Villagers are an Irish band from Dublin fronted by Conor J. O'Brien.
The… Read Full Bio ↴Villagers are an Irish band from Dublin fronted by Conor J. O'Brien.
They have performed at several music festivals and toured with Tracy Chapman, Bell X1 and Tindersticks. They have one EP, titled Hollow Kind (2009). Their debut album Becoming a Jackal was released in 2010 and was shortlisted for that year's Mercury Prize and their second album {Awayland} was released in 2013.

Conor O'Brien formed Villagers after the break-up of his previous band The Immediate. The very next day, O'Brien wrote the first song after waking up with a hangover. O'Brien's time as a guitarist in Cathy Davey's band was also critical to the development of his style as he had never before performed alongside anyone outside of The Immediate. Villagers gave their first live performance as a support act with The Chapters at a show in Whelan's in November 2008. At that point the band had previously only rehearsed together on two occasions. They had only seven songs, written by O'Brien and passed on to the rest of the band to learn.

Villagers performed on the seventh series of RTÉ Two's Other Voices television programme in 2009. The band's debut EP, titled Hollow Kind, was released in February 2009. It contained four tracks, all of which were written by O'Brien and performed by him too. The EP brought comparisons with Bright Eyes and Sparklehorse. Villagers then went on tour. They were a support act for Neil Young and toured across Europe with Tracy Chapman.

Villagers appeared at several festivals in 2009. They supported Bell X1 when they performed at Live at the Marquee in Cork on June 26, 2009. They performed at several music festivals in Ireland, including on the Sunday of Oxegen 2009, at Indie-pendence on August 2 and at Electric Picnic 2009, as well as at Latitude Festival in the UK. The Irish Times's Jim Carroll recommended their performance in the Body Soul Arena at Electric Picnic 2009 as "A must-see for those who dig ragged pop, eerie folk and heartfelt, emotional songs and sounds". They headlined Hard Working Class Heroes in 2009, with O'Brien attracting the ire of the audience when he requested some quiet during the performance. They gave a live performance at The Music Show in Dublin's RDS in October 2009.

The debut single of Villagers was "On a Sunlit Stage" and was released in October 2009.
On January 15, 2010, Villagers represented Ireland at the Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, the Netherlands. They were involved in efforts to raise funds in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. They embarked on a tour with Tindersticks in March 2010 and released the single "Becoming a Jackal" on April 17, 2010. A debut album Becoming a Jackal was released in Ireland on 14 May 2010, with a UK release in May and a US release due on 8 June 2010. The album immediately went to number one on both the Irish Albums Chart and the Irish Indie Albums Chart. It proceeded to continuously top the indie chart.

Said by Conor J. O’Brien himself:
- “Ultimately, I’ve learned that a song is not an isolated thing. You have to wash the dishes before you write a song. It should never be taken too seriously. It must be treated with joy and humour, regardless of the subject matter,” muses Conor, as he strokes his hairless chin.
- “The aim is to feel the songs out. If I don’t surprise myself, then it is a worthless endeavour. Indeed, I would apply this attitude to all aspects of this project. The songs are quite decisive, but I have no idea what I am doing, or where I am going.” Again, he strokes his chin, this time with a look of resigned confusion. “Once the songs took shape, I asked some friends of mine to help me play them to people. When they kindly agreed, I decided that we would present ourselves as ‘Villagers’ – I don’t really know why. I think I like the name because it doesn’t offend the songs.” With this, he puts his clothes back on and bids me farewell. On returning to my office, I slip on a banana peel and subsequently die.

Full Faith In Providence
Villagers Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The more I know
The more I care
The more I dare to tempt fate
The road is long, but I've got my good shoes on

And full faith in providence
Best not to dwell
Full faith in providence

Tread well

You line them up, each passing dream
And down they fall like dominos
You want to star, but you got the supporting role

Full Faith in Providence
Coming soon
To a cinema near you (to a cinema near you)

May the road rise to meet you, darling
And you learn to love it all
And every platitude that greets you, darling
Stands in unbounding awe

'Cause you've got full faith in providence
Best not to dwell

Full faith in providence
Tread well

Overall Meaning

In "Full Faith In Providence" by Villagers, the lyrics revolve around the theme of embracing life's uncertainties and having faith in the universe's guidance. The singer expresses that the more they know and care, the more they are willing to take risks and challenge fate. They acknowledge that the journey ahead is long, but they are equipped with their "good shoes" and a strong belief in providence.

The repeated lines "Full faith in providence, best not to dwell, tread well" emphasize the need to trust in the natural unfolding of events and not get caught up in overthinking or worrying. The song suggests that rather than dwelling on setbacks or disappointments, it is better to hold onto faith and keep moving forward. The lyrics also touch upon the idea that sometimes we may aspire to be the star of our own story, but end up in a supporting role, which encourages acceptance and finding fulfillment in whatever role life presents.

The bridge of the song brings in a cinematic quality, mentioning a "cinema near you," which implies that life is an unfolding movie and each experience is like a scene playing out. The chorus then offers well wishes for the singer and others, hoping that the road rises to meet them and that they learn to embrace and love all aspects of life, including the cliché platitudes that are often encountered.

Overall, "Full Faith In Providence" conveys the message of finding contentment and peace by trusting in the uncertain nature of life and having faith in the greater forces that guide us.

Line by Line Meaning

The more I know
As I gain knowledge and understanding

The more I care
The more deeply I feel and empathize

The more I dare to tempt fate
I become bolder and take risks to challenge destiny

The road is long, but I've got my good shoes on
Although the journey is challenging, I am well-prepared and ready

And full faith in providence
I have complete trust in the power guiding my life

Best not to dwell
It's better not to linger on negative thoughts

Tread well
Walk on with confidence and caution

You line them up, each passing dream
You set expectations for every fleeting aspiration

And down they fall like dominos
They crumble and collapse one after another

You want to star, but you got the supporting role
You desire to be the main character, but find yourself in a secondary position

Coming soon
It will happen in the near future