The band was formed by two members of Okkervil River, back-up vocalist and accordion/keyboard player Jonathan Meiburg and singer and guitarist Will Sheff, so they could write quieter songs. Beginning in 2005, Sheff lessened his role in the band, leaving Meiburg as the band's songwriter from Palo Santo on.
Band members today include Jonathan Meiburg, Thor Harris, Kim Burke, Lucas Oswald, with many contributions from others. The touring band in 2012 featured producer/drummer Danny Reisch and guitarist/vocalist Mitch Billeaud of The Lemurs and Christiaan Mader of Brass Bed.
To date, Shearwater has released nine full-length albums The Dissolving Room, Everybody Makes Mistakes, Winged Life, Palo Santo, Rook, The Golden Archipelago, Animal Joy, and Jet Plane & Oxbow as well as EPs Thieves and The Snow Leopard, and a split LP with Okkervil River entitled Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral, as well as an album of covers of former touring partners, Fellow Travelers, released in November 2013.
As an ornithologist and writer, Meiburg has a unique perspective. The songs of Palo Santo were partly written at the Galápagos Islands in the footsteps of Charles Darwin. Rook was influenced by studies in the Falklands Islands and by the current mass extinction we are living through. The Golden Archipelago examined the destruction of island cultures in the 20th century and beyond. Animal Joy returned to more personal concerns; Meiburg stated repeatedly in interviews that the foundational idea is that life is most real when "the blood flows fastest and closest to the surface." Fellow Travelers started as a small home EP and expanded into a full album celebrating relationships with the other bands they've met along the way.
An Accident
Shearwater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They roll new plans out neatly
But in a morning exploding with red
I awoke completely
By accident
An accident
Though you smile so sweetly above
In this town where I was born
By accident
An accident
The lyrics to Shearwater's song An Accident describe waking up to a new day, feeling completely different from how one felt before. The first line conveys the idea that people tend to forget and disregard the dead, moving on quickly from tragic events. The image of "rolling out new plans neatly" suggests that new beginnings can be approached with an almost business-like attitude, which can be insensitive to the emotional toll of loss.
However, the singer is not dwelling on past misfortunes - instead, they seem to feel reborn or rejuvenated in some way. "Exploding with red" may refer to the vibrant sunrise or a symbolic imagery of a new beginning with a burst of hope and excitement. The second verse includes a contrast between the singer's personal experience and the daily routine of the town they were born in. The final line, "By accident," is repeated twice, possibly referring to the idea that one's current state or situation may be unexpected or accidental. Overall, the lyrics convey the feelings of both existential uncertainty and a hopeful, fresh outlook on life.
Line by Line Meaning
People got no respect for the dead
A lack of reverence exists; The deceased are not given the esteem they deserve.
They roll new plans out neatly
They hastily devise new schemes in an organized manner.
But in a morning exploding with red
But in a violent morning colored by the hue of blood.
I awoke completely
I became fully conscious.
By accident
It happened unintentionally.
An accident
An event which occurred unexpectedly, without any indication of its arrival.
Though you smile so sweetly above
Even though you present yourself so kindly.
Your congregational coffee
The coffee shared amongst your community.
In this town where I was born
Within this settlement where I was brought into this world.
By accident
By chance, without any deliberate intent.
An accident
An incident that took place without foresight or prior knowledge of its occurrence.
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.