Their debut album BiRd-BrAiNs was first released on limited edition vinyl and cassette in June 2009, via the Portland-based imprint Marriage Records. In July 2009, it was announced that tUnE-yArDs had signed to 4AD, and a limited edition pressing of BiRd-BrAiNs was released on August 17, 2009.
A full worldwide release followed on November 16, 2009 (and November 17th in North America). The autumn 2009 pressing was remastered at Abbey Road Studios by Christian Wright, and includes two new bonus tracks: "Want Me To" and "Real Live Flesh."
BiRd-BrAiNs was entirely self-produced and recorded, with Garbus utilizing a hand-held digital voice recorder, ukulele, some noisy off-balance drums, and produced using shareware mixing software. Garbus described their sound as "a patchwork of sound snippets, of history in a present tense. It is a composer's commitment to the preservation of stories, however small and unassuming."
A second album w h o k i l l was released on April 19, 2011, preceded by the single "Bizness". It was produced by Garbus and engineered by Eli Crews at New, Improved Studios in Oakland, California. Comparing the act to Sonic Youth, Frontier Psychiatrist said, "if BiRd-BrAiNs was Garbus’ EVOL, a record bursting with musical ideas that attempted to subvert the notion of song, w h o k i l l is their Sister, a record that embraces the traditional pop song as a vehicle to convey those ideas." The song "Fiya" is featured on a 2010 commercial for the Blackberry Torch.
Rocking Chair
tUnE-yArDs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to bed
Oh how will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to sleep
How will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to bed
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The stink of me made the flowers dead
Now I can't get to sleep
The stink of me made the flowers dead
Now I can't get to bed
Oh how will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to sleep
How will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to bed
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
tUnE-yArDs's "Rocking Chair" is a candid and introspective song that seeks to provide us with insight into the artist's emotional state. The song is centered around the singer's inability to sleep, which is caused by various factors; one of them being the weight that they carry, which breaks the rocking chair they are trying to use to soothe themselves to sleep. The weight the singer refers to is perhaps symbolic of the emotional baggage they carry, which is making it hard for them to find rest. The broken chair could represent their inability to find respite from their troubles or an aesthetic representation of the fractured and disjointed feeling of their life.
The second part of the song brings another layer to this discussion, introducing the idea of the singer's physical odor that causes the flowers to die. This section expresses how the weight of the singer's emotional burden manifested physically, maybe through a lack of hygiene or neglect, and as a consequence, they can no longer find peace in the beauty of nature, and the scent of the flowers that could have given them solace now fades away.
In essence, this song provides us with a window to the emotional experiences tUnE-yArDs went through, and how the weight of the world manifests in various forms, making it difficult to find peace or solace, even in the most mundane manner.
Line by Line Meaning
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
I am too heavy to be soothed by the gentle motion of the rocking chair. The chair cannot sustain my burden and has given way, leaving me unable to fall asleep.
Now I can't get to sleep
My inability to relax has persisted even after the rocking chair has broken. I find myself restless and unable to sleep.
The stink of me made the flowers dead
My bad odor has killed the flowers in my room. The foul smell that emanates from my body is so strong that it has killed everything living around me.
Now I can't get to bed
Because of the unpleasant smell that I give off, I cannot rest on my bed. My malodorous presence is stifling, making it impossible to find rest in my own space.
Oh how will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to sleep
I am crying out for help, desperately asking for any form of comfort that can help me fall asleep. I am feeling alone and isolated, with no one to care for me.
How will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to bed
I am pleading with myself for any way to fall asleep, asking how I can provide myself with comfort and rest when all my usual means of relaxation have failed.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Merrill Martin Garbus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Northling
Eeeaaaoooh!
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to bed
Oh how will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to sleep
How will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to bed
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The weight of me broke the rocking chair
Now I can't get to sleep
The stink of me made the flowers dead
Now I can't get to sleep
The stink of me made the flowers dead
Now I can't get to bed
Oh how will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to sleep
How will I
Rock me, rock me, rock me
Rock me to bed
🖤🖤🖤
Rocking ourselves to sleep on old habbits...
Luckely old chairs break!
🖤🖤🖤
styrofoam pony
this made me cry so much when i first heard it. theres some sort of desperation and urgency about this song while still remaining soft somehow. like saying goodbye to someone you love. so incredibly beautiful and so much talent. thank you TUNE YARDS!
sirmansir555
I feel like I need to mention something here. My father used to play this song in the car a lot and I forgot the name of it and the artist. Since he left I've been looking for this song and I cried a lot hearing it again. Also the game goes on
Michael Gildersleeve
Always loved this song. This is an excellent video as well. Both so beautiful. Well done. I often feel the need for more tune yards. I need it.
C.M. Venice McCurdy
I just heard this song for the very first time tonight and also the 22nd time tonight because we just kept having to put it on repeat. Came on while I was driving with my 72-year-old mother, who usually tries to sing along to most of my songs or at least mocks them especially when they're sound interesting. But for some reason, she was also drawn to this song as I put it on repeat she's like all good rocking chair, rocking chair, and although we don't agree on most music other than Johnny Cash, we now have a new band that she likes to listen to or at least this song, but we're gonna put all of your songs on while I drive her around to see how she feels about them. 🙂
Edward Cray
New favourite tune this - want it at my wedding!!
OOO OOO
I would dearly love to hear what wondrousness a collaboration between Merrill Garbus and Beruit's Zack Condon would bring us.
rappadapp
Loved this track. I loaded it into my Nero Audio Editing programme & made it over 3 minutes long. It is so dope.
Harshit Bisht
rappadapp you have to share that somewhere!!
lisa mansfield
Amazing art. In every way.
Emily Williams
This art is amazing🙃