Portugal. The Man centered on frontman John Gourley’s abstract musical approach and corresponding upbringing. He was raised in a sort of technological isolation: his log cabin home in the winter wasteland of the fringes of Wasilla, Alaska was powered by a generator and had no telephone. Both of his parents helped completely immerse him in the unique lifestyle that comes with a land of seasonal darkness and perpetual cold with their jobs as dog sled mushers. Gourley’s innate curiosity and individual spirit combined with a fascination with science fiction and experiences of homelessness create a distinctly transcendent sound that is always open to interpretation and change.
The band’s debut album, Waiter: “You Vultures!” was released by Fearless Records on January 24th, 2006.
On June 22, 2007 they released their second full length, Church Mouth. The band then set out on a full US tour with support from The Photo Atlas, Play Radio Play, Tera Melos, and The Only Children. They then toured Europe, and followed it up with another US headlining tour with support from Rocky Votolato and Great Depression during September and October. Following this tour, they joined Thursday on a short east coast tour in November alongside Circle Takes the Square.
Portugal. The Man collaborated with the band The Sound of Animals Fighting on the re-release of their first album, “Tiger and the Duke.” Portugal. The Man remixed three of the songs on that album.
On July 30, 2008, it was announced that Portugal. The Man would release Censored Colors under its independent record label, Approaching AIRballoons, with a partnership with EQUAL VISION RECORDS. The album was released September 16, 2008.
On April 9th, 2009, Portugal. The Man announced a fourth studio album, The Satanic Satanist. It was released on July 21, 2009.
As of October 2009, It was announced through Twitter that Portugal. The Man have completed another album entitled “American Ghetto” which combines their progressive rock style from their latter albums with some of the electo style from their “Its Complicated Being A Wizard” release. A listening party was held for a group of 17 fans in Los Angeles CA. The album was released on March 2, 2010.
The Got it All (This Can’t Be Living Now) Songfacts reports the band’s sixth album and first for Atlantic, In the Mountain in the Cloud, was released on July 19, 2011.
On February 8, 2013, Portugal. The Man leaked pictures on Bonnaroo's official Tumblr page which showed that celebrated producer Danger Mouse was producing the band's new record. According to a Q&A Zach did on the band's Tumblr, their new album was influenced by Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" album.
On February 25, 2013, Portugal. The Man released the name of their new album, titled Evil Friends, on Instagram. On March 6, the band revealed the album art for Evil Friends using a Tweet-to-reveal mosaic. The next day, the video for the title track from Evil Friends was released on the band's YouTube channel. On June 4, 2013, the album was released in the United States. The album featured backing vocals by Este Haim and Danielle Haim. A music video of "Purple Yellow Red and Blue" followed.
On April 22, 2014, the band announced a partnership with Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute to release a limited-edition run of 400 records to raise awareness for critically endangered Sumatran tigers. The track, "Sumatran Tiger" does not officially exist digitally, and the copies were sent to "400 carefully chosen influencers, among them actors, activists, musicians, conservationists, bloggers and journalists," and is, as the band claims, "the first song meant to go extinct unless it's reproduced." The band encouraged fans to "scour the Internet" using the hashtags #EndangeredSong and #SumatranTiger to find recordings of the song.
In November 2014, Portugal. The Man were in the studio recording their eighth album with Mike D from The Beastie Boys producing. The band also posted pictures of themselves in the studio on Instagram, as well as showcasing small teasers of what their new album would sound like. Mac Miller was also shown working with the band as well. In May 2015, the band released teasers on social networks of what appeared to be new music with a Latin twist with huapango guitars, dream synths and drums machines. On May 5, Portugal. The Man released a Spanish version of "Purple Yellow Red and Blue" covered by a Mexican-American band called The Chamanas on their official YouTube channel to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. On December 31, 2015, Portugal. The Man posted to their website that they had completed two records followed by separate hashtags #Gloomin + #Doomin. However, on February 3, 2016, the band tweeted from their official account that the new record would be entitled Gloomin + Doomin. In February 2016 Portugal. the Man were featured on the Yoko Ono collaboration album Yes, I'm A Witch Too performing "Soul Got Out of the Box".
On November 30, 2016, Triple J radio debuted Portugal. The Man's new song "Noise Pollution". It was released as a single on December 2, and featured Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Zoe Manville. On March 3, 2017, the band released a single titled "Feel It Still", which was followed by the release of an accompanying music video three days later. It was revealed that Gloomin + Doomin "failed to complete" and was thrown out after three years. They have since completed another album, titled Woodstock, which is promoted by "Feel It Still". The album's title was inspired by an original 1969 Woodstock music festival ticket stub owned by Gourley's father. It led Gourley to a realization that almost 50 years later, music has the same mission as then – "to comment on societal and political unease." "We worked with so many rad people on this album, but ended up with just the four of us in a basement at 4 a.m. trying to say something that mattered," said Gourley. "Trying to write music that would help people feel they're not alone, even if they're angry or feeling lost." Woodstock was released on June 16, 2017. John Gourley and Zoe Manville married on New Year's Eve 2017.
The Woods
Portugal. The Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
Everything was alright.
Everything, everything was alright.
Never knew where we are,
Never needed enough,
Never need enough, just where we are.
All the people, all the people were living the light.
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
If you find yourself in need,
If we gotta go then bring along some company.
And if you find yourself alone,
If we got it all then we got just what we need.
Why? Why? Why?
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
Everything was alright.
Everything, everybody was alright.
Well ya gotta get out, gotta make some money,
Baby, gotta grow,
Baby, gotta get bigger.
All the people will lift it up.
All the people, all the people will help you out.
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
Why? Why? Why?
The lyrics of Portugal. The Man’s song, The Woods, can be interpreted as a reflection of the artist's past experience living in the woods, where everything seemed to be alright. The repetition of the line "When I lived in the woods, Everything was alright" creates a sense of nostalgia and longing for that simpler time. The lyrics suggest that in the woods, the artist doesn’t need much to be content; they never knew where they were, never needed enough, and everything was still alright. The people in the woods were living with light, which symbolizes purity and innocence.
However, the artist seems to have moved on from the woods, as they say, "Well ya gotta get out, gotta make some money, Baby, gotta grow, Baby, gotta get bigger." This line suggests that the artist left the woods to pursue a better life, although it may have been a difficult decision. The repetition of "why" at the end of the song suggests that the artist may be questioning whether they made the right decision to leave the woods.
The chorus brings back the idea of love and suggests that the artist may need someone to love and to be loved in return. The line "If we need to find the time, we'll never see all your love" is a reminder to slow down and appreciate the people in our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When I lived in the woods,
The singer reminisces about a time when they used to live in the woods.
Everything was alright.
Despite their living situation, everything was okay.
Never knew where we are,
The singer never knew their exact location when living in the woods.
Never needed enough,
The artist didn't have many material possessions and didn't require much to feel content.
just where we are.
The artist was satisfied and didn't feel the need to be anyplace other than where they were.
All the people, all the people were living the light.
Everyone in the woods was content and living peacefully with one another.
If you find yourself in need,
If someone needs help or support,
If we gotta go then bring along some company.
If the artist needs to leave, they want to bring along others with them.
And if you find yourself alone,
If someone is alone,
If we got it all then we got just what we need.
The artist is satisfied with what they have and don't require anything more.
As I breathe in time
The singer takes a moment to pause and reflect.
To be where I was,
To return to a previous place or time.
Baby, give me all your love.
The singer is seeking support, comfort, or love from someone close to them.
If we need to find the time,
If necessary, the singer will make time for someone or something else.
We'll never see all your love.
Even if someone offers all their love, the singer may not fully understand or appreciate it.
Well ya gotta get out, gotta make some money,
In order to survive, the artist acknowledges the need to leave the woods and make money.
Baby, gotta grow,
The artist must continue to develop and mature.
Baby, gotta get bigger.
The singer needs to expand their horizons and challenge themselves to grow.
All the people will lift it up.
Others will help the singer achieve their goals and support them along the way.
All the people, all the people will help you out.
The artist believes that people will assist them when needed.
Why? Why? Why?
Unclear, but it may showcase the artist's confusion or desire for answers.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN BALDWIN GOURLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nudgeone7927
LYRICS
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
Everything was alright.
Everything, everything was alright.
Never knew where we are,
Never needed enough,
Never need enough, just where we are.
Everything was alright.
All the people, all the people were living the light.
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
If you find yourself in need,
If we gotta go then we'll bring along some company.
And if you find yourself in need,
If we got it all then we got just what we need.
Why? Why? Why?
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
Everything was alright.
Everything, everybody was alright.
Well ya gotta get out, gotta make some money,
Baby, gotta grow,
Baby, gotta get bigger.
All the people will lift it up.
All the people, all the people will help you out.
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
Why? Why? Why?
@nudgeone7927
LYRICS
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
Everything was alright.
Everything, everything was alright.
Never knew where we are,
Never needed enough,
Never need enough, just where we are.
Everything was alright.
All the people, all the people were living the light.
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
If you find yourself in need,
If we gotta go then we'll bring along some company.
And if you find yourself in need,
If we got it all then we got just what we need.
Why? Why? Why?
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
When I lived in the woods,
Everything was alright.
Everything, everybody was alright.
Well ya gotta get out, gotta make some money,
Baby, gotta grow,
Baby, gotta get bigger.
All the people will lift it up.
All the people, all the people will help you out.
As I breathe in time
To be where I was,
And if I need you,
Baby, give me all your love.
If we need
To find the time,
We'll never see
All your love.
Why? Why? Why?
@ln1902
God of cancer have a reply good sir ( ._.)/^
@FilmEastCoast
It blows my mind how this doesn't have more views! One of my all time favorite songs! Every song this band does is AMAZING
@trevormassoth2802
I just discovered this album by Portugal the Man a few weeks ago. It's my new obsession, and has forever changed my opinion of the band. They're up there with Alt J and Glass Animals.
@SUPERFLOracing
see them live my dude
@davidwellmann4985
check out everything they did before evil friends. they are constantly switching it up - epic band
@saltyjustice
Alt J kinda sucks tbh.
@tylerl.4843
I saw Portugal and glass animals at red rocks. Epic.
@tylerl.4843
@saltyjustice alt j does not suck.
@docm4544
1 of the greatest bands of this era and of all time in general!! PTM are only for the righteous and genuine!