After a short period of playing in local bars and clubs, The Prayer Boat had attracted a cult following in Dublin. Their two albums, Oceanic Feeling and Polichinelle received high praise and commendation from music journals but unfortunately sales were meagre.
Despite not having performed for several years, The Prayer Boat still have a website which is visited by afficionados of the band. The band's achingly beautiful music has found devotees around the world and frontman Emmett Tinley regularly receives emails from passionate lovers of his voice and The Prayer Boat's unique music. Emmett is a truly gifted singer and songwriter, and Melody Maker summed this up when they said of him, 'the man can make a cat's cradle of your heart strings.'
As Emmett has now embarked upon a solo career, releasing his first album, Attic Faith in 2005, and only occasionally sees the other members of The Prayer Boat (with the exception of his brother Patrick) it remains doubtful whether the band will play together in the near future. However, this has never been ruled out, and fans of The Prayer Boat continue to remain steadfast in their loyalty to this highly talented Irish band.
Band members are:-
Emmett Tinley (vocals, guitar, piano, hammond organ)
Patrick Tinley (guitar, charango)
Tony Byrne (bass guitar)
Tim Houlihan (drums)
It Hurts To Lose You
The Prayer Boat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As we climbed from the basement
Said goodbye for the last time
In a bar by the Grand Canal
Thanks for confiding
The pain you were hiding
But don't let the silence
Come back to your eyes
Your soul was making
It hurts to lose you
Just before we made it
You took my hat with a sad smile
And paid me back with your photograph
Though I needed to know why
I tried only to make you laugh
After you left the sky
Rained for the first time
And I went to see what I
Could find to blow my mind
And I heard the music
Your soul was making
It hurts to lose you
Just before we made it
Now you write mad poetry
In your room with dead roses
Just one more life story
That cries from the ocean
And wait for the dark tide
That comes to you day and night
Is it too late to take your side
Too late to win the fight?
‘Cause I heard the music
Your soul was making
It hurts to lose you
Just before we made it
The song "It Hurts To Lose You" by The Prayer Boat portrays the deeply emotional experience of losing someone you care about. The lyricist sets the tone for the song by stating that January was blinding, suggesting that the singer is feeling overwhelmed by the experience, unable to see or think clearly. The line "As we climbed from the basement, said goodbye for the last time" shows that the singer and the person they are losing have been through difficult and trying times, and this goodbye is final.
The lyricist portrays the pain of loss with an idea of the music the soul makes, as they state "I heard the music your soul was making." The lyricist suggests that the person they are losing was a creative and brilliant person, but their light has been extinguished, leaving the singer in pain. The line "It hurts to lose you just before we made it" implies that despite their struggles, there was still hope for something better and that they were so close to achieving it, which makes the loss all the more tragic.
The final verse portrays the aftermath of loss as a story of sorrow, as the person the singer is losing is now writing mad poetry in their room with dead roses. The line "that cries from the ocean" suggests that the pain they feel is something that is so deep and profound as to be equated with endless depths of the ocean. The lyricist then poses a question: "is it too late to win the fight?" The singer recognizes that it may be too late to change things, but they still hold onto the memory of the music the person's soul made, a reminder of the beauty of what they had before.
Line by Line Meaning
January was blinding
The start of their relationship was intense
As we climbed from the basement
Their relationship started in an informal, unseen setting
Said goodbye for the last time
Their break-up was final
In a bar by the Grand Canal
The place of their break-up
Thanks for confiding
The artist appreciates that the other person opened up to them
The pain you were hiding
The other person was harboring emotional pain
But don't let the silence
The singer doesn't want the other person to become emotionally distant
Come back to your eyes
The artist doesn't want the other person to put up a wall
‘Cause I heard the music
The artist could recognize the other person's inner struggles
Your soul was making
The other person's emotional turmoil was palpable
It hurts to lose you
The singer is upset to lose the other person
Just before we made it
Their break-up happened before their relationship could truly flourish
You took my hat with a sad smile
The other person left the singer with a heavy heart
And paid me back with your photograph
The other person gave the singer a sentimental item as a token of their relationship
Though I needed to know why
The singer wanted closure about their break-up
I tried only to make you laugh
The artist attempted to cheer the other person up
After you left the sky
The artist felt the weight of the other person's absence
Rained for the first time
The singer's emotions mirrored the weather
And I went to see what I
The singer sought out a distraction
Could find to blow my mind
The artist tried to find something to take their mind off the break-up
Now you write mad poetry
The other person may be expressing their emotions through creative writing
In your room with dead roses
The other person may be in a dark place emotionally
Just one more life story
The other person's struggle is just one of many they've experienced
That cries from the ocean
The other person's pain is overwhelming and all-encompassing
And wait for the dark tide
The other person may be anticipating a period of emotional turmoil
That comes to you day and night
Their emotional pain is ever-present
Is it too late to take your side
The singer may regret not being fully present for the other person
Too late to win the fight?
The artist may feel they didn't do enough to help the other person through their struggles
‘Cause I heard the music
The artist still understands the other person's emotional state
Your soul was making
The other person's emotional turmoil was palpable
It hurts to lose you
The singer is upset to lose the other person
Just before we made it
Their break-up happened before their relationship could truly flourish
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMMETT TINLEY, PATRICK TINLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind