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.
Slips and Tangles
The Weakerthans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Squeeze out soft regrets from all our lies
As I greet another door that opens in
To that place where we repeatedly begin
I'm tangled up in try
Slipping on I wonder why
I face
Another urban wasteland thick with fears
Icy lights that shine like frozen television tears
Or dying embers of another day
Please tell me what it is I want to say
I'm tangled up in try
Slipping on I wonder why
I face
Affectionate embrace
Affectionate embrace
The Weakerthans' song Slips and Tangles is a melancholic and introspective examination of the human experience. The opening lines, "neon lights and slinking purple skies / squeeze out soft regrets from all our lies," create a vivid image of a city at night, where the combination of artificial light and darkness brings forth feelings of regret and self-examination. The singer faces another door that leads to a place where they repeatedly begin, suggesting a feeling of repetition and possibly stagnation. The chorus emphasizes the struggle to understand one's own emotions, as the singer is "tangled up in try" and "slipping on I wonder why." Despite the struggle, the singer faces an "affectionate embrace," perhaps finding comfort in familiar patterns.
The second verse further explores the idea of urban isolation, with the "urban wasteland" full of "fears" and "icy lights." These images paint a bleak picture of life in the city, where people are unable to connect and emotions are frozen over like "television tears" or "dying embers." The singer is again left questioning their own thoughts and feelings, asking for clarification on what they truly want to say.
Overall, the song touches on universal themes of human experience, such as the struggle to understand oneself and the inherent loneliness of modern society. The combination of evocative imagery and introspective lyrics make Slips and Tangles a poignant and relatable song.
Line by Line Meaning
Neon lights and slinking purple skies
The purple skies and bright neon lights reveal the truth about our lies.
Squeeze out soft regrets from all our lies
The neon lights expose the soft, hidden regrets from our lies.
As I greet another door that opens in
Welcoming another door that opens to the start of something new.
To that place where we repeatedly begin
Entering a familiar place where we always start anew.
I'm tangled up in try
I'm caught up in trying to figure out what's happening.
Slipping on I wonder why
I'm struggling and trying to understand why.
I face
I confront
Affectionate embrace
A warm hug or an attempt to comfort oneself.
Another urban wasteland thick with fears
A familiar place in the city filled with fear and anxiety.
Icy lights that shine like frozen television tears
The cold bright lights resemble tears on a television screen.
Or dying embers of another day
Like the embers of a dying day, everything is coming to a close.
Please tell me what it is I want to say
I need help to find words to express myself.
Lyrics © MOTHERSHIP MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: John K Samson, Paul Cameron Miller
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.