Despite the change of name, Tin Hat Trio to Tin Hat, the band can be considered a continuation, rather than an entirely new entity. The music maintains its unique character, one web site stands for both groups, and the first Tin Hat album has only a single vocal track per album, a tradition Tin Hat Trio has followed since the second album, Helium.
As other sources (wikipedia) suggest, San Francisco's Tin Hat is an accoustic chamber music group. With a mostly-instrumental repertoire, Tin Hat resembles jazz, folk, and classical all at once, maintaining thematic consistency in each album. Mark Orton provides a wide range of textures and surprising rhythmic groundwork with guitar and other stringed instruments. Carla Kihlstedt, the band's violinist, carries and shares lead parts, often improvising, with wide range of voices she conjures from her violin. In Tin Hat Trio albums, Rob Burger played rhythmic groundwork, lead parts, and improvised. (Need more description for Ara Anderson, Ben Golberg, and Zeena Parkins' roles on 'The Sad Machinery of Spring')
Tin Hat's albums feature guest appearances from many artists. Most notably are vocal appearances by Willie Nelson and Tom Waits. The group's members have impressive resumes, and many are involved with numerous musical projects.
Violinist Carla Kihlstedt is also a member of the art metal, anti-rock band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, her own side project 2 Foot Yard, Book of Knots, and is a former member of Charming Hostess. She has also contributed to numerous recordings, including Vermillion Lies, a collaboration called Carla Kihlstedt and Shahzad Ismaily, an album released by David Shamrock, and others.
Harpist Zeena Parkins has recorded or performed with Björk, John Zorn, Elliott Sharp, Ikue Mori, Butch Morris, Tin Hat Trio, Jim O'Rourke, Fred Frith, Lee Ranaldo, Nels Cline, Pauline Oliveros, and others. She has also worked with choreographers including Neil Greenberg, Emmanuelle Vo-Dinh, Jennifer Lacey, and video artist Janene Higgins. She is also a member of News from Babel and Fred Frith's band, Keep the Dog.
Multi-instrumentalist Ara Anderson has worked with Tom Waits. (Need Information)
Ben Golberg (Need Information)
Mark Orton (Need Information)
Rob Burger released an album under his own name called 'Lost Photograph' in 2002.
Daisy Bell
Tin Hat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Planted one day by a glancing dart,
Whether she loves me or not
It's hard to tell,
Yet I am longing to share the love,
Of beautiful Daisy Bell.
We will go tandem as man and wife,
I and my Daisy Bell.
And when the roads dark, we'll despise
Policemen and lamps as well.
But there are bright lights in the dazzling eyes
Of beautiful Daisy Bell.
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do,
I'm half crazy all for the love of you.
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'll look so sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.
I will stand by you in weal or woe
You'll be the bell that I'll ring you know,
You'll have the lead in each trip we take,
and if I don't do well,
I will permit you to use the brake
My beautiful Daisy Bell.
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do,
I'm half crazy all for the love of you.
It won't be a stylish marriage,
I can't afford a carriage,
But you'll look so sweet on the seat
Of a bicycle built for two.
The first verse of "Daisy Bell" by Tin Hat describes a "flower within [the singer's] heart" that was planted by Cupid's "glancing dart." Though the singer is uncertain if his love for "beautiful Daisy Bell" is reciprocated, he longs to share that love with her. The second verse describes the couple riding a tandem bike ("bicycle built for two") through the ups and downs of life together. They'll face challenges, like dark roads and pesky policemen, but their love will bring light and joy to the journey. The third verse is the most famous, featuring the repeated request of "Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do," and the declaration that the couple's marriage won't be "stylish" or involve a carriage, but that Daisy will look "so sweet" on their two-person bicycle. The final few lines reaffirm the singer's commitment to standing by Daisy through good times and bad, letting her take the lead on their journeys and even giving her permission to hit the brakes if need be.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a flower within my heart,
I have a deep love within my heart that was planted by someone special.
Planted one day by a glancing dart,
This love struck me suddenly like Cupid's arrow.
Whether she loves me or not It's hard to tell,
It's unclear if the person who planted this love in me feels the same way.
Yet I am longing to share the love,
Despite the uncertainty, I yearn to express my love to this person.
Of beautiful Daisy Bell.
This person's name is Daisy Bell and I believe she is beautiful in every way.
We will go tandem as man and wife,
Daisy and I will ride a bicycle built for two as a married couple.
Pedaling away down the road life,
We will journey together through the ups and downs of our lives.
I and my Daisy Bell.
Always together, I will never leave Daisy's side.
And when the roads dark, we'll despise Policemen and lamps as well.
We will face obstacles together and hate anyone or anything that gets in our way.
But there are bright lights in the dazzling eyes Of beautiful Daisy Bell.
Despite hardships, Daisy's beauty and spirit will light our way and keep us strong.
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do, I'm half crazy all for the love of you.
I am so deeply in love with Daisy that it drives me a bit mad and I ask her for an answer.
It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage,
Our life together may not be luxurious or glamorous, but that doesn't matter to me.
But you'll look so sweet on the seat Of a bicycle built for two.
I know that no matter what, Daisy will always look beautiful to me and we'll enjoy riding our bike together.
I will stand by you in weal or woe You'll be the bell that I'll ring you know,
I promise to be there for Daisy through good times and bad and to always call out to her with love.
You'll have the lead in each trip we take, and if I don't do well,
Daisy will be the leader in our journeys and if I struggle, she will take charge.
I will permit you to use the brake My beautiful Daisy Bell.
I will trust Daisy's judgement and allow her to steer us to safety when needed.
Writer(s): Carla Kihlstedt, Mark Orton
Contributed by Austin G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.