The Frames have been together since 1990 and are a survivor of Dublin's prolific early 90's rock and roll scene. They have also been essential in the development of the current crop of emerging Irish rock bands, such as Turn. The Frames have toured with various other Irish artists, including Damien Rice and Bell X1. In December 2004, Hansard appeared on stage in a collaboration with singer songwriter Paddy Casey.
The name The Frames reportedly arose from Hansard's habit, at a young age, of fixing the bicycles of many of his friends. The large number of bicycle frames lying around his house led neighbours to dub it the "house with the frames".
Their new, 6th studio album, The Cost, is available in Ireland since 22 September 2006 and worldwide since 20 February 2007.
Lead singer Hansard recently collaborated with Czech musician Markéta Irglová, which led to the solo album "The Swell Season". Glen and Markéta also star and perform in the John Carney movie Once (www.oncethemovie.com). The movie received several awards including the World Cinema Audience Award - Dramatic at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival as well as an Oscar for best Song for the track "Falling Slowly".
On several occasions the members of The frames appear on stage during the Swell season gigs.
www.theframes.ie
Downhill From Here
The Frames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And forget how to steer
It's all downhill from here
Forget all the words that you heard
And shuffle them till they're unclear
It's all downhill from here
And if I held the key to all time
Pick up something to throw
And see how far it'll go
And forget all you know
We'll throw our thoughts over the pier
And send them all into the mire
And wait there, until they all disappear
And if I held the secret to faith
Then all of your faith would be mine
So let go of the wheel
And forget how to steer
It's all downhill from here
And when you're flying past
In your carriage of glass
Will you get time to ask
Or will it all be too fast
And when you're getting cold in your
In your carriage of gold
Will you hear all I told
Or be too precious to hold
And if I held the door to all love
Then all of your love would be mine
And if I held the whole world in my hands
Then all of your world would be mine
So let go of the wheel
And forget how to steer
It's all downhill from here
It's all downhill from here
It's all downhill from here
The song "Downhill from Here" by Irish band The Frames is a meditative and introspective piece focused on the idea of surrendering control and letting go. The lyrics suggest an acceptance of the singer's life beyond his control and the need for the listener to do the same. The chorus repeats a catchy line, "Let go of the wheel and forget how to steer. It's all downhill from here." This could be interpreted as a bleak acceptance of the inevitability of life's lows, or on a more hopeful level, a surrendering of control and a trust in the journey ahead.
The first verse focuses on forgetting the words one has heard and shuffling them until they are unclear. This could be a nod to the idea of forgetting the rules of the past and creating your own, or it could be a suggestion to let go of the expectations placed on oneself by society. The second verse further reinforces this idea with the line, "Pick up something to throw and see how far it'll go, and forget all you know." The listener is encouraged to break free from the established norms to see what else they are capable of.
The bridge of the song suggests the singer holds the keys to time, faith, love, and the world, implying a certain god-like power. And while these lines may be interpreted figuratively, they may also suggest the singer's own sense of uncertainty and vulnerability, a feeling of not having any true control over these aspects.
Overall, the song "Downhill from Here" seems to suggest an embracing of life's journey, both its highs and lows, and a willingness to surrender control to see where it takes you.
Line by Line Meaning
Let go of the wheel
Abandon control and influence
And forget how to steer
Relinquish your ability to guide your future
It's all downhill from here
Things will only get worse from now on
Forget all the words that you heard
Dismiss everything you’ve learned before
And shuffle them till they're unclear
Mix them all up until you can no longer make sense of them
And if I held the key to all time
If I had control over the past, present, and future
Then all of your time would be mine
I would have power over your entire life
Pick up something to throw
Find something to hurl away in frustration
And see how far it'll go
Test the limits of your anger
And forget all you know
Abandon everything you’ve ever learned
We'll throw our thoughts over the pier
Toss away our ideas over the dock
And send them all into the mire
Dump them in the mud
And wait there, until they all disappear
Linger until it all fades away
And if I held the secret to faith
If I knew how to believe in something strongly
Then all of your faith would be mine
I would take over your beliefs as well
And when you're flying past
When you’re moving too fast to comprehend
In your carriage of glass
In your fragile vehicle
Will you get time to ask
Will you have a chance to inquire
Or will it all be too fast
Or will it all pass before you can make sense of it
And when you're getting cold in your
When you’re becoming distant in your
In your carriage of gold
In your luxurious mode of transportation
Will you hear all I told
Will you listen to what I said
Or be too precious to hold
Or will you be too valuable to be influenced
And if I held the door to all love
If I had control over the affection in the world
Then all of your love would be mine
I would own all your love
And if I held the whole world in my hands
If I had the entire universe under my control
Then all of your world would be mine
I would dominate your entire existence
It's all downhill from here
Things will only worsen from now on
It's all downhill from here
Things will only worsen from now on
It's all downhill from here
Things will only worsen from now on
Contributed by Adeline S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mia K
I think this is probably my favorite of theirs (although that's a bti of a stretch because most of their stuff is brilliant).
gavan wilmot
yes a fablous song and i remember hearing it live many times in the early 90`s and it came to mind while watching a c4 doc and they mentioned a ,its all..` and immediatley thought that was a frames song. you tubedit and here we are
Beelzebubbbbles
Am I the only one driven mad by those damn breaks in the song?