While touring in support of their full-length album Albatross, the band created the Acoustic EP: Seattle Sessions, which was simply a compilation of songs they created while on the road.
Their next album, 'The Silver Cord', was released on July 22, 2008. With the album being based on the realities of life and death, it signals a move into an alternative genre for TCC. Exactly 5805 copies of 'The Silver Cord' were sold in the first week. 5805 is a significant number because it is a song title on the album and it is the address of the house where the band formed and began to break out.
In 2010, 'Vagabonds' was released.
City of Orphans
The Classic Crime Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
In a 300 square foot studio above a coffee shop near the Broadway Grill
And every night she walks the block to trade in her time for cheap thrills
And everyone she meets is cool, but just out of reach and it kills
She used to spend her nights by firelight and singing to the stars
Now she’s ours
Kevin left from Denver where the air is clear and people are nice
For now he felt like he belonged to those who understood him
But he sold his soul to fight right in and he watched his friends desert him
He used to spend his nights by candlelight and drinking wine to vinyl
Now he’s ours
It’s a city of orphans
Who had nowhere to go
So they cashed in their dreams
Headed northwest to the sea and they called it their home
But most don’t belong here
We’re all running away
And we’ll drain you dry of all semblance of life
We don’t give we just take, take, take
But this city has no Bible
There’s no meaning you can use
We’re all desperately searching for truth
We’re a city of orphans
Who had no place to go
So we cashed in our dreams, filled our glasses with Beam
And our bodies with smoke
And we spend every weeknight
Trading pints at the Streamline
And we talk about truth and we talk about love but we wake up to lies, lies, lies
It’s a city of orphans
Where did our fathers go
We stumble around in the bad part of town at the end of our rope
But there are no answers
On the tables of oak
If God could just hear us
We think that He’s near, but He left long ago
We’re a city of orphans
What do we do to ourselves?
We take all the good and the heaven around us and turn it to hell
We take all the good and the heaven around us and turn it to hell
We take all the good and the heaven around us and turn it to hell
Jenny left from Idaho and made her home in Capitol Hill
The song City of Orphans by The Classic Crime tells the story of two individuals, Jenny and Kevin, who left their home states to start anew in Seattle. Jenny left Idaho to live in a small studio above a coffee shop in Capitol Hill. Every night she walks the block, looking for connections but finding only temporary cheap thrills. Kevin left Denver for Seattle, seeking to belong and be understood. However, he quickly realized that he had to sacrifice his identity to fit in, and lost friends along the way. Both characters feel like orphans in a city that promises a new beginning but fails to provide a sense of belonging.
The song paints a picture of Seattle as a city of orphans, where people come to escape their pasts and reinvent themselves. However, the city can also be a place of disillusionment and disappointment, where people feel disconnected and lost. The lyrics suggest that people in the city are searching for meaning and truth, but cannot find it among the smoke and mirrors of the nightlife. Despite this, there is still a glimmer of hope that people will find what they're looking for, even if it means leaving the city behind.
Overall, City of Orphans is a poignant commentary on the human experience of searching for belonging and meaning in a city that promises both but often fails to deliver. The lyrics offer a powerful reminder that while some may feel lost in the city, there is still hope for a better tomorrow.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Doe
The first time i heard this... I restarted the song 5 times before I finished it. Truly amazing, glad to see you're still touring!! Long live the classic crime. Fan since 2006 and counting
musiclovernettab
Love to listen to this when I'm sad....like now..so beautiful and deep. Goes down to my soul. Keep it up TCC.
XXwhatisoxygenXX
This song gives me so much nostalgia. I remember when I was younger and my father would play this in the car and I would sing along to it as we did errands.
Renuel Booyens
So so underrated , this is What music is about, should speak to you , music should give you goosebumps.
B. de Lezo 1704-41
Después de escuchar a este grupo creo que esta canción es una de las mejores que he escuchado mi vida y tengo 67 años. Es perfecta musicalmente hablando, la melodía es de una belleza que te tira de espaldas y la vos del solista es algo como de otro planeta, hace con la voz verdaderas maravillas, una de las mejores voces que he escuchado nunca. Gracias por regalarnos esta joya para nuestros oídos y nuestra alma. Manuel. 🇪🇦❤🇪🇦
Dr. glooer
Aside from Seattle pride, this song is recognizing that a city without God is a city of orphans.
Maria Denney
love this song!
Caleb Martin
Why would anyone need to dislike it?
badassplayer100
I love this song!!!! To much put it on iTunes or somewhere is awesome!
ClueyHD
Incredible song!