After their 1999 debut Anchor, the band released Different Stars in 2002. It caught the attention of Cocteau Twins bassist Simon Raymonde, who signed the band to his record label Bella Union, and re-released it with a new tracklisting. The band moved to Seattle to make their third album, 2006's Having. After the EPs Noble House (2007) and The Natural Order of Things (2009), the band entered a period of silence and ultimately disbanded owing to tensions between Williams and Brown. They reunited in 2020 to release the single "Winterstorms".
Anna-Lynne releases solo music under the name Lotte Kestner.
Anchor
Trespassers William Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you fumbled with my hands
Whisper "time to sleep"
You have dreams awaiting your tired mind
Does your heart get weaker
When you think how far we've to go
Forget all the promises
And if you can't steer
Then it would be safer to drop the anchor
And if you can't feel
It's selfish to use up all of the bandages
I can read your eyes: if this is real then it'll end
I shouldn't look so surprised
This happens over and over again
Does your heart get fiercer
When you think someday I might go
Forget all the promises
You're tired and you're drifting and you're low
And if you can't steer
Then it would be safer to drop the anchor
And if you can't feel
It's selfish to use up all of the bandages
When you're alone
When you're hollow
Then you'll ask me to
Come and fill you come
And feel you
Don't think I will do
The lyrics of Trespassers William's song Anchor tells a story about a struggling relationship. The first stanza paints a picture of a slow dance where the singer's partner is whispering to him to sleep because he has a lot of dreams in his mind. However, the next stanza reveals that the singer's partner is becoming weaker, and they are losing hope in their relationship as they realize how far they still have to go. The lyrics reveal that the singer wants to forget all the promises and drop the anchor to make his partner feel safer. They ask their partner not to be selfish and use up all of the bandages.
The chorus pushes the idea of dropping the anchor further, saying that if they can't steer, they need to drop the anchor to feel secure. The singer knows that their partner is tired and drained, and they have come to a point where they can no longer feel anything. The lyrics give a sense of melancholy, and even though the singer can see the end of the relationship coming, they still feel pain and loss. The final stanza reveals that when the singer's partner is alone and feeling hollow, they will ask him to come and fill them up, but they doubt if he will comply.
Overall, Anchor is a song that shows the struggle in a relationship, where the singer is trying to make his partner feel safe and secure, but deep down, he knows that their relationship is heading towards its end.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh our dance was slow
Our relationship was not moving forward quickly
And you fumbled with my hands
You were unsure about our relationship and were not confident in holding my hands
Whisper "time to sleep"
You were trying to end the conversation and avoid talking about the uncertainties and issues in our relationship
You have dreams awaiting your tired mind
You have your own goals and desires that are keeping you occupied and exhausted
Does your heart get weaker
Does the fear of an uncertain future and the distance between us affect your emotions
When you think how far we've to go
When you consider the long journey ahead of us to achieve a strong and stable relationship
Forget all the promises
Forget about the commitments and assurances we made to each other, as they are not helping us in the present moment
You're tired and you're drifting and you're low
You are feeling exhausted, aimless, and depressed about our relationship
And if you can't steer
If you feel lost and unable to control our relationship
Then it would be safer to drop the anchor
It would be better to slow down and stabilize our relationship in its current state
And if you can't feel
If you are emotionally numb and unable to respond to my love and care
It's selfish to use up all of the bandages
It's unfair to rely on my emotional support and care when you are unable to reciprocate
I can read your eyes: if this is real then it'll end
I can sense that you are not fully committed to our relationship and believe it is destined to fail
I shouldn't look so surprised
I shouldn't be shocked by your lack of commitment and investment in our relationship, as it has happened before
This happens over and over again
It's a recurring pattern in our relationship to struggle with commitment and doubt
Does your heart get fiercer
Does your emotional strength increase when you consider the possibility of losing me
When you think someday I might go
When you imagine a future without me and the regret that may follow
When you're alone
When you are experiencing loneliness and missing me
When you're hollow
When you feel empty and devoid of emotional connection
Then you'll ask me to come and fill you come
You will reach out to me for emotional support and connection
And feel you
And seek comfort in my love and care
Don't think I will do
I may not be able to continue to provide emotional support and be a source of comfort in our relationship
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANNA-LYNNE WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind