River To Cross Songfacts
http://www.whitedenimmusic.com/
In March 2005, the two bands Parque Touch (Josh Block, James Petralli, Lucas Anderson) and Peach Train (Steve Terebecki) played a show together at Beerland in Austin, Texas. After the show Steve was asked to play bass for Parque Touch and the band became four, playing under the pseudonyms Byshop Massive (Lucas), Bop English (James), Nicholas Mallard (Josh), and Terry Beckins (Steve); however, in February 2006, Lucas moved to Russia and the resulting power trio changed its name to White Denim. The new line-up began playing the local Austin circuit while recording punk-infused, psychedelic blues-rock in Block's 1940s Spartan trailer.
In 2007, the band self-released its first EP entitled Let's Talk About It on 7" only, but later these tracks became available on iTunes. While on tour in 2007, the band recorded its second album and sold copies as a nine-song "tour EP" entitled Workout Holiday, which was only sold at shows. Workout Holiday caught the ear of new record label RCRD LBL (an online record label releasing exclusive and completely free music from emerging and established artists), and the band signed on to re-record three of the songs from Workout Holiday. These songs were exclusively released as the RCRD LBL EP, one Mp3 track at a time over the course of the first few months of 2008.
Since these releases, the band has toured extensively, playing shows including SXSW and CMJ Music Marathon, and also received the award of "Best New Band" at the 2008 Austin Music Awards. In order to reach European listeners, the band signed to U.K. record label Full Time Hobby (home to The Hold Steady and Viva Voce) for an overseas release.[8] The first release on Full Time Hobby was the single "Let’s Talk About It" b/w "Darksided Computer Mouth". One June 23, 2008, the band released its debut album, the Workout Holiday LP, which consists of re-recorded songs from the band's first two self-released EPs along with some new tracks.
White Denim have also finished recording their debut U.S. full-length LP, which will be entitled Exposion. Originally sold during their Spring 2008 tour as a CDR with the title 11 Songs, the album is planned to be released by the summer of 2008. The new album will be self-released much like the Let's Talk About EP (on vinyl and digital format only), reporting that "CDs seem pretty worthless to us".
Members:
* James Petralli: Vocals, guitar
* Joshua Block: Drums
* Steve Terebecki: Vocals, bass
I Can Tell
White Denim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tell by your talking
Alright alright
Tell by your talking
That you think that you are right
But you're not right
Alright alright
That you think that you right
But you're not right
Did you forget to chew your medicine, honey?
Did you forget to chew them well?
Did you forget to chew your medicine, honey?
Did you forget to chew them well?
Tell by your talking
That you think that you right
But you're not right
Alright alright
Tell by your talking
Alright alright
Tell by your talking
That you think that you are right
But you're not right
Alright alright
Tell by your talking
Right but you're not right
Alright alright
The song "I Can Tell" by White Denim consists of short and repetitive lines that perfectly capture the theme of the song - misunderstandings in communication. The repeated line "I can tell by your talking" emphasizes the idea that the singer can infer the meaning behind the lyrics of the person being addressed. It suggests that the singer sees past the words and comprehends the underlying meaning of what the person they are talking to is trying to convey. The second line "Tell by your talking, that you think that you are right, but you're not right" highlights the frustration of the singer when communication is not clear. The chorus helps to drive home the message that just because someone thinks they are right based on what they have said, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are correct.
The second half of the song maintains the theme of confusion in communication. The lyrics "Did you forget to chew your medicine, honey? Did you forget to chew them well?" are ambiguous. They can be interpreted in many ways - as a suggestion that the person being addressed is mentally unwell, or as an analogy for not "digesting" the conversation properly. The lyrics: "Right but you're not right" in the chorus could imply that the person being addressed is being misinformed or spreading disinformation. Overall, the song is about how the exchange of ideas can sometimes become chaotic, leaving the singer to try to figure out what the purpose of the conversation is.
Line by Line Meaning
I can tell by your talking
From how you speak, I can perceive something about you
Tell by your talking
It's quite evident from the way you communicate
Alright alright
Indicates the person talking is in agreement or finds something satisfactory
Tell by your talking
The artist is emphasizing again that they are able to tell from the other person's words and tone
That you think you are right
The artist believes the other person feels confident that they are correct
But you're not right
The singer disagrees or has a different viewpoint than the other person, indicating they are not accurately informed
Alright alright
The singer brings up another point of how they can tell what the other person is like through their words, without upsetting anyone, always ending with an agreement tone
Did you forget to chew your medicine, honey?
The artist wants to patronizingly ask the other person if they have made a mistake, perhaps the other person is not being logical or rational in what they are saying
Did you forget to chew them well?
Continuing on the previous line, the artist is questioning the other person's ability to reason
Tell by your talking
The artist states again that they can recognize where the other person is coming from
That you think you are right
The singer is pointing out once more the other person's sense of pride in their opinion
But you're not right
Again, the artist highlights that they do not agree with the other person's perception, and throws in a touch of condescension
Alright alright
The singer closes on a placating note, underlining how they are aware of the other person's misjudgment
Tell by your talking
Reiterating the same point that runs like a thread through the whole song, finishing on the same placating note
Right but you're not right
A brief statement expressing the main idea of the song yet again – a polite expression of disagreement
Contributed by Ellie W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.