They released the (together) EP shortly after Burst Apart which contained 8 remixes and covers with several collaberating artists.
In 2012 the Undersea EP was released containing 4 new songs.
On March 31th 2014 the band announced the 5th studio album called "Familiars". It was released on June 17th 2014 receiving critical acclaim worldwide.
Peter Silberman - vocals, guitar
Michael Lerner - drums, percussion
Darby Cicci - keyboards, trumpet, bowed banjo
Additional members
Justin Stivers – bass guitar on Hospice
Timothy Mislock - bass guitar, guitar (touring)
Discography:
Uprooted (2006)
In the Attic of the Universe (2007)
Cold War (EP) (2008)
New York Hospitals (EP) (2008)
Hospice (2009)
Burst Apart (2011)
(together) (EP) (2011)
Undersea (EP) (2012)
Familiars (2014)
Green to Gold (2021)
Kettering
The Antlers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In that first minute we met
The unpayable debt that I owed you
'Cause you'd been abused
By the bone that refused you
And you hired me To make up for that
When you had tubes in your arms
Those singing morphine alarms
Out of tune
They had you sleeping and eating
And I didn't believe them
When they called you a hurricane thunderclap
When I was checking vitals
I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while
You were freezing
You said you hated my tone
It made you feel so alone
So you told me
I ought to be leaving
But something kept me standing
By that hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
I took care of you
You made me sleep and uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there Was no saving you
The Antlers’ song “Kettering” is a heartbreaking ode to loss, guilt, and the pain of watching someone you love suffer. The song takes us through a haunting journey of the singer’s experience caring for someone in the hospital, likely a loved one who is dying. The opening lines, “I wish that I had known, in that first minute we met, the unpayable debt that I owed you,” sets the tone for the guilt that the singer carries throughout the song. They feel they owe something to the person they’re taking care of, a debt they can never repay.
The person they’re caring for has been through some kind of trauma, metaphorically referred to as being “abused by the bone that refused you.” Despite this, they still hired the singer to take care of them, revealing the trust and bond between the two. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the hospital room, with the unsettling image of “singing morphine alarms out of tune.”
As the singer takes care of this person, they battle their own guilt and doubt. At one point, the person they’re caring for tells them to leave, saying they hate their tone. The singer feels alone and helpless, but something keeps them by the person’s side.
The song ends with the heart-wrenching realization that the person they tried so hard to save is gone, and they couldn’t save them despite all their efforts. The lyrics “you made me sleep and uneven, and I didn’t believe them when they told me that there was no saving you,” reveal the singer’s denial and grief. The song is a raw and poignant exploration of the complicated emotions that come with caring for someone who is dying.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish that I had known
Regretting not realizing the extent of the debt owed upon meeting.
In that first minute we met
Reflecting on the initial meeting when the thought of indebtedness did not occur.
The unpayable debt that I owed you
The overwhelming responsibility taken on to repay the person's past abuse.
'Cause you'd been abused
Recognizing the person's past of mistreatment.
By the bone that refused you
Identifying the source of the mistreatment as a result of a flaw in their upbringing or environment.
And you hired me To make up for that
Choosing to take responsibility for the past abuse and making amends as a caregiver.
Walking in that room
Recalling the entrance into the hospital room of the person in need of care.
When you had tubes in your arms
Describing the patient's medical situation and dependency on medical equipment.
Those singing morphine alarms
Describing the chaotic and unsettling sounds of the medical equipment.
Out of tune
A metaphorical descriptor of the confusion and discomfort in the hospital room.
They had you sleeping and eating
Describing the level of care required for the patient's recovery.
And I didn't believe them
Expressing disbelief in the negative prognosis of the illness.
When they called you a hurricane thunderclap
Describing the strength and devastation of the patient's illness or condition.
When I was checking vitals
Reflecting on moments of caretaking responsibilities.
I suggested a smile
Encouraging happiness and positivity within the patient.
You didn't talk for a while
Describing the patient's reluctance to communicate and socialize.
You were freezing
Describing the physical discomfort of the patient's medical condition or treatment.
You said you hated my tone
Describing the negative response to attempts at cheerfulness or positivity.
It made you feel so alone
Expressing the emotional toll that the patient was experiencing.
So you told me
Communicating the desire to cease contact with the caregiver.
I ought to be leaving
Issuing a request to the caregiver to leave them alone.
But something kept me standing
The internal conflict of not wanting to leave the patient.
By that hospital bed
Staying by the patient's side in the hospital room.
I should have quit but instead
Reflecting on the choice to persist in taking care of the patient despite difficulties.
I took care of you
The dedication to providing care for the patient despite any difficulties or discomfort.
You made me sleep and uneven
Describing the exhaustion and disturbance caused by the patient's condition on the caregiver.
And I didn't believe them
Continuing disbelief in the bleak predictions of the patient's condition.
When they told me that there Was no saving you
Receiving and processing the news of the patient's inevitable decline and passing.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Peter Joseph Silberman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Nawar Harou
Lyrics
I wish that I had known in that first minute we met
The unpayable debt that I owed you
Because you'd been abused by the bone that refused you
And you hired me to make up for that
Walking in that room when you had tubes in your arms
Those singing morphine alarms out of tune kept you sleeping and even
And I didn't believe them when they called you a hurricane thunderclap
When I was checking vitals I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while, you were freezing
You said you hated my tone, it made you feel so alone
And so you told me I ought to be leaving
But something kept me standing by that hospital bed
I should have quit, but instead I took care of you
You made me sleep and uneven
And I didn't believe them when they told me that there was no saving you
Tenda Tea
When I was 10, my mother lost the use of her kidneys and was put on peritoneal dialysis.
I did everything I could to help her, and as I got older it only became more obvious that things where not going to get better.
By the time I was 22, she was blind and immobile; but I always talked to her about everything. Even the smallest, dumbest things, just so I could see her reaction, or maybe crack a smile.
But when she died, I couldn't even bring myself to cry at her funeral. I told my family that I wanted to honor her memory by being strong, but honestly, I was just tired of crying.
A few years later, I saw this song on my YouTube suggestions.
It fucking broke me.
So many feelings I couldn't express either to my family or myself was suddenly thrown in my face.
I didn't realize how much I needed the rain
This is the only song from this band on my play list, but it will always hold a special place for me.
God bless you "The Antlers", you guys helped me more than anyone outside this comment section will ever know
juanjo
I wish that I had known in
That first minute we met
The unpayable debt
That I owed you
Because you'd been abused
By the bone that refused you
And you hired me
To make up for that
Walking in that room
when you had tubes in your arms,
those singing morphine alarms
out of tune
They had you sleeping and eating
And I didn't believe them
When they called you
A hurricane thundercloud
When I was checking vitals
I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while
You were freezing
You said you hated my tone
It made you feel so alone
So you told me
I had to be leaving
But something kept me standing
By that hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
I took care of you
You made me sleep all uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there
Was no saving you
shin dog
Two years ago, I watched my grandfather lose his battle to cancer.
The image of him laying in the hospice room will forever be engraved into my mind. The man that once had a fire that burned in him brighter than the one around him lost.
His wife- my grandmother died of a broken heart. She had cancer as well, and she died like a carbon copy of him. I grew to know the DMC very well.
Watching my grandparents die, take their last breath was traumatizing as a young child. But I believe it also shaped me into who I am today.
This song will always mean so many things to me. Of course that hospice room on the fifth floor is the most important one but so many other things in my life are represented by this song.
Thanks to the one who broke my heart for showing me this song, it’s one of the few good things you gave me.
Dzastater
Kettering
The Antlers
I wish that I had known in
That first minute we met
The unpayable debt
That I owed you
Because you'd been abused
By the bone that refused you
And you hired me
To make up for that
Walking in that room
when you had tubes in your arms,
those singing morphine alarms
out of tune
They had you sleeping and eating
And I didn't believe them
When they called you
A hurricane thundercloud
When I was checking vitals
I suggested a smile
You didn't talk for a while
You were freezing
You said you hated my tone
It made you feel so alone
So you told me
I had to be leaving
But something kept me standing
By that hospital bed
I should have quit but instead
I took care of you
You made me sleep all uneven
And I didn't believe them
When they told me that there
Was no saving you
Susan C
I had cancer since i was 16 i met a boy my senior year...he was the sweetest i begged him to leave and not love me. At the time i refused chemo i just felt life was done with me and there was no point in stopping it since it kept coming back after every surgery. He and i fell in love and i threw myself into getting chemo because he made the world seem a bit brighter. He'd stay in the hospital every round i had and was there when I'd come home. Loved me when my hair was falling. Loved me and stayed in my hardest moments where even my own family couldnt stay. I am in remission and he is still by my side.:)
Mikhail259
It is so rare right now, i wish good luck both of you l.:)
Stephen Schafer
That is amazing and I wish the best for you both 🙂
Love Baghdad
i hope you never lose each other
Marc
That was a beautiful read. Thanks for sharing your story.
Jaime De Carlos
Hope u never lose each other.
Dead is beautifull, Dont be afraid
JoJane
It reminds me of my dog. When I found her on the street, she was so small. We came a long way together, ever since. She was so sick she kept hiding in the bushes of my yard, expecting to disappear. I was crawling over there to take her out. She was the only thing I had at that time. I was living like a zombie praying for her to live, and she did. She survived everything and we're together since 6 years now here, on this funny planet ❤️
Freya Mikaelson
Sometimes you want to dance to music, sometimes you want to listen to the lyrics and think about the meaning, but right now, I just want to feel the music. Feel all the emotions and pain. The bazar beauty.
arun p
True
gengisld
I completely agree with you!