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.
Strangers
Wye Oak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've killed my world and I've killed my time
So where do I go what do I see
I see many people coming after me
So where are you going to I don't mind
If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
So I will follow you wherever you go
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
So you've been where I've just come
From the land that brings losers on
So we will share this road we walk
And mind our mouths and beware our talk
'Till peace we find tell you what I'll do
All the things I own I will share with you
If I feel tomorrow like I feel today
We'll take what we want and give the rest away
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
Holy man and holy priest
This love of life makes me weak at my knees
And when we get there make your play
'Cause soon I feel you're gonna carry us away
In a promised lie you made us believe
For many men there is so much grief
And my mind is proud but it aches with rage
And if I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two we are one
The lyrics to Wye Oak's song Strangers can be interpreted as a commentary on the human condition and the pursuit of peace in a world full of trouble and suffering. The first few lines suggest a sense of desperation and hopelessness, with the singer having "killed [their] world and [...] time" and being pursued by many people. The repeated refrain of "where are you going, I don't mind" shows a willingness to follow someone else in the search for meaning and purpose.
The second verse introduces the idea of two strangers sharing a road, but becoming one through the difficulties they encounter. The singer acknowledges that they have come from a place of defeat ("the land that brings losers on"), but they are determined to find peace and unity with the other person. This idea is reinforced in the third verse, which suggests that even religious figures may be weakened by the desire to live life to the fullest, and that death is always looming.
Overall, the lyrics to Strangers suggest that we can find connection and hope even in the face of despair, as long as we are open to following others and sharing our experiences. The song has a melancholic feel, with slow, ethereal instrumentation and moody vocals that match the introspective and searching lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are you going I don't mind
I don't care where you're going
I've killed my world and I've killed my time
I've destroyed everything around me
So where do I go what do I see
I'm lost and don't know where to go or what to do
I see many people coming after me
I feel like I'm being pursued by others
So where are you going to I don't mind
I still don't care where you're headed
If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
I'm afraid of growing old
So I will follow you wherever you go
I'll follow you blindly
If your offered hand is still open to me
If you're still willing to help me
Strangers on this road we are on
We're traveling together but we don't really know each other
We are not two we are one
We're in this together and we should support each other
So you've been where I've just come
You've been through what I'm going through now
From the land that brings losers on
We come from a place of failure
So we will share this road we walk
We'll share this journey
And mind our mouths and beware our talk
We should be careful with our words
'Till peace we find tell you what I'll do
Until we find peace, I'll do something for you
All the things I own I will share with you
I'm willing to share everything I have with you
If I feel tomorrow like I feel today
If I feel the same tomorrow as I do today
We'll take what we want and give the rest away
We'll take what we need and give the rest to others
Holy man and holy priest
Religious leaders
This love of life makes me weak at my knees
The beauty of life overwhelms me
And when we get there make your play
When we arrive, do what you have to do
'Cause soon I feel you're gonna carry us away
I believe we'll be taken away soon
In a promised lie you made us believe
We were fooled by a promise that wasn't true
For many men there is so much grief
Many people are suffering
And my mind is proud but it aches with rage
I'm angry and frustrated
And if I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
I'm still scared of growing old
Strangers on this road we are on
We're still strangers, even though we're together
We are not two we are one
We still need each other, even though we're strangers
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tranhntube
Where are you going, I don't mind
I've killed my world and I've killed my time
So where do I go? What will I see?
I see many people coming after me
So where are you going to, I don't mind
If I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
So I will follow you wherever you go
If your offered hand is still open to me
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two, we are one
So you've been where I've just come
From the land that brings losers on
So we will share this road we walk
And mind our mouths and beware our talk
'Til peace we find, tell you what I'll do
All the things I own I will share with you
And, if I feel tomorrow like I feel today
We'll take what we want and give the rest away
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two, we are one
Holy man and holy priest
This love of life makes me weak at my knees
And when we get there, make your play
'Cause soon I fear you're gonna carry us away
And a promised lie you made us believe
For many men there is so much grief
And my mind is proud but it aches with rage
And, if I live too long I'm afraid I'll die
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two, we are one
Strangers on this road we are on
We are not two, we are one
@davek729
This is a gorgeous version of a wonderful Dave Davies song. I've listened to it more than a dozen times in recent weeks.
@subterreanhighrise
Just remembered hearing this years ago ... still magnificent!
@MarcusIsI
Wow props to the drummer playing the keys!
@andrewdouglas7174
Fantastic version of a beautiful song. Love the lead singer's voice x
@tonyjofenig6833
This is music, they are covering a song with no real preperation (maybe a couple of hours),they kill it. I keep coming back to this, I had the pleasure to see Wye Oak play a small local venue about 6 or 7 years ago, with maybe a couple hundred people, their music is better live than the recordings. Just check all the live vids on yt. Will never miss a show of theirs.
@NewYorkDailyPhoto
Awesome cover. I have it on repeat now. I'll bury myself in it.
@johnpod
This is one of a number of very good covers of this song: Norah Jones, Lucious, lord Huron to name just a few. I think there are so many good cover versions because it’s just an awesome song!
@ctnt3126
Absolutely beautiful :)
@citizenghosttown
Gorgeous cover.
@raajue3
beautiful cover. justice defo done to the original