The band formed in 2006, and appeared on a compilation, The Kids At The Club, later that year. In April 2007, Pocketbooks played the first ever Indietracks event on a 1950s steam railway in Derbyshire. This show coincided with the release of the band's debut single, Cross The Line, on Atomic Beat Records. A year later, Pocketbooks released an EP Waking UP on Make Do And Mend Records.
The band's first album, Flight Paths, was released in July 2009 on How Does it Feel To be Loved?. The album contains the single Footsteps and the track Fleeting Moments, which appears on the Rough Trade Shops Indiepop '09 compilation.
The second Pocketbooks album, Carousel, was released in September 2011 on Odd Box Records, preceeded by the single Promises, Promises. The band were joined for the album recording by violin players from A Little Orchestra.
Pocketbooks have played live shows across the UK, Europe and the United States, including festival appearances at Offset, Indietracks and Rip It Up, and popfests in London, Edinburgh, New York and San Francisco.
https://pocketbooksgroup.blogspot.co.uk/
Waking Up
Pocketbooks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"No deberíamos perder el tiempo"
And on Sunday I idly looked up the words on an otherwise inactive weekend
And if only I'd had it translated before
And I've never been one for regretting
But when I'm back home well the words trace my steps round the kitchen
There's a sketch on my pad like a drunk spider's web or a family tree with its branches
And the plans and the deadlines are scattered around like litter collects on the high road
And the more you collect, it continues to spread
And the blueprints I pinned to the fridge
Are lost behind photos and letters and flyers for gigs
With the love I bestowed on the plans
Forgot all the steps that would bring it to life
I'll plan to perfection and skip all the actions that count
There's a window at thirty degrees to the floor in the roof of an attic conversion
It rattles in winter and creaks in the spring
And in autumn the sunshine reflects off a mirror and spotlights the frame of a photo
But the photo's been swapped for a checklist and boxes
On the left there's a clock with the date
On the right there's a pile of distractions to tempt me away
And I've never been one to look back
But there's always an anecdote even when something falls flat
With the love I bestowed on the plans
Forgot all the steps that would bring it to life
I'll plan to perfection and skip all the actions that count
And as winter transcends into spring
The light wakes me earlier every morning
And waking up early at weekends is probably the start of something
The lyrics to Pocketbooks's song "Waking Up" describe the feeling of being stuck in a cycle of planning and dreaming, without actually taking the steps to bring those plans to fruition. The first verse refers to a family saying in Spanish, "No deberíamos perder el tiempo," which roughly translates to "we shouldn't waste time." The singer realizes that they've been wasting time and not making the most of their opportunities. Despite not being one to regret, they can't help but feel a sense of loss as they see the words of the saying displayed in their home, tracing their steps through the kitchen.
The second verse depicts the singer's messy plans and deadlines, scattered and abandoned like litter on a busy roadside. They've planned to perfection but have failed to execute, leaving the blueprints pinned behind photos and letters, hidden from sight. They've bestowed their love on these plans, but forgot the steps that would bring them to life.
The third verse talks about a window in an attic conversion that rattles in winter and creaks in spring. A photo that once sat in the window frame has been replaced by a checklist and boxes, leaving only distractions on the right to tempt them away from their goals. The singer once again reflects on their tendency to plan rather than act, admitting that there's always an anecdote to tell even when things fall flat. The song ends on a hopeful note, as the singer awakens earlier each morning, perhaps signaling the start of finally taking action.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a saying that hangs in my family's hall which they found in an airport gift shop
There is a quote in my family's house that they discovered in an airport shop
"No deberíamos perder el tiempo"
The quote reads 'We should not waste time' in Spanish
And on Sunday I idly looked up the words on an otherwise inactive weekend
I finally took time to look up the meaning of the words on a weekend with nothing else to do
And if only I'd had it translated before
I regret not having translated it earlier
And I've never been one for regretting
I usually do not regret anything
But when I'm back home well the words trace my steps round the kitchen
However, when I'm home, those words remind me of my past actions and their consequences
There's a sketch on my pad like a drunk spider's web or a family tree with its branches
On my notepad, there's a drawing that looks like a chaotic spiderweb or a family tree
Where the multiple marriages break up the flow
The flow of the tree is interrupted by multiple marriages resulting in complex family relationships
And the plans and deadlines are scattered around like litter collects on the high road
The plans and deadlines are all over the place, like trash along a busy road
And the more you collect, it continues to spread
The more I add, the more disorganized it becomes
And the blueprints I pinned to the fridge
I had plans and ideas that I put on my fridge
Are lost behind photos and letters and flyers for gigs
But now they are buried behind photos, letters, and flyers for concerts
With the love I bestowed on the plans
I was passionate about these plans
Forgot all the steps that would bring it to life
But I forgot the crucial steps necessary to make them happen
I'll plan to perfection and skip all the actions that count
I focus too much on planning and not enough on taking actual steps
There's a window at thirty degrees to the floor in the roof of an attic conversion
In the attic, there's a window that is tilted 30 degrees to the floor
It rattles in winter and creaks in the spring
It makes a lot of noise when it's cold and also when it's warmer
And in autumn the sunshine reflects off a mirror and spotlights the frame of a photo
In the fall, the angle of the sun highlights a picture frame that is reflecting light off a mirror
But the photo's been swapped for a checklist and boxes
But now the picture has been replaced by a list of tasks and boxes to check off
On the left there's a clock with the date
I have a clock on the left with the date
On the right there's a pile of distractions to tempt me away
On the right, there is a pile of distractions that can make me lose focus
And I've never been one to look back
I'm not one to dwell on the past
But there's always an anecdote even when something falls flat
But there is always a story to tell, even when things don't go as planned
And as winter transcends into spring
As winter ends and spring begins
The light wakes me earlier every morning
The sunrise is gradually getting earlier, causing me to wake up earlier
And waking up early at weekends is probably the start of something
Starting to wake up early on weekends might be the start of a positive change
Contributed by Grace G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.