Wasner and Stack have been playing music together and apart in Baltimore, MD, and chose their name from the honorary state tree of Maryland. If Children is the culmination of many months of recording, polishing and perfecting to achieve what Any Given Tuesday best described as, “. .. . mingling in a room full of shoegaze, alt-country, folk, and noise, shaking hands, kissing cheeks, and making friends with everyone.” If Children is an exuberant debut – noisy and restrained in turn, Wye Oak describe their philosophy: "We'd like to think that if a song is good enough, it'll stand on its own regardless of how much noise you pile on top. On the other hand, we do like noise." Listen, and we think you will have to agree!
The droll tone and fleeting sweetness of a Yo La Tengo are cut into the more deeply textural concerns of shoegaze in the Baltimore group's work. It's an interesting alignment, given the contrast in senses of humor. But Wye Oak successfully shed tonnage from the latter without losing potency.
A Lawn to Mow
Wye Oak Lyrics
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A dirty haze where the sun goes down
But we know it's better to conceal
Than to reveal
In the time it takes the grass to grow
There are weeds to pull and a lawn to mow
The city looks so nice
If you are like me
At least to some degree
Go to sleep, go
Friends say I've the foggiest of minds
Always asleep in half the time
But I thought it better to wait
Than to propagate
'Cause there's something underneath those sheets
It's a morning sun, and it burns for me
So you better get a lot of rest
If you want them to be impressed
If you are like me
At least to some degree
Go to sleep, go
The lyrics to Wye Oak's song A Lawn to Mow are about growing up in a polluted, smoggy town where it's better to conceal things than to reveal them. The singer talks about the need to do mundane tasks like pulling weeds and mowing the lawn while admiring the city's asphalt paradise. They also reveal they are like their friends and have a foggy mind, but they choose to wait rather than to propagate.
The first line of the song talks about growing up in a smoggy town, which speaks to the theme of pollution and environmental degradation. The line "But we know it's better to conceal than to reveal" can be interpreted as a metaphor for hiding one's true feelings or concerns from the outside world. The second verse reveals that the singer is like their friends with the "foggiest of minds" and that they prefer to wait than to act impulsively.
The chorus repeats the phrase "If you are like me, at least to some degree, go to sleep, go" which could be interpreted in a variety of ways. It could be a call to action to sleep and forget about the world's problems, or it could be a reminder that sometimes we need to take a break and rest.
Overall, the lyrics to A Lawn to Mow are complex and open to interpretation. It speaks to themes of environmental degradation, anxiety, and the need for rest and reflection.
Line by Line Meaning
Grew up in the smoggiest of towns
I come from a town that was always smoggy and polluted
A dirty haze where the sun goes down
The pollution was so thick that even the sunset looked dirty
But we know it's better to conceal
It's better to hide the truth than to reveal how awful things really are
Than to reveal
In the time it takes the grass to grow
It takes time for things to change
There are weeds to pull and a lawn to mow
But there's always work to be done, even when things seem stagnant
The city looks so nice
Things might seem better in the city, but appearances can be deceiving
The median, asphalt paradise
Even the green space in the city is fake and made of concrete
If you are like me
If you're like me and you feel lost or confused
At least to some degree
Even if it's just a little bit
Go to sleep, go
Sometimes it's better to just ignore your problems and go to sleep
Friends say I've the foggiest of minds
My friends think I'm unclear or unfocused
Always asleep in half the time
I tend to sleep a lot and feel tired all the time
But I thought it better to wait
I believed that it was better to wait for things to change on their own
Than to propagate
Rather than try to start something new or make a change myself
'Cause there's something underneath those sheets
There's more to life than what might be seen on the surface
It's a morning sun, and it burns for me
There's a new day coming, and it brings hope and possibility
So you better get a lot of rest
If you want to do something great or make a big change, you need to prepare yourself and take care of yourself first
If you want them to be impressed
If you hope to impress others with your accomplishments
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW BRANT STACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind