After the release of some EPs and singles, the group signed with Merge Records who released their second album, Long Goodbye, in 2003. After a world tour, they headed back to the studio in fall of 2005 to begin work on their third album, Cannibal Sea, which was released in March of 2006.
Chartiers
The Essex Green Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deep in your eyes
I could see the sign
With a thousand drummers drumming,
And a hundred singers singing songs of love.
Whatever they knew about it
Love
Whatever it meant to them
So we all met up after school
And you took us home into your room
You's skip class and drummed all day
So I put my books down and picked up the camera
Was it you that I filmed?
You'd run
And I'd follow
I'd stayed and you'd gone
She was in Chicago where the streets are paved
With all those names of our heros
And our dreams we tried
But the house was raised
And left an empty lot
I know that you won't cry about it
Hiding
Hiding the tears in your eyes
You'd run
And I'd follow,
I've stayed and you've gone
So far in late October
The nights are darker without you here
The Essex Green's song, "Chartiers," tells a story of love and friendship, starting with the singer meeting someone who was "down" but seeing a sign of hope deep in their eyes. The imagery of a "thousand drummers" and "hundred singers" sets the scene for a powerful love story, but the lyrics take an unexpected turn, noting that whatever love meant to others didn't matter - this love was personal and unique.
The song then goes on to describe the friendship that develops between the singer and this person, who would skip class to drum, and the singer would follow with a camera. But eventually, this person had to leave, and the singer was left to reminisce about the empty lot where their house used to be.
The lyrics use beautiful metaphors to convey the emotions of the story, and the music perfectly matches the mood of the melody. The slow, mournful strumming of the guitar adds to the sadness of the story, while the softness of the vocals conveys the tenderness and vulnerability of the emotions.
Overall, "Chartiers" is a sentimental and beautiful song about love, friendship, and longing. The lyrics and music work together seamlessly to create a haunting story that leaves the listener feeling both nostalgic and bereft.
Line by Line Meaning
You were down when I met you, but
You were unhappy when we first met, but
Deep in your eyes
I could see your inner thoughts and emotions
I could see the sign
I could sense that you were ready for a change
With a thousand drummers drumming,
There was a powerful feeling in the air
And a hundred singers singing songs of love.
People were expressing their emotions and feelings openly
Whatever they knew about it
Despite not having all the answers about love
Love
Love is still present
Whatever it meant to them
It was open to interpretation for everyone
So we all met up after school
We arranged to meet after our classes were over
And you took us home into your room
You invited us over to your house where we could relax
You's skip class and drummed all day
You would sometimes skip classes to play the drums
So I put my books down and picked up the camera
I stopped studying and started taking pictures
Was it you that I filmed?
I took a lot of pictures that day, do you remember if you were in any of them?
You'd run
You would take off running
And I'd follow
I would chase after you
I'd stayed and you'd gone
I stayed behind and you moved on to something else
She was in Chicago where the streets are paved
She went to Chicago where everything seemed easier
With all those names of our heros
She was surrounded by examples of people who had done great things
And our dreams we tried
We both tried to achieve our aspirations
But the house was raised
Her home was destroyed
And left an empty lot
It was reduced to a mere patch of dirt
I know that you won't cry about it
I understand that you won't express your emotions openly
Hiding
You keep suppressed
Hiding the tears in your eyes
Your sadness is concealed
So far in late October
It's now very late in the month of October
The nights are darker without you here
I feel more alone during the night when you're not here by my side
Contributed by Chase A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Andrew B
Woooooooonderful.
Alianger
going underground, underground, essex bound.