The Extraordinaires have produced three full-length albums to date. Their first, "Ribbons of War," is a brilliant themed CD telling the operatic love tale of the brooding Captain, the fair Annelies, and their forbidden love. Their second full-length - "Short Stories" - is a collection of stand-alones featuring tracks such as "The Arsonist" "Warehouse Song" and "Neighborhood Watch". In '08 they opened for Man Man on their acclaimed US tour and released "Battle of the Vans" a split 7-inch with label mates Kill You in the Face.
The Extraordinaires' newest album, entitled "Electric and Benevolent," is set for release on June 19th, 2009, as they kick off their US summer tour in Philadelphia. Music and updates can be found at their myspace: http://myspace.com/theextraordinaires
War Song
The Extraordinaires Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How did it come to this? I only wanted one last kiss and now you're starting a war
You think by tying up your hair I'll let you walk right through that door
But you're wrong - I'll give you everything I've got, and then I'll give you some more
I've got enough ammunition to bring you to the floor
Annelies:
Oh, now listen to you.
You think by locking me up I'm gonna crumble underneath your boots
But you're wrong - I'll burn the whole thing down and leave you with a broken muse
'Cause I have wingside turrets and some bullets that I'm willing to use
C: Fight with honor - fire on her
A: Take those sails out - bring that mast down
C&A: No more fighting - sailing flying
C&A: I must end this or die trying
Annelies:
If I were to send this bullet to you
To sink your ship along with your crew
I'd only destroy what keeps me alive
So I'm letting go of the throttle for you
The Captain:
As the chaos all around us burns
I wish I could say the simple words
With the fury burning all around
I wish I could just surrender now
In "War Song" by The Extraordinaires, The Captain and Annelies are engaged in a heated argument that has escalated to a full-blown battle. The Captain is bewildered as to how they ended up in this situation when all he wanted was a farewell kiss. However, Annelies believes that The Captain has underestimated her strength and resilience. She assures him that she is more than capable of fighting back despite his attempts to keep her captive. The two of them engage in a game of war as they exchange threats and vows to eliminate each other. Annelies, determined to end the conflict, is willing to set aside her pride and let go of the throttle, but The Captain is still caught up in his fury and unable to concede defeat.
The lyrics of "War Song" convey a sense of frustration, passion and stubbornness that are often found in conflicts, be it romantic or otherwise. What begins as a tale of longing for a lover's embrace quickly turns into a power struggle between two equally determined individuals. It is a reminder that sometimes, even when love is at stake, ego and pride can take over and lead to devastating consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
How did it come to this? I only wanted one last kiss and now you're starting a war
The Captain is confused about how their relationship turned into a war, all he wanted was a last kiss.
You think by tying up your hair I'll let you walk right through that door. But you're wrong - I'll give you everything I've got, and then I'll give you some more.
The Captain believes that Annelies thinks her beauty would be enough to convince him to let her go, but he is proving to her that he's willing to fight and give everything he's got to keep her.
I've got enough ammunition to bring you to the floor
The Captain is confident in his ability to win the war and take Annelies down.
You're such a big strong man but tell me really who needs who
Annelies is questioning The Captain's arrogance and believes that they both need each other equally.
You think by locking me up I'm gonna crumble underneath your boots But you're wrong - I'll burn the whole thing down and leave you with a broken muse 'Cause I have wingside turrets and some bullets that I'm willing to use
Annelies won't stand for being trapped and controlled by The Captain, she is confident in her ability to fight back and cause destruction.
Fight with honor - fire on her. Take those sails out - bring that mast down. No more fighting - sailing flying. I must end this or die trying
Both The Captain and Annelies are determined to fight to the end, but The Captain wants to do it honorably and efficiently, while Annelies wants to destroy The Captain's ship entirely.
If I were to send this bullet to you. To sink your ship along with your crew. I'd only destroy what keeps me alive. So I'm letting go of the throttle for you
Annelies realizes that destroying The Captain's ship would also destroy the connection between them, so she decides to let go of the conflict and end the war.
As the chaos all around us burns. I wish I could say the simple words. With the fury burning all around. I wish I could just surrender now
The Captain is exhausted by the destruction around them and just wants to end the war and surrender.
Contributed by Victoria B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.