<… 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
Spilt Needles
The Shins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Had to paint myself a hole,
And fall inside,
If it's far enough in sight and rhyme,
I get to wear another dress,
And count in time,
Oh, won't you do me the favor, man,
A polymorphing opinion here,
And your vague outline,
I'll find myself another burning gate,
A pretty face, a vague idea I can't relate,
And this is get what you get for pulling pins,
Out of the hole,
Inside the hole you're in,
It's like I'm pushed on the handle bars,
Of a blind man's bike,
No straws to grab, just the rushing wind,
On the rolling mind,
They want you to decide,
Eventually, it happens,
Some gather on one side,
With all their pearly snapping,
They close the basement door,
It sets our teeth to chatter,
You never saw it before,
But now that hardly matters,
You're old enough, boy,
Too many summers you've enjoyed,
So spin the wheel,
We'll set you up with some odd convictions,
Because you're finally golden, boy
The lyrics of The Shins's song Spilt Needles seem to be a reflection of the complexities of the human mind. The opening lines, "I've done myself an impossible crime, had to paint myself a hole, and fall inside," suggest that the singer has committed some unforgivable error and is punishing himself by isolating himself from the world. The use of the word "impossible" suggests that the crime is emotional or mental, rather than physical. The concept of painting oneself a hole is a metaphor for creating a space that is devoid of the outside world, allowing the singer to introspect and contemplate his situation.
The verse goes on to describe the singer's desire to escape his mental prison by attempting to find solace in different activities. "If it's far enough in sight and rhyme, I get to wear another dress, and count in time" suggests that he seeks out different experiences to allow himself to forget his troubles. The use of "wear another dress" is possibly a reference to the song "The Dress Looks Nice on You" by Sufjan Stevens, which describes a situation where a girl tries on different dresses to forget her troubles. The singer seems to be seeking a similar escape.
The chorus, which goes "Oh, won't you do me the favor, man, of a giving mind, a polymorphing opinion here, and your vague outline," is a plea for someone else to help him escape his mental prison. The use of "giving mind" suggests that the singer seeks someone who is empathetic and understanding. The use of "polymorphing opinion" suggests that he seeks someone who can help him see things from a different perspective, allowing him to break out of his current mindset.
Line by Line Meaning
I've done myself an impossible crime,
I made an extremely difficult mistake that seems impossible to fix.
Had to paint myself a hole,
I created a false image of myself to escape my problems.
And fall inside,
I accepted my false image and believed it to be true.
If it's far enough in sight and rhyme,
If I can convince others of my false image, it becomes like a reality to me.
I get to wear another dress,
I can continue to deceive myself and others with different false images.
And count in time,
I measure my life by these false images and the time spent believing in them.
Oh, won't you do me the favor, man,
Please help me by giving me your opinion.
Of a giving mind,
I need someone who is willing to provide an honest and helpful opinion.
A polymorphing opinion here,
An opinion that can change and adapt based on new information.
And your vague outline,
Although I don't know you well, I still value your opinion.
I'll find myself another burning gate,
I'll continue to create new false images and ways to escape from reality.
A pretty face, a vague idea I can't relate,
I create false images to hide from things I don't understand.
And this is get what you get for pulling pins,
I suffer the consequences of my actions and choices.
Out of the hole,
I try to escape from my problems and mistakes.
Inside the hole you're in,
I create new problems and mistakes by trying to escape from the old ones.
It's like I'm pushed on the handle bars,
I feel like I don't have control over my own life.
Of a blind man's bike,
I feel lost and confused, like I have no direction.
No straws to grab, just the rushing wind,
I have no support or help, just the overwhelming force of life.
On the rolling mind,
My mind races with thoughts and worries, but no clear solutions.
They want you to decide,
People pressure you to make choices and take action.
Eventually, it happens,
Eventually, you have to make a decision.
Some gather on one side,
People group together to support one decision over another.
With all their pearly snapping,
People use persuasive and convincing language to sway others to their side.
They close the basement door,
They close off the possibility of other options and decisions.
It sets our teeth to chatter,
This makes us anxious and nervous.
You never saw it before,
This is a new perspective or decision you didn't consider before.
But now that hardly matters,
It's too late to change your decision now, so there's no point in regretting it.
You're old enough, boy,
You're mature enough to make your own decisions.
Too many summers you've enjoyed,
You've had enough life experience to make informed decisions.
So spin the wheel,
Take a chance and make a decision.
We'll set you up with some odd convictions,
You may end up with some strange or unconventional beliefs based on your decision.
Because you're finally golden, boy
You have the potential to succeed and flourish based on your decision.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wiseman457
I've done myself an impossible crime,
Had to paint myself a hole,
And fall inside,
If it's far enough in sight and rhyme,
I get to wear another dress,
And count in time,
Oh, won't you do me the favor, man,
Of a giving mind,
A polymorphing opinion here,
And your vague outline,
I'll find myself another burning gate,
A pretty face, a vague idea I can't relate,
And this is get what you get for pulling pins,
Out of the hole,
Inside the hole you're in,
It's like I'm pressed on the handle bars,
Of a blind man's bike,
No straws to grab, just the rushing wind,
On the rolling mind,
They want you to decide,
Eventually, it happens,
Some gather on one side,
With all their pearly snapping,
They close the basement door,
It sets our teeth to chatter,
You never saw it before,
But now that hardly matters,
You're old enough, boy,
Too many summers you've enjoyed,
So spin the wheel,
We'll set you up with some odd convictions,
Because you're finally golden, boy
@benjaminjonathanjamessisko7095
James Mercer is a genius.
He has the ability to make something that sounds like a 3 min pop song, but the more you listen, the more layers you discover in both the music and the lyrics.
@John.Christopher
It's a great song
@redskies4530
Hi I recommend a song called 'Looking Into The Mirror' By Robert Nix
@badmonkey2222
Favorite song on the album
@Blarsen780
Too hard for me to choose. This one, Australia, Turn on Me, A Comet Appears, and Sea legs are all #1 for me.
Edit: Forgot Phantom Limb, also top tier
@badmonkey2222
@@Blarsen780 oh no doubt all are great songs.
@Schlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff
@@badmonkey2222
No doubt!
@joypentz3757
Every night I play the Shins to lull me to sleep. they are the best band in my opinion.
@ThatCoolKidYouKnow
If I could make a song a tenth as beautiful as this I would have beyond succeeded in life
@redskies4530
Hi I recommend a song called 'Looking Into The Mirror' By Robert Nix