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
Giving It All Away
The Frames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You gotta keep it safe
You been spreading it 'round the place
Now it's gotta come back this way
You're giving it all away
Giving it all away
Said you found a song to sing
And you're riding on a wave
Whatever helps you get along
You're giving it all away
You're giving it all away
Keeping nothing for yourself
Just giving it all away
So much that you know
So much that you don't
Can you not accept it's all the same
Just accept it's all the same
And you're giving it all away
Giving it all away
Keeping nothing for yourself
You're just giving it all away
And you're giving it all away
You're giving it all away
Keeping nothing for yourself
You're giving it all away
The lyrics of The Frames' "Giving It All Away" touch on themes of selflessness, generosity, and community. The song speaks to the idea that when we spread ourselves too thin and give away everything we have, we risk losing ourselves in the process. The opening lyrics set the tone for the song, lamenting the fact that there is only so much that one person can give and urging listeners to keep some of their energy and resources for themselves. The chorus, "Giving it all away, keeping nothing for yourself," reinforces this message.
The second verse takes a somewhat darker turn, with the lyric "you're lying through your teeth." Here, the singer seems to be addressing someone who is pretending everything is okay - perhaps someone who is exhausted from giving so much and is in denial about how much they have left to give. This idea is reinforced by the lines "whatever helps you get along" and "said you found a song to sing," which suggest that the person is trying to convince themselves that everything is fine. However, the chorus remains the same, emphasizing the importance of keeping some of oneself in reserve rather than giving it all away.
Line by Line Meaning
There's only so much that you have
You only possess a limited amount of something.
You gotta keep it safe
You ought to safeguard what you have.
You been spreading it 'round the place
You have been distributing what you have to various places and people.
Now it's gotta come back this way
What you shared must now come back to you.
You're giving it all away
You're giving everything you have to someone else.
And you're lying through your teeth
You're not telling the truth.
Said you found a song to sing
You claim to have discovered a purpose or passion.
And you're riding on a wave
You're going with the flow of whatever is currently popular or trendy.
Whatever helps you get along
Anything that makes you feel comfortable or helps you survive.
Keeping nothing for yourself
You're not reserving anything for your own needs or desires.
So much that you know
You possess a great deal of knowledge.
So much that you don't
However, there is also much that you do not know.
Can you not accept it's all the same
Can you not realize that the situation or outcome will be the same no matter what.
You're giving it all away
You're still giving away everything you have.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Colm Macconiomaire, David Odlum, Glen Hansard, Graham Downey, Noreen O Donnell, Paul Brennan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind