<… Read Full Bio ↴The Long Winters is an American indie rock band based in Seattle, USA.
Singer-songwriter John Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington, and moved to Anchorage, Alaska, during his elementary school years. He later returned to Seattle and formed both Bun Family Players and The Western State Hurricanes. Following the collapse of the latter, he acted as touring keyboardist for Harvey Danger.
In 2001, Harvey Danger singer/songwriter Sean Nelson suggested that he and Roderick record an album, with half of the songs penned by John and the other half by Sean. Death Cab for Cutie band member Chris Walla had recently opened the Hall of Justice studio in Seattle and agreed to help them record.
John recruited Joe Bass of Sky Cries Mary and Brian Young of Fountains of Wayne to flesh out several of the songs, and the album gradually evolved to feature only John's songs. After several months, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm was finished.
John traveled to New York, where he played solo shows and quickly began to write new songs, several of which would be included on the Long Winters's second album, When I Pretend to Fall.
While in New York, John was contacted by Barsuk Records — the label that would release The Worst You Can Do Is Harm — who made it clear that they wanted John to promote the release by touring. He returned to Seattle, where he was joined by Chris Caniglia, former Western States Hurricanes drummer Michael Shilling, and Eric Corson on bass. Thus, The Long Winters were born.
Sean Nelson offered to sing harmony vocals on a number of songs at the band's first live gig. He ended up casually performing with the band for their first few shows before committing to full-time enrollment.
The original trio responsible for The Worst You Can Do Is Harm (John Roderick, Sean Nelson, and Chris Walla) is often considered the original incarnation of the band. John and Sean, along with recruits Eric Corson and Michael Shilling (the drummer in Roderick's previous band, the Western State Hurricanes) are the core players behind When I Pretend to Fall, with Sean having replaced Chris Caniglia as the band's keyboardist. When I Pretend to Fall was released and John, Sean, Eric and Michael embarked on an ambitious series of tours throughout 2003 in support of the album. The band toured North America with Barsuk Records labelmates Nada Surf and Death Cab for Cutie, and later spent November touring Europe. Michael Shilling eventually quit in December of 2003, burned out by the hectic touring and lifestyle of the band.
With the best wishes of the Long Winters, Sean left in March 2004 to rekindle his former band.
At the time of Sean's departure, the Long Winters had begun rehearsing with Michael Shilling's replacement for the band's 2004 tours, former Death Cab for Cutie percussionist Michael Schorr. Confronted with a double blow to the band's line-up, John took the opportunity to reinvent the band — especially with an East Coast tour supporting The Pernice Brothers, a more fleshed out European tour, and a nationwide tour supporting the Decemberists that would take the band through the spring and well into the summer. Thus, the leaner three-piece version of The Long Winters was born, featuring John Roderick, Eric Corson, and Michael Schorr.
This extensive spring/summer 2004 tour took its toll on drummer Michael Schorr, who left the band shortly after its completion. John continued to do small promotional events and shows throughout the latter half of 2004 and 2005, often previewing a handful of new Long Winters songs.
The latest incarnation of the Long Winters features John Roderick on vocals, guitars, and keyboard, Eric Corson on bass and back-up vocals, and Nabil Ayers on drums. The Long Winters toured with Keane in October 2005 in support of an EP released on October 11th, 2005, titled Ultimatum. John Roderick did a solo mini tour through Europe in May 2006 to promote awareness for the third full-length LP, Putting the Days to Bed, which was released on 25 July 2006. In the fall of 2006 the band, now with guitarist/keyboard player Jonathan Rothman replacing Michael Squires, toured the USA, after which they joined Keane once again for a European tour. Listed among the hardest touring bands in music, the Long Winters begin 2007 with yet another European tour, followed by a month of shows in the USA and Canada.
Scared Straight
The Long Winters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm in the middle of speaking
And you're under the gun
Seething, leave it to the lone nut
It's unappealing in someone so young
Plaintive, you're feeling so washed up
And you mean it when you say you're done
Five lanes of freewayBut it's all gone dark
You called to say you're gonna run
Well,Can you wait?
Can you stand it?
Are you brave or are you scared straight?
She didn't want you to:
Speak right, be strong, act nice, take so long
Call time, seem tired, leave mad, get so wired
Maybe you belong to someone
Maybe you have finally met them
Maybe smoke belongs in the sky
Maybe I hate it when you cry
You were hurt so you got hard
You were cursed and scolded and scared
You were searched for, then ignored
You want to burn the liars?
You'll set us both on fire
You're faking, so I'm pretend sleeping
Waiting for this to be fun
It's true little miss mean mini-bar guard
We're gonna have to try something new
Let me breath fire down on you
The Long Winters's song Scared Straight talks about someone who is going through a tough time, feeling like they're washed up and undecided on what to do next, while in conversation with someone else who seems to be under a lot of pressure. The person speaking is in the middle of a talk while the other person is on the phone, indicating that they may be in a different place, probably driving through the city since they mention a five-lane freeway, and they sound like they're running away from something. The chorus then asks if they're brave enough to face their problems or if they're scared straight, which is basically trying to scare someone into changing their behavior.
The line "She didn't want you to speak right, be strong, act nice, take so long, call time, seem tired, leave mad, get so wired" seems to be directed towards someone who is always struggling to fit in and be accepted by others, and as a result, they're draining themselves out. The line "Maybe smoke belongs in the sky, maybe I hate it when you cry" suggests that the singer is fed up because they feel like the other person is just trying to escape their problems by running away or perhaps smoking. The bridge then reveals that the other person has been hurt in the past, and they're now playing tough to guard themselves against any future pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Washington's on the one
Everything is in a state of chaos and confusion
I'm in the middle of speaking
I'm trying to communicate something important
And you're under the gun
You're under pressure and feeling threatened
Seething, leave it to the lone nut
You're angry and taking it out on others, like a crazy person
It's unappealing in someone so young
It's unattractive to see someone so young acting so angry and irrational
Plaintive, you're feeling so washed up
You feel hopeless and worn out
And you mean it when you say you're done
You're truly finished and don't want to continue
Five lanes of freeway
A busy and hectic environment
But it's all gone dark
Everything is suddenly uncertain and scary
You called to say you're gonna run
You're considering running away from your problems
Well,Can you wait?
Can you hold off and not make any rash decisions?
Can you stand it?
Can you endure what's happening?
Are you brave or are you scared straight?
Are you facing your fears and being brave, or are you letting your fears control you?
She didn't want you to:
She had certain expectations for your behavior
Speak right, be strong, act nice, take so long
She wanted you to communicate effectively, be confident, be kind, and not waste time
Call time, seem tired, leave mad, get so wired
But you were tired, frustrated, and agitated, and it caused problems in your relationship
Maybe you belong to someone
Maybe there's someone out there who truly understands and accepts you
Maybe you have finally met them
Maybe you've found that person and things are looking up
Maybe smoke belongs in the sky
Maybe there are things that belong in their proper place, like smoke in the sky
Maybe I hate it when you cry
Maybe I don't like seeing you upset
You were hurt so you got hard
You became tough and guarded after experiencing pain
You were cursed and scolded and scared
You were treated unfairly and made to feel fearful
You were searched for, then ignored
You were wanted at first, but eventually rejected and overlooked
You want to burn the liars?
You want to expose those who have lied to you and make them face the consequences
You'll set us both on fire
But your anger and desire for revenge could harm both yourself and others
You're faking, so I'm pretend sleeping
You're not being honest about your true feelings, so I'm pretending to not notice
Waiting for this to be fun
I'm hoping that this situation will become enjoyable and less stressful
It's true little miss mean mini-bar guard
You're being a bit harsh and controlling about something small and insignificant
We're gonna have to try something new
We need to approach this situation differently
Let me breath fire down on you
Let me help you confront this situation with strength and determination
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: John Roderick
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind