassurance is slowly losing its power.

Line by Line Meaning

Your door wide open
Your heart is open and vulnerable

these words you've spoken
Your words are hanging in the air with tension

Hang like rainclouds pending the storm
Your words are signaling an impending emotional storm

Cut me slowly
You are hurting me deeply

Like you owe me
You are inflicting pain as if you have some kind of debt to pay

I feel like being torn
Your actions are causing me to feel emotionally shredded

Show me 'round the rooms in your house,
Give me a tour of your inner self

Down the hallway to your doubt
Take me to the room where your self-doubt resides

And I won't blame you
I won't hold your struggles against you

A season's ended
A significant period of time has passed

Our bloodline's blended
Our connection goes deeper than just surface level