The Districts are a four-piece indie rock band from the small town of Litit… Read Full Bio ↴The Districts are a four-piece indie rock band from the small town of Lititz, Pennsylvania. The group formed in 2009 while members Rob Grote, Mark Larson, Connor Jacobus, and Braden Lawrence were all still in high school. The prolific young band released its first EP, Kitchen Songs, in 2011 followed by Telephone, its debut full-length, the following year. The Districts' second EP, the more acoustic-leaning While You Were in Honesdale, was released in late 2012 and the band continued to perform regionally. Their mix of jangly indie Americana and blues-inspired rock caught the attention of Mississippi's Fat Possum Records, which signed the Districts in 2013. In January 2014 Fat Possum issued the band's self-titled third EP, which contained three remastered songs from the Telephone album along with two newly recorded tracks. Just over a year later, the Districts returned with their second album, A Flourish and a Spoil, which marked the debut of guitarist Pat Cassidy — Larson opted to go to college — and was produced by John Congleton.

Sing the Song
The Districts Lyrics

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I heard it from Paulson, or is he me?
As he lay out in the bath stared up at the grout
Iodine hue stains dripping

Bernice is curled up, reposed, smooth and bare
Beneath sheets of floral blankets and halos of hair
As the drip drip singing, like the mockingbirds, was laughing at me

Don't just sing the song boy
Where someones tears fell quiet
Don't just sing the song boy
White romance since departed
Don't just along dear
Your bitter heart once shook with vigor, now

Pluck it from the stem when it's drunk on dew
If velvet skin is thin enough you'll see inside it too
Well I am not in season
So your flame I cannot brace
In memory it seems to me that it was all so sweet
But with throes the heart's replete

Don't just sing the song boy
Where someones tears fell quiet
Don't just sing the song boy
White romance since departed
Don't just along dear
Your bitter heart once shook with vigor, now

Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.

Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.

Overall Meaning

The Districts' song "Sing the Song" reflects on the fleeting and ephemeral nature of youth and love. The lyrics describe a scene where the singer hears a message from someone named Paulson while he's laying in the bathtub. The atmosphere is melancholic and nostalgic, with vivid images of iodine stains and floral blankets. The song implores the listener to not just sing a romantic ballad but to also acknowledge the sadness and loss that accompanies it. The chorus chants "don't just sing the song boy, white romance since departed," conveying the idea that love and passion do not last forever and that one must learn to let go.

The imagery in the lyrics is particularly evocative, with lines like "as the drip drip singing, like the mockingbirds, was laughing at me" conjuring a sense of foreboding and despair. The chorus's repetition also creates a sense of urgency and insistence, as if the singer is imploring the listener to heed their warning. The line "very few grapes can fuel a good fire" appears to be a non-sequitur or non-sequitur-like statement but, when combined with the rest of the song, could suggest that fleeting pleasures are not enough to sustain true passion or love.

Overall, "Sing the Song" is a poignant and thought-provoking meditation on love, loss, and youth.

Line by Line Meaning

I heard it from Paulson, or is he me?
Unclear sense of self, hearing voices within oneself

As he lay out in the bath stared up at the grout Iodine hue stains dripping
Imagery of someone lying in a bathtub, possibly bleeding or hurting

Bernice is curled up, reposed, smooth and bare Beneath sheets of floral blankets and halos of hair As the drip drip singing, like the mockingbirds, was laughing at me
Observation of a person sleeping soundly while the sound of dripping water is heard and seems to be taunting the observer

Don't just sing the song boy Where someone's tears fell quiet Don't just sing the song boy White romance since departed Don't just along dear Your bitter heart once shook with vigor, now
Advice to not just repeat or sing songs that have been sung before, but to bring new meaning and emotion to them; acknowledgement of lost love and bitterness replacing past passion

Pluck it from the stem when it's drunk on dew If velvet skin is thin enough you'll see inside it too Well I am not in season So your flame I cannot brace In memory it seems to me that it was all so sweet But with throes the heart's replete
Metaphor of a flower being plucked at the right time and seen deeply; admission of being out of touch and unable to connect emotionally with someone else; reminiscing about a past love that was once sweet but ended in heartbreak

Very few grapes can fuel a good fire.
Repetition of a nonsensical phrase, possibly to convey frustration or a lack of understanding

Writer(s): Connor Phillip Jacobus, Robert Richard Grote, Braden Isaac Lawrence

Contributed by Natalie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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TRACKS