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.
Family Glue
Wye Oak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Leaving a legacy of tell-me-to
Behavior made of lead
I eat and I'm fed
Never use your hands
Our blood has given into it
Save the holidays for me
Dress as love for Halloween
I press my hand in the dirt
And ruin your hard work
But new clothes are for me alone
I always recognize your clothes
So I am family glue
Leaving a legacy of tell-me-to
Behavior made of care
This is not my somewhere
The lyrics of Wye Oak's Family Glue seem to be exploring the theme of family dynamics. The singer seems to be taking on the role of "family glue," someone who holds the family together and keeps them united. She talks about her "legacy of tell-me-to" behavior, suggesting that she is the person who gives orders and takes charge within the family structure.
The next lines, "Behavior made of lead, I eat and I'm fed," might be a reference to the idea that the singer's heavy influence and control has led to her being the one who gets fed and taken care of, while others in the family might be overlooked or neglected.
The next verse talks about the importance of keeping up appearances and maintaining traditions ("Never use your hands, our blood has given into it, save the holidays for me, dress as love for Halloween"). This could suggest that the family values a certain image and reputation and the singer is the one who upholds these values and traditions.
In the bridge, the singer seems to be acknowledging her own flaws and destructive behavior ("I press my hand in the dirt and ruin your hard work"). However, she also insists on her uniqueness ("new clothes are for me alone, I always recognize your clothes") and how her contributions to the family are essential ("Behavior made of care, this is not my somewhere").
Overall, the lyrics of Family Glue hint at a complicated and perhaps dysfunctional family dynamic, with one member taking on the heavy burden of keeping everything together, which might be taking a toll on her own well-being.
Line by Line Meaning
I am family glue
I am the one who holds my family together.
Leaving a legacy of tell-me-to
I have always been told what to do and now that's how my children are growing up.
Behavior made of lead
My behavior is heavy and lethargic, like the metal lead.
I eat and I'm fed
I have all I need to survive and thrive provided by my family.
Never use your hands
Don't rely only on manual labor.
Our blood has given into it
Our family has a predisposition towards this behavior.
Save the holidays for me
Make sure to keep the family traditions for me.
Dress as love for Halloween
Even on Halloween, I want to represent love and family.
I press my hand in the dirt
I mess up things and create problems for others.
And ruin your hard work
I spoil what others have worked hard for.
But new clothes are for me alone
I like getting new things just for myself.
I always recognize your clothes
I know who owns which clothes in my family.
So I am family glue
I have always been and will always be the one who holds my family together.
Leaving a legacy of tell-me-to
My children will grow up being told what to do, just like I did.
Behavior made of care
My behavior is heavily influenced by wanting to care for and protect my family.
This is not my somewhere
I don't really belong anywhere else but with my family.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JENNIFER LYNN WASNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind