Best known as founding members of the spirited and unpredictable rock trio The Slip, brothers Andrew and Brad Barr had spent most of the 90s criss-crossing North America. In the spring of 2004, the band was playing a small club in Montreal, QC when a fire broke out in the venue. They grabbed a few guitars/drums and rushed out onto the rainy street with the rest of the concert goers. As the club's mezzanine was swallowed by flames, Andrew offered his coat to one of the waitresses from the bar. One year later, Brad and Andrew Barr were living in Montreal. That waitress is now one of their managers.
In his first apartment in the new city, Brad shared an adjoining wall with Sarah Page, a classically-trained harpist from Montreal, whose melodies would seep through the cracks of the wall and into the music Brad was writing. From this nebulous relationship, a friendship developed and the brothers, with Sarah, began recording and performing around Montreal. Soon, their friend and multi-instrumentalist Andres Vial was brought in to lend his wide array of expertise to the outfit, playing keyboards, bass, vibes, percussion, and singing. In 2006 they began to call themselves The Barr Brothers.
Alta Falls
The Barr Brothers Lyrics
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beNeath, an 'aLmost cresceNt moon -
'We played /eChoes\ . with thE fireflies'.
you were aLmost, Seventeen.
on, the bright-side of a 'dReam -
bLowing kisses .to the paper'boy.
aNd the ribbons, tHat we drew .
-on Magnolia 'Avenue . was September
we weRe dabbLing iN the daRk .
- gettting lOst in /echoe\ park .
'heard
the 'elujahs ... on the radio.
at the tolliNg of a' bell -
\rays'/ of sUnlight 'moRning fell.
cLouds cast' a shadow .
-on the fields below.
*\/* ** all my words come tumbLing down-
like Violets' in your pearls or, maybe- it's just this kind'of -wrEcK.
'thAt gOes diviNg foR the pearls /tell all my' -sheeples'- and /chains'\
come-on that i'm a- weLded to tHe worLd...
was there soul,{salt?} long a-go. **
2) with my nickels in the sand, holding water in my hand.
it's apparent beneath the .(++++"+++). sweet.
you were running with balloons'.
and' .some were yellow and' some were -blue.
tapping +//////+ and you let' them go.
but \eye/ wanted- to 'convey-
that it was,. more thAn i' cAn -say.
was how' BeautifuL, that i' thought' that it was.
'you were aLmost seventeen, on tHe bright side of a 'DReam. Blowing Kisses -to the paperboy.
** aLL my words come tumbLing down-Like Violets in your pearls **
Oh, maYbe its just this kind'of man-
That goes diving for the pearL' .
teLL aLL my \shacKles'and'chains/ -'come-off'
im 'a' dEviL .to the world
aLL my Leaves come apart- and break down and it'
-happens for the birds-
maybe- its just this kind 'of -man that
goes diving -FOr the' pearl.
tell all my 'wheels and 'peeps. /come'off\ .
that im Rebel. to the world.
'* was there soul .long a-go.*'
*was there . .soul -long ago.*
The Barr Brothers' song Alta Falls is a poignant tribute to memories and love lost. The lyrics take us back to a summer night in June, beneath a crescent moon, where two young lovers played with fireflies and blew kisses to the paperboy. The imagery of ribbons on Magnolia Avenue and the tolling of a bell create an atmosphere of simplicity, innocence, and fleeting beauty. However, the poignant memories of summer love washed away with the rain, and the lovers were left dabbling in the dark, lost in Echo Park, listening to hallelujahs on the radio.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "All my words come tumbling down, like violets in your pearls," which suggests a sense of loss and regret that the memories and moments of love are fading away. The second verse introduces the image of holding water in one's hand and the fragility of things that are apparent yet slip through our fingers. The imagery of a young girl running with balloons creates a sense of playfulness and delight, which contrasts with the sorrowful tone of the chorus. The song's final repetition of the line "Was their soul long ago" creates a sense of longing for something lost and forgotten.
Overall, Alta Falls is a beautifully written song that captures the essence of fleeting memories, lost love, and the sense of nostalgia that accompanies them.
Line by Line Meaning
On The Second Day of june.
beNeath, an 'aLmost cresceNt moon -
'We played /eChoes\ . with thE fireflies'.
you were aLmost, Seventeen.
on, the bright-side of a 'dReam -
bLowing kisses .to the paper'boy.
aNd the ribbons, tHat we drew .
-on Magnolia 'Avenue . was September
'before they all washed away.
we weRe dabbLing iN the daRk .
- gettting lOst in /echoe\ park .
'heard
the 'elujahs ... on the radio.
at the tolliNg of a' bell -
\rays'/ of sUnlight 'moRning fell.
cLouds cast' a shadow .
-on the fields below.
The song begins with reminiscing about a beautiful day in June where they played with fireflies and ribbons. The singer remembers when they were almost seventeen and blowing kisses to the paperboy while they were dabbling in the darkness at Echo Park. They heard Hallelujahs on the radio and saw sunlight shining through the clouds, even as a shadow was being cast on the fields below.
*\/* ** all my words come tumbLing down-
like Violets' in your pearls or, maybe- it's just this kind'of -wrEcK.
'thAt gOes diviNg foR the pearls /tell all my' -sheeples'- and /chains'\
come-on that i'm a- weLded to tHe worLd...
was there soul,{salt?} long a-go. **
The singer is reflecting on their life, which feels like a wreck. They compare their words tumbling down to violets in someone's pearls. They talk about diving for pearls but feel stuck in their chains and shackles, feeling welded to the world. They wonder if their soul was lost long ago.
with my nickels in the sand, holding water in my hand.
it's apparent beneath the .(++++"+++"). sweet.
you were running with balloons'.
and' .some were yellow and' some were -blue.
tapping +//////+ and you let' them go.
but \eye/ wanted- to 'convey-
that it was,. more thAn i' cAn -say.
was how' BeautifuL, that i' thought' that it was.
'you were aLmost seventeen, on tHe bright side of a 'DReam. Blowing Kisses -to the paperboy.
** aLL my words come tumbLing down-Like Violets in your pearls **
Oh, maYbe its just this kind'of man-
That goes diving for the pearL' .
teLL aLL my \shacKles'and'chains/ -'come-off'
im 'a' dEviL .to the world
aLL my Leaves come apart- and break down and it'
-happens for the birds-
maybe- its just this kind 'of -man that
goes diving -FOr the' pearl.
tell all my 'wheels and 'peeps. /come'off\ .
that im Rebel. to the world.
'* was there soul .long a-go.*'
The song continues with the singer reminiscing on a past moment where they held nickels in the sand and water in their hand. They watched someone let go of balloons and wished they could express how beautiful they found the moment. They mention the same line about their words tumbling down like violets in someone's pearls, and reflect on how maybe they are the kind of person that goes diving for pearls. They long for their shackles and chains to come off and express feeling like a devil to the world. They conclude once again with wondering if their soul was lost long ago.
Writer(s): Andrew Barr, Philip Barr
Contributed by Adeline B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.