“Family Tree” is off the first Belle and Sebastian album I ever got, Fold Your Hands Child…. Actually, I got the album in kind of a funny way. My friend Maria came to visit and we hung out with her (older cooler) cousin whose (older cooler) friend was the web guy for Matador. We ended up hanging out in the Matador offices at night, wandering around, checking out all the demos people sent in. It was a pretty magical experience for a 17 year-old budding indie rock fan, like myself. At the end of the night, Mr. Webmaster took us into the warehouse and loaded us up with promo discs. Fold Your Hands Child was one of them.
While Stuart is usually my favorite B&S vocalist, Isobel Campbell does a great job with this one. This was before she quit and splintered off her work into a (sort of mediocre) solo project. The tune delivers the band’s usual pretty and melancholy twee, with a twist of feminist anguish in the flawlessly composed lyrics.
Also, this song taught me an important lesson about the way British people say the word, “mafia,” which ends up sounding like “mawhhfia(r).” This is really weird and really true.
Also Also, I always thought the lyrics were, “you can wish, because I’m not here to fuck around.” They're not actually, but I think this would be a lot better. Too bad.
Family Tree.mp3
If my family tree goes back to the Romans,
Then I will change my name to Jones.
If my family tree goes back to Napoleon,
Then I will change my name to Smith.
If my family tree goes back to the Romans,
Then I will change my name to Jones.
If you're looking at me to be an accountant,
Then you will look but you will never see.
If you're looking at me to start having babies,
Then you can wish because I'm not here to fool around.
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