In 2006, The Weepies big label debut Say I Am You came out on Nettwerk Records. After an initial hard-scrabble tour in their compact car as a duo, Deb Talan & Steve Tannen’s music appeared in more than a dozen TV shows, as well as several major motion pictures.
Their iTunes sales topped the folk charts in eight countries. Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol nominated them for a Short List Music Prize, and Mandy Moore asked them to write with her and sing on her album. They were invited to open for the Indigo Girls and invited onto the Hotel Café Tour; they played the Oxegen Festival in Ireland, the Hurricane Festival in Germany, and T in the Park in Scotland. Their MySpace player hit 2 million plays. JCPenney and Old Navy used their tunes as the theme songs for their major holiday TV campaigns.
When The Weepies returned home in 2007, they were exhausted.
“2006 was amazing. Coming off the road in 2007 should have been this blissed-out time with so much to celebrate, but it was totally depressing. Our rented shack in the California hills was cold, it had a leaky roof and there were mice living in it. Our electric guitar had been destroyed on the last plane flight of the year. We hadn’t seen most of our close friends in months.”
“We were empty,” says Talan. “We both felt dark after being in the bright lights for a year. We were looking to reconnect with what moved us about music in the first place. We needed to hide out and write.”
Hideaway was the result of their year-long struggle to get tapped in again, released in 2008. Another homemade gem, Hideaway is a darker companion to their first album, with 14 new tunes ranging from the upbeat title track to the jangly rock of Not Dead Yet to gorgeously arranged meditations like How You Survived the War and Little Bird.
As with most of The Weepies’ music, there is a happy ending to all the struggle: Deb and Steve were married in 2007, and they had a baby boy, Theo, in October.
The Weepies sound on Hideaway remains rooted in their unique writing and unusual harmonies. Their distinctive production was filled out again by bass player and guitarist Whynot Jansveld, guitarist Meghan Toohey and drummer Frank Lenz. Additional musicians on this album include string player Oliver Kraus, keyboardist John Deley, guitarist Steve Walsh, and horn player/keyboardist Brad Gordon.
The Weepies' fourth full-length album, Be My Thrill, was released in August 2010.
Sirens
The Weepies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Capsized, grounded, washed-up, sounded
I hear their voices, sirens singing in the street
I thought they might be calling out for you, for me
I hear their voices, sirens calling out emergency
for you, for me, for you, for you, for you
for you, for you, for you, for me
Here lies the body of a captain
Foundered in the waves collected by the sirens
Oh, wise women of the sun
Oh, what have you done
Save this frail one left by Poseidon
I hear their voices, sirens singing in the street
I thought they might be calling out for you, for me
I hear their voices, sirens calling out emergency
For you, for me, for you, for you, for you
For you, for you, for you, for me
For you, for you, for you, for you
For you, for you, for me
I realize the lights of all retreating cars shine red
I realize you will not take back any of those words you've said
What did you say?
What did you say?
Why didn't you stay?
Here lie all the photographs
All that I remember taken under, sent asunder
How I drift through history, a small Sargasso sea
Rising, sinking, still I'm thinking
I hear their voices, sirens singing in the street
I thought they might be calling out for you, for me
I hear their voices, sirens calling out emergency
For you, for me, for you, for you, for you
For you, for you, for you, for me
For you, for you, for you, for you
For you, for you, for me
Aha aha aha aha aha aha aha ha
Aha aha aha aha aha aha aha ha
The lyrics to The Weepies' song Sirens are filled with imagery and metaphors about storms, sirens, and lost ships. The opening lines "Here lie remains of a ship that sailed too close to the storm, capsized, grounded, washed-up, sounded" suggest that the ship was destroyed by a storm because it ventured too far into dangerous waters. This can be seen as a metaphor for a relationship that failed because it went beyond its limits. The ship represents the relationship, which ultimately succumbed to external pressures and sank.
The chorus "I hear their voices, sirens singing in the street, I thought they might be calling out for you, for me" suggests that the sirens are symbolic of the temptations and dangers that lurk outside of the relationship, tempting the partners to venture into risky waters. The sirens are calling out for them, tempting them to leave the safety of the relationship.
The final verse reflects on the aftermath of the relationship, the regrets, and what has been lost. The line "Here lie all the photographs, all that I remember taken under, sent asunder" suggests that memories of the relationship are now scattered and lost like debris from a lost ship. The final lines "What did you say? Why didn't you stay?" express a sense of regret and longing.
Line by Line Meaning
Here lie remains of a ship that sailed to close to the storm
The wreckage of a ship that got too close to the storm and ultimately crashed.
Capsized, grounded, washed-up, sounded
The ship overturned, ran aground, and ended up washed ashore after the distress signal was sent.
I hear their voices, sirens singing in the street
The sound of approaching emergency vehicles can be heard nearby.
I thought they might be calling out for you, for me
The sirens reminded the artist of people they knew who might be in danger.
I hear their voices, sirens calling out emergency
The loud emergency sirens can be heard, alerting people to a dangerous situation.
For you, for me, for you, for you, for you
The singer recognizes that the emergency affects everyone and not just a few individuals.
Here lies the body of a captain
There is a dead captain whose body is present.
Foundered in the waves collected by the sirens
The captain drowned and was rescued by the sirens.
Oh, wise women of the sun
The artist addresses the sirens as wise women of the sun, alluding to classical mythology.
Oh, what have you done
The artist questions the sirens about what they have done or can do in the current situation.
Save this frail one left by Poseidon
The singer pleads with the sirens to save a survivor of the shipwreck who was abandoned by Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea.
I realize the lights of all retreating cars shine red
The artist notices the red brake lights of cars leaving the emergency site.
I realize you will not take back any of those words you've said
The singer understands that someone who said hurtful things will not take them back.
What did you say?
The singer wants to know what was said to make them hurt so much.
Why didn't you stay?
The singer questions why someone left instead of staying with them.
Here lie all the photographs
All of the photographs documenting the artist's memories have been destroyed or lost.
All that I remember taken under, sent asunder
All of the artist's memories have been scattered and destroyed.
How I drift through history, a small Sargasso sea
The singer feels lost and adrift in their memories like a small, isolated sea.
Rising, sinking, still I'm thinking
Despite the turbulent emotions, the singer is still persevering and thinking about their past.
Aha aha aha aha aha aha aha ha
The song ends with a series of nonsensical syllables, perhaps signifying the fleeting nature of memory and emotions.
Lyrics © STEVE TANNEN MUSIC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vincenzotarantini3709
Il buon Mario Synergo ha parlato con così tanto amore ed enfasi di questa canzone che m'è stato impossibile non amarla al primo ascolto... ma riconosco che pur trattandosi di una gran bella canzone non l'avrei amata così tanto se non fossi "passato" prima da lui. E non l'avrei mai scoperta. Grazie Synergo, anche per questo.
@Pierlupo71
Ciao, anch'io prima del video di Synergo non conoscevo questa band. La canzone è tanto bella quanto commovente e disperata.
@whitneybladen9605
The first time I heard this song was when I saw them live in Provo last year. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety and went with my mom and sisters to get a break from things for a bit. We were able to be in the front row. This song hit me so hard I ended up crying. It was so perfectly done, one of the most beautiful live performances I've ever heard. It was stuck in my head for about a month afterward :) Thank you The Weepies, you're the coolest.
@bennyfermin7873
Whitney Bladen what a lovely experience <3, i hope you wont have more anxiety, hugs.
@marcopaglia0314
Sto pensando a tutte le persone non italiane che guardano i. Commenti e si domandano chi sia synergo XD!
Ps. Grazie synergo
@sebastian___
F
@vanessapetersmusic
This song pulls at every single one of my heartstrings. It's otherworldly.
@harperblankenship3017
My 2 year old daughter is a big fan of the Weepies (like me) and she is sitting here demanding that I play this for her over and over again XD
@giovanni_scoto_eriugena
Grazie Mario, un'altra ragione per continuare a vedere video su cose dell'altro cinema
@ashesoneyes
Timeless✨