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.
Blue As Your Blood
The Walkmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd give you all my love
But my heart itself is broken
How many nights must lumber by
I sit alone and I wonder why
Oh hazy, lazy days
I could dream of you forever
I sing a sad song of you and me
The sky above, the sky above
Is blue as your blood
Black is the color of your eyelash
Spanish is the language of your tongue
Life rolled us over like a town car
Bruised up and busted to the ground
The Lord came down and said to me
Throw off your worries and be at peace
The sky above, the sky above
Is blue as your blood
In a hazy, lazy daydream
Blue As Your Blood by The Walkmen is a love song that captures the feeling of heartbreak and loss. The opening line "I'd give you all my love" sets the tone for the song - the singer is willing to give everything to this person but unfortunately, his heart is broken. The next couple of lines express the frustration of waiting for time to go by, as he sits alone and wonders why. The melancholic tone is perfectly captured with the line "Oh hazy, lazy days, I could dream of you forever."
The next few lines focus on the memories of the person he loves, as he sings under the shade of a Juniper tree, reminiscing about the time they spent together. The comparison between the blue sky and the person's blood, along with the color of her eyelashes and her Spanish accent, shows the depth of affection for her. The lyrics also suggest that the journey of their relationship has been difficult, with life rolling them over like a town car, leaving them bruised and broken.
The song ends on a hopeful note, with the Lord telling the singer to throw off his worries and be at peace. This suggests that he has accepted the situation and is ready to move on. The use of "blue as your blood" as a metaphor for love shows the depth of emotion that the singer feels towards the person he lost.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd give you all my love
I have a strong desire to love you with all I have
But my heart itself is broken
Unfortunately, I am unable to love you because my heart is in a thousand pieces
How many nights must lumber by
With every passing night, I ask myself how long it will take to find love again
I sit alone and I wonder why
In my solitude, I ask myself why love is so elusive, why I am unable to give love and why nobody loves me
Oh hazy, lazy days
The days are passing so slowly, but I am unable to do anything productive
I could dream of you forever
Even though I am unable to love you, I can still dream about being with you
Under the shade of a Juniper tree
We could be together and enjoy the beauty of nature
I sing a sad song of you and me
I express my sorrow and regret that we cannot be together through my music
The sky above, the sky above
As I gaze at the sky, I notice its captivating blue color
Is blue as your blood
In that moment, the blue sky reminds me of your life force
Black is the color of your eyelash
Your beauty is incomparable, even down to the color of your eyelashes
Spanish is the language of your tongue
Your language is as beautiful and captivating as your physical appearance
Life rolled us over like a town car
Life hasn't been easy for us, we have been knocked down repeatedly
Bruised up and busted to the ground
We are battered and exhausted, barely able to keep standing
The Lord came down and said to me
In my moment of desperation, God appeared before me
Throw off your worries and be at peace
God told me to let go of my anxieties and embrace inner peace
In a hazy, lazy daydream
I drift away to a world where everything is beautiful and serene
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: JAMES HAMILTON LEITHAUSER, MATTHEW FREDERICK BARRICK, PAUL C MAROON, PETER M BAUER, WALTER R MARTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Comp
The Walkmen is the most underrated indie band ever
weeeooow
I love this , its beautiful....the intro, his voice and lyrics....'life roll us over'...... Love 3: 08 guitar and the strings are stunning .
Carlos Nascimento
<3!
Stone 79
gran canción... sin duda, "lisbon" será uno de los discos del año...
James
I'm never let down by the Walkmen... so consistent. So clear that this is a development in sound from previous work, which is also GRAND! :)
The OG_Greenbean
Octubre 2019 and still listening this great track
mirrorhorsestudio
A huevo
blarghieblarghie
The Walkmen are my beloved. I'm seeing them at Lollapalooza next month and again in October. I haven't missed a Walkmen show in years. This kind of sounds like Sun Records Johnny Cash
HMG5588
Beautiful lyrics. Beautiful song. Great band.
hotpinkpaperclips
This song is pretty phenomenal, don't you think?!