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
Sickbeds
The Frames Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fill me with morphine and Demerol
Swa__ of the cast off, just lye in the shade
Closer to Christ now, kneeling down on the blade
But don't leave me drowning
The river surrounds me and into my soul
Don't leave me lying, so closer to dying
The air of _____ floats through the h___
Woke me up crying next to you by the wall
Don't leave me scathing, the ashes are breaking
Me to my bones
Don't leave me lying, so ____ ____ dying
Down, down, down, down
The lyrics to "Sickbeds" by The Frames seem to describe the desperation and pain of someone who is near death. The first lyric "Lying in the sickbed waiting to go" suggests that the person is aware that their death might be imminent, and they are desperately seeking some relief from their suffering. The singer of the song asks for drugs to numb the pain, physical or emotional, that they are feeling. They mention the use of morphine and Demerol, which are powerful painkillers often given to patients with severe pain.
Additionally, the mention of being "closer to Christ now" and "kneeling down on the blade" could be interpreted as a reverence for the afterlife, as if death is a release from their current pain. The use of the word "drowning" implies that they are overwhelmed by their current situation, and are in danger of losing themselves to despair.
The second half of the lyrics suggest that the singer has someone they are pleading with not to leave them. They mention the "air of roses" which could be a metaphor for the person's presence and them "breaking to their bones" could signify the fragility of their current state. The repetition of the phrase "don't leave me lying" emphasizes the singer's desperation to hold onto hope, even as they feel themselves slipping away. The song ends with the repetition of the word "down" suggesting a descent into darkness, which could represent the singer's impending death.
Line by Line Meaning
Lying in the sickbed waiting to go
I am in a sickbed, helpless and waiting for something to happen.
Fill me with morphine and Demerol
I am in so much pain that I need strong painkillers to cope.
Swa__ of the cast off, just lye in the shade
I feel like I am an outcast, and I am laying in the shadow of that feeling.
Closer to Christ now, kneeling down on the blade
I am feeling closer to God, but it hurts like a sharp blade.
But don't leave me drowning
I am drowning in my own sorrow and pain, and I need someone to save me.
The river surrounds me and into my soul
The pain and sadness I feel is all-consuming and has taken over me completely.
Don't leave me lying, so closer to dying
Please don't leave me alone in my pain, because it feels like I am closer to death.
So I need ____, stay to ___ on my way to go
I need someone to guide me as I go through this difficult time.
The air of _____ floats through the h___
There is a feeling of heaviness and sadness in the air around me.
Woke me up crying next to you by the wall
I had a bad dream and woke up crying while lying next to you by the wall.
Don't leave me scathing, the ashes are breaking
Please don't hurt me even more, because I am already broken and fragile like ashes.
Me to my bones
The pain I feel is so intense that it goes deep into my bones.
Don't leave me lying, so ____ ____ dying
I am begging you to stay with me, because it feels like I am slowly dying.
Down, down, down, down
I am spiraling down deeper and deeper into this abyss of pain and sadness.
Contributed by Aria K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.