The band's blend of punk-inflected folk rock with literate, witty, introspective lyrics have made them one of the most popular bands on the Canadian music scene.
Hailing from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, The Weakerthans have produced four full albums with a variety of unusual subjects; a couple of songs are sung from the point of view of John's cat Virtute (Ver-tu-tay). The Weakerthans are popular in their home city of Winnipeg; their song "One Great City!" expresses their love/hate relationship with the problems and attitude of Winnipeg. No matter their methods, though, one thing is clear: The Weakerthans are not afraid to venture into lyrical styles uncharted by their contemporaries. On their third album, Reconstruction Site, Samson penned three songs, "(Manifest)", "(Hospital Vespers)", and "(Past Due)", in Shakespearean sonnet form.
One origin story for the band's name, as quoted in the liner notes of Fallow, is a line from the 1992 film The Lover: "Go ahead, I'm weaker than you can possibly imagine." The band's name may also refer to a Ralph Chaplin quote from "Solidarity Forever": "What force on Earth can be weaker than the feeble strength of one?" The band alludes to this line in the song "Pamphleteer" from the album Left and Leaving.
The band last released an album, Live at the Burton Cummings Theatre, in 2010.
Since 2015, the band has been on hiatus.
Night Windows
The Weakerthans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Glancing up at where you lived when you lived here
I see you, suddenly alive and nearly smiling
Stop and hold my breath and watch the way you used to be
The full moon makes our faces shine
Like over-ironed polyester
Then disappears behind the clouds
We could walk to where these streets get pulled together
A blinking line with gravel shoulders squared towards an end
Where the radio resounds from doppling traffic
Where the power lines steal S's from the hourly news
De-pluralize our casualties
Drown the Generals out in static
We'd turn and watch our city sprawl
And send us signals in the glow of night windows
Night windows
Night windows
But you're not coming home again (night windows)
And I won't ever get to say (night windows)
Remember how I'm sorry that I miss the way could we? (night windows)
Remember how I'm sorry that I miss the way could we?
Night windows
Night windows
Night windows
The Weakerthans' song "Night Windows" is a melancholic reflection on losing someone you love and being haunted by their memory. The song begins in a state of disbelief, counting the passage of time since the person's departure and feeling the weight of their absence. The singer looks up at the window of the person's former home and sees their face, briefly alive and almost smiling. The full moon makes everything shine, but when it disappears behind clouds, the singer is left alone with empty rows of night windows.
The song then shifts to a hypothetical scenario where the singer and the departed loved one could walk through the city together, drowning out the noise of war and conflict with the static on the radio. They would observe the sprawl of the city and communicate with each other through the glow of night windows. In the chorus, the singer emphasizes the loss of the loved one, acknowledging they will not come home again, and expressing regret for not being able to say certain things before they left.
"Night Windows" is a poignant reflection on loss and memory, evoking the quiet moments of melancholy that follow grief. The band's frontman, John K. Samson, is known for his literary and evocative lyrics, which often reveal unexpected emotional depth. The song is a classic example of his powerful ability to weave together narrative and emotion into a stunning work of art.
Line by Line Meaning
In the stick count for the song of knowing you're gone
While counting beats, I'm reminded of your absence and how your departure has affected me.
Glancing up at where you lived when you lived here
Looking up at your old apartment, where we shared good memories together, makes me miss you even more.
I see you, suddenly alive and nearly smiling
For a brief moment, I imagine you being back here with me, and it brings a smile to my face.
Stop and hold my breath and watch the way you used to be
I pause and hold my breath, just trying to hold on to any memory of you and the way you used to be while you were here.
The full moon makes our faces shine
The bright full moon illuminates our faces.
Like over-ironed polyester
Our faces look unnaturally flat, like they've been pressed with a hot iron.
Then disappears behind the clouds
The moon suddenly disappears from view as the clouds move across the sky.
And leaves me under empty rows of night windows
I'm left feeling alone and staring at dark, empty windows as the moon disappears.
We could walk to where these streets get pulled together
We could take a walk to the intersection where all these streets converge.
A blinking line with gravel shoulders squared towards an end
At the end of the street, there's a flashing traffic light and gravel-covered shoulders.
Where the radio resounds from doppling traffic
The sound of cars driving by is mixed with the radio's music.
Where the power lines steal S's from the hourly news
The power lines emit interference that interrupts the news broadcast's signal.
De-pluralize our casualties
We need to remember that each loss of life is an individual tragedy, not just a number in a statistic.
Drown the Generals out in static
We should ignore the noise made by the those in power and focus on the real issues at hand.
We'd turn and watch our city sprawl
Looking out from where we are, we could observe our city's size and growth.
And send us signals in the glow of night windows
As the city lights up at night, it creates a shared experience between everyone who can see the glowing windows.
But you're not coming home again (night windows)
Despite all of this, you won't be returning home.
And I won't ever get to say (night windows)
I'll never get the chance to express my feelings to you again.
Remember how I'm sorry that I miss the way could we? (night windows)
Please remember that I'm sorry for missing the moments we shared and the things we could have done.
Night windows
As the song comes to a close, we're left with the image of the city lights shining in the darkness.
Night windows
The repeating of 'night windows' at the end helps to solidify this final image in our minds.
Night windows
It also emphasizes the passage of time and the constant reminder that the city and its inhabitants will still be there, even after we're gone.
Lyrics © MOTHERSHIP MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: John K Samson, Jason Tait, Greg Scott Smith, Stephen Allan Carroll
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Gryffin
on Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure
It had something to do with the rain
It was a rainy day when Virtute left
Leaching loamy dirt
The dirt becoming muddy and wet due to the rain.
And the way the back lane came alive
The rain bringing life to the back alley and making it more vibrant.
Half moon whispered go
Personification of the half-moon; Virtute believed it told her to leave
For a while I heard you
The cat heard its owner's footsteps for a brief period.
Missing steps in the street
The owner was upset and confused, stumbling while walking in the street, looking for her.
And your anger pleading
The owner's anger begging for something; perhaps Virtute's return
In an uncertain key
The owner's tone being unsure and lacking confidence.
Singing the sound that you found for me
Virtute's owner is calling out her name in an attempt to find her
When the winter took the tips of my ears
In winter, Virtute lost the tips of her ears to the cold
Found this noisy home
The cat found a new place to live.
Full of pigeons and places to hide
The new place was abundant in pigeons and had many good hiding spots.
And when the voices died
When everything became silent.
I emerged to watch abandoned machines
The cat came out of hiding to look at the machines that had been abandoned.
Waiting for their men
The machines were waiting for someone to come and use them.
To return, I remember the way
The cat remembers how the owner would look for her and she misses him.
I would wait for you
The cat used to wait for her owner to come back.
To arrive with kibble
The owner used to bring kibble for the cat to eat.
And a box full of beer
The owner used to have beer with him when he came back home.
How I'd scratch the empties
The cat remembers how she used to scratch the empty beer cans and bottles for hours to entertain herself.
Desperate to hear
The cat was desperate to hear the familiar sounds of her owner's presence.
You make the sound that you found for me
Virtute longed to hear her owner say her name, to be acknowledged by the person who left her alone for so long.
After scrapping with the ferals and the tabby
After fighting with other cats in the area.
Let you brush my matted fur
Allowed the owner to groom her matted fur.
How I'd knead into your chest while you were sleeping
The cat remembers how she used to knead into her owner's chest while he slept.
Shallow breathing made me purr
The cat would purr while feeling her owner's shallow breathing and being comforted by it.
But I can't remember the sound that you found for me
The cat can no longer remember the name her owner gave her, and it makes her sad and confused.
I can't remember the sound that you found for me
Reinforcing the fact that the cat can no longer remember her name.
I can't remember the sound
The cat can't seem to remember anything about the owner's voice and it vexes her.