Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt (they use the national anthem of the Soviet Union as an introduction at many concerts) and to the atmosphere associated with the month of December, the Decemberists write songs that range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads. They often employ instruments like the accordion, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer organ, and upright bass. In their lyrics, they eschew the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach, as evidenced in songs such as "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" from the 5 Songs EP and "The Mariner's Revenge Song" on Picaresque. Their songs convey tales ranging from whimsical ("Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect") to epic ("The Tain") to truly dark ("Odalisque"). They often invoke historical events and themes from around the world. Early in their career, The Decemberists' musical and lyrical aesthetics frequently prompted critics to compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel. Since their debut, their sound has undergone a consistent evolution, most notably in the direction of progressive rock with a strong folk influence, though they have also been described as indie rock and, by Stephen Colbert, as "hyper-literate prog rock." For example, one song, "When the War Came", uses a little-known story from the Siege of Leningrad to describe the heroism of civilian scientists during warfare. The lyrics state: "We made our oath to Vavilov / We'd not betray the solanum / The acres of asteraceae / To our own pangs of starvation". Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov was a Russian botanist whose laboratory, a seedbank containing 200,000 types of plant seeds, many of them edible, was preserved throughout the siege, during which hundreds of thousands of people died.
In March 2005, the Decemberists were reportedly the first band to distribute a music video via BitTorrent -- the self-produced "16 Military Wives" (from Picaresque). That same month, the band's equipment trailer was stolen; fans contributed to a replacement fund, and another fund-raiser was organized via an eBay auction, with buyers bidding for copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original art work by Carson Ellis. They also received help from Lee Kruger, The Shins, The Dandy Warhols and other musicians. The Martin Guitar Company offered six- and twelve-string guitars on permanent loan. In early April, police discovered the trailer in Clackamas, Oregon, and a fair amount of the band's merchandise, but the instruments and equipment were not recovered.
On 12 December 2005, Meloy revealed to Pitchfork Media that they had signed to Capitol Records, and planned to begin recording their major label debut with producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, of Death Cab for Cutie fame, in April 2006. The Decemberists' first album on Capitol, and their first major label debut, The Crane Wife, was released on 3 October 2006. The release was accompanied by an appearance the same day on the world-wide syndicated TV talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien when the track "O Valencia!" was performed. The Decemberists began their tour in support of The Crane Wife, with The Rout of the Patagons Tour, on 17 October 2006, at Portland, Oregon's Crystal Ballroom. Their opening act was Lavender Diamond. Later on in the tour, Alasdair Roberts opened for the band.
In July 2007 the Decemberists set out on a five-date tour with a full orchestral accompaniment. On 7 July, the tour put the group on the stage of the historic Hollywood Bowl for the first time in their career, and they were joined by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. On 15 July the group performed with The Mann Festival Orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They then played a free concert in Chicago, Ilinois, at the recently developed Millennium Park with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. In September 2007 they also played at Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
In October 2007, they began The Long and Short of It Tour. However, having completed the European portion of the tour and immediately after playing the Chicago dates, the rest of the tour was canceled due to illness.
On 24 March 2009, the band released The Hazards of Love, their fifth album. The album's first single, "The Rake's Song", was made available for free on the band's website. The album featured guest appearances from My Brightest Diamond, Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond, Robyn Hitchcock and Jim James. The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200.
On 11 January 2011, the band released their sixth album The King is Dead. The band released the first single "Down by the Water" for free on their website. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States and is the highest charting album in the band's career. The second single, "This Is Why We Fight" was released on January 25, 2011.
There is another band with the same name:
(2). The Decemberists formed in Liverpool in 1984 when Andy Ford and Tom Gent from Swim Naked hooked up with Colin Pennington, who had just left The Tunnel Users. They played their first show at The Cavern in 1985 and then played extensively in their home city. After recording demo tapes which attracted attention from BBC Radio 1's John Peel and Rough Trade Records, they secured a residency at University Of London Union (ULU). Their first release was James Is (Still The Same) on the Discreet Campaigns compilation cassette tape alongside New Order and Cocteau Twins. After the appearance of Gift Horse on the Ways To Wear Coats compilation LP in 1987, the band changed their name to Hellfire Sermons.
James Is (Still The Same) was included on The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 6 in 2009. They are listed as ‘The Decemberists Of Liverpool 1985-87’ on this album to make a distinction from the famous 21st century group of the same name.
Part I
The Decemberists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
[crone:] here upon this pillow
Made of reed and willow
You're a fickle little twister
Are you sweet on your sister?
Your fallow won't leave you alone.
Possesions laid to measure
She's a salty little pisser
With your cock in her kisser
But now she's a will of her own.
[PART II]
[husband:] damn your ankles and eyes wide
From you fingernails to your ponytails too.
King of the insects and the m-5
Over charlemagne in a motorcade too.
And baby needs a new prize
Baby needs a new and shiny prize.
[captain:] in this place called heavenly
You were born here.
This place called heavenly
You were born here.
You were born here.
[husband:] and now all the marchers descend from high
I will dedicate all of my awakenings to this.
And damn all the angles that opress my sight
I will bleed your heart through a samovar soon.
[captain:] in this place called heavenly
You were born here.
This place called heavenly
You were born here.
You were born here.
[PART III]
[soldier:] they settled dust in your hair
To watch you shake and shout it out.
With our armaments bared
We shed our bags and travel alls.
From the lee of the wall
He comes in the chang and the chariot
And all his eunuchs in thrall
Can scarce lift his line and lariat.
Here com loose his hounds
To blow me down.
[chorus of waifs:] blow me down.
[soldier:] on this stretch of ground
I'll lay me down.
[chorus of waifs:] lay me down.
[soldier:] to sleep.
[chaplain:] and now stricken with pangs
That tear at our backs like thistle down
The mirror's soft silver tain
Reflects our last and birthing hour
[soldier:] here com loose his hounds
To blow me down.
[chorus of waifs:] blow me down.
[soldier:] on this stretch of ground
I'll lay me down.
[chorus of waifs:] lay me down.
[soldier:] to sleep.
[PART IV]
[evening]
[widow:] o the wind is blowing, it hurts your skin
As you climb up hillside, forest and fen.
Your arms full of lullabies, orchids and wine
Your memories wrapped within paper and twine.
The room that you lie in is dusty and hard
Sleeping soft babies on piles of yards
Of gingham, taffeta, cotton and silk
Your dry hungry mouths cry for your mother's milk.
When the dawn commes to greet you, you'll rise with clothes on
And advance with the others, singing old songs
Of cattle and maidens and withered old queens.
Let the music carry you on.
The room that you lie in is dusty and hard
Sleeping soft babies on piles of yards
Of gingham, taffeta, cotton and silk
Your dry hungry mouths cry for your mother's milk.
[PART V]
[woman:] darling dear what have you done?
Your clothes are town, your make-up runs.
[daughter:] I ran through brambles, blooming thistle
I washed my face in the river when you whistled me on.
[woman:] darling dear, what hav eyou done?
Your hands and face are smeared with blood.
[daughter:] the chaplain came and called me out
To beat and to butcher his mother's sow
[woman:] but darling dear, they found him dead
This morning on the riverbed.
But hush now darling, don't you cry.
Your reward's in the sweet by-and -by.
Hush now baby, don't you cry.
Your reward's in the sweet by-and-by.
[crone:] and now we've seen your powers
Softly stretch the hours
You're a fickle little twister
Are you sweet on your sister?
As now you go wandering home.
The Tain is a multi-part epic from The Decemberists, a progressive folk-rock band formed in Portland, Oregon. The song is divided into five parts and each part delivers a unique story. In Part I, a crone sings about a "fickle little twister" whom she accuses of being in love with his own sister. She taunts him by telling him that his "fallow won't leave him alone," and that his lover is now a "will of her own." Part II is about a husband who is angry with his wife and the insects surrounding her. He is also upset with the motorcade of Charlemagne and sings that "baby needs a new prize." The captain sings about the birthplace of the husband and the heavenly place he comes from in Part II.
Part III interweaves several voices, including that of a soldier, a chorus of waifs, and a chaplain. The soldier talks about being in battle and laying down to rest. The chorus of waifs chants "blow me down" and "lay me down" while the chaplain describes how he feels "stricken with pangs that tear at our backs like thistle down." In Part IV, a widow sings about the wind and how it hurts as you climb up the hillside. She talks about "sleeping soft babies on piles of yards" and the hunger they feel. Part V concludes the song with a woman asking her daughter about her bloody hands and the daughter describing how she had to beat and butcher a mother's sow. Despite this, the mother tells the daughter that her reward is in the sweet by-and-by.
Line by Line Meaning
[crone:] here upon this pillow
The crone is observing the singer, who is lying on a makeshift pillow made of reeds and willow, and is unpredictable and fickle.
Made of reed and willow
The pillow is made of flexible, natural materials like reeds and willows.
You're a fickle little twister
The singer is capricious and hard to predict.
Are you sweet on your sister?
The crone questions whether the artist has an inappropriate attraction to their sibling.
Your fallow won't leave you alone.
The artist's unplowed field is a metaphor for their unresolved emotions or loneliness.
And granted for their pleasure
Someone is enjoying their possessions to the fullest.
Possessions laid to measure
Possessions that are carefully selected and acquired.
She's a salty little pisser
The woman in question is described as crude, lewd, and possibly angry.
With your cock in her kisser
The woman is performing oral sex on the artist.
But now she's a will of her own.
The woman is now independent and has the ability to make her own decisions.
[husband:] damn your ankles and eyes wide
The husband is cursing the woman's ankles and expressive eyes.
From you fingernails to your ponytails too.
The husband is criticizing the woman's physical appearance from head to toe, including small details like her nails and hair.
King of the insects and the m-5
The husband sees himself as a dominant figure in his domain, even above royalty or people with military power.
Over charlemagne in a motorcade too.
The husband views himself as superior to even historical figures like Charlemagne who traveled in grand processions.
And baby needs a new prize
The husband desires something new and shiny that he sees as a reward.
Baby needs a new and shiny prize.
Repeating the same message as before with slightly different wording.
[captain:] in this place called heavenly
The captain is describing a location that is heavenly in nature.
You were born here.
The captain is claiming that the singer was born in the aforementioned heavenly place.
And now all the marchers descend from high
There is a group of people descending from a high place in a marching formation.
I will dedicate all of my awakenings to this.
The artist is vowing to devote all of their energy and attention to a particular cause or quest.
And damn all the angles that opress my sight
The artist is frustrated by obstacles that are blocking their vision or progress.
I will bleed your heart through a samovar soon.
The artist is threatening someone, using the violent and gruesome metaphor of a samovar to extract blood.
[soldier:] they settled dust in your hair
The soldier observes that someone has dust in their hair that has settled there.
To watch you shake and shout it out.
It seems like someone is being watched while they shake and shout in some kind of performance.
With our armaments bared
The soldiers have their weapons raised and visible, ready for combat.
We shed our bags and travel alls.
The soldiers abandon their bags and other possessions as they prepare for battle.
From the lee of the wall
The singer is hiding behind a wall for protection.
He comes in the chang and the chariot
An important person arrives in a vehicle called the chang.
And all his eunuchs in thrall
The important person has a group of eunuchs who are under his control and obedient.
Can scarce lift his line and lariat.
The eunuchs have trouble lifting the important person's equipment, which is likely ornate and heavy.
Here com loose his hounds
The important person releases his hunting dogs.
To blow me down.
The dogs are chasing after the artist, threatening to knock them down.
[chorus of waifs:] blow me down.
The chorus repeats this line as a refrain.
[soldier:] on this stretch of ground
The artist is lying down on a particular patch of land.
I'll lay me down.
The singer is intentionally resting or lying down.
[chorus of waifs:] lay me down.
The chorus repeats this line as a refrain.
[soldier:] to sleep.
The singer falls asleep or is about to.
[chaplain:] and now stricken with pangs
The chaplain is experiencing sharp pains.
That tear at our backs like thistle down
The pains are so intense they feel as if they are ripping through one's body.
The mirror's soft silver tain
The chaplain is looking at their reflection in a mirror, which has a silver tint.
Reflects our last and birthing hour
The mirror reveals a vision of the chaplain's birth or death.
[woman:] darling dear what have you done?
The woman is asking a question and addressing the person she is talking to as 'darling dear.'
Your clothes are town, your make-up runs.
The person addressed by the woman has their clothes torn and their makeup is smudged.
[daughter:] I ran through brambles, blooming thistle
The daughter is describing how she ran through an area with lots of prickly plants.
I washed my face in the river when you whistled me on.
She washed her face in a nearby river when she was called or signaled.
[woman:] darling dear, what hav eyou done?
Repeating the same question as before.
Your hands and face are smeared with blood.
The person addressed by the woman has blood on their hands and face.
[daughter:] the chaplain came and called me out
The daughter was summoned by the chaplain.
To beat and to butcher his mother's sow
The chaplain asked the daughter to beat and kill his mother's sow.
[woman:] but darling dear, they found him dead
The woman is informing the person that someone has died.
This morning on the riverbed.
The person was found dead near the river earlier that morning.
But hush now darling, don't you cry.
The woman is comforting the person she is speaking to.
Your reward's in the sweet by-and -by.
The woman reassures the person that their efforts will be rewarded.
[crone:] and now we've seen your powers
The crone is commenting that the person she observed earlier has exhibited some kind of power.
Softly stretch the hours
The hours slowly pass by.
As now you go wandering home.
The crone is bidding farewell to the wanderer.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: COLIN MELOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind