Their self-titled debut album"The National" (Brassland 2001) was recorded and released before they had played even a single show. They cut the album with engineer Nick Lloyd and formed a label with writer Alec Bemis, so those recordings could be released. Kerrang! magazine gave it four Ks, calling it "the stuff underground legends are made of."
The National made a second album, "Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers" (Brassland/Talitres 2003). The staff was the same, though Peter Katis, who produced "Turn on The Bright Lights" and "Antics" by Interpol, helped produce and mix, and Australian composer Padma Newsome from Clogs collaborated on arrangements and strings.
Following the first session of several for Bernard Lenoir on France's Radio Inter, an in-between EP was released, Cherry Tree, containing what would become the blueprint for the sound on their next record and the session of Sad Song's standout Murder Me Rachael. After these accolades and being impressed by their live show, Roger Trust signed them to Beggars Banquet.
A show at their favorite bar became a van ride to neighboring cities, became a plane ride to Europe, became two summers overseas. Their ties to those good jobs slackened. And they continue on their own path, moving out even further out in Brooklyn to Ditmas Park, where there is space and familiar suburban streets and even Geese on Beverly Road. Their album, "Alligator", much of which was recorded at their homes in Ditmas Park, was engineered by Paul Mahajan, who has worked with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV on the Radio. Padma Newsome camped out for a month with the band, and Peter Katis added more production and mixed the record at his house in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Berninger's potent baritone still intones about matters fraught and funny and sad; about record collections, missing persons and medium-sized American hearts. But the record's not simply gothic or miserablist -- more like the plays of Tennessee Williams, it's full of peculiar intimacies and awkward grace. Alligator's heroes are reckless and possessed seducers, but they are apologetic ones. In The National's imaginings, in songs alternately lush and spare, there is something twighlit and dreamy worked out in the basement of our brains.
"Abel," "Secret Meeting," and "Lit Up" were released as singles.
On May 22, 2007, The National released their follow-up to Alligator, Boxer, on Beggars Banquet. Taking advantage of the fact that nobody had heard their first album and earliest demos, Matt proceeded to steal lyrics and melodies from them and give them the attention they deserved while keeping the intimacy that made them special. They even managed to convince new friend Sufjan Stevens to lay down some piano tracks for them, and recorded the album in a scant 6 months after coming off the long post-Alligator road.
"Mistaken for Strangers", "Fake Empire" and "Apartment Story" have been released as singles. The band have just finished touring North America and are on a large European autumn/winter tour after playing high slots at several large festivals. In their Dec. 07/Jan. 08 issue, Paste magazine named Boxer best record of 2007.
The band's fifth album, High Violet, was released on May 10, 2010 by 4AD Records. "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Anyone's Ghost" and "Terrible Love" were released as singles.
In 2013 their sixth studio record Trouble Will Find Me was released and named "Best New Music" by Pitchfork. The album contained the single "I Need My Girl". In 2015, the album outtake "Sunshine On My Back" was released.
Four years after Trouble Will Find Me, marking the longest timespan between albums in their career so far, they released their seventh album Sleep Well Beast on September 8th, 2017 and were yet again met with great critical success.
The National homepage: http://www.americanmary.com/
The National blog http://tntl.tumblr.com
The National on Twitter http://twitter.com/TheNational
The National on Instagram http://instagram.com/TheNational
Brassland homepage: http://brassland.org/
Beggars Banquet homepage: http://www.beggars.com/
I'll Still Destroy You
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The molecules and the caplets
They all have something against me
Nothing I do makes me feel different
This one's like your sister's best friends
In a bath calling you to join them
Can't avoid them
When she was young and sunburned in the '80s
It lasts forever
The more level they have me
The more I cannot stand me
I have helpless friendships
And bad taste in liquids
This one's like the wilderness without the world
I'm gonna miss those longs nights with the windows open
I keep re-reading the same lines always up at 5am every morning
Like a baby
It's just the lights coming on
It's just the lights coming on
I have no positions
No point of view or vision
I'm just trying to stay in touch with
Anything I'm still in touch with
The sky's getting white
I can't find a lighter anywhere I'm going crazy
But I'm not crazy
Put your heels against the wall
I swear you got a little bit taller since I saw you
I'll still destroy you
It's just the lights coming on
It's just the lights coming on
The lyrics in The National's song I'll Still Destroy You are both mysterious and introspective. The opening lines convey a sense of paranoia and feeling ostracized. The singer refers to "molecules and caplets," which suggests they are taking medication for some ailment, and that this medication has altered their perception of the world around them in a negative way. They feel like they are being judged by everyone around them, and nothing they do changes how they feel.
The second verse has references to youthful experiences that evoke nostalgia in the singer - the experience of joining your sister's friends in a bath, or the memory of being held by a young, sunburned mother. These are sensory experiences, ones that the singer seems to long for, even though they can never be relived. This verse also highlights the idea that some experiences last forever, even if only as a memory.
In the third verse, the singer touches on feelings of self-loathing and insecurity. They feel that the more they try to conform or fit in, the worse they feel. They have bad habits and friendships that feel like obligations, rather than choices. The wilderness without the world is a metaphor for a sense of isolation, and the last line of the verse suggests that the singer is up late again, perhaps spending too much time alone with their thoughts.
The final verse feels like a resolution, or at least some kind of acceptance. The singer has no real ambition or grand vision - they are just trying to stay connected to the things that still matter to them. The sky getting white suggests a new day is dawning, and the frantic search for a lighter is a grounding, everyday detail that makes the singer feel more human. The last line perhaps encapsulates the song's themes - the idea that the singer will continue to destroy everything around them, both good and bad, as long as they are still alive.
Line by Line Meaning
It's so easy to set off
I'm constantly triggered and my emotions can be easily provoked
The molecules and the caplets
Everything around me seems to be against me
They all have something against me
I feel like the world is against me and I have no control over it
Nothing I do makes me feel different
No matter what I try, I can't seem to shake off this feeling and find any relief
This one's like your sister's best friends
This feeling is like being excluded from a group that you desperately want to be a part of
In a bath calling you to join them
The opportunity to be included is presented but it still feels out of reach
Can't avoid them
No matter how hard you try, you can't escape the feeling of exclusion
This one's like your mother's arms
This feeling is like a warm, comforting embrace
When she was young and sunburned in the '80s
A memory from the past that is still vivid and comforting
It lasts forever
The comfort of the memory feels like it will never fade
The more level they have me
The more stable and grounded I am, the more I dislike myself
The more I cannot stand me
My self-hatred only intensifies when I try to find stability
I have helpless friendships
The people in my life can't seem to help me with my struggles
And bad taste in liquids
I make poor choices in trying to cope with my emotional pain
This one's like the wilderness without the world
I feel isolated and alone in my struggles
I'm gonna miss those long nights with the windows open
I have fond memories of a time when I felt more free and content
I keep re-reading the same lines always up at 5am every morning
My thoughts are consumed by my struggles, keeping me up at night and stuck in a cycle of rumination
Like a baby
I feel helpless and vulnerable in my emotional state
I have no positions
I have no strong beliefs or convictions
No point of view or vision
I don't have a clear sense of direction or purpose in life
I'm just trying to stay in touch with
I'm desperately trying to remain connected to something, anything, in my life
Anything I'm still in touch with
I'm clinging to any shred of familiarity or comfort I can find
The sky's getting white
The dawn is breaking and a new day is beginning
I can't find a lighter anywhere I'm going crazy
I'm struggling to find a way to cope with the new day and it's overwhelming me
But I'm not crazy
I know that my struggles are real and valid, even if they feel overwhelming
Put your heels against the wall
Stand tall and be strong, even in the face of adversity
I swear you got a little bit taller since I saw you
Despite my struggles, I can still find moments of joy and connection with others
I'll still destroy you
I will continue to struggle with my inner demons and it may affect those around me
It's just the lights coming on
A new day is beginning and with it comes new challenges
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Matthew Berninger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ucha Bedukadze
It's so easy to set off
The molecules and the caplets
They all have something against me
Nothing I do makes me feel different
This one's like your sister's best friends in a bath calling you to join them
Can't avoid them
This one's like your mother's arms when she was young and sunburned in the '80s
It lasts forever
The more level they have me
The more I cannot stand me
I have helpless friendships
And bad taste in liquids
This one's like the wilderness without the world
I'm gonna miss those long nights with the windows open
I keep re-reading the same lines always up at 5am every morning
Like a baby
It's just the lights coming on
It's just the lights coming on
I have no positions
No point of view or vision
I'm just trying to stay in touch with anything I'm still in touch with
The sky's getting white
I can't find a lighter anywhere I'm going crazy
But I'm not crazy
Put your heels against the wall
I swear you got a little bit taller since I saw you
I'll still destroy you
It's just the lights coming on
It's just the lights coming on
Sergej Lovrekovic
It's so easy to set off
The molecules and the caplets
They all have something against me
Nothing I do makes me feel different
This one's like your sister's best friends in a bath calling you to join them
Can't avoid them
This one's like your mother's arms when she was young and sunburned in the '80s
It lasts forever
[Verse 2]
The more level they have me
The more I cannot stand me
I have helpless friendships
And bad taste in liquids
This one's like the wilderness without the world
I'm gonna miss those long nights with the windows open
I keep re-reading the same lines always up at 5am every morning
Like a baby
<3
CESAR CREATIVO
TRADUCCION:
Es tan fácil prender
Las moléculas y las cápsulas
Todas tienen algo contra mí
Nada de lo que hago me hace sentir diferente
Esta es como las mejores amigas de tu hermana en un baño llamándote para que te unas
No puedes evitarlas
Esta es como los brazos de tu madre cuando era joven y con la piel quemada en los 80
Dura para siempre
Cuanto más estable me tienen
Menos puedo aguantarme
Tengo amigos incapaces
Y mal gusto en líquidos
Esto es como lo salvaje sin el mundo
Voy a echar de menos esas noches largas con las ventanas abiertas
MAN
My ratings of the tracklist:
Nobody Else Will Be There 9
Day I Die 9.5
Walk It Back 8.5
The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness 10
Born to Beg 8
Turtleneck 9.5
Empire Line 6
I'll Still Destroy You 10
Guilty Party 8.5
Carin at the Liqour Store 9
Dark Side of the Gym 9
Sleep Well Beast 8
Favorite song is I'll Still Destroy you and labum is like a 9.7
Marijn
Matt's lyrics consistently manage to find a line between sad and silly, classy and goofy. This video captures that perfectly.
Alejandro Cabrera
YES!
Wayne Mitchell
Well put!!!
KubrickKing
Tinydude10 agree completely, but I’d add that he can be/often is very poetic as well, when he wants to be. I like how he doesn’t over use it so to speak. Perfect balance of ambiguity/strangeness/awkwardness/abstractness vs. humanness/everydayness/genuineness/simplicity. The verses contrasted with the prechorus/chorus in this song display this very vividly.
Elisa Bargiacchi
One of my favourite songs ever, most definitely. The way the chorus kicks in with such a delicate, sweet melody (and such wonderful melancholic words) makes me want to cry every damn time. And some lines... "I'm just trying to stay in touch with/ Anything I'm still in touch with"... thanks guys.
Ross Heathorn
I'm always crying this makes me stop. Irony x
Bastian Gram-Nielsen
perfect description of the chorus. You found the words i was missing :)
MAN
Probably the best song on the album. Not even overhyping. They really did the indietronica sound well here.
Luis Cartaxeiro
Perfect! This music is the best of the album! The drums, as usual, are galactic!
Evan Andrin
Moreover, one of their best songs ever.