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/
démons
The National Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sight of you among the sights
Get this sudden sinking feeling
Of a man about to fly
Never kept me up before
Now I've been awake for days
I can't fight it anymore
I'm going through an awkward phase
I am secretly in love with
Everyone that I grew up with
Do my crying underwater
I can't get down any farther
All my drowning friends can see
Now there is no running from it
It's become the crux of me
I wish that I could rise above it
But I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
Bats and buzzards in the sky
Alligators in the sewers
I don't even wonder why
Hide among the younger viewers
Huddle with them all night long
The worried talk to God goes on
I sincerely tried to love it
Wish that I could rise above it
But I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
Can I stay here? I can sleep on the floor
Paint the blood and hang the palms on the door
Do not think I'm going places anymore
Wanna see the sun come up above New York
Oh, everyday I start so great
Then the sunlight dims
Less I look the more I see the pythons and the limbs
Do not know what's wrong with me
Sours in the cut
When I walk into a room
I do not light it up
Fuck
So I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
The National's song "Demons" is a hauntingly introspective piece about the internal struggle of the singer. The opening lines set the stage of the song and describe a sinking feeling in the pit of the singer's stomach. The reference to a man about to fly indicates that the singer is at a risk of losing control or taking a risk that could have dire consequences. As the song progresses, it becomes evident that this sinking feeling is related to the demons that the singer mentioned, which he is unable to escape from.
The reference to "crying underwater" is a metaphor for the singer's reluctance to show his vulnerability to others. He is secretly in love with everyone he grew up with but is unable to confess his feelings, which is causing him to suffer in silence. The singer is drawn to his demons and admits to feeling more at home with them than with other people. The reference to alligators in the sewers and passing buzzards indicates that the singer has become insignificant in the grand scheme of things and is only a small part of the larger, indifferent universe.
It's clear that the singer is struggling with his identity and doesn't know how to rise above his demons. The song ends with the singer pleading to stay down with his demons, indicating that he has accepted his fate and is unable to overcome the internal struggle he's facing. All in all, the song is a poignant reminder that sometimes, our worst enemy can be our own thoughts and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
When I think of you in the city
The thought of you in the midst of the city
The sight of you among the sites
You standing amid all the city's attractions
I get this sudden sinking feeling
A sudden sinking feeling takes over me
Of a man about to fly
One on the cusp of taking flight
Never kept me up before
Never bothered me until now
Now I've been awake for days
Have not slept for days
I can't fight it anymore
Unable to resist it any longer
I'm going through an awkward phase
Currently in an uncomfortable state
I am secretly in love with
My secret love for
Everyone that I grew up with
All the people I knew from my childhood
Do my crying underwater
No one can see me cry
I can't get down any farther
Cannot sink any lower
All my drowning friends can see
Everyone else can see that I am struggling
Now there is no running from it
Can no longer ignore it
It's become the crux of me
Has become my defining characteristic
I wish that I could rise above it
Wish to overcome it
But I stay down
With my demons
But I remain trapped with my inner demons
Passing buzzards in the sky
Vultures flying overhead
Alligators in the sewers
Alligators lurking in the city's sewers
I don't even wonder why
Don't question their presence
Hide among the under views
Seek refuge among the less visible parts of the city
Huddle with them all night long
Stay close to them throughout the night
The worried talk to god goes on
The anxious try to communicate with a higher power
I sincerely tried to love it
Tried to embrace it sincerely
Wish that I could rise above it
Wish to rise above it
But I stay down
With my demons
But I remain trapped with my inner demons
Can I stay here? I can sleep
On the floor
Can I stay here and sleep on the floor?
Paint the blood and hang the palms
On the door
Decorate with blood and palms on the door
Do not think I'm going places anymore
Don't see myself going anywhere
Wanna see the sun come up above New York
Desire to watch the sunrise in New York City
Oh, everyday I start so great
Every day begins on a positive note
Then the sunlight dims
Then the brightness fades away
Less I've learned
The less I seem to know
The more I see the pythons and the limbs
The more I see danger and harm
Do not know what's wrong with me
Don't understand what's going on with me
Sours in the cup
The drink turns sour
When I walk into a room
I do not light it up
I don't brighten up the room when I enter
Fuck
Frustration and disappointment
So I stay down
With my demons
So I remain trapped with my inner demons
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Aaron Brooking Dessner, Matthew Donald Berninger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Socialitysucks
[LYRICS]:
When I think of you in the city
The sight of you among the sites
I get this sudden sinking feeling
Of a man about to fly
Never kept me up before
Now I've been awake for days
I can't fight it anymore
I'm going through an awkward phase
I am secretly in love with
Everyone that I grew up with
Do my crying underwater
I can't get down any farther
All my drowning friends can see
Now there is no running from it
It's become the crux of me
I wish that I could rise above it
But I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
Passing buzzards in the sky
Alligators in the sewers
I don't even wonder why
Hide among the under views
Huddle with them all night long
The worried talk to god goes on
I sincerely tried to love it
Wish that I could rise above it
But I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
Can I stay here? I can sleep
On the floor
Paint the blood and hang the palms
On the door
Do not think I'm going places anymore
Wanna see the sun come up above New York
Oh, everyday I start so great
Then the sunlight dims
Less I've learned
The more I see the pythons and the limbs
Do not know what's wrong with me
Sours in the cup
When I walk into a room
I do not light it up
Fuck
So I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
I stay down
With my demons
@theneedledrop
odd time signature, and they play it so goddamn smooth! NICE NICE NICE NICE!
@Arze02
Its so strange that I just found your comment, but I whole heartedly agree melon
@christianevans5471
I was shocked by such shockingly positive reception from the squashmelon. He's often not too favourable to Dessner's collaborator Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.
@zackzallie8735
How dare you gave High Violet a 6? >:(
@sanfordcurtis8242
You’re a cunt for giving TWFM a 4
@theneedledrop
i know 7 isn't the most revolutionary of time signatures, but they play it so smooth that you don't even notice the odd time sig, honestly. that's not something all bands can do.
@sarahsmith1418
Radiohead revolutionized 5 for me. 15 Step is one of the smoothest grooves
@shirvs
"When I walk into a room I do not light it up. Fuck." The man knows how to write a lyric that hits the spot...
@OakCliffTX82
They somehow manage to speak to a very sensitive, awkward, insecure part of human nature without making it too heavy or depressing. Lines like "and I cried a little, I got fried a little", "I was solid gold, I was in the fight, I was coming back from what seemed like a ruin" all seem to touch a basic thing we all go through
@MrZeldafan125
Soul on ice 82 totally agree with you they manage to make a connection to everyday people