The High Dials have had an evolving line-up since their 2003 debut centred around Trevor Anderson (singer-songwriter) and Robbie MacArthur (guitars). Hailed by the likes of NME, Spin and Brooklyn Vegan, they have a deep back catalogue and extensive tour history in both North America and the UK.
Highlights from band’s live history include US and UK tours with the Brian Jonestown Massacre, support slots with Echo and the Bunnymen, the Osheaga festival in Montreal and appearances at various international events such as the Great Escape, In the City, CMJ and SXSW. In 2014, they toured the UK and Ireland with The Besnard Lakes.
The band recently collaborated with legendary Rolling Stones producer Andrew Loog Oldham on an album of Stones covers - fellow contributors included Johnny Marr, Gryff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and Elliott Easton (The Cars).
Two of the band’s songs currently feature in the hit Netflix series House of Cards.
In February 2015 they released “In the A.M. Wilds” worldwide through Fontana North/Universal.
Official website: www.thehighdials.net
Book Of The Dead
The High Dials Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell me a story
If you say the words just right
I could change for you tonight
I believe it
Read to me
Make it easy
All these twists in the plot
Please release me
Secrets I need
Secrets you can read
From my book of the dead
Page after page
You decipher every code and illustration
You read hieroglyphics
And you know every trick
To reach the other side
So come on, read to me
And I will listen
Every word that you proclaim
Is a link in the chain
That could pull me through
Secrets I need
Secrets you can read
From my book of the dead
Strange and sweet incantations
To guide me through this wasteland
You’ve got the words
You’ve got the words
You’ve got the words to make me well
(Read them out to me)
The High Dials's song "Book of the Dead" is about a person seeking guidance and healing through the power of storytelling. The lyrics evoke the mystical nature of ancient Egyptian mythology, referencing hieroglyphics and secret knowledge hidden in a book of the dead. The singer is asking someone to read to them from this book, believing that the right words spoken in the right way could change their life. They are tied up in knots with the twists and turns of their own story, and they need someone to decipher the codes and illustrations that could help them find their way out.
The person reading from the book is portrayed as a powerful figure, able to guide the singer through a wasteland with the strange and sweet incantations they know. The singer is open and receptive, listening to every word with the hope that it will be a link in the chain that pulls them through to the other side. Ultimately, the message of the song is about the transformative power of language and storytelling. By listening to the right words spoken in the right way, we can change our lives and find our way through even the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
Read to me
I want you to read to me
Tell me a story
I want you to narrate something to me
If you say the words just right I could change for you tonight
If you narrate well enough, you might convince me to change myself tonight
I believe it
I put my faith in your words
Make it easy
I want you to narrate something simple
All these twists in the plot Have got my head tied up in knots
The complex plot has confused me and made me tense
Please release me
I want to escape from the confusion
Secrets I need
I want to know some secrets
Secrets you can read
Secrets you can find in my book
From my book of the dead
Specifically the secrets that are hidden in my book of the dead
Page after page
You are reading through my book thoroughly
You decipher every code and illustration
You are able to interpret every elaborate illustration and code
You read hieroglyphics
You are able to understand complex, Egyptian hieroglyphics
And you know every trick To reach the other side
You know all possible ways to optimize the result
So come on, read to me
I urge and encourage you to read from my book for me
And I will listen
I will give you my full attention
Every word that you proclaim Is a link in the chain
Every word you say has an impact in my decision-making process
That could pull me through
That could be the force that drives me to my goal
Strange and sweet incantations To guide me through this wasteland
I need your support (enchanted language and gentle words) to navigate through this difficult journey
You’ve got the words
You have the power to heal with your words
You’ve got the words to make me well (Read them out to me)
You only need to read them aloud for me to feel better
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JoeyLevenson
that end part kills me everytime. feels like flying. gorgeous
@ryfighter
Amazing song and album.
@jejwilt
First the sign the book of the dead :) great song!
@Haeyena
Remind me of old Sloan and older Stone Roses