Pictures of an Only Child

Album: The Century of Self (2009)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Conrad Keely originally penned this song in the mid 1990s before ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead had started. He told The Skinny, that this is "about as personal a song as I've ever written." He explained: "It's about my photo album and looking through pictures of my parents and of our travels. Eric, who I mention in the song, is my step-father. My mum's family lives in the UK and my dad's family lives in Thailand, but I've spent most of my life growing up in America and I felt like I was just so distanced from my family. I was always jealous of people that had family reunions and had the closeness of their extended family nearby."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The Devil

Five Rockers Who Rolled With The DevilSong Writing

Just how much did these monsters of rock dabble in the occult?

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.