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.
Orchard Fair
Wye Oak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are turning brown
I know I'll see
Them hit the ground
And apricots
The apple trees
The peaches fruit
For me and you
When shorter days
Pull light from me
I hope you feel
A certain way
Lightness
Lightness
We'll see you there
At the orchard fair
The October skies
The open eyes
Will you hold my hand?
As we walk from here
For the wind is cold
And winter's near
When shorter days
Pull the light away
I'll always feel
A certain way
Lightness
Lightness
Lightness
Lightness
The lyrics to Wye Oak's song Orchard Fair speaks about the changing of the seasons as autumn comes and how that triggers an event in their lives. The first verse mentions the falling of leaves and how the fruit trees produce their fruit for both of them to share. The second verse talks about how the shorter days of autumn affect the singer and how they hope their companion feels a certain way too. The chorus of "lightness" is repeated three times throughout the song, which seems to represent a sort of feeling or sensation that the singer desires.
The song seems to be about the ritual of attending an annual Orchard Fair in autumn. The line "We'll see you there at the orchard fair" suggests that this is a regular event that the singer and the addressed person(s) attend each year. The lyric "For the wind is cold and winter's near" hints at the idea of carpe diem, make the most of the warmth and outdoors before winter confines people indoors. Additionally, the chorus of "lightness" seems to suggest that the singer is feeling a sense of freedom or tranquility when in the presence of this person(s) or at the Orchard Fair.
In summary, Wye Oak's song Orchard Fair speaks about the joy of autumn, the ritual of attending an Orchard Fair and the sense of "lightness" or freedom that the singer associates with this event and/or the addressed person(s).
Line by Line Meaning
When all the leaves
As autumn approaches,
Are turning brown
the leaves on trees that were once green and vibrant in the summer, transform and lose their colour
I know I'll see
it's a reminder,
Them hit the ground
that the leaves will eventually fall and wither.
And apricots
At the orchard, where many types of fruit trees are grown, such as,
The apple trees
apples,
The peaches fruit
peaches,
For me and you
the fruits grow for everyone to enjoy.
When shorter days
As the winter season draws closer,
Pull light from me
the shorter days mean that daylight is fleeting and darkness prevails more often than not.
I hope you feel
I wish for you to experience a particular sensation,
A certain way
that I can't quite explain.
Lightness
Perhaps you'll feel unburdened and light.
Lightness
Or maybe it'll be a feeling that can only be characterised as light.
We'll see you there
We'll plan to be at the orchard fair,
At the orchard fair
where the fruits have been harvested and are being sold and exhibited to the public.
The October skies
In the background,
The open eyes
the skies will be visible, the clouds parted and the expanse above on display.
Will you hold my hand?
I wonder if you'll be willing to hold my hand,
As we walk from here
as we make our way to and through the fair.
For the wind is cold
the air at this time tends to be colder than average
And winter's near
meaning that winter is not too far away.
When shorter days
As the days get even shorter,
Pull the light away
and the amount of light we have access to dwindles,
I'll always feel
I know for sure that I will experience a certain feeling,
A certain way
the same feeling I said I couldn't explain before.
Lightness
The only way to describe it is that it feels light and untroubled.
Lightness
It feels like a certain kind of lightness.
Lightness
A lightness that cannot be caught, contained, or kept.
Lightness
It's a lightness that cannot be lost, no matter how the days grow shorter.
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDREW BRANT STACK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind