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.
Lisbon
The Walkmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I speak the language, several hundred words
Cloudless day, thunderous night
Among companions carry my name
The life we lead came gradually
Who keeps the time?
A bitter lime, do us fine
Turn deaf ears on all that we don't wanna hear
Cause for travel has come again
At this early hour, I tell your wife a story
She looks outside, doubles over laughing
The souls you love, the place you live
Those country houses
A change of heart tore us apart
Oh, what a ride
Every chance you have
All the love and light
All the joy and grace
Don't be upset, don't you think it out
You know what thinking does
to love's shine and love's light
All together world
I'm hanging on
It feels right, yeah
I saw a strange thing
Reminds me of faces
Upon a stormy sky tonight
All the younger kids, gone away to sleep
In the days to come, I'll do the same
At this early hour, I'll tell your wife a story
She looks outside, doubles over laughing
But the life we lead came gradually
Who keeps the time?
And a bitter lime, will do us fine
To kill the taste
The Walkmen's song Lisbon is a beautiful and introspective piece that invites the listener to reflect on life's passing and parting moments. The song presents an interesting opposition between the brightness of the day and the darkness of the night, as well as between companionship and loneliness. The opening lines evoke an image of stargazing, with countless eyes dotted across the night sky. The singer claims to speak the language, but only a few hundred words, suggesting that there is much more to the world than we can comprehend. The cloudless day contrasts with the thunderous night, which might represent life's highs and lows. The singer finds comfort and protection in the company of his companions, who "carry my name," perhaps indicating that they know him intimately.
The song's chorus suggests a resignation to life's gradual passing, with the haunting phrase "who keeps the time" echoing repeatedly. The singer finds solace in the bitter lime, which "will do us fine/ to kill the taste." This might mean that accepting that life is fleeting and often bitter is better than trying to ignore it or fight against it. The lines "Turn deaf ears on all that we don't wanna hear/ Cause for travel has come again" reinforce this idea, suggesting that sometimes it is better to ignore the difficult truths of life and focus on the joys of the present moment.
The second verse of the song continues the theme of parting, with the singer reflecting on the souls he loves and the place he lives. The reference to "those country houses" suggests a nostalgia for a simpler and perhaps more idyllic time. The singer acknowledges that a change of heart tore him apart from someone dear, but he sees this as just another part of life's rollercoaster ride. The song's bridge encourages the listener to embrace love, light, joy, and grace, without getting too caught up in overthinking and analysis. The chorus reprises, emphasizing once again that life is fleeting and that it is better to savor each moment than to fight against it.
Line by Line Meaning
The countless eyes dotted in the night sky
The stars in the sky are in a countless number
I speak the language, several hundred words
I know a few hundred words in the language
Cloudless day, thunderous night
The day is sunny, but the night is full of thunder and lightning
Among companions carry my name
My name is known among my friends
The life we lead came gradually
Our lives have slowly evolved over time
Who keeps the time?
Who is in charge of keeping track of time?
A bitter lime, do us fine to kill the taste
A sour taste helps us forget the bad things that happened
Turn deaf ears on all that we don't wanna hear
Ignore things that we don't want to hear
Cause for travel has come again
The reason to travel has arisen once more
At this early hour, I tell your wife a story
Early in the morning, I tell a story to your wife
She looks outside, doubles over laughing
She finds something outside so funny that she laughs a lot
The souls you love, the place you live
The people and the place you love
Those country houses
Those houses in the countryside
A change of heart tore us apart
A change of feeling broke us up
Oh, what a ride
What an experience that was!
Every chance you have
Take advantage of every opportunity you get
All the love and light
All the affection and brightness
All the joy and grace
All the happiness and elegance
Don't be upset, don't you think it out
Don't be sad, don't overthink it
You know what thinking does to love's shine and love's light
You know that overthinking can dim the brightness and joy of love
All together world
Everyone in the world together
I'm hanging on
I'm persevering
It feels right, yeah
It feels correct and good
I saw a strange thing
I saw something odd
Reminds me of faces
It reminds me of people's faces
Upon a stormy sky tonight
In the sky on this stormy night
All the younger kids, gone away to sleep
All the young children have gone to bed
In the days to come, I'll do the same
In the following days, I'll do the same
And a bitter lime, will do us fine to kill the taste
A sour taste will be enough to forget that bitter feeling
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
Jamie Bigham
How is it humanly possible to write songs things good? I got upset when they announced their extreme hiatus, but then I figured I'd be okay with it if they decided they were done for good. I thought Heaven was a little below par for them, and I'd be nervous that any more albums they did just wouldn't cut it. As it is, we will always have You And Me, Lisbon, Bows And Arrows, Hundred Miles Off, Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me. You And Me is a completely faultless album for me, but the other albums all contain some of the greatest songs I've ever known. And this comes from someone who grew up with Zeppelin, Queen, The Who etc right up to Radiohead and Arcade Fire. For me, The Walkmen will always be one of the greats, and one of my three favorite bands to come from the 2000's, along with Arcade Fire and The National.
uchiha gaeshi
Just out of curiosity, what are your favorite songs by them?
Jamie Bigham
this good I meant
Gordon MacLeod
Pedro, thank you for this beautiful video of Lisbon to accompany The Walkmen at their most elegant. Yes, I think it is the guitars, but also Matt Barrick's restrained percussion. While not my favourite Walkmen album - that has to be the flawless You and Me - the final three tracks of Lisbon, which see the title track preceded by "Torch Song" (extraordinary harmonies) and "While I Shovel the Snow" are thirteen minutes of unbroken magnificence. I got it real bad for this band.
Calvin Rivera
Same. Transcendent emotions. No band compares, currently.
Filipa Almeida
Adoro pá! Esta banda é espetacular!
nsr4interpol
Having grown up in Lisbon, this song evokes a paroxysm of nostalgia. It's the guitars, I think.
Steve V
And I plan to move there and it captures my imagination
nazbuk
tá espectacular o vídeo , "granda" tributo dos Walkmen a Lisboa
inkwell
Baffling how this masterpiece has less than 50k views.