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.
I Always Knew
Tilly and the Wall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Inside daydreams, lies
Imaginary friends
They always knew,
Knew one day I'd leave,
Leave for good
I'll give away this girl
Uh-huh
I'll give her to,
To you
So keep her close,
Close to you
Said you won't forget about her
How she loved you so,
Long ago
Once upon a time
Now she has grown,
Grown up
And you can't take,
Take it back
A lie, a lie will change my life
And won't ever go back to that
I will stay to,
to this belief
That we changed for the best through this
Separate the ones who know you
From the whole couldn't ever see
You for all that you are
And deep down I always knew
And the times I've thought that I've loved you
It wasn't just an easy answer,
It was make believe
But I still believe
That this heart,
Heart will learn to love.
"I Always Knew" by Tilly and the Wall is a song about growing up and leaving behind a life of daydreaming and imaginary friends. In the first two lines of the song, the singer explains that she has spent her entire life lost in her own imagination, lying to herself and others. Despite the singer's tendency to live in a world of make-believe, her imaginary friends "always knew" that one day she would leave for good.
The second verse is directed toward someone who the singer is giving up to someone else. The singer feels that she is giving away a part of herself, represented by the imaginary girl who tried to make the person fall in love with her. In this verse, the singer is essentially admitting that her own attempts at love have been false, rooted in her own make-believe world, rather than a true connection with another person.
The final verse of the song emphasizes the singer's belief that she has grown and changed for the better. She believes that by separating herself from those who could not see her true self, she will be able to live a more authentic life. The final line of the song, "But I still believe that this heart will learn to love," suggests that despite the singer's past shortcomings, she is still hopeful that she will be able to find real love and connection in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
I've lived my life
The time I have already lived
Inside daydreams, lies
Surrounded by deceptive fantasies
Imaginary friends
Friends that are not real
They always knew,
My imaginary friends always knew
Knew one day I'd leave,
They knew that one day I would leave them
Leave for good
Never to return again
I'll give away this girl
I will let go of this version of me
Who tried to make you fall in love
The version of me that unsuccessfully attempted to make you fall in love
Uh-huh
An acknowledgement
I'll give her to,
I will give that version of me to
To you
You
So keep her close,
Hold onto her
Close to you
Keep her near to you
Said you won't forget about her
You promised to remember her
How she loved you so,
How much that version of me was in love with you
Long ago
A long time past
Once upon a time
A long time ago
Now she has grown,
That version of me has matured
Grown up
Become an adult
And you can't take,
You cannot retract
Take it back
Undo what was done/said
A lie, a lie will change my life
A false statement will alter my life's course
And won't ever go back to that
I cannot return to my past state
I will stay to,
I will remain loyal to
to this belief
This particular set of convictions
That we changed for the best through this
That our changes are a positive outcome
Separate the ones who know you
Differentiate those who understand you
From the whole couldn't ever see
From those who will never comprehend you as a being
You for all that you are
You in your entirety
And deep down I always knew
I always had a feeling that
And the times I've thought that I've loved you
When I believed that I loved you
It wasn't just an easy answer,
It wasn't a straightforward response
It was make believe
It was a figment of my imagination
But I still believe
I still trust that
That this heart,
This heart of mine
Heart will learn to love.
Will eventually discover the essence of love.
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