<… Read Full Bio ↴The Shins is an American indie rock band centered around James Mercer.
The band formed in 1997, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States as a side project of Mercer (previously of Blue Roof Dinner) and drummer Jesse Sandoval, who were both members of Flake Music. The band's original lineup was Mercer (vocals, guitar), Sandoval (drums), Marty Crandall (keyboards) and Dave Hernandez (bass). Neil Langford replaced Hernandez in 1998. Hernandez returned to the band in 2003, as Langford had left the band in 2001. Hernandez remained in the band until 2009. Fruit Bats keyboardist Eric Johnson joined the band in 2006.
Their debut album, Oh, Inverted World was issued in 2001 and contained the singles "New Slang" and "Caring is Creepy", which were both featured in the 2004 film "Garden State". The band's next album, Chutes Too Narrow was released in 2003 and featured the single "So Says I". The band's third album Wincing The Night Away, was released in 2007 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 charts, the highest charting album in Sub Pop history until Arcade Fire's"The Suburbs" debuted at #1. After a short hiatus, Mercer announced in 2009 that the band was to record a new album and that Marty Crandall, and Jesse Sandoval were no longer members of The Shins. The band's new lineup included James Mercer, Eric Johnson, Modest Mouse drummer Joe Plummer and Grand Archives keyboardist Ron Lewis.
Before the release of Port of Morrow, the band lineup changed once more with only Mercer and Plummer remaining from the previously announced lineup. The newly added members were announced as guitarist Jessica Dobson, bassist Yuuki Matthews (formerly of Crystal Skulls) and keyboardist Richard Swift.
The Simple Song Songfacts reports that "Simple Song." was the first single from the Port Of Morrow album, the band's debut release on James Mercer's Aural Apothecary record label. It was also the first offering to be heard from the band following the departure of Jesse Sandoval and Marty Crandall.
The current line-up for the live act is James Mercer (vocals, guitar), Jessica Dobson (guitar), Yuuki Matthews (bass), Richard Swift (keyboards) and Joe Plummer (drums).
2017 - Fifth Album & World Tour
The band released their 5th studio album, "Heartworms" on March 10, 2017 on the Aural Apothecary/Columbia Records, together with a supporting world tour. "Heartworms" features Mercer's most diverse lyrical palette to date: From fictional character sketches ('Fantasy Island', 'Rubber Ballz'), autobiographical accounts ('Mildenhall'), to first single 'Name For You', a resounding call for female empowerment inspired by Mercer’s three daughters.
More information:
*http://www.theshins.com
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shins
Saint Simon
The Shins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So vexed to find evidently there's still so much that hides
And though the saints dub us divine in ancient fading lines
Their sentiment is just as hard to pluck from the vine
I'll try hard not to pretend
Allow myself no mock defense
As I step into the night
Since I don't have the time nor mind to figure out the nursery rhymes
That helped us out in making sense of our lives
The cruel, uneventful state of apathy releases me
I value them but I won't cry every time one's wiped out
I'll try hard not to give in
Batten down to fare the wind
Rid my head of this pretense
Allow myself no mock defense
As I step into the night
But Mercy's eyes are blue when she places them in front of you
Nothing holds a Roman candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside
There's no measuring of it as nothing else is love
I'll try hard not to give in
Batten down to fare the wind
Rid my head of this pretense
Allow myself no mock defense
As I step into the night
Mercy's eyes are blue when she places them in front of you
Nothing really holds a candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside you
In the first verse of Saint Simon by The Shins, the singer reflects on humanity's attempts to understand the world and the limits of intellect. Despite all of our technological advancements, there are still questions and mysteries that we cannot solve. The line "their sentiment is just as hard to pluck from the vine" suggests that even ancient wisdom and religious teachings are often difficult to fully comprehend or apply to our lives.
Moving into the chorus, the singer resolves to allow himself to be vulnerable and experience life fully, without relying on simple explanations or defenses. He acknowledges that life can be harsh and indifferent, but he refuses to let himself become apathetic. The phrase "step into the night" could be interpreted as a metaphor for embracing the unknown future.
The final verse introduces the character of Mercy, whose blue eyes are described as having a powerful emotional impact. While the rest of the song has been somewhat abstract, the image of Mercy's eyes brings a concrete sense of warmth, comfort, and love. The line "nothing really holds a candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside you" echoes the general sentiment of the song, that the greatest things in life cannot be easily defined or measured.
Overall, Saint Simon is a song about embracing the complexity of life and the unknown, and finding solace in moments of warmth and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
After all these implements and texts designed by intellects
Despite having various tools and knowledge developed by intelligent individuals
So vexed to find evidently there's still so much that hides
Frustrated to discover that there is a great deal of information that is still unknown
And though the saints dub us divine in ancient fading lines
Even though religious figures have considered human beings to be god-like in old, obscure writings
Their sentiment is just as hard to pluck from the vine
Their message is just as difficult to fully comprehend
I'll try hard not to pretend
I will make an effort to be genuine
Allow myself no mock defense
I won't try to defend myself insincerely
As I step into the night
As I move forward into the unknown
Since I don't have the time nor mind to figure out the nursery rhymes
Because I don't have the energy or capacity to decipher the simple stories
That helped us out in making sense of our lives
That aided us in comprehending our existence
The cruel, uneventful state of apathy releases me
The overwhelming feeling of indifference frees me
I value them but I won't cry every time one's wiped out
I appreciate them but won't become emotional every time one is destroyed
But Mercy's eyes are blue when she places them in front of you
But when Mercy looks at you with her blue eyes
Nothing holds a Roman candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside
Nothing compares to the comforting feeling you experience internally
There's no measuring of it as nothing else is love
It cannot be quantified as it is only love
Batten down to fare the wind
Prepare for the challenges ahead
Rid my head of this pretense
Eliminate the façade in my mind
Mercy's eyes are blue when she places them in front of you
When Mercy looks at you with her blue eyes
Nothing really holds a candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside you
There is nothing that can compare to the inner peace and comfort you feel
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: James Russell Mercer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DrPasl
Lyrics;
After all these implements and texts designed by intellects
So vexed to find evidently there's still so much that hides
And though the saints dub us divine in ancient fading lines
Their sentiment is just as hard to pluck from the vine
I'll try hard not to pretend
Allow myself no mock defense
As I step into the night
Since I don't have the time nor mind to figure out the nursery rhymes
That helped us out in making sense of our lives
The cruel, uneventful state of apathy releases me
I value them but I won't cry every time one's wiped out
I'll try hard not to give in
Batten down to fare the wind
Rid my head of this pretense
Allow myself no mock defense
As I step into the night
But Mercy's eyes are blue when she places them in front of you
Nothing holds a Roman candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside
There's no measuring of it as nothing else is love
I'll try hard not to give in
Batten down to fare the wind
Rid my head of this pretense
Allow myself no mock defense
As I step into the night
Mercy's eyes are blue when she places them in front of you
Nothing really holds a candle to the solemn warmth you feel inside you
✨
@amev747
I HAD YEARS, PEOPLE.. YEARS! LOOKING FOR THIS SONG! OMG ... I THINK I'M GONNA CRY, I AM SO HAPPY I FINALLY FOUND IT!, I LISTENED TO IT ONLY ONE TIME IN MY LIFE AND IT'S BECAUSE MY BROTHER HAD A DIESEL U MUSIC.. BUT I ONLY LISTENED TO IT ONE TIME! I WAS A LITTLE GIRL OMG.. THIS MELODY HAS BEEN IN MY HEAD ALL MY LIFE.. BUT I NEVER KNEW WHAT WAS IT NAME OMG OMG IM SO HAPPY NOW.
@reckonre
you shoulda just asked me. I could have told you what it was right away.
@amev747
lol if i had known you :p
@IIIlIlIIIIIll
Your comment is disturbing! I just spent my last 5 complete hours just to find the name of this music! And after I expressed my joyce for listening this song, I see that the first comment is yours, it's not usual to see that kind of comment! Happy for you and for me.
@amev747
lol omg amazing! I am happy for us haha <3 awesome
@ingrid_inthesky
+Ana Esquivel I know that feeling all too well. Some times I dream shoegazey type tunes and they stick with me for years. The la la la's in this song touch me every time - when I first heard it I thought "where has this song been all my life?" and get teary eyed but feel it deep in my spirit as well. A lot of Shins does this to me as well as Queen, The Beatles, The Cardigans first album Emmerdale (check it out if you love The Shins like I do)...so so many. Glad to see you found your beloved song again and music touches you the way it does :3
@mitsukosuki
one of the most beautiful songs ever created!!!
@rebjiii
Yep - this one is of my favorites by the Shins....my other favorites are Australia, New Slang, Turn on Me, Simple song, and Phantom limb
@cameronpeterson6734
+rebjiii The Past and Pending is great as well
@7evenpm
5 years ago