The Accidental are a folk band from the United Kingdom, made up of members … Read Full Bio ↴The Accidental are a folk band from the United Kingdom, made up of members of The Bicycle Thieves , Tunng and The Memory Band . The band members are Stephen Cracknell of The Memory Band, Sam Genders of Tunng, Hanna Caughlin of The Bicycle Thieves and singer-songwriter Liam Bailey. Other members of The Memory Band and harpist Serafina Steer also contribute. Their debut album, There Were Wolves, was recorded in Cracknell's London apartment with a computer and a pair of microphones, and was released by Thrill Jockey Records in April 2008.

Take the man behind The Memory Band and co-founder of Trunk Records (Stephen Cracknell), the twisted songwriter from Tunng main man (Sam Genders), one half of Fence Collective duo The Bicycle Thieves (Hannah Caughlin) and singer-songwriter Liam Bailey. Put them in front of a PC and add occasional input from guests including harpist Serafina Steer, Lisa Knapp, and various members of the Elysian Quartet and The Memory Band.The outcome is new collective The Accidental and their beguiling debut single Wolves, out through Full Time Hobby on the 31st March. This was swiftly followed by their first album There Were Wolves on the 14th April.

Kindred spirits Cracknell and Genders combined forces via a series of chance encounters and happy accidents that inspired the band’s name. The first came at the Green Man festival, where the pair first met and made plans to send CDs back and forth in the post.

Hannah joined the fold via another happy accident, when Domino artist Adem introduced her to Cracknell as a potential housemate. She didn’t move in, but she did end up in the band. An old friend of Sam’s, Liam joined after turning in an impromptu performance at a joint Tunng/Memory Band gig.

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Knock Knock
The Accidental Lyrics

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Knock, knock, knock in the half light

If you knock, knock, knock
And if you knock, knock, knock
And if you call me I'll be free
And if you ring for me

The fox in the attic has swallowed the moon

And every red doorway is bending to blue
The lights on the stereo gather 'round you
In the half light

You broke both my legs and you asked me to stay
And all of the enemies trickled away

The lights on the stereo faded to grey
In the half light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Accidental's song Knock Knock seem to be a call for someone to reach out to the singer. The repeated lines "knock, knock, knock" and "if you call me I'll be free" suggest that the singer is waiting for someone to come to them, and that they will be ready and willing to answer the call. The metaphor of the fox in the attic swallowing the moon and the red doorways bending to blue create a dreamlike atmosphere, as if the singer is in a liminal space between reality and imagination. The image of the lights on the stereo gathering around the listener adds to this sense of otherworldliness.

The second stanza takes a darker turn, with the lines "you broke both my legs and you asked me to stay" suggesting a sense of entrapment or abuse. However, the following line "and all of the enemies trickled away" provides a glimmer of hope, as if the singer is able to break free of their oppressors. The final line "the lights on the stereo faded to grey in the half light" reinforces the sense of ambiguity and uncertainty that pervades the song.

Overall, Knock Knock is a haunting and enigmatic song that invites interpretation and reflection. The use of metaphor and dreamlike imagery suggest that the song is about something deeper than just a literal call for someone to come over. Instead, it seems to be a meditation on the human condition and the state of being caught between the real and the imaginary.

Line by Line Meaning

Knock, knock, knock in the half light
If you're outside my door, tapping on it repeatedly, I may answer in a dimly lit room

If you knock, knock, knock
If you keep knocking on my door

And if you call me I'll be free
I'll come to the door if you call me

And if you ring for me
If you ring the doorbell, I'll come to the door

The fox in the attic has swallowed the moon
The night is obscure and mystical, as if a fox has swallowed the moon and hidden it away

And every red doorway is bending to blue
The night grows darker and the atmosphere more somber, as indicated by the color shift of doors from red to blue

The lights on the stereo gather 'round you
The entertainment system creates an ambient ambiance around you

In the half light
The dim light adds to the surreal atmosphere

You broke both my legs and you asked me to stay
Despite harming me, you want me to persist in our relationship or interaction

And all of the enemies trickled away
All disagreements or hostility fade into obscurity

The lights on the stereo faded to grey
The previously overwhelming and captivating ambiance turns dull and uninteresting

In the half light
Again, the dim light adds to the surreal atmosphere

Contributed by Hunter S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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