ROADS by Portishead

ROADS by Portishead
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Oh, can’t anybody see?
We’ve got a war to fight
Never found our way
Regardless of what they say
How can it feel this wrong?
From this moment
How can it feel this wrong?

Storm in the morning light
I feel no more can I say
Frozen to myself
I got nobody on my side
And surely that ain’t right
And surely that ain’t right

Oh, can’t anybody see?
We’ve got a war to fight
Never found our way
Regardless of what they say
How can it feel this wrong?
From this moment
How can it feel this wrong?

How can it feel this wrong?
From this moment
How can it feel this wrong?

Oh, can’t anybody see?
We’ve got a war to fight
Never found our way
Regardless of what they say
How can it feel this wrong?
From this moment
How can it feel this wrong?

Song name Roads
Artist Portishead
Album Dummy
Year 1994
Track number 8

https://www.musiconvinyl.com/catalog/portishead/roseland-nyc-live#more
Roseland NYC was a one night stand of sorts at the New York City Roseland Ballroom, where Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley and Beth Gibbons were joined by the 35-piece New York Philharmonic Orchestra. These new arrangements gave a new sense of dramatic tension, and in the process they created one of the most breathtaking albums of the genre.
Along with Massive Attack and Tricky, Portishead was part of the Bristol triumvirate that popularized Triphop in the early nineties, especially in America. But what made them stand out was their added elements of Cool Jazz, Acid House and soundtrack samples to their slow, elastic beats, creating an atmospheric and seductive sound that appealed to a broad audience.

In 1998, when they realized that fans were swapping bootlegs of their live shows like crazy, Portishead decided to capture a unique performance. Roseland NYC was a one night stand of sorts at the New York City Roseland Ballroom, where Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley and Beth Gibbons were joined by the 35-piece New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

These new arrangements gave a new sense of dramatic tension, and in the process they created one of the most breathtaking albums of the genre.
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https://auralcrave.com/en/2018/12/02/portishead-roads-the-hidden-meaning-of-an-introspective-song/
December 2, 2018 Music / Premium
Portishead, Roads: the hidden meaning of an introspective song
Posted by Fabiana Falanga
This story is part of the book:
Mama Mia Let Me Go!
A journey through the most intriguing lyrics and stories in rock music

There is a moment in life when we see clearly all the arteries that the body of life is made of: millions of roads, millions of wasted opportunities, compromises and choices, victories and bets.
This is life, branching off in countless directions, driven forward by a river of energy that never stops. Once you choose your road, you have to deal with its twists and turns.
Then, there is a second moment in life when you realise that you are alone in this choice. You reach a crossroads with your life’s baggage accompanying you; your failures and gratifications, your unexplained or rational circumstances, your expectations and certainties.

Frozen to myself
I got nobody on my side
And surely that ain’t right

What happened before that moment doesn’t matter anymore. No one can see. You are alone, rival and ally of yourself, victim and executioner of wrong choices, benefactor and beneficiary of your success.

Oh, can’t anybody see
We’ve got a war to fight
Never found our way
Regardless of what they say

Roads is Portishead’s best trip hop number from their first album Dummy. The prayer of Beth Gibbons, who delicately balances her vocals atop a storm of bass and reverberation that resembles a flashbacks, with sound distortions that float like bubbles in a calm sea.
Storm, in the morning light
I feel
No more can I say
Frozen to myself

Frozen, petrified, the singer tells us of the awareness of her inevitable and necessary solitude, and that loneliness that soon or later arrives in the life of everyone. It’s a sign of growth, not just a condition. It’s the moment when you choose your road, and let it become your own.

The song is Gibbons’ battle cry. The moment when she recognises that she is alone and she’s ready to go on and become invincible, for herself and for others.

This is the moment in life when she discovers her road.
How can it feel, this wrong
From this moment
How can it feel, this wrong