Tilly and the Wall sprang out of Omaha in 2001 - a Midwestern band of like-minded friends with pockets full of melodies, and a lot of pockets. The serendipitous result of five Omaha residents with a penchant for the same classic '60s pop, boy/girl harmonies and Americana folk records, Tilly and the Wall celebrates the petulant, determined, feisty nature of youth. They rejoice in tales of dreams followed, mistakes made, and hearts broken.
Tilly and the Wall released their debut album, Wild Like Children, in June 2004 on Conor Oberst's label, Team Love. Neely and Jamie were once in a band with Conor before he became known worldwide as Bright Eyes. Derek and Nick moved to Omaha from Atlanta, Georgia. Upon meeting, it was as if long-lost friends had found each other: without a doubt, the Tillys were born. Once the songs were written, Conor agreed to helm the production duties, and hence, Wild Like Children was unleashed on the world. As one of the first albums released on Team Love, Tilly and the Wall set a precedent for the label's identity: original, smart, exciting and, above all, easy to sing along to. The record consisted of 11 perfectly formed songs bursting with enthusiastic hyperactivity, while emanating a bitter sweet melancholy of long lost summers and misguided first loves. In front of a backdrop of sunshine, rain and snow, Tilly and the Wall sang songs about loving and kissing, dancing and drinking, staying and leaving, driving and talking, sleeping and dreaming, all set to the tap-tap-tapping of Jamie's toes. The press from sea to shining sea fell in love instantly.
And so, the Tillys went to meet their adoring fans, playing shows throughout America with the likes of Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, The Go! Team, Pedro the Lion, Of Montreal and more. When not on the road, the band began working on the follow-up to Wild Like Children, simply titled Bottoms of Barrels. Recorded over three weeks in October and November 2005, the album was recorded by AJ Mogis, brother and mixed by studio co-hort to Bright Eyes' Mike Mogis. Bottoms of Barrels sees the Tillys taking their signature sound to the next level. The choruses are more rousing, the tapping more intense, the instrumentation fuller, each sound painting broad brush strokes across your speakers. Longtime friend Nate Walcott contributes a bit of trumpet, while other friends have added drums, accordion and cello. A couple of tracks even feature the vocal styling of University of Nebraska's own choir Trip the Light Fantastic, bolstering Neely and Kianna's dulcet harmonies. Bottoms of Barrels fully demonstrated the importance of Tilly’s “we” perspective – with a gang full of voices, the band made strong declarations about love, freedom and their own place in the world. The album took the band on travels they had only dreamt about, resulting in extensive tours throughout Europe, Australia, Japan and even Iceland. They also played their first-ever sets at major music festivals, including the Reading/Leeds Festival, Coachella and Japan’s Summer Sonic. By the middle of 2007, they returned home to Omaha to begin work on their next long-playing record, having amassed legions of fans, as well as frequent flyer miles, across the entire globe.
Their 2008 record, which has no title but is represented by the shape o (the cut-out shape framing the handmade cover artwork for the record), was produced by acclaimed producer Mike Mogis through the harsh Nebraska winter of 2007. o sees Tilly and the Wall redefining their sound, taking bigger, bolder steps towards experimentation while maintaining the elements that have always made them who they are. o draws on everything from nature to magic, from sex to astrology, with a larger focus on percussion, rhythm, harmonies and kaleidoscopic melodies, yet ultimately still sounds like our five musical friends from Omaha.
Their album Heavy Mood was released in 2012. They broke up soon after that. Vocalist Kianna Alarid joined the Kansas City band Yes You Are. A retrospective album I Want to F*ck It Up (Tilly and the Wall 2002-2013) is planned for 2020 on the Team Love label.
Bessa
Tilly and the Wall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was time for you to move along,
And the minutes felt like petals all around us,
Like a goodbye kiss when goodbye felt so wrong.
So you better get going,
You better move along now,
You better run off then and make yourself scarce.
These few days I've decided to be lazy,
They don't move or seem to end at all,
And my heart is close enough to breaking
That is hurts just listening to your songs.
[Repeat]
So you better get going,
You better move along now,
You better run off then and make yourself scarce.
It's been a while now since you left,
And I can't seem to shake this lonely mood.
When the time comes, I'll try my best not to tell you:
Please don't leave again
Please don't leave again
I guess I'll say it now then
Please don't leave me again
Since it's all I have I want to go to sleep,
And dream of you and me just off the coast.
On a holiday so long and warm and lucky,
Always wake up in my bedroom all alone.
[Repeat: x4]
Guess I better wake up then,
I guess I better be going,
I guess I better run along now and find my own way.
The lyrics to Tilly and the Wall's song "Bessa" describe a bittersweet goodbye between two people. The singer wakes up in the morning and realizes that it's time for their partner to leave. They try not to think about it and the minutes feel like petals falling around them. The singer knows that their partner needs to leave and encourages them to go, saying "you better run off then and make yourself scarce." However, the singer is struggling with their own feelings of loneliness and heartbreak. They have been lazy for the past few days, hoping to spend more time with their partner, but ultimately, they must say goodbye. The singer is afraid of being left alone again and can't bring themselves to say "please don't leave me again" when the time comes for their partner to depart.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning came and I tried not to notice,
I woke up but tried not to realize that you were leaving
It was time for you to move along,
Your time with me had come to an end
And the minutes felt like petals all around us,
Time seemed fragile and fleeting, slipping away like flower petals
Like a goodbye kiss when goodbye felt so wrong.
Saying goodbye felt emotionally painful and difficult
So you better get going,
You need to leave now
You better move along now,
It's time for you to go
You better run off then and make yourself scarce.
You need to leave quickly and disappear from my life
These few days I've decided to be lazy,
I'm taking a break and not doing much
They don't move or seem to end at all,
Time seems to be standing still
And my heart is close enough to breaking
My emotions are so intense that my heart feels like it might break
That is hurts just listening to your songs.
Even listening to your music reminds me of you and causes me pain
It's been a while now since you left,
It's been some time since you walked out of my life
And I can't seem to shake this lonely mood.
I can't escape this feeling of loneliness
When the time comes, I'll try my best not to tell you:
If we speak again, I'll do my best to hide my true feelings from you
Please don't leave again
I don't want you to walk out of my life again
Please don't leave again
I don't want you to walk out of my life again
I guess I'll say it now then
I'll say it now instead of waiting until it's too late
Please don't leave me again
I don't want to go through the pain of you leaving me once more
Since it's all I have I want to go to sleep,
Since dreaming of you is all I have left, I want to go to sleep
And dream of you and me just off the coast.
I want to dream of us together on a warm, peaceful beach
On a holiday so long and warm and lucky,
I want to dream of a fortunate vacation filled with happiness
Always wake up in my bedroom all alone.
But the reality is that I'll wake up alone in my bedroom
Guess I better wake up then,
I need to snap out of my dream and face reality
I guess I better be going,
I need to put this dream aside and move on
I guess I better run along now and find my own way.
It's time for me to leave and find my own path in life
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Derek Pressnall, Jamie L Williams, Kianna Alarid, Neely Jenkins, Nicholas White
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind