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/
Runaway
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now we're swallowing the shine of the sun
There's no saving anything
How we swallow the sun
But I won't be no runaway
'Cause I won't run
No, I won't be no runaway
What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?
We've got another thing coming undone
And it's taking us over
We don't bleed when we don't fight
Go ahead, go ahead, throw your arms in the air tonight
We don't bleed when we don't fight
Go ahead, go ahead, lose our shirts in the fire tonight
What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?
We got another thing coming undone
But I won't be no runaway
'Cause I won't run
No, I won't be no runaway
'Cause I won't run
No, I won't be no runaway
What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?
We've got another thing coming undone
And it's taking us over
We don't bleed when we don't fight
Go ahead, go ahead, throw your arms in the air tonight
We don't bleed when we don't fight
Go ahead, go ahead, lose our shirts in the fire tonight
But what makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?
We got another thing coming undone
We got another thing coming undone
And it's taking forever
I'll go braving everything
With you swallowing the shine of the sun
I'll go braving everything
Through the shine of the sun
But I won't be no runaway
'Cause I won't run
No, I won't be no runaway
'Cause I won't run
No, I won't be no runaway
What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?
We've got another thing coming undone
And it's taking us over
We don't bleed when we don't fight
Go ahead, go ahead, throw your arms in the air tonight
We don't bleed when we don't fight
Go ahead, go ahead, lose our shirts in the fire tonight
But what makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?
We got another thing coming undone
We got another thing coming undone
And it's taking us over
And it's taking forever
The National's "Runaway" is a song that seems to draw a parallel between the loss of something precious and the insignificance of personal emotional struggles. The opening lyrics, "There's no saving anything, now we're swallowing the shine of the sun," suggest that the world has reached a point of no return and that there is no hope of saving it. The imagery of "swallowing the shine of the sun" could represent the desperation people feel when they realize they can't capture something imaginary or intangible.
Despite the overwhelming sense of despair and futility, the chorus provides a glimmer of hope. The singer declares, "But I won't be no runaway, 'cause I won't run," and repeats the phrase throughout the song. The message seems to be that despite the challenges and obstacles we face, we must stand our ground and face them without fear. The chorus suggests that perhaps the only way to find meaning in life when faced with such uncertainty is to refrain from running away from our problems.
The lyrics in the second verse, "We don't bleed when we don't fight, go ahead, go ahead, lose our shirts in the fire tonight" seem to be asking the listener to consider the value of fighting or struggling for a cause. The final, repeated line, "And it's taking forever" suggests that the struggle may seem endless or without hope of resolution.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no saving anything
We have reached the point of no return; there is nothing that can be done to change the situation.
Now we're swallowing the shine of the sun
We are basking in the glory of our past and ignoring the problems that lie ahead.
How we swallow the sun
We are holding on to something that no longer exists, and it is blinding us to the reality of the present.
But I won't be no runaway
I will not back down or abandon my beliefs and values.
'Cause I won't run
I will stand my ground and face whatever challenges come my way with courage and determination.
What makes you think I'm enjoying being led to the flood?
I am not content with being pushed towards a disastrous outcome, and I refuse to accept it without a fight.
We've got another thing coming undone
Another problem has arisen that we cannot ignore or avoid.
And it's taking us over
The situation is becoming increasingly difficult to control, and it threatens to overwhelm us completely.
We don't bleed when we don't fight
By avoiding conflict, we may think we are avoiding harm, but we are actually limiting our potential for growth and progress.
Go ahead, go ahead, throw your arms in the air tonight
We should embrace the challenges and face them head-on, even if it is difficult or scary.
Go ahead, go ahead, lose our shirts in the fire tonight
We may suffer losses or setbacks, but we cannot let them deter us from our goals and vision for the future.
I'll go braving everything
I am willing to face whatever challenges lie ahead with resilience and determination.
Through the shine of the sun
Even when things seem hopeless or bleak, there is always the promise of a brighter future ahead.
We got another thing coming undone
We cannot afford to rest or relax, as new challenges and obstacles will always arise in life.
And it's taking forever
The process of overcoming obstacles and achieving our goals can be long and arduous, but we must persevere nonetheless.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Matthew Donald Berninger, Aaron Brooking Dessner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind