The Decemberists – Sons And Daughters Lyrics - Genius

2025, In ReviewFeaturedChartsVideosPromote Your MusicSign Up2Sons and DaughtersThe DecemberistsProducersTucker Martine & Chris WallaTrack 10 onThe Crane Wife Oct. 3, 20061 viewer73.2K views36 Contributors

Sons and Daughters Lyrics

Frontman Colin Meloy picked this as one of The Decemberists' best songs in an interview, saying: It’s another two-chord song. It was the first song I ever wrote on [the Greek folk instrument] the bouzouki.… Read More [Chorus]When we arrive, sons and daughtersWe'll make our homes on the waterWe'll build our walls aluminumWe'll fill our mouths with cinnamon now[Verse 1]These currents pull us 'cross the borderSteady your boats, arms to shoulder'Til tides all pull our hull agroundMaking this cold harbour now home[Verse 2]Take up your arms, sons and daughtersWe will arise from the bunkersBy land, by sea, by dirigibleWe'll leave our tracks untraceable now[Chorus]When we arrive, sons and daughtersWe'll make our homes on the waterWe'll build our walls aluminum(Sons and daughters)We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon(We'll make our homes on the water)We'll make our homes on the water(When we build our walls of aluminum)(We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)You might also like[Chorus]When we arrive, sons and daughtersWe'll make our homes on the waterWe'll build our walls aluminum(Sons and daughters)We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon(We'll make our homes on the water)We'll make our homes on the water(When we build our walls of aluminum)(We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)[Chorus]When we arrive, sons and daughtersWe'll make our homes on the waterWe'll build our walls aluminum(Sons and daughters)We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon(We'll make our homes on the water)We'll make our homes on the water(When we build our walls of aluminum)(We'll fill our mouths with cinnamon)Now[Outro]Hear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade awayHear all the bombs fade away(Hear all the bombs) fade away(Hear all the bombs) fade away(Hear all the bombs) fade away(Hear all the bombs) fade away(Hear all the bombs) fade away(Hear all the bombs) fade away2EmbedCancel

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Frontman Colin Meloy picked this as one of The Decemberists' best songs in an interview, saying:

It’s another two-chord song. It was the first song I ever wrote on [the Greek folk instrument] the bouzouki. After Picaresque, I was trying to get the creative juices flowing, so I decided to buy some weird instruments and see what happened. I bought a mountain dulcimer and a bouzouki and tried to write songs. It’s really hard to write songs on a mountain dulcimer, I discovered, but bouzouki was very easy. The first two songs I wrote on it were “Sons and Daughters” and then “Crane Wife 3.“ You can tell because “Sons and Daughters” has two chords, the only two chords I knew at the time on bouzouki, and “Crane Wife 3” has three. Then, with the way we managed to record it and arrange it, it became this grandiose thing all built around two chords.

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Ask a questionWhat did The Decemberists say about "Sons and Daughters"?Genius Answer1 contributor

Colin Meloy has said: “The most political song on The Crane Wife probably would be “Sons and Daughters,” which to me was kind of a mantra or slogan about peace and camaraderie and coming together. Maybe that was in response to the years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, which was starting to come to an end — well, sort of coming to an end.”

+5Who produced “Sons and Daughters” by The Decemberists?When did The Decemberists release “Sons and Daughters”?Who wrote “Sons and Daughters” by The Decemberists?The Crane Wife (2006)The Decemberists

1. 1. The Crane Wife 3
2. 2. The Island: Come and See; The Landlord’s Daughter; You’ll Not Feel the Drowning
3. 3. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
4. 4. O Valencia!
5. 5. The Perfect Crime #2
6. 6. When the War Came
7. 7. Shankill Butchers
8. 8. Summersong
9. 9. The Crane Wife 1 & 2
10. 10. Sons and Daughters

CreditsReleased onOctober 3, 2006ProducersTucker Martine & Chris WallaWriterColin MeloyRecording EngineerTucker Martine, Chris Walla & Rich HippMastering EngineerRoger SeibelMixing EngineerTucker MartineTagsRockFolk RockIndie RockExpand CommentsAdd a commentSign Up And Drop Knowledge 🤓Genius is the ultimate source of music knowledge, created by scholars like you who share facts and insight about the songs and artists they love.Sign Up