1) The Choir were a ro… Read Full Bio ↴There have been two bands known as The Choir:
1) The Choir were a rock band in the mid-1960s from Cleveland Ohio, best known for the oft-covered song "It's Cold Outside". With the addition of singer Eric Carmen, they became The Raspberries in 1970. The band consisted of Dann Klawon on rhythm guitar, Dave Smalley on vocals & rhythm guitar, Wally Bryson on vocals, lead guitar, & bass, and Jim Bonfanti on vocals & drums.
2) The Choir (originally The Youth Choir) is an atmospheric alternative Christian rock band, led by Derri Daugherty on guitar and vocals, Steve Hindalong on drums -- who also writes most of the band's lyrics -- and Dan Michaels on lyricon, electric flute and saxophone. Originally formed in Southern California in the early 1980s, the band members moved to the Nashville, Tennessee area in the 1990s. Past members include guitarist Marc Byrd and bass guitarists Michael Sauerbrey, Robin Spurs, Bill Batstone, and the late Tim Chandler.
Each band member also has a depth of musical history outside of The Choir. Hindalong produced four successful City On A Hill albums, writing the well-known song "God of Wonders" with Marc Byrd. Daugherty has been a member of the Christian-alterna-pop-supergroup The Lost Dogs since it started in 1991, and Hindalong joined the group in 2006. Chandler was the bass player for years for Daniel Amos and that band's alter egos The Swirling Eddies, and passed away in 2018. Byrd was a member of Common Children, recorded with his wife Christine Glass as Glassbyrd, and is currently half of the post-rock duo Hammock. Michaels has been a Senior Vice President of Fair Trade Services (formerly INO Records) since 2000.
Yellow Skies
The Choir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm your one way tumblin' ride
Through yellow skies
I'm your sunshine truckin' man
I'm doing everything I can
To realize the yellow skies
I wanna go with you to Heaven
I wanna float you like a feather
Were you crying in the kitchen?
Did you paint the four walls blue?
Was it something I said
Something that I did to you?
Sometimes, love is really sad
But you don't have to feel so bad all day
We can ride away
Let's go outside, open up our eyes
And exchange this cloudy room
For a yellow sky
I'm your sunshine truckin' man
I'm doing everything I can
To realize the yellow skies
Saucers in the kitchen
Flyin' like UFOs
It's a mystical experience
Mama never told me so
Sometimes love can twist your head
But you don't have to wish me dead today
Close your eyes and pray
Before you kill me, Angel, recognize
I'm your one way tumblin' ride
Through yellow skies
I'm your sunshine truckin' man
I'm doin' everything I can
To realize, to realize
Open up our eyes
To the yellow, to the yellow
The Choir's "Yellow Skies" is a song about a turbulent relationship, where the singer is begging his partner to recognize his love and to work on the relationship. He addresses his love as "honey" and "angel" throughout the song, showing his affection for her. He compares himself to a "sunshine truckin' man," meaning he is doing everything he can to bring light into their relationship, and the yellow skies serve as a symbol of hope and happiness. The saucers in the kitchen and the flying UFOs highlight the surreal nature of their relationship, which the singer says he did not expect. He admits sometimes love can be sad, but they don't have to feel bad all day if they ride away together.
The chorus of the song includes the lines "I wanna go with you to Heaven, I wanna drink you like a flower drinks rain, I wanna float you like a feather." These are romantic lines expressing the singer's desire to have a deep connection with his partner. The verse "Were you crying in the kitchen? Did you paint the four walls blue?" reveals the struggle they are going through, and the fact that they might be arguing or fighting. The line "Sometimes love can twist your head, but you don't have to wish me dead today, close your eyes and pray" portrays the singer's willingness to work through the difficulties they face, and his hope that they find peace together.
Line by Line Meaning
Before you kill me, honey, recognize
Addressing their partner, asking them to understand them before ending the relationship
I'm your one way tumblin' ride
I'm the only one you need in your life, and you can count on me
Through yellow skies
I'll be there for you through good times and bad, carrying you through life
I'm your sunshine truckin' man
I'm your source of happiness, and I'll do anything to make you happy
I'm doing everything I can
I'm putting in all the effort to make us work
To realize the yellow skies
To achieve the ideal state of happiness together
I wanna go with you to Heaven
I want to be close to you and share special moments with you
I wanna drink you like a flower drinks rain
I want to indulge in your love and affection like how a flower takes in rain
I wanna float you like a feather
I want to hold you gently and let you feel weightless and free
Were you crying in the kitchen?
Asking their partner if they were upset and crying by themselves
Did you paint the four walls blue?
Asking their partner if they're feeling low or depressed
Was it something I said
Questioning whether their partner is upset with them for something they've done
Something that I did to you?
Wondering whether their actions have resulted in their partner's unhappiness
Sometimes, love is really sad
Acknowledging that love can be difficult and painful
But you don't have to feel so bad all day
Reminding their partner that they don't have to stay sad or upset
We can ride away
Suggesting that they can escape their troubles by being together
Let's go outside, open up our eyes
Encouraging their partner to look at the bright side of things
And exchange this cloudy room
Wanting to change the current mood and atmosphere
For a yellow sky
For a happier, more ideal state
Saucers in the kitchen
Seeing objects in their surroundings in a surreal way
Flyin' like UFOs
Imagining regular things as extraordinary
It's a mystical experience
Feeling like everything is magical and mysterious
Mama never told me so
Realizing that life can be unpredictable and that they never saw this coming
Sometimes love can twist your head
Acknowledging that love can mess with your mind and emotions
But you don't have to wish me dead today
Asking their partner not to end things
Close your eyes and pray
Encouraging their partner to take a moment to themselves and reflect on the situation
Before you kill me, Angel, recognize
Addressing their partner again, but using a different term of endearment
To realize, to realize
To achieve the ideal state of happiness together
Open up our eyes
Encouraging their partner to look at the bright side of things
To the yellow, to the yellow
To a happier, more ideal state
Contributed by Kaitlyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
icewolfbc
One of my two fave tracks on this album. I'm still not sue what the lyrics really mean but I get the feeling it was born out of a relationship crisis.
jay jaguar
I don't think you 'understand' The Choir songs - you relate to them (or you don't). When I first heard this album I didn't get it. Then I got married and it all started to make sense. Gripped is a FANTASTIC love song - so is this one.
Geoffrey Benedict
Love this song.
(He's singing about trying to make his wife happy when she is anything but.)
woochin
I'm your sunshine truckin' man!
Eric Borgen
Here because of Archive 81