The band calls Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, home – the enigmatic prairie city, which has served artists as both an abundant, creative watering hole and a debilitating quagmire. The city's mood swings from euphoric summers spent biking with beers, fence-hopping residential pools and climbing abandoned roof-tops to harsh, bitter winters that are countered first with defiance, then self-loathing, then denial, then "you've got to be fucking kidding me." Royal Canoe's songs are, in part, an effort to make sense of the resentment and romanticism of the city's divergent identities.
Members:
Matt Peters - Vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
Bucky Driedger - Electric guitar, vocals
Matthew Schellenberg - Keyboards, vocals
Brendan Berg - Bass, keyboard, vocals
Derek Allard - Drum kit
Michael Jordan - Electronic drums
Checkmate
Royal Canoe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh they knowjust the spot I'm in
A candid summer couldn't singe this face
I'll stand in the light, sway them my way
Evan, he's a dancer
Booked him a night in The Bachelor Pad
Shelby's still a Libra
All my people
We will rise together, we will rise together
Lift your gaze up higher
Overtop the mountains
All my people
This is now or never, this is now or never
The rivers all run dry
There's wisdom in the water
Disco ball spinning on my head
A thousand stars turning gold to bread
Morning manna on the window sill
If you're picking up, I'll get the bill
Tessa made a promise
To fill every seat with her puppet show
But no one's bumping Aaron
He'll abracadabra the status quo
The opening lines of the song talks about how the walls are peeling off in egg-white color, and the characters of the song understand precisely the spot the singer is in. The lyrics establish a mood of confusion and uncertainty that the singer is going through, and the egg-white symbolizes a hollow, void-like atmosphere. However, the singer tries to stand in the light and sway them in his way. The lyrics convey the message of hope, and the singer wants to unite with all his people to rise together and fight against the adversities. The singer talks about the dry rivers but also mentions that there is always "wisdom in the water." The lyrics give a sense that no matter how dry the circumstances are, there is always hope, and the people can rise against it. The song intends to inspire the listeners to come together and form a community to uplift each other.
The lyrics then go on to establish different characters in the song, Tessa, Evan, Shelby, and Aaron, representing the people coming together as a community. Evan is a dancer, and he has booked himself a night in the Bachelor Pad, and Shelby is still a Libra, reading her leaves at a function they had. The characters symbolize a sense of community and togetherness, where everyone is different but united. Tessa made a promise to fill every seat with her puppet show, but the singer talks about no one bumping Aaron. However, the singer believes that Aaron will "abracadabra" the status quo, and with the community's help, they can rise together.
Line by Line Meaning
Egg white walls peeling off their skin
The bright white walls are gradually losing their brightness and smoothness with patches detaching themselves.
Oh they know just the spot I'm in
The walls themselves know very well the situation I am in and the state of decline I am going through.
A candid summer couldn't singe this face
Even if the scorching heat of summer tries to tamper with the authenticity of the situation I am in, it won't be able to do so.
I'll stand in the light, sway them my way
I'm going to stand in the spotlight of the situation and persuade people to see things my way.
Evan, he's a dancer
Booked him a night in The Bachelor Pad
Shelby's still a Libra
Had her reading her leaves at a function we had
Evan, being a dancer, got a gig for The Bachelor Pad show. Whereas at a function that Shelby attended, her astrological sign being Libra, she ended up reading her leaves.
All my people
We will rise together, we will rise together
Lift your gaze up higher
Overtop the mountains
All my acquaintances will unite together and elevate over the obstacles like mountains that come our way.
All my people
This is now or never, this is now or never
The rivers all run dry
There's wisdom in the water
This situation is nothing less than do or die, and the opportunities we seek are limited. Still, we can find solutions and lessons for our problems by observing the wisdom carried in the water of rivers that dry up.
Disco ball spinning on my head
A thousand stars turning gold to bread
Morning manna on the window sill
If you're picking up, I'll get the bill
With the disco ball around my head, a thousand sparkling stars appear in my way, turning all the things around me to gold. And waking up to the sunrise sets a holy, almost biblical tone to the morning, ultimately telling anyone who's fetching the bill that I got their back.
Tessa made a promise
To fill every seat with her puppet show
But no one's bumping Aaron
He'll abracadabra the status quo
Tessa vowed to fill every chair in the room with her puppet demonstration, but Aaron, the magician, has some tricks up his sleeve and will try to break through the monotonous status quo.
Contributed by Vivian P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.