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.
On the Death of the Waters
Shearwater Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the fading day of our star
The light races, the light drags
The moon rises, the moon sags
Over the rolling waves
And your hand's on the balcony
As a spine pricks the world
But you feel it, oh my God
As the spindle flies apart
Turn your bow to the biggest wave
But your angel's on holiday
And that wave rises slowly
And breaks
The song "On the Death of the Waters" by Shearwater begins with a reference to the biblical story of Noah's Ark, which is depicted as a symbol of decay and collapse that is persistent throughout history. The lyrics then explore the various cycles of life and death, light and darkness, and rise and decline. The imagery of the moon and waves is used to represent the constantly oscillating nature of the world and how it brings about change, both good and bad.
The line "your hand's on the balcony" is perhaps the most intriguing in the song, as it suggests a sense of detachment from the events being described. The singer is an observer, rather than a participant, and as such is able to view the world with a certain degree of detachment. However, this sense of distance is short-lived, as the spine prick and shudder referred to in the next verse are indications of the singer's own vulnerability and mortality. These feelings of mortality are heightened by the reference to the spindle flying apart, which suggests a sense of chaos and disorder.
Despite these existential musings, the overall tone of the song is not despairing, but rather one of acceptance and even hope. The line "turn your bow to the biggest wave" is a call to action, urging the listener to confront the challenges of life head-on. Even though the "angel" might be on holiday, there is still strength and resilience within us all to face the "biggest wave" despite the uncertainty that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
From the wreck of the ark
Starting from the biblical story of Noah's Ark and its destruction
To the fading day of our star
To the eventual end of our solar system, where the sun will burn out and die
The light races, the light drags
Referring to the sun, which fluctuates in brightness over time
The moon rises, the moon sags
Referring to the moon's gravitational effect on the tides, as it changes between new and full phases
Over the rolling waves
Describing the motion of the ocean's waves
And your hand's on the balcony
Imagery of a person observing the ocean from a balcony, possibly detached from the natural world
As a spine pricks the world
A metaphor for an environmental catastrophe impacting the entire planet
And the shudder deep is unheard
Despite the catastrophic event, most people are unaware or don't care about its impact
But you feel it, oh my God
The artist is deeply affected by the environmental disaster, expressing shock and sadness
As the spindle flies apart
Continuation of the disaster metaphor, with imagery of a machine or contraption breaking apart
Turn your bow to the biggest wave
A call to action or resilience in the face of adversity, to face the biggest challenge head on
But your angel's on holiday
Despite the need for divine intervention or guidance, it is absent or nonexistent in this moment of crisis
And that wave rises slowly
Another wave approaching, signifying the persistence of the crisis and the continued struggle against it
And breaks
The wave crashes or breaks, possibly foreshadowing the ultimate fate of the planet or humanity itself
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind