From the sleeve notes for the latest release End Titles...Stories For Film released in July 2008, the current line-up is stated as James Lavelle and Pablo Clements, also a member of the Psychonauts.
The original line-up was James Lavelle, Tim Goldsworthy (now a member of DFA) and Kudo (Major Force West, Skylab). This incarnation released several EPs and singles, usually involving collaborations with other Mo'Wax affiliated artists.
In 1998, after the departure of Goldsworthy and Kudo, Lavelle enlisted US producer DJ Shadow to help complete UNKLE's debut album, "Psyence Fiction". On this album they collaborated with a variety of guest artists including Thom Yorke (Radiohead), Mike D (Beastie Boys), Badly Drawn Boy and Richard Ashcroft (The Verve). The album contained songs which merged indie-rock with hip hop.
In 2003 UNKLE released "Never, Never, Land". At this time UNKLE consisted of Lavelle and new collaborator Richard File, and the album also featured Ian Brown (The Stone Roses), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack), Mani (The Stone Roses, Primal Scream) and others.
A third album entitled "War Stories" was released in July 2007. It features collaborations with Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), Ian Astbury (The Cult), Autolux, Robert Del Naja (Massive Attack), The Duke Spirit, and Gavin Clark, and is far more strongly rock-influenced than previous releases. The album was preceded by an EP, Nights Temper, of which a limited pressing was released in May 2007.
Lavelle has also released several mix albums and remixes under his own name and under the name UNKLEsounds (together with Richard File).
UNKLE is known for remixing music from artists such as Explosions in the Sky, Massive Attack, and Oasis.
Broken
UNKLE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Light streaming in through the open grate
Tooth red score tearing up the floor
Out in the alley with the trigger draw
Numb hands I can see the strand
Hold it together with a severed band
Three lost years I've been crying here
Strung out on the wings of the dawn
Hole in the back, soul in the storm
Torn down through the cracks in the dark
We're miles adrift, we're inches apart
I'm hit I can feel the grit
Sat in the asher on the beaten brick
Tooth red main running through the vein
Out in the center with a mirrored cane
Numb feet I can hear you speak
Hold it together with a severed streak
Three long years I've been crying here
I'm over, I'm over, I'm over, I'm broken
Strung out on the wings of the dawn
Hole in the back, soul in the storm
Torn down through the cracks in the dark
We're miles adrift, we're inches apart
Stood up on the side of the earth
Thrown back to the track to the dirt
Tooth red, lose an hour a day
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
Strung out on the wings of the dawn
Hole in the back, soul in the storm
Torn down through the cracks in the dark
We're miles adrift, we're inches apart
Stood up on the side of the earth
Thrown back to the track to the dirt
Tooth red, lose an hour a day
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
Hold it together, with a severed band
Can't feel the blood
The lyrics of UNKLE's song Broken are abstract and open to interpretation, but they suggest feelings of despair, pain, and isolation. The first verse describes a scene where the singer is in a "dead state," feeling the weight of something heavy on them. The light is streaming in through an open grate, and there is a tooth-red score tearing up the floor. The second line suggests a physical injury or damage, and the singer is out in the alley with a "trigger draw," possibly indicating some violent or dangerous situation. In the chorus, the singer is over and broken, describing three lost years of crying. The second verse presents a similar scene, with the singer on the wings of dawn, but also has a hole in the back and soul in the storm. They are torn down through the cracks in the dark, miles adrift and inches apart.
The third verse describes the singer hit and feeling the grit, sat in the asher on the beaten brick, and has a tooth-red main running through the vein. They are out in the center with a mirrored cane, which could represent a weapon or an object reflecting their fractured state. In the second chorus, the singer is miles adrift and inches away, standing up on the side of the earth, and thrown back to the track to the dirt. They lose an hour a day, and time seems to be slipping away. The last verse is similar to the second chorus, emphasizing the feeling of being miles adrift and inches away.
The lyrics are evocative and poetic, and it's not clear what the specific situation the singer is facing. However, it's clear that they are suffering and feel disconnected from the world around them. The song is haunting and emotional, with a sense of melancholy that persists throughout.
Line by Line Meaning
Dead state I can feel the weight
Feeling hopeless and lifeless, burdened by the weight of everything
Light streaming in through the open grate
Some light is shining in, offering a glimmer of hope in a dark place
Tooth red score tearing up the floor
Something violent or destructive has happened, leaving a bloody mess
Out in the alley with the trigger draw
Being in a dangerous situation with someone who is ready to use a weapon
Numb hands I can see the strand
Feeling disconnected and detached, unable to control or grip something
Hold it together with a severed band
Doing your best to keep things together, despite being torn apart
Three lost years I've been crying here
Feeling lost and broken for an extended period of time
I'm over, I'm over, I'm over, I'm broken
Emphasizing the feeling of being completely broken and unable to carry on
Strung out on the wings of the dawn
Feeling lost and stuck in a dark place, unable to move forward
Hole in the back, soul in the storm
Feeling like something important is missing, and being stuck in a turbulent situation
Torn down through the cracks in the dark
Being beaten down by darkness and negativity that seeps through any small opening
We're miles adrift, we're inches apart
Feeling far away from someone or something despite being physically close
I'm hit I can feel the grit
Being struck by something negative or harmful, and feeling the lasting effects
Sat in the asher on the beaten brick
Sitting in a desolate and abandoned place, struggling to move on
Tooth red main running through the vein
Something violent has happened which is leaving a lasting impact on the body and mind
Out in the center with a mirrored cane
Being in a central and overwhelming place, holding something that can reflect the harshness of the surroundings
Numb feet I can hear you speak
Feeling disconnected from the world, but hearing someone or something trying to reach out
Hold it together with a severed streak
Doing your best to hold it together despite feeling like you're falling apart
Stood up on the side of the earth
Feeling alone and disconnected, like standing alone on a desolate planet
Thrown back to the track to the dirt
Being pushed back into a negative or harmful situation, with no escape
Tooth red, lose an hour a day
Something violent or detrimental is taking away chunks of time and life
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
Feeling far away from someone or something, yet still within reach
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: GAVIN MICHAEL CLARK, RICHARD LEIGH FILE, CHRISTOPHER ALLEN GOSS, JAMES GABRIEL LEO LAVELLE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@blueskyalldayeveryday
This is my history with this song:
1st listen: I want to believe
2nd listen: Hmm, nice song…
3rd listen: This really is a good song
4th listed: Omg I love this song!
5th listen: OMG I can’t get enough of of this song!
1,264,825th listen: The police knocks on my door because my neighbours complained. They arrested the neighbours.
55,435,874th listen: Let me post a comment on YouTube.
@jamesbraudway9890
Dead state I can feel the weight
Light streaming in through the open grate
Tooth red score tearing up the floor
Out in the alley with the trigger draw
Numb hands I can see the strand
Hold it together with a severed band
Three lost years I've been crying here
I'm over, I'm over, I'm over, I'm broken
Strung out on the wings of the dawn
Hole in the back, soul in the storm
Torn down through the cracks in the dark
We're miles adrift, we're inches apart
I'm hit I can feel the grit
Sat in the asher on the beaten brick
Tooth red main running through the vein
Out in the centre with a mirrored cane
Numb feet I can hear you speak
Hold it together with a severed streak
Three long years I've been crying here
I'm over, I'm over, I'm over, I'm broken
Strung out on the wings of the dawn
Hole in the back, soul in the storm
Torn down through the cracks in the dark
We're miles adrift, we're inches apart
Stood up on the side of the earth
Thrown back to the track to the dirt
Tooth red, lose an hour a day
We're miles adrift, we're inches away...
Strung out on the wings of the dawn
Hole in the back, soul in the storm
Torn down through the cracks in the dark
We're miles adrift, we're inches apart
Stood up on the side of the earth
Thrown back to the track to the dirt
Tooth red, lose an hour a day
We're miles adrift, we're inches away
@Thousand_yard_King
R.I.P. Gavin, this is your legacy.
@66impala71
I absolutely love this song. Gavin's voice is hauntingly beautiful.
@BaldricksTurnip1
The great vocal is Mark Hollis, from Talk Talk
@66impala71
Actually Gavin is featured on this song.
@eduardomota2429
@@BaldricksTurnip1 Gavin is the best...so far.
@carlosm.devasconcelllos3939
Well. Gavin is available to haunting you by now... for real...
@carlosm.devasconcelllos3939
@@BaldricksTurnip1 Well, anyways, they can really join each other to haunt our friend Carla
@lot24
If I hadn't been working as a theater usher back in 2008 when the X-Files movie came out, I never would've listened to this band. I always showed up for the credits just to listen to this song.
@shirleysaenz7166
lot24 it fits so well at the end zooming out on the water ect
@garryleerob
I was lazing around with tv on in background as the X-files film was finishing and this came on...don't think I've moved so fast to get my Sky box on playback to get all the credits lol.