Anchored by vivid songwriting and eclectic instrumentation, The Acorn produce an original brand of experimental, popular folk music that effortlessly marries modern and traditional forms. Inspired by the natural beauty of the Outaouais region, and with his principle projects all on hiatus, Rolf Klausener started writing under the moniker The Acorn in the summer of 2002.
Initially an excuse to teach himself home-recording, these furtive experiments quickly started eating up the majority of his free time. These early musings would eventually become The Acorn’s first full-length release, The Pink Ghosts. A mellifluous, mostly-instrumental tribute to the Ottawa region, The Pink Ghosts was by released in July 2004 on Jon Bartlett’s proudly independent community-based label, Kelp Records. By this time, The Acorn had grown to include the talents of guitarist Jeff Debutte, visual artist and guitarist Howie Tsui and drummer Jeffrey Malecki.
In the fall of 2005, they released Blankets! , a more melodically focused effort showcasing the bands emerging synthesis of experimental folk and pop. Blankets! earned the band notable praise from CBC radio, independent media, and campus radio stations across the country. Inspired by the road and the communities they discovered beyond their sleepy capital city, The Acorn made every effort to travel the country, touring independently and as often as they could. Throughout 2005, they forged ties with a new, burgeoning independent Canadian music scene which grew to include Ohbijou, We’re Marching On, Snailhouse, Elliott Brood, Montreal’s People for Audio and many more.
A genealogical quest in late 2005 would prove to be the bands most challenging and sprawling project to date. Having lost his father to cancer at the age of 16, Rolf began conducting interviews with his Honduran-born Mother, Gloria Esperanza Montoya, to help form a more complete picture of his family. These interviews, both harrowing and awe-inspiring, would push Rolf to apply for several arts grants to produce a song-cycle based on them. In the spring of 2006, The Acorn was awarded an Ontario Arts Council grant and City of Ottawa music grant to produce Glory Hope Mountain. The immensity and scope of the project triggered an insurmountable bout of writers block, forcing Rolf to spend his time poring over his recorded interviews and researching Honduran native music and culture. Taking a break from the album, the band called up Montreal friend, pianist Keiko Devaux, and booked three days at Ottawa’s legendary Little Bullhorn Prods (Kathleen Edwards, Wooden Stars, Howe Gelb, etc.) to document some older material. It might have been the nausea-inducing heat, or the clock on the wall, but the band squeezed out three new songs as well, and walked out of the studio that weekend with a new six song EP titled Tin Fist.
Tin Fist was released on Toronto’s Paper Bag Records (Woodhands, Laura Barrett, Deadly Snakes, Tokyo Police Club, etc.) in late 2006 to glowing reviews. The band followed with their first headlining tour. With the unerring expertise of Little Bullhorn’s Jarrett Bartlett and a lot of borrowed equipment, The Acorn spent the first seven months of 2007 finishing Glory Hope Mountain in a rented house in Ottawa’s Centretown.
Not quite biography nor musical folk tale, Glory Hope Mountain, harbours the triumphs, discoveries, sorrow and life-affirming adventures of a life both remarkable and happily modest. Armed with drums, gut-strings, ukuleles, marimbas and the collective’s best songwriting to date, The Acorn created a stirring musical document. Since the release of Glory Hope Mountain, The Acorn have graced the cover of Canada’s National music magazine, Exclaim, garnered innumerable rave reviews across Canada, the United States, and abroad, both online and in print, and were nominated to the 2008 Polaris Award long list.
free EPs available at the band's web site: http://theacorn.ca
http://www.myspace.com/theacorn
Restoration
The Acorn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The tidal waves that skim the surface
We'll split along the seeds, we've all been gnawing at the bone
And your last breath left us dangling from your spine
And that was fine
Yeah, your last breath left us hanging on the line
Wonder why you never lose
And the heart attack's been sleeping in your bed
But on with the restoration
I'm running on my feet, I never stumble as I'm falling
'Cause the vultures love to have you in their claws
But you proffered me my preservation
When all this time I've warned you, beast
This time it's brought me to my knees
'Cause I can't wipe my cover on my own
I'm failing overseas
My head is coming home
The lyrics of Restoration by The Acorn are laden with metaphors and imagery. It is a song about the resilience of the human spirit and the power to regenerate even in the aftermath of devastation. The first verse is about the cycle of life and death, and how everything is connected in a sort of continuum. The concentric circles refer to the ripples in a pond that signify dinner time for the predatory fish that feed on smaller fish. The tidal waves that skim the surface allude to the destructive forces of nature, but also the ability of life to push through and regenerate after such turbulence.
The second verse deals with mortality and the inevitability of death, represented by the falling hair and the impending heart attack. However, the song does not dwell on death, but rather on the possibility of restoration and regeneration. The chorus talks about the resilience of the human spirit, that even when we fall, we can get up again and continue the journey. The singer compares himself to a bird of prey being rescued from the clutches of vultures, and given a new lease on life.
The bridge is the most poignant part of the song, where the singer acknowledges the limitations of his own strength and the inevitability of defeat at some point. The use of the metaphor of war and being overseas seems to indicate that the singer may have been struggling with personal demons or a sense of alienation. However, he finds solace in the fact that he is not alone, that there are those who will offer a helping hand in times of need. Ultimately, the song is about the power of community, and the ability to regenerate and restore even when faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
Concentric circles signal dinner time
The repetition of patterns lets us know when it's time to eat
The tidal waves that skim the surface
The waves on the surface are only a small part of the larger movement happening underneath
We'll split along the seeds, we've all been gnawing at the bone
We'll divide based on the things we've been fighting over, which are really just small parts of a larger issue
And your last breath left us dangling from your spine
When you died, we were left hanging in a vulnerable position
And that was fine
But we were okay with that, because it gave us a new perspective
Yeah, your last breath left us hanging on the line
We felt suspended in that moment
Wonder why you never lose
We're curious why you always seem to come out on top
After all the hair falls from your head
Even when you've lost everything else
And the heart attack's been sleeping in your bed
And you've been living with an imminent risk of danger
But on with the restoration
Let's continue with healing and rebuilding
I'm running on my feet, I never stumble as I'm falling
I'm moving forward even when I'm making mistakes
'Cause the vultures love to have you in their claws
Other people are waiting to take advantage of your vulnerability
But you proffered me my preservation
You saved me from that danger and protected me
When all this time I've warned you, beast
I've been trying to caution you this whole time
This time it's brought me to my knees
But this situation has made me feel helpless
'Cause I can't wipe my cover on my own
I need help from others to clean up my mess
I'm failing overseas
I'm struggling in a place far from home
My head is coming home
My mind is starting to come back to a place of stability
Contributed by Scarlett D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The Acorn
Concentric circles signal dinner time
the tidal waves that skim the surface
we're split along the seams
we've all been gnawing at the bone
and your last breath left us
dangling from your spine,
and that was fine.
Yeah, your last breath left us hanging
on the line wondering why you never lose.
After all, the hair falls from your head
and a heart attack's been sleeping in your bed
but on with the restoration
I'm running on my feet
I never stumble as i'm falling
'cause the vultures love to have you in their claws
but you offered me my preservation
will all this time my fortune be?
and the stunts that brought me to my knees?
'Cause I can't wipe my collar on my own.
I'm split along the seams, my head is coming off.
Beto Trejo
It's great to see this one back in here ! Would love to find it on spotify too
Beto Trejo
@The Acorn thanks a lot ! Sadly it's not available for listening :(
The Acorn
Here you go! https://open.spotify.com/track/4Uz7fR0KeHS1GJLEUT7jzY?si=7184e48aa8fd4cd2
emotionaltrash
Muito Lindo *-*
babyanimal31
This video is SO COOL! Can't wait to see The Acorn next month :)
Navi
This song makes me inexplicably happy ^^
MzShaybutta
I heard this in the sims, and I wanted to know what the real song was, because I always love it in the sims. Does anyone have the words.... because it still sounds similish to me lol!!!
Grandmother Productions
Christ, this is so fucking good!
Carnival
LOVE IT, THANK YOU SIMS 3 FOR SHOWING ME THIS :D
redflare100
LEGIT!