Prewitt's guitar work is integral to the sound of his other band, The Sea and Cake, as it is for his solo work. However, here on his own, Prewitt manages to find an entirely different tone and timbre. Compared to his previous releases, the songs on Wilderness are primarily spare with more focused and refined arrangements.
The nymph-like siren gazing from the cover of "Wilderness" is a pencil drawing by Archer. He describes her as being an incorruptible innocent; an omniscient "child of nature". This fantastical female ties in with the idea present in many of his lyrics ? championing love above all else, even in life's darkest time.
Prewitt's art does not end there; in fact, he is quite an accomplished visual artist. The third issue of his Sof Boy comic was released in July by Drawn & Quarterly. The character has been licensed in Japan by Press Pop Gallery where they make Sof Boy dolls, rings, carry-bags and other assorted collector's items. In addition to his comic work, Archer is a regular illustrator for the Chicago Reader and various periodicals. He has been included in the most recent McSweeney's comic collection, edited by Chris Ware, and is part of the traveling comics show, "Raw, Boiled and Cooked". Prewitt has had two gallery exhibitions of his original drawings and prints in the last year, and has a two-man show opening in Chicago this November with poster artist Jay Ryan.
Archer Prewitt's well-crafted and self-produced songs will stand the test of time. Wilderness is an album that gains appreciation with repeated listening.
Artist Discography:
In the Sun 1997
White Sky 1999
Three 2002
Wilderness 2005
Go Away
Archer Prewitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When she brought up all of those things on her mind.
I couldn't do much better
When I told her everything was fine.
I had to go away.
I had to go away.
Seemed like forty days and eighty nights,
But Then I saw my angel.
It seemed like everything would turn out right.
Set my heart aflame.
She became my everything.
See the joy she brings.
If we can get through this
You know we got our wish.
We took it to the level,
And we held out for more.
And isn't it a trist,
The things we might have missed;
Of stickin' with the wrong too long to know what right was.
And isn't it a shame?
We have only ourselves to blame.
At least that's what they tell you when you take the back door.
But it just never fit;
The thought of makin' it end.
Lets leave it to the pretty boys and girls in the show.
Why do we go away?
Why do we go away?
Why do we go away?
The lyrics of Archer Prewitt's song "Go Away" tell the story of a relationship that seems to be falling apart. The main character is reflecting on a conversation with their partner, where they admit to feeling uncertain and troubled. Despite this, the main character tries to reassure their partner that everything is fine, but eventually, they realize they need to step away from the situation. They declare that they "had to go away," indicating a need for space and distance.
The second verse finds the main character contemplating the situation and acknowledging that it might have been better if they had waited longer before taking any action. However, they feel hope when they see their partner and are inspired to make things work. The chorus shifts slightly, with the main character proclaiming that their partner has become their everything and brought them great joy. They express a desire to work through whatever problems are present, and they feel confident that they can get through it if they keep pushing.
The final verse takes on a more reflective tone, with the main character musing on the idea that sometimes people stick with the wrong person for too long. They acknowledge that there might have been things they missed along the way and express regret for not having made the right decision sooner. Despite this, they feel relieved that they've finally made a choice and are no longer stuck in a situation that doesn't fit them. The song closes with the repeated refrain of "Why do we go away?" leaving the listener to ponder the reasons why relationships sometimes fail.
Line by Line Meaning
I must admit I wonder
I am uncertain about what is happening
When she brought up all of those things on her mind.
When she expressed her concerns, they weighed on my mind
I couldn't do much better
I was not able to provide a better response
When I told her everything was fine.
When I reassured her that everything was okay
I had to go away.
I had to leave
I might have waited longer
I considered waiting before making a decision
Seemed like forty days and eighty nights,
It felt like a very long time
But Then I saw my angel.
But then I saw the person who means everything to me
It seemed like everything would turn out right.
I felt hopeful about the future
Set my heart aflame.
Filled me with passion and love
She became my everything.
She became the most important person in my life
See the joy she brings.
She brings happiness into my life
If we can get through this
If we can overcome these difficulties
You know we got our wish.
Our wish will come true
We took it to the level,
We pushed ourselves to the limit
And we held out for more.
We wanted even more
And isn't it a trist,
Isn't it sad
The things we might have missed;
The things we could have experienced if we had taken a different path
Of stickin' with the wrong too long to know what right was.
Staying with the wrong person for too long, preventing us from finding the right one
And isn't it a shame?
Isn't it unfortunate
We have only ourselves to blame.
We are responsible for our own failures
At least that's what they tell you when you take the back door.
At least that's how it feels when you give up on something
But it just never fit;
But it never seemed right
The thought of makin' it end.
The idea of ending it all
Lets leave it to the pretty boys and girls in the show.
Let's leave it to those who are more superficial and glamorous
Why do we go away?
Why do we have to leave
Why do we go away?
Why do we have to leave
Why do we go away?
Why do we have to leave
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDITH ANNIE PAULE BEGOUT, SERGE JEAN BEGOUT, ANNE GAELLE BISQUAY, JEAN LUC CHRISTIAN MILLOT, COADER OLIVIER, PASCAL OLIVIER, GREGOIRE JEAN-MARIE SIMON, YANN PIERRE TIERSEN
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