The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer are a two piece blues band. The band cons… Read Full Bio ↴The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer are a two piece blues band. The band consists of Shawn 'the Harpoonist' Hall on vocals and harp and Matthew 'the Axe Murderer' Rogers on guitar and drums. They draw influence from Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters style blues but filter it through a modern rock and roll feel.

History

Shawn Hall and Matthew Rogers first met by chance at a jingle recording session in 2006. Prior to the band, Hall worked for CityTV and Rogers worked (and continues to work) as film composer. They discovered they had a mutual affinity for a multitude of musical genres, but mainly folk and blues.

The band began as a folk duo and their sound continued to evolve into a bigger, more electric sound. Their working relationship was built from their similarities but also their dissimilarities. Both agree that the friction resulting from their different musical tastes is both a frustrating but fruitful part of their creative process.

They have had their songs featured on television shows such as CSI, NCIS New Orleans, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods, and the aptly-named TV movie Lizzie Borden Took An Axe. The duo has no plans to slow down. They are on a continuing journey, constantly finding inspiration from musicians they meet or collaborate with. These encounters challenge them to deepen their songwriting and to keep performing with their trademark fervor and authenticity.

Live

Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer are widely known for their amazing live shows and commanding stage presence. They have had the opportunity of playing SXSW 2013/2014, Winnipeg Folk Fest, Ottawa Blues Fest, Atlin Arts & Music Festival, Calgary Folk Fest, Vancouver Folk Fest, Festival D'Été, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Queenscliff Music Festival and Montreal Jazz Fest.They have shared the stage with Dr. Dog, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Taj Mahal, XIXA, Tinariwen, Booker T Jones, David Wilcox, Mother Mother, The Sheepdogs and Serena Ryder.

Awards

Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer received a Sirius XM Indie award in 2013 for Blues Artist of the Year.[10] Their third album, Checkered Past (released on October 27, 2011) was nominated at the Maple Blues Awards for 'Album of the Year' in 2013. Shawn Hall was also nominated for a Maple Blues Award for Harmonica Player of the Year In 2014,they were nominated for a Juno for their album A Real Fine Mess.[14] In 2017, The

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Black and Blue
The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I woke up black and blue
A fire at my door
I swore I told the truth
Now I don't know what for
Now the fuzz is on my tail
Where did we fall?

Now we're

Cut down, run down, broke down, struck down
Down broke, down in a sorry way
Gotta get back, pay back, come back, sway back
Kick back, flash back to glory days

Now we're
Cut down, run down, broke down, struck down
Down broke, down in a sorry way
Gotta get back, pay back, come back, sway back
Kick back, flash back to glory days, glory days
Oh, oh oh

I'm lying with the bends
I'm bending all the lines
I'm lying to your face
I'm lacing all my lies
We were climbing through the grey
Where did we fall?

Now we're
Cut down, run down, broke down, struck down
Down broke, down in a sorry way
Gotta get back, pay back, come back, sway back
Kick back, flash back to glory days

Now we're
Cut down, run down, broke down, struck down
Down broke, down in a sorry way
Gotta get back, pay back, come back, sway back
Kick back, flash back to glory days, glory days
Oh, oh oh

Now we're
Cut down, run down, broke down, struck down
Down broke, down in a sorry way
Gotta get back, pay back, come back, sway back
Kick back, flash back to glory days

Now we're
Cut down, run down, broke down, struck down
Down broke, down in a sorry way

Gotta get back, pay back, come back, sway back
Kick back, flash back to glory days

Overall Meaning

The song "Black and Blue" by The Harpoonist & The Axe Murderer discusses the aftermath of a night that went awry. The singer wakes up with bruises and a fire at his/her door, and swears that he/she told the truth, but does not know what for. Now, the "fuzz" is on his/her tail and he/she wonders where they fell. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Cut down, run down, broke down, struck down, down broke, down in a sorry way," which emphasizes a feeling of defeat and desperation.

The second verse of the song talks about how the singer is trying to cover up his/her lies and is "bending all the lines" while "lying to your face." However, he/she also remembers the good times, when they were "climbing through the grey." The repetition of the chorus again emphasizes the desperation to return to those "glory days."

Overall, the song seems to be about regretting decisions that were made and longing for a return to better times. The bruises and fire could symbolize the physical and emotional damage that was done.

Line by Line Meaning

I woke up black and blue
I woke up feeling bruised and battered

A fire at my door
A dangerous situation at my doorstep

I swore I told the truth
I believed I was honest

Now I don't know what for
Now I am unsure of my own words

Now the fuzz is on my tail
Now the authorities are after me

Where did we fall?
Where did we go wrong?

I'm lying with the bends
I am suffering from decompression sickness

I'm bending all the lines
I am distorting the truth

I'm lying to your face
I am deceiving you

I'm lacing all my lies
I am weaving a web of falsehoods

We were climbing through the grey
We were pushing through a difficult time