In its earlier days, the band had duel vocals performed by De Marrais and Fischer; later, De Marrais would become the lead vocalist in the majority of their songs. The band's many tours and intimate live shows at venues such as Brooklyn's Northsix (now Music Hall of Williamsburg), Washington, D.C.'s The Black Cat, Bowery Ballroom in NYC, and Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle helped to grow its fan base and fuel album sales.
On November 6, 2006, the band announced, through Pitchfork Media, that the December 16th show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom would be their last. They played one more show on December 17th at Northsix, which De Marrais referred to as "home" because it also served as the band's rehearsal space.
The band reformed in 2014 with a reunion show at Bowery Ballroom on December 31. Additional shows were added for February 14 and April 18, 2015 at Lincoln Hall in Chicago and Union Transfer in Philadelphia, respectively.
In 2017 the band released S/T, their first album in 11 years.
Put Me To Sleep
Rainer Maria Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
but this one's too high.
filtered light, trees outside.
is this the end?
fifteen, and bleeding,
and leaving myself behind.
i have to believe
if someone had told me
what i'm telling you now.
if someone had warned me.
is this the end of everything?
fifteen minutes later,
and oh, how i've changed.
In Rainer Maria's song "Put Me To Sleep," the singer reflects on their life and the choices that have led them to a difficult place. The first stanza describes the singer observing their surroundings, looking out a window and seeing filtered light and trees outside. The window they are looking out of is too high, perhaps representing the feeling of being trapped or unable to escape their situation. They are also "fifteen and bleeding", which could mean they are physically injured or it could represent emotional pain that they are experiencing. They feel as if they are leaving a part of themselves behind, suggesting that they are ready to move on from something in their life.
In the second stanza, the singer expresses a desire to believe that things could have been different for them if someone had warned them about the challenges they were going to face. They are questioning whether or not this is the end of everything, perhaps feeling hopeless or overwhelmed. The final line of the song, "fifteen minutes later, and oh, how I've changed," could suggest that the singer has come to a new realization or has had a change of heart. Overall, the song explores themes of regret, loneliness, and the desire for guidance.
Line by Line Meaning
i've thought about windows before,
I have considered jumping out of a window before, as a means to end my pain and suffering.
but this one's too high.
However, this particular window is too high for me to jump out of and attempt to end my life.
filtered light, trees outside.
I can see that outside there's filtered light and trees that I can admire from this high up window.
is this the end?
Am I truly at the point of no return?
fifteen, and bleeding,
I am only fifteen years old, but I have already gone through a lot of trauma and am currently bleeding internally or externally.
and leaving myself behind.
I feel like I am losing myself and becoming disconnected from who I was before.
i have to believe
I have to hold onto hope, even when it feels impossible.
that things would be different
I wish things could be different, that I could go back in time and change the course of events leading up to now.
if someone had told me
If only someone had recognized my pain and suffering and spoken up to help me when I needed it most.
what i'm telling you now.
I want you to know what I am going through, so that you can empathize and understand my struggles.
if someone had warned me.
If only someone had warned me about the dangers of my past choices, maybe I wouldn't be in this desperate situation now.
is this the end of everything?
Am I really looking at the end of everything I've ever known or hoped for?
fifteen minutes later,
After only a short amount of time, things can drastically change.
and oh, how i've changed.
I am not the same person I was 15 minutes ago, my emotions and thoughts have transformed beyond recognition.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
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