Williams and White met in 2008, during a song-writing session or "writing camp" at a music studio in Nashville, Tennessee. According to Williams, the idea for the band's name came as she "was driving around town looking at all the Civil War monuments." Their first recording was of a 2009 performance at Eddie's Attic in Georgia which they released as a free Internet download called Live at Eddie's Attic. Later that year, they released a digital extended-play album, called Poison & Wine, produced by Charlie Peacock, and the title song appeared on the TV show Grey's Anatomy.
In 2011, The Civil Wars released the album Barton Hollow; which reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 54 on the UK Albums Chart and received Grammy nominations in the Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance categories. The album was included on several critics' Best Albums of 2011 lists, including NPR Music, Paste, Time, Associated Press, AllMusic.com The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today. They released the singles "Tracks in the Snow" and "Safe & Sound".
In 2012, The Civil Wars partnered with T-Bone Burnett on the film score for the documentary A Place At The Table (previously known as Finding North) and collaborated on the song "Lily Love" with The Chieftains. They released a 7" vinyl album with cover versions of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Portishead's "Sour Times" in April. The duo was featured in American Way magazine, USA Today, on the cover of Billboard, and released a photo book called To Whom It May Concern.
In November 2012, the duo went on hiatus, citing "internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition". In August 2014, The Civil Wars announced an official break-up through press release.
Marionette
The Civil Wars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You are the one who spit them right out
Oh, you better wait with me
You pulled a string to my heart
Don’t know where you start
Don’t know where I start
Oh, you cast a spell on me
Dance, marionette
Dance, dance, dance
Won’t you dance for me
You had me fooled for a while
You were the one that painted that smile
Now it’s beginning to fade
Oh, just keep pulling me
Oh, you are the one who follows my lead
So, all the music plays
Oh, dance, dance, dance
Dance, marionette
Dance, dance, dance
Won't you dance with me
In The Civil Wars' song Marionette, the lyrics explore a metaphorical relationship in which the singer feels manipulated and controlled like a puppet on strings. The opening lines "you put the words in my mouth, you were the one who spit them right out" suggest that the singer's words and actions are being dictated by another person, and that they may not even be aware of it. The following line "oh, you better wait with me" further reinforces this notion of being trapped and at the mercy of someone else's will. The repeated phrase "you pulled a string to my heart" conveys a sense of vulnerability and powerlessness, and the singer reveals that they don't even know where they begin or where the other person ends. The final line "oh, you cast a spell on me" further emphasizes the idea that the singer has been enchanted and is under the spell of the other person.
The chorus consists of a simple yet powerful call to dance, to move to the whims of the other person as a puppet would dance on strings. The repetition of the phrase "dance, dance, dance" is both hypnotic and unsettling, with the singer pleading for the other person to dance with them despite feeling used and manipulated. The phrase "won't you dance for me" is particularly striking, as it shows a reversal of the power dynamic in which the singer is now seeking the validation and attention of the other person, even though they have been hurt and deceived by them.
Overall, the lyrics of Marionette paint a vivid picture of emotional manipulation and the need for control in relationships, with the metaphor of the puppet and puppeteer conveying a sense of desperation and powerlessness. The haunting melody and harmonization of The Civil Wars add to the haunting atmosphere of the song, making the overall effect poetic and touching.
Line by Line Meaning
You put the words in my mouth
You influenced and controlled what I said
You are the one who spit them right out
You made sure that what I said was exactly what you wanted
Oh, you better wait with me
You want to maintain your control over me and keep me under your influence
You pulled a string to my heart
You manipulated my emotions to get me to do what you wanted
Don’t know where you start
I am not sure where your control over me begins
Don’t know where I start
I have lost myself and my sense of autonomy in this relationship
Oh, you cast a spell on me
You have enchanted me and I cannot resist your influence
Dance, dance, dance
Continue to do what I want and follow my lead
Dance, marionette
Dance with your strings pulled by me, like a marionette
Won’t you dance for me
Please continue to do what I want and be under my control
You had me fooled for a while
You deceived and misled me for some time
You were the one that painted that smile
You made me believe that everything was going well
Now it’s beginning to fade
I am starting to see the reality of the situation, and it is not what I thought
Oh, just keep pulling me
Please do not stop controlling me and manipulating my actions
Oh, you are the one who follows my lead
I am the one in control, and you do what I want
So, all the music plays
Everything I say and do is what guides our actions and decisions
Won’t you dance with me
Please continue to follow my lead and be under my control
Contributed by Dylan D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Olivia G. C.
I wish there was a copy of this out there, on a cd, available on spotify, something!! I wish I could carry it with me everywhere.
The Bookworm
Amazing!
Katy Crawford
where did you find this?
Dark Chocolate
It's a bonus track on the European version of the Barton Hollow album.
Leah Christine
I was wondering the same thing!!