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.
Archaic Smile
Wye Oak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And expose this empty smile
Could the truth be falsified
And hold it off a little while
Never look quite right
Ponderous and idle
Still I'm gonna try
And show you my
Archaic smile
Two thousand years below the sea
Moves like a blinking eye
Sixty days in front of me
It is an ocean running dry
Temper all these hidden moves
Behind uneasy stares
Pass me to the centuries
They will never know what's there
What's there
Never look quite right
Ponderous and idle
Still I'm gonna try
And show you my
Archaic smile
The lyrics to Wye Oak's "Archaic Smile" reflect on the idea of hiding one's true emotions and secrets behind an outward facade. The opening lines "Sculptor, never leave my side and expose this empty smile" suggest the singer is calling out for a sculptor to shape their external appearance to reflect their inner emptiness. The following line "Could the truth be falsified and hold it off a little while" reinforces this notion of keeping the truth hidden temporarily.
The second verse mentions time passing by, with the reference to "Two thousand years below the sea" and "Sixty days in front of me." The phrase "It is an ocean running dry" could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's inner turmoil that is slowly diminishing, perhaps indicating a sense of despair or numbness.
The third verse delves further into the idea of hiding behind a facade with "Temper all these hidden moves behind uneasy stares." The final two lines of the verse "Pass me to the centuries, they will never know what's there, What's there" suggest the singer wants to be remembered for their external appearance and not their true self, and that their secrets will be taken to the grave.
Overall, "Archaic Smile" is a haunting reflection on the struggle to keep up appearances and hide one's true self from the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Sculptor, never leave my side
The singer wants the sculptor to stay with them and help them express themselves.
And expose this empty smile
The singer wants to reveal the emptiness of their smile to the world.
Could the truth be falsified
The singer worries that someone might lie about the truth.
And hold it off a little while
The artist wants to avoid facing the truth for a little longer.
Never look quite right
The artist feels like they don't fit in or belong.
Ponderous and idle
The singer feels slow and without purpose.
Still I'm gonna try
Despite feeling uncertain, the singer will still make an attempt.
And show you my
The artist wants to display something to others.
Archaic smile
The artist wants to show their old-fashioned or outdated smile.
Two thousand years below the sea
The artist is referencing the idea of something being ancient or buried deep.
Moves like a blinking eye
Something moves quickly, like the blinking of an eye.
Sixty days in front of me
The artist is referencing a specific amount of time.
It is an ocean running dry
The situation being described is a vast and overwhelming one.
Temper all these hidden moves
The singer wants to control their own hidden impulses or desires.
Behind uneasy stares
The singer is referencing someone looking at them suspiciously or uncomfortably.
Pass me to the centuries
The artist is requesting to be forgotten or left behind by time.
They will never know what's there
The artist believes that future generations will not understand them or their experiences.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDREW BRANT STACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind