A three-part harmony-driven band, the trio has toured California multiple times playing festivals such as Make Music Pasadena, Echo Park Rising, Claremont Folk Festival, Lightning in a Bottle, and successfully captured large audiences every Monday night in December with their Holiday Residency at The Satellite.
In 2014 the band released their formal debut album, Blind and Brave, produced by Raymond Richards at Red Rockets Glare (Parson Redheads, Honey Honey, Local Natives, Dustbowl Revival). The album release kicked off during a very special show at the historic Troubadour.
Blind and Brave illustrates the story of the working class, and encourages listeners to genuinely care about the place they inhabit, keep it beautiful, connect with people, and be brave. The message found in these songs is that you have to get through the hard stuff to get to the good stuff, just as you have to go through the bad parts of town to find the best parts, whether it be a venue down an old dark alley way, or a friend’s house at the top of a hill. In everything you do, do it out of love.
With their debut album released, and a bright future ahead, we can only expect great things from The Wild Reeds. They joined Newport Folk Festival’s sister of the west, Way Over Yonder with artists such as Jackson Brown, Local Natives, Lucinda Williams.
Lose My Mind
The Wild Reeds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up on your handlebars I thought I was going to die
But you taught me how to fall
Before you taught me anything at all
If I ever lose my mind,
Book me a ticket to the other side
If I ever lose my breath,
If there is anyone who could bring me back to the ground
When I drift into the void you always pull me out
I don't know if I've told you enough
But you're the best thing that I've got
If I ever lose my mind
Book me a ticket to the other side
If I ever lose my breath
Tell them I have gone to rest
And when I can't do this no more
Won't you help lift me off the floor
If I ever am unkind, give me a piece of your mind
When I'm tired and I've lost my fire
I know I threw a fit
But you never made me pay for it
When I'm found out and I'm full of self doubt
You believed in me when it would have been so easy to leave
The song "Lose My Mind" by The Wild Reeds speaks to the idea of relying on someone else, specifically a romantic partner, to ground you and bring you back to reality when you feel lost or overwhelmed. The first verse harkens back to a moment when the singer was young and riding on the handlebars of someone else's bicycle. They reflect that in that moment they felt like they were going to die until the person showed them how to fall safely. This serves as a metaphor for the rest of the song - that the singer needs someone to help "pull me out" when they feel like they are drifting "into the void."
The chorus reiterates this sentiment, with the singer stating that if they ever lose their mind, they want to be sent to the "other side" - perhaps a metaphor for death or a mental breakdown - and if they ever lose their breath they want to be allowed to rest. The verses that follow continue to stress the importance of the other person's assistance, with the singer acknowledging that they sometimes lose their fire but the other person never makes them pay for it. The song ends with a plea for the other person to give them a "piece of your mind" if they are ever unkind.
Overall, the lyrics of "Lose My Mind" focus on the idea of needing someone else to ground you and bring you back to reality when you feel lost. The metaphor of falling off a bicycle and learning to do so safely serves as a powerful image for the rest of the song, and the chorus repeats the idea that the singer needs the other person's help to weather any potential mental or physical breakdown.
Line by Line Meaning
I think I knew when I was riding high
I was once reckless and carefree, living life on the edge
Up on your handlebars I thought I was going to die
You gave me an adrenaline rush and taught me how to live a little
But you taught me how to fall
You showed me how to pick myself up and learn from my mistakes
Before you taught me anything at all
Your influence on me was so powerful that even the little things you did changed my life
If I ever lose my mind,
In the event that I become insane
Book me a ticket to the other side
Arrange for my departure, beyond the point of no return
If I ever lose my breath,
In the event of my death
Tell them I have gone to rest
Inform others that I've passed on from this world
If there is anyone who could bring me back to the ground
If there's someone who can help me stay grounded and focused
When I drift into the void you always pull me out
You rescue me from my own self-destructive tendencies
I don't know if I've told you enough
I'm not sure if I've conveyed my gratitude towards you sufficiently
But you're the best thing that I've got
Despite everything that's happened, you're still the most valuable thing in my life
And when I can't do this no more
When I'm incapable of carrying on
Won't you help lift me off the floor
Can you please encourage me to keep going?
If I ever am unkind, give me a piece of your mind
Please don't tolerate my bad behavior and hold me accountable for my actions
When I'm tired and I've lost my fire
When I'm exhausted and feeling defeated
I know I threw a fit
I'm aware that I behaved childishly
But you never made me pay for it
Despite my faults, you never held it against me
When I'm found out and I'm full of self doubt
When my insecurities get the best of me
You believed in me when it would have been so easy to leave
You had faith in me when everyone else had given up
Writer(s): mackenzie dewolfe howe
Contributed by Abigail B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@ItsOverFatKid
I think I knew when I was riding high
Up on your handlebars I thought I was going to die
But you taught me how to fall
Before you taught me anything at all
If I ever lose my mind,
Book me a ticket to the other side
If I ever lose my breath,
Tell them I have gone to rest
If there is anyone who could bring me back to the ground
When I drift into the void you always pull me out
And I don't know if I've told you enough
But you're the best thing that I've got
If I ever lose my mind
Book me a ticket to the other side
If I ever lose my breath
Tell them I have gone to rest
And when I can't do this no more
Won't you help lift me off the floor
If I ever am unkind, give me a piece of your mind
When I'm tired and I've lost my fire
I know I threw a fit
But you never made me pay for it
When I'm found out and I'm full of self doubt
You believed in me when it would have been so easy to leave
If I ever lose my mind ×2
I think I knew when I was riding high
@absolutelynonameslef
Please keep the songs coming. This world needs it.
@moresnqp
holy shit how do i give you guys everything that chorus subversion is so beautiful, the frickin clown groove this song has going is so perfect, the lyrics are really just amazing
@renatastecz6784
So beautiful ❤️
@dramadork
I didn't know it was possible to love y'all more than I already did.
@brybry4610
the lyrics are so sweet
@jayfoster
Ya'll just keep getting better all the time. Thanks for the beautiful music <3
@mikelagarde869
this is such an unbelievably beautiful song and video. its totally perfect
@rubyolivares7052
The outfits in this video are amazing!! That blue dress is everything! God I love you guys! ❤️
@ktgirl8
THE BEST!!!!!!!!! You guys are incredible. Thanks for this great video 🤗
@chrisnaeter5257
Saw you all open for Shakey in St. Louis and it was one of the best opening acts I’ve ever seen. We all wished you would’ve just played all night.