THERAPY? is an alternative rock/punk rock band from Northern Ireland. The b… Read Full Bio ↴THERAPY? is an alternative rock/punk rock band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist/vocalist Andy Cairns and drummer Fyfe Ewing. The band initially recorded their first demo with Andy filling in on bass guitar. To complete the line-up, the band recruited bassist Michael McKeegan.
With keen pop sensibilities, a skewed sense of humour and a willingness to draw inspiration from diverse sources (notably punk rock), Therapy? came to attention in the early 1990s rise of alternative rock, but have endured for more than a decade since; Critic Johnny Loftus writes, "After a ten-plus year career that has seen them outlast competitors and outwit industry attempts at categorization, Therapy? are still headbangers with their thinking caps screwed on tight."

Current line-up :
Andy Cairns (guitar, vocals) (1989 - )
Michael McKeegan (bass guitar, backing vocals) (1989 - )
Neil Cooper (drums) (2003 - )

Past members:
Fyfe Ewing (drums) (1989 - 1996)
Martin McCarrick (cello, guitar, backing vocals) (1996 - 2004)
Graham Hopkins (drums) (1996 - 2001)

Discography:
-Hard Cold Fire (2023)
-Cleave (2018)
-Disquiet (2015)
-A Brief Crack of Light (2012)
-Crooked Timber (2009)
-One Cure Fits All (2006)
-Never Apologise Never Explain (2004)
-High Anxiety (2003)
-Shameless (2001)
-So Much For The Ten Year Plan - A Retrospective 1990-2000 (2000)
-Suicide Pact - You First (1999)
-Semi-Detached (1998)
-Infernal Love (1995)
-Troublegum (1994)
-Face the Strange E.P. (1993)
-Shortsharpshock E.P. (1993)
-Nurse (1992)
-Pleasure Death (1992)
-Babyteeth (1991)

Northern Ireland, 1989.

Crooked Timber
Therapy? Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Miles away from
Those that matter
Unfamiliar place
Hours bleed out and
Days tail off then
Night degrades to gray

Crooked timber

Keep me warm and safe

Bells toll slowly
Loud dark iron
Can't place where I am
No clear signal
Scraping dragging
Fate pulls faces

Crooked timber
Steer me keep me sane

Times’ attrition
Grinds these landscapes
Sifts them into shape
My resistance
To it’s pressure
Buckles more each day

Crooked timber
That we can’t make straight

My shade will comfort you

Overall Meaning

The song "Crooked Timber" by Therapy? is a depiction of being lost and helpless in an unfamiliar place. The first verse describes the distance from loved ones and an unfamiliar place that is causing the hours to go by slowly and the days to blur together. The second verse describes the disorientation of the place with the loud sounds of bells and dark iron that make it impossible to determine the location. Fate is pulling faces, implying that the singer is experiencing a sense of powerlessness and that life is subject to larger forces. In both verses, the chorus appears as a kind of grounding mantra that provides comfort to the singer. The crooked timber represents an unstable and imperfect force that is able to keep the singer warm and safe, and steer him or her in the right direction.

The song is an emotional exploration of the feeling of being lost and uncertain of the future, and how the imperfect elements of life can provide comfort in difficult times. It also explores the theme of fate and how it can feel like an outside force beyond our control. Overall, the song is a reminder that even in the hardest of times, there can be sources of comfort and stability.

Line by Line Meaning

Miles away from
Far from the people who are important to me

Those that matter
The people who are important to me

Unfamiliar place
In a new and foreign location

Hours bleed out and
Time goes by slowly and painfully

Days tail off then
Days come to an end, leading to more uncertainty

Night degrades to gray
The darkness turns into a bleak and depressing state

Crooked timber
The imperfect and flawed things that comfort us

Keep me warm and safe
Provide me with security and protection

Bells toll slowly
A sign of sadness and mourning

Loud dark iron
An ominous and heavy feeling

Can't place where I am
Feeling lost and disoriented