He's known for his hand-crafted, diverse, and often unpredictable indietronic style, integrating live looping in both his recordings and live performances. All of his songs are free to download and are open source, providing raw materials for hundreds of remix artists to create new works based on his source tracks.
The SongFight! website inspired him to begin recording as State Shirt in 2001. Since then, he has released one EP and five albums: New Planet in 2002, Don't Die in 2004, This is Old in 2008, Let's Get Bloody in 2011, Life is Easy in January 2015, and Lost Hills in August 2015.
All of State Shirt's music is available for free on his website.
Fell Out of the Sky
State Shirt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming down is all I see
Cold day in November
It was 1983
Wait for days
Lying on the airport seat
Holding on to your image
Coming down
Sky around
Tumble down
Bring us home
Along the ground
Send love to mom
Take my place
Failure to
See the many traps around
The light of just one person
One lapse and then you're gone
Always I
Can't feel the first impact
We hold onto your fear
And take your pain away
Wait for days
Lying on the airport seat
Holding on to your image
For as long as I could keep
Coming down
Sky around
Tumble down
Bring us home
Along the ground
Send love to mom
Take my place
Make it safe
The lyrics of "Fell Out of the Sky" by State Shirt describe a tragic incident that took place in 1983. The singer is waiting at the airport, holding on to the image of someone who is no longer there. The lines "coming down is all I see" and "sky around, tumble down" may suggest that this person was on a plane that crashed, hence "fell out of the sky". The lyrics also touch on the fragility of life with the line "failure to see the many traps around, the light of just one person, one lapse and then you're gone". The singer is struggling to cope with this loss and attempting to hold on to the memory of this person, seeking to "take your pain away" and "make it safe".
The song is a haunting and melancholic tribute to those who have passed away, and the emotions that come with grief and loss. The lyrics have a poetic quality to them with the use of imagery such as the "sky around, tumble down" line, which creates a sense of chaos and confusion in the aftermath of a tragic event. The repetition of "coming down" throughout the song is also significant as it further emphasizes the suddenness and finality of the loss.
Line by Line Meaning
All the time
Continuously, without interruption
Coming down is all I see
My ongoing experience is failure, disappointment or defeat
Cold day in November
An exact date, a specific moment in time
It was 1983
Another date, further contextualizing the moment and setting a tone for the story
Wait for days
An instruction to remain still and patient for an indeterminate amount of time
Lying on the airport seat
A physical manifestation of the singer's wait
Holding on to your image
Mentally clinging to an idealized version of a person who may be gone or inaccessible
For as long as I could keep
Until I couldn't do it anymore
Sky around
A reference to the vast, seemingly endless space that surrounds us
Tumble down
As a verb, it could be considered a physical action or sensation in line with coming down or falling; as an adjective, it's a feeling of chaos or disorientation
Bring us home
A hopeful statement that suggests returning to a place of comfort or safety
Along the ground
Not necessarily a negative phrase but one that suggests being pulled down or confined
Send love to mom
A request to convey a message of love to a maternal figure, possibly because the singer can't do it themselves
Take my place
Sacrifice or selflessness, volunteering to swap positions with someone else in order to protect them or ensure their safety
Failure to
Omission or neglect, not paying attention to what's important
See the many traps around
Literal or metaphorical traps that could cause damage or injury
The light of just one person
The presence or influence of a single individual who can provide guidance or comfort
One lapse and then you're gone
A small mistake or misstep can have drastic consequences
Always I
A constant state or tendency to do something
Can't feel the first impact
Desensitization to a feeling or event that occurred in the past, to the point of not recognizing its significance
We hold onto your fear
Support or empathy for someone else, taking their concerns into consideration
And take your pain away
A desire or willingness to alleviate someone else's suffering
Make it safe
A plea for safety or reassurance that everything will be okay
Contributed by Allison G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ch1lep4s1lla6
Actuallly i fell in love with this song
@blackgassbass
I like the original, and also some remix around. In my Top Ten since release.
@fudurich
:) awesome video!
@tiggerwrks
ok that was really cool....silent podcast subscriber here(.JJS) Great job! Really creative..and Ethan you have a great voice!