Sean Watkins (born February 18, 1977) is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwri… Read Full Bio ↴Sean Watkins (born February 18, 1977) is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, and is one third of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek and one part of the alt. folk duo Fiction Family with Jon Foreman from Switchfoot . His sister Sara Watkins, also a member of Nickel Creek, plays violin and sings background vocals on the second of his two solo albums. As a whole, Nickel Creek recently participated in a project dubbed Mutual Admiration Society, a collaboration with former Toad The Wet Sprocket singer Glen Phillips. As a solo musician, Sean Watkins early material was contemporary bluegrass, but as time goes on, he has incorporated various other influences into his music (especially indie rock). Sean Watkins's solo music career seems to be going the same path as Nickel Creek; turning from beautiful traditional bluegrass songs to indie rock with bluegrass instrumentation. Sean Watkins is the oldest member of Nickel Creek. "My first instrument was the piano when I was six", Sean recalls. "I took classic instruction for seven years, but three years into that I discovered bluegrass music, through my piano teacher's son, who had a bluegrass band that played every Saturday night at a pizza place in Carlsbad. I really got into it, and when Sara [Watkins] and I met Chris, we started playing with him on Saturday nights too."[1]

He began playing mandolin in the early career with Nickel Creek, but later switched to guitar. Sean made it to the National Flatpicking Championship in 1993 at age 16. Now Nickel Creek has exploded in the contemporary folk/bluegrass scene. This Watkins has already released 3 solo albums and appeared on many others. Of this experience, Watkins has said, "I've learned now to look back to music that has lasted through the years and to appreciate the timeless value that it has."

Sean's first album Let it Fall consists primarily of bluegrass inspired instrumental tracks. Providing the vocals on the only sung track on the album is former Toad the Wet Sprocket frontman Glen Phillips. Sean's second album, 26 Miles was a much bigger departure from bluegrass. While still mainly acoustic, the album showed influences from jazz, indie rock, and new age music. His third album, Blinder's On continues along many of the same lines as the previous one.

It was recently announced on Nickel Creek's website that the band would go on hiatus at the end of 2007. In an interview with Billboard magazine, Sean states that he plans to make music for movies.

Let It Fall
Sean Watkins Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey look, I'm not weighed down
As I walk through
The glowing wheat fields churning on the ground
As all the ravens fly away
They leave nothing
But the sun and endless blue day

I always knew I felt this way

But couldn't find the time to say
To myself I've got to let it go
Through all the joy and all the pain
With the drought and the rain
The honest truth is all I want to know

Let it fall
Let go

My kingdom's walls have fallen down
But I know that
I don't wear an undeserved crown
And though it seemed to fit me well
Underneath it
I would certainly fall down

Last summer we left things unsaid
That should be now a long time dead
And now it seems that time has put it well
The words can chase away a friend
But to a lie they'll bring an end
And throw it down the darkest, deepest well

Let it fall
Let go

Let it fall
Let go

Let it fall
Let go

Let it fall
Let go

Overall Meaning

Sean Watkins's song Let It Fall describes an individual taking a walk through the glowing wheat fields, unburdened by weight or worries. All the ravens are flying away leaving nothing behind but an endless blue day and the bright sun. In the chorus, the individual acknowledges that they always had these feelings but never found the time to express them, and now they have to let them go. The person then talks about the collapse of their kingdom walls, but this collapse is not as poignant as one would expect. The individual did not earn their crown, and it fit ill beneath it, ultimately leading to their downfall. However, they assert that time has healed all wounds and has allowed for a clean break from the past.

Watkins's lyrics reflect the liberation that comes with relinquishing and letting go which as human beings, is an essential aspect of our lives. We all face various trials and tribulations, and sometimes, they can be difficult to leave behind. Sean Watkins's song uses metaphors like the glowing wheat fields and the collapse of a kingdom to signify a new beginning, and that despite life's highs and lows, one needs to learn to let go and move ahead.

Line by Line Meaning

Hey look, I'm not weighed down
I am free and unburdened

As I walk through The glowing wheat fields churning on the ground
I am surrounded by the beauty of nature

As all the ravens fly away They leave nothing But the sun and endless blue day
The distractions and negativity of life are fading away, leaving only brightness and possibility

I always knew I felt this way But couldn't find the time to say To myself I've got to let it go
I've always known deep down that I need to release my emotions and move on, but I've been too busy to address it

Through all the joy and all the pain With the drought and the rain The honest truth is all I want to know
I am willing to face both the good and the bad in life, as long as I am being truthful with myself

My kingdom's walls have fallen down But I know that I don't wear an undeserved crown
Though I may have lost something that I thought was important, I acknowledge that I didn't necessarily earn or deserve it

And though it seemed to fit me well Underneath it I would certainly fall down
The facade of success or power may have looked good on the surface, but deep down I would be weak and vulnerable

Last summer we left things unsaid That should be now a long time dead And now it seems that time has put it well
There were things left unresolved in the past, but now enough time has passed that they do not matter anymore

The words can chase away a friend But to a lie they'll bring an end And throw it down the darkest, deepest well
Sometimes honesty can hurt relationships, but it's better to be truthful and move on from a lie

Let it fall Let go
I am ready to release my emotions and move on