The Walkmen is an American indie rock band, with members based in New York … Read Full Bio ↴The Walkmen is an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater—Paul Maroon (guitar, piano), Walter Martin (organ/bass), and Matt Barrick (drums)—and two from The Recoys, Peter Matthew Bauer (bass/organ) and Hamilton Leithauser (vocals, guitar). All but Bauer attended St. Albans in Washington, D.C. The band are currently on hiatus, with Leithauser, Bauer and Martin all pursuing solo careers, and Barrick joining Fleet Foxes in a touring and session capacity

They prefer the sound of vintage musical instruments, particularly the upright piano, and have often recorded at Marcata Recording, a recording studio built in Harlem in 1999 by the three former members of Jonathan Fire*Eater and later relocated to upstate New York.

Each of the members of The Walkmen grew up in and around the Washington, D.C. area, played in many of the same bands from early in their careers, and even attended the same Washington-area high school. The bandmates eventually moved to Harlem and became a part of the burgeoning New York City rock scene.

The band was formed in 2000 following the breakup of two separate bands: Jonathan Fire*Eater, whose members included Martin, Maroon and Barrick, and The Recoys, whose members included Leithauser and Bauer. The three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater, which had recorded for Dreamworks Records, had money left over from that past recording contract and used the remaining funds to construct a rehearsal space in uptown New York. The rehearsal space featured a 24-track recording studio and was dubbed Marcata Studios.

The newly-formed band, who wished to distance themselves from the garage rock sounds of previous bands, released a self-titled EP of songs in 2001 on Startime International, a small Brooklyn-based record label.[4] Shortly after release of the EP, which featured an eccentric blend of upright pianos and other vintage instruments, The Walkmen made their official live debut with a performance at Joe's Pub in the East Village.

The 2002 debut album Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me Is Gone, released by Startime, was well received by critics. The album was noted for its innovative approach to atmosphere and instrumentation, with sparse bass and drums complemented by plinking piano, jangly guitars and Leithauser's unique vocal stylings. Two of the songs on the album, "The Blizzard of '96" and "That's the Punchline," were adaptations of tracks meant for The Recoys' unreleased full-length album.

All My Great Designs
The Walkmen Lyrics

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Well I've been hearing things
Voices carry over water things I can't deny
Night after night
Night after night after night

My broken heart

You will know when you've been running around

You will know when you've been
Out on your own
It will haunt you night after night
Haunt you night after night
Well I've been seeing things
Lights are shining through my eyelids
All the great designs
Never make it out of my sleep

You will know when you've been running around
You will know when you've been
Out on your own
It will haunt you night after night

You can't hide what you
Know night after night

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Walkmen's song "All My Great Designs" deal with the themes of denial, regret, and haunting memories. The verses speak of the singer hearing and seeing things that remind him of a broken heart and the mistakes he has made. The first verse mentions "voices carry[ing] over the water," which suggest that the singer may be near a waterfront location and perhaps hearing echoes of things he doesn't want to hear. The phrase "things I can't deny" implies that he is aware of the truth but doesn't want to face it.

The chorus describes the aftermath of the singer's actions and how they continue to haunt him "night after night." He sings about how someone who has been "running around" and "out on [their] own" will eventually know where they've been and what they've done. The repetition of the haunting lyrics in the chorus reinforces the idea that the memories of his past actions continue to haunt him, causing him to see things when he closes his eyes.

The final verse speaks to the idea that the singer has dreams and aspirations ("all my great designs") but is incapable of bringing them to fruition because of his past regrets. The line "you get high/but you know, night after night" suggests that the singer is trying to escape his haunting memories by numbing himself with substances, but ultimately knows that this isn't a sustainable solution.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been hearing things
I have been noticing noises and sounds

Voices carry over the water
I can hear voices travelling through water

Things I can't deny,
There are situations that I can't refuse to accept

Night after night,
This keeps happening repeatedly every night

Night after night,
The same thing happens again and again every night

Night
The night is when these things happen

A broken heart
Someone's heart that has been through pain

You will know where
You'll realize the place

You've been running around
You have been travelling around

You will know where
You'll comprehend the place

You've been out on your own
You have been alone and doing things by yourself