In early 2000, the duo collaborated with Danny Lohner, Trent Reznor, and Alan Moulder on several remixes for Nine Inch Nails's then-to-be-released remix EP, Things Falling Apart. Shortly thereafter, Telefon Tel Aviv resumed work on their debut LP, Fahrenheit Fair Enough, for Chicago's Hefty Records, while at the same time completing the original score for the film Newport South. In 2002, the duo paired with L'Altra's Lindsay Anderson to release an EP featuring the single, Sound In A Dark Room. Work on the sophomore LP, Map Of What Is Effortless, was completed in summer of 2003. On May 15th of 2007, a retrospective of their remix work for other artists was released on Hefty Records. Work on their third LP had been ongoing since late 2006 and wrapped up with the album Immolate Yourself's release on January 20th, 2009.
Over the past few years, together and separately, the duo completed production work for many other artists, including Marc Hellner/Pulseprogramming, L'Altra, The Album Leaf, Apparat, Belong, The Race, and others. They built a studio in Chicago to work on all of their projects.
Charlie Cooper passed away on Thursday 22nd January 2009, after taking an accidental overdose of sleeping pills. Josh Eustis later posted a confirmation on the band's Myspace page and the Telefon Tel Aviv website still shows an epitaph for Cooper. Josh continues to play Telefon Tel Aviv songs live as a duo with close friend Fredo Nogueira, but has said that the future of the band as regards recording new material remains uncertain.
Following this, Joshua would release, (as Telefon Tel Aviv) Map of What Is Effortless (April 2014), (as Sons of Magdalene) Move to Pain (Recorded 2010, released June 2014), Ecumenicals (March 2015), (as Telefon Tel Aviv) Something Akin to Lust (May 2017) and Dreams Are Not Enough (September 2019). After Dreams Are Not Enough, Joshua would release For James, To Sleep to Bandcamp as a "name your price" single.
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The Birds
Telefon Tel Aviv Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The science of your days
Laid bare
Boiling in the sun
For all the world to see
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds remind me of what remains
The above lyrics are from the song "The Birds" by Telefon Tel Aviv. At first glance, the lyrics seem to be simple and repetitive, but upon closer examination, they reveal a deeper meaning. The repeated lines "The birds remind me of what we made, the birds remind me of what remains" suggest that the singer is reflective and perhaps even nostalgic about a past relationship or experience. The birds themselves symbolize the memories of that experience, both the good (what was made) and the bad (what remains).
The final lines of the song, "the science of your days laid bare, boiling in the sun for all the world to see" suggest that the singer has come to terms with the end of that experience, and it now exists in the past where it can be examined and dissected.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Birds" are a beautiful and poignant exploration of memory, nostalgia, and moving on from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
The birds remind me of what we made
The birds symbolize what we created together, something that's now a memory.
The birds remind me of what remains
The birds also remind me of what is left, what lingers even after what we made is gone.
The science of your days
The intricate details of your existence and everything you did.
Laid bare
Exposed and presented without any filters or disguise.
Boiling in the sun
Intensified and magnified, perhaps uncomfortable or too revealing.
For all the world to see
Presented publicly and without reservation, open for anyone to observe and interpret.
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Charles Wesley III Cooper, Joshua L Eustis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Circa Aeon
birds escape in dark bloom
they twinkle the sky
they are flying armed with poems
they chase the sunrise
and float inwards
puffing up now and then
the flight of flights
the poems enter their light-soul
and push them to the skies
the firmament sparkles
and they return to a Home
Bianca Rye
Not bullshitting when I say this song is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
Nelsonh86 A
You are a special woman to admit to that, i 100 percent agree.
Carlos Enobi
Yes, u have good taste like all here lol
Dan Wiley
Same! I come back to it whenever I have drinks lol. It makes me feel stronger.
Bianca Rye
NollyRS thanks for reminding me of this song and comment I made. It’s been a while :).
Nolly
Bianca Rye we know you are not bullshitting because you are objectively correct
Navindren Chetty
Looking back, I never actually realised how beautiful of a song this was. I cannot even begin to describe how much this song means to me. This may very well be my favourite song of all time. You heard me right. In my eyes, this song is second to none.
Jay Boodroo
Neo_Alt I agree.. every time I listen to it I get a rush of emotions that take me back to when this was released. I’m still listening in 2019 and will continue to till my last moments
Fator Medo ✓
This is a good example of a really genious song. It has only two sentences:
The birds remind me of what we made.
The birds remind me of what remains.
These two sentences plus the melody pull us to reflection, and then we bethink of what we made, and what remains. This process of rumination goes along with the song playing. It's a journey through the valleys of our own existence.
Thank you Charles and Joshua.
Jarryd Beats
I always heard it as “The birds remind me of what we made. The burns remind me of what remains.”