Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt (they use the national anthem of the Soviet Union as an introduction at many concerts) and to the atmosphere associated with the month of December, the Decemberists write songs that range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads. They often employ instruments like the accordion, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer organ, and upright bass. In their lyrics, they eschew the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach, as evidenced in songs such as "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" from the 5 Songs EP and "The Mariner's Revenge Song" on Picaresque. Their songs convey tales ranging from whimsical ("Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect") to epic ("The Tain") to truly dark ("Odalisque"). They often invoke historical events and themes from around the world. Early in their career, The Decemberists' musical and lyrical aesthetics frequently prompted critics to compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel. Since their debut, their sound has undergone a consistent evolution, most notably in the direction of progressive rock with a strong folk influence, though they have also been described as indie rock and, by Stephen Colbert, as "hyper-literate prog rock." For example, one song, "When the War Came", uses a little-known story from the Siege of Leningrad to describe the heroism of civilian scientists during warfare. The lyrics state: "We made our oath to Vavilov / We'd not betray the solanum / The acres of asteraceae / To our own pangs of starvation". Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov was a Russian botanist whose laboratory, a seedbank containing 200,000 types of plant seeds, many of them edible, was preserved throughout the siege, during which hundreds of thousands of people died.
In March 2005, the Decemberists were reportedly the first band to distribute a music video via BitTorrent -- the self-produced "16 Military Wives" (from Picaresque). That same month, the band's equipment trailer was stolen; fans contributed to a replacement fund, and another fund-raiser was organized via an eBay auction, with buyers bidding for copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original art work by Carson Ellis. They also received help from Lee Kruger, The Shins, The Dandy Warhols and other musicians. The Martin Guitar Company offered six- and twelve-string guitars on permanent loan. In early April, police discovered the trailer in Clackamas, Oregon, and a fair amount of the band's merchandise, but the instruments and equipment were not recovered.
On 12 December 2005, Meloy revealed to Pitchfork Media that they had signed to Capitol Records, and planned to begin recording their major label debut with producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, of Death Cab for Cutie fame, in April 2006. The Decemberists' first album on Capitol, and their first major label debut, The Crane Wife, was released on 3 October 2006. The release was accompanied by an appearance the same day on the world-wide syndicated TV talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien when the track "O Valencia!" was performed. The Decemberists began their tour in support of The Crane Wife, with The Rout of the Patagons Tour, on 17 October 2006, at Portland, Oregon's Crystal Ballroom. Their opening act was Lavender Diamond. Later on in the tour, Alasdair Roberts opened for the band.
In July 2007 the Decemberists set out on a five-date tour with a full orchestral accompaniment. On 7 July, the tour put the group on the stage of the historic Hollywood Bowl for the first time in their career, and they were joined by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. On 15 July the group performed with The Mann Festival Orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They then played a free concert in Chicago, Ilinois, at the recently developed Millennium Park with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. In September 2007 they also played at Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
In October 2007, they began The Long and Short of It Tour. However, having completed the European portion of the tour and immediately after playing the Chicago dates, the rest of the tour was canceled due to illness.
On 24 March 2009, the band released The Hazards of Love, their fifth album. The album's first single, "The Rake's Song", was made available for free on the band's website. The album featured guest appearances from My Brightest Diamond, Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond, Robyn Hitchcock and Jim James. The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200.
On 11 January 2011, the band released their sixth album The King is Dead. The band released the first single "Down by the Water" for free on their website. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States and is the highest charting album in the band's career. The second single, "This Is Why We Fight" was released on January 25, 2011.
There is another band with the same name:
(2). The Decemberists formed in Liverpool in 1984 when Andy Ford and Tom Gent from Swim Naked hooked up with Colin Pennington, who had just left The Tunnel Users. They played their first show at The Cavern in 1985 and then played extensively in their home city. After recording demo tapes which attracted attention from BBC Radio 1's John Peel and Rough Trade Records, they secured a residency at University Of London Union (ULU). Their first release was James Is (Still The Same) on the Discreet Campaigns compilation cassette tape alongside New Order and Cocteau Twins. After the appearance of Gift Horse on the Ways To Wear Coats compilation LP in 1987, the band changed their name to Hellfire Sermons.
James Is (Still The Same) was included on The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 6 in 2009. They are listed as ‘The Decemberists Of Liverpool 1985-87’ on this album to make a distinction from the famous 21st century group of the same name.
Grace Cathedral Hill
The Decemberists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All wrapped in bones of setting sun
All dust and stone and moribund
I paid twenty-five cents to light a little white candle
For a new year's day
I sat and watched it burn away
Then turned and weaved through slow decay
We were both a little hungry so we went to get hot dog
This light was slightly disappeared
The air it stunk of fish and beer
We heard a superman trumpet play the national anthem
And the world may be long for you
But it'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike when all the city lights blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
In "Grace Cathedral Hill," The Decemberists draw upon themes of transience and materiality, juxtaposing the passing of time with the enduring beauty of natural phenomena. The song takes place on New Year's Day as the singer and their companion are wandering through San Francisco, admiring the sunset as it illuminates the city's historic Grace Cathedral. The cathedral, though magnificent, is itself subject to the forces of decay and mortality that affect all things, as it is "all wrapped in bones of setting sun / All dust and stone and moribund."
Despite this melancholic reflection on the passing of time, the song conveys a sense of hope and renewal, as the singer describes lighting a candle for the new year, an act that suggests a desire for positive change and growth. Similarly, the experience of getting a hot dog at the pier and hearing a trumpet rendition of the national anthem evoke a feeling of community and connection, even amidst the decay and impermanence of the world.
In the final lines of the song, The Decemberists offer a sense of escape from the worries and anxieties of everyday existence, suggesting that the thrill of a motorbike ride through the city may provide momentary respite from the "long" and uncertain journey of life. Overall, "Grace Cathedral Hill" offers a thoughtful meditation on the complexities of existence, highlighting both its beauty and its fragility.
Line by Line Meaning
Grace cathedral hill
Referencing a location as a metaphor for something greater, possibly a personal journey or reflection.
All wrapped in bones of setting sun
Describing the location as the light fades and the day turns to dusk, capturing a sense of finality.
All dust and stone and moribund
Using the imagery of aged architecture to evoke a sense of decay or death.
I paid twenty-five cents to light a little white candle
Symbolizing the act of making a small offering to mark the beginning of a new year or new chapter in one's life.
For a new year's day
Clarifying the reason behind the act of lighting the candle, representing a fresh start or new beginning.
I sat and watched it burn away
Reflecting on the act of lighting the candle and contemplating the passage of time or fleetingness of life.
Then turned and weaved through slow decay
Returning to the theme of decay, possibly referencing the aging or deterioration of the self or one's surroundings.
We were both a little hungry so we went to get hot dog
Switching to a more mundane scene, possibly emphasizing the contrast between everyday life and moments of contemplation or reflection.
Down the hyde street pier
Locating the scene in a specific place and time, adding to the sense of personal reflection or journey.
This light was slightly disappeared
Describing the lighting and adding to the atmosphere of the scene, possibly suggesting a turning point or moment of uncertainty.
The air it stunk of fish and beer
Providing sensory details of the surroundings, further grounding the scene in a specific time and place.
We heard a superman trumpet play the national anthem
Introducing a surreal, unexpected moment while also possibly referencing the idea of the American dream or patriotism.
And the world may be long for you
Reflecting on the sense of timelessness and vastness of the world, and the idea that it may continue on without us.
But it'll never belong to you
Reminding the listener that despite the world's vastness and longevity, it cannot be possessed or truly understood by any one person.
But on a motorbike when all the city lights blind your eyes tonight
Suggesting an escape or release from the overwhelming nature of life, represented by the city lights.
Are you feeling better now?
Posing a question to the listener or perhaps a specific person, hinting at the possibility of redemption or a sense of peace.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: COLIN MELOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SleepyMongoose
"Grace Cathedral Hill"
Grace Cathedral hill
All wrapped in bones of setting sun
All dust and stone and moribund
I paid twenty-five cents to light
A little white candle
For a New Year's Day
I sat and watched it burn away
Then turned and weaved
Through slow decay
We were both a little hungry
So we went to get hot dog
Down to Hyde Street Pier
The light was slight and disappeared
The air it stunk of fish and beer
We heard a Superman trumpet
Play the national anthem
And the world may be long for you
But'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Some way to greet the year:
Your eyes all bright and
Brim with tears
The pilgrims, pills, and tourists here
Will sink fifty-three bucks to buy
A brand new halo
Sweet on a green-eyed girl
All fiery Irish clip and curl
All brine and piss and vinegar
I paid twenty-five cents to light
A little white candle
And the world may be long for you
But'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Knight Fu
"And the world may be long for you\
but it will never belong to you\
But on a motorbike\
when all the city lights\
blind your eyes tonight\
Are you feeling better now?"
I never figured out whom these words are meant for.
The song details one new year evening spent in San Francisco. It begins in Grace Cathedral Hill at sunset and follows the narrator and a friend as they meander around the city on their motorbikes through the streets into the night, encountering the sight, sound, and smells of the city as it celebrates the New Year.
Against what must be an infectiously loud and festive setting is a slow and melancholic tune that suggests an unmistakable sense of sadness and forlorn. Hence the message of the chorus, recalling the white candle in the cathedral burning down as the two of them looked on. It contrasts sharply with boisterousness suggested by the narration --- the new year's day tourists, the trumpet playing National anthem, the blinding lights of the street.
The music plays out the mood of the narrator and his companion. The words "moribund", "decay", "wrapped in bones", "light was slight and disappeared", "white candle" suggest death, but the key seems to lie with the opening sentence of the chorus. Nonetheless, irrefutably is an unresolved sense of loss that continue to linger with the pair, isolating them from the world around them. Yet, they seek solace in the lights and their motorbike: "Some way to greet the year...Are you feeling better now?"
Yet, whom are the chorus words for? Are they for the narrator's friend? To comfort her (is she the "green eyed girl, all fiery Irish clip and curl"?) through a time of loss. Or are they words for the narrator himself? Both? For our generation of night-crawlers, bathing in the city lights, never truly grasping or confronting just how little the world does belong to us, though it seems to need us; that we all are at one point vulnerable, sad, and helplessly isolated.
I always thought good art must leave enough ambiguity to allow the audience to find meaning in a way that the artist never intended. Grace Cathedral Hill, at different times of my life, meant very different things. When I became melancholic, as is often customary for someone who suffers too readily the slings and arrows --- even if fortune is less than outrageous
-, I always returned to this song, to think on the different possibilities, as a way to tease out what sort of sad I am.hanndull
Listening to this song rn while sitting in front of Grace Cathedral on New Year’s Eve 🎶 ⛪️
SleepyMongoose
"Grace Cathedral Hill"
Grace Cathedral hill
All wrapped in bones of setting sun
All dust and stone and moribund
I paid twenty-five cents to light
A little white candle
For a New Year's Day
I sat and watched it burn away
Then turned and weaved
Through slow decay
We were both a little hungry
So we went to get hot dog
Down to Hyde Street Pier
The light was slight and disappeared
The air it stunk of fish and beer
We heard a Superman trumpet
Play the national anthem
And the world may be long for you
But'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Some way to greet the year:
Your eyes all bright and
Brim with tears
The pilgrims, pills, and tourists here
Will sink fifty-three bucks to buy
A brand new halo
Sweet on a green-eyed girl
All fiery Irish clip and curl
All brine and piss and vinegar
I paid twenty-five cents to light
A little white candle
And the world may be long for you
But'll never belong to you
But on a motorbike
When all the city lights
Blind your eyes tonight
Are you feeling better now?
Professor Chomsky
I repeat - this is the best of beautiful poetry, simply wonderful x
Professor Chomsky
A most beautiful, poetic, wonderful song that brings out all emotions in oneself - timeless beauty xx
Maryann Slattery Burrows
Oh my the words you write are so true....I just spent an hour trying to express my thoughts on this song- powerful life story. I once had an English professor who focused on Poet's, especially Bob Dylan, changed my then young mind about music and meaning..
I will gladly share my story with anyone interested....xo stay safe in these uncertain times. 😷😎
Maryann Slattery Burrows
This song means so much to me. I just wrote a comment but it was too long to be accepted. A day of awakening to give up my bonds of codependency and freeing myself from service to sick and suffering damaged partners....I'll try to add my story and the impact Colin had on me. XO stay safe all.😷
David Moss
The fucking organ is the best sound I've heard today.
Avi L
I just had that same thought. Leslie methinks.
Jory Higgins
i'm trying to learn this song on the guitar and the rhythm is just killing me. Damn you Colin Meloy
Luis Fer Sotelo
Same with Here I dream I was an architect hahaha. Hope you were able to get it by now :)