The band has performed at many national festivals including Coachella, Stagecoach, Summerfest, Bumbershoot, and Pickathon. In 2011, they performed at several large folk festivals such as Telluride Bluegrass Festival, Newport Folk Festival and 2011 ROMP roots and branches. They are scheduled to play the Sasquatch Festival, Bonnaroo, All Good Music Festival, Newport Folk Festival, and Lollapalooza in 2012.
2014 saw the release of Trampled by Turtles's seventh studio album, Wild Animals, on July 15th. The band tapped Alan Sparhawk, from the band Low, to produce Wild Animals. Sparhawk's influence is evident in the band's seemingly more alternative, high lonesome sound. The night of Wild Animals' release, TBT made their second appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman. On August 16th, Trampled by Turtles headlined a sold out show at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO.
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Separate
Trampled By Turtles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're the one that can make it all okay
Maybe today
Filled with fatal flowers and praying
For the sky to turn from black to grey
Hear what I say
It's breaking my heart
But I'm working hard
To separate
War from beauty
Born of fire, earth and water
All in all a current through a wire
To know when it's hot
I'll survive on dirty paper
Miracles that make me wanna die
I wonder why
Oh my god, I'm sinking
It's breaking my heart
But I'm working hard
To separate
War from beauty
The lyrics to Trampled By Turtles' "Separate" are complex and leave room for interpretation. At the surface level, the singer seems to be asking someone (presumably a lover) to save them from a dark place. The first two lines, "Drop me from the ceiling, baby / You're the one that can make it all okay," suggest a feeling of helplessness and a need for external validation. The following line, "Maybe today," adds a sense of urgency to the request. The next few lines paint a picture of someone surrounded by negative emotions ("Filled with fatal flowers and praying / For the sky to turn from black to grey"), and then ends with a plea to be heard ("Hear what I say").
From there, the lyrics take a turn towards something more abstract. The line "Never plain nor simple" is a commentary on the complexity of life, and how difficult it can be to navigate at times. The singer is struggling to reconcile two seemingly opposing forces ("war" and "beauty") within themselves. This struggle is embodied in the line "It's breaking my heart / But I'm working hard / To separate / War from beauty."
The final two stanzas of the song are a mix of metaphors about creation and destruction. "Born of fire, earth and water" suggests that the singer is composed of elements that are both life-giving and destructive. The singer then shifts to a more pessimistic tone, describing themselves as surviving "on dirty paper" and experiencing "miracles that make me wanna die." The final line, "I wonder why," is a nod to the singer's ongoing struggle to make sense of the world.
Overall, "Separate" is a song about the challenges of navigating life, particularly in relation to one's inner turmoil. The singer is grappling with the ways in which good and evil coexist within themselves, and their struggle to find balance.
Line by Line Meaning
Drop me from the ceiling, baby
I want to surrender my problems to you, my love.
You're the one that can make it all okay
You are the only one who can heal me.
Maybe today
Perhaps today is the day that things will change for the better.
Filled with fatal flowers and praying
I am struggling and hoping for a better outcome.
For the sky to turn from black to grey
I am waiting for my situation to improve.
Hear what I say
Please listen to me and understand my struggles.
Never plain nor simple
My problems are not straightforward and easy to solve.
It's breaking my heart
My situation is causing me great emotional pain.
But I'm working hard
Despite my struggles, I am putting in the effort to overcome them.
To separate
To distinguish and separate the negative and positive elements of my life.
War from beauty
To differentiate between my struggles and the beauty in my life.
Born of fire, earth and water
I am a complex, multifaceted individual.
All in all a current through a wire
I am constantly experiencing different emotions and thoughts.
To know when it's hot
To be aware of when my emotions and thoughts become overwhelming.
I'll survive on dirty paper
I will find strength in unconventional ways.
Miracles that make me wanna die
My struggles are so intense that even moments of beauty can be painful.
I wonder why
I question why I am going through these struggles.
Oh my god, I'm sinking
I am drowning in my struggles.
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DAVID PATRICK CARROLL, DAVID PAUL SIMONETT, ERIK ROBERT BERRY, RYAN DAVID YOUNG, TIMOTHY POWELL SAXHAUG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind