Prior to their eponymous 2001 album, each had made appearances on the other's solo recordings, but this disc marked their first official release as a duo. The album is described as more rock-based than their earlier solo traditional-folk recordings. The majority of the songs were penned by Julie Miller and rounded out by the duo's co-written "Dirty Water" and covers of songs by folk-rock icons Richard Thompson, Utah Phillips and Bob Dylan. The album was named "Album of the Year" at the first annual awards of the Americana Music Association.
Since then, the duo has released "Love Snuck Up" (2004) and "Written in Chalk" (2009).
Everytime We Say Goodbye
Buddy & Julie Miller Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We can't find anywhere to hide
You can't come in out of the rain when the storm is on the inside
Close the windows and the doors
And take shelter from the sky
But the rain inside still pours every time we say goodbye
You must lay down your life to live
Seems you become the very thing that you will not forgive
We were children too afraid to look sorrow in the eye
We're just children in the rain every time we say goodbye
Silence is the loudest sound
Like the whole night wants to cry
But my heart just lets me down every time we say goodbye
The opening lines of Buddy and Julie Miller's song Everytime We Say Goodbye suggest confusion and a sense of being lost. The metaphor of the storm being on the inside suggests that the turmoil lies within, and protects against any external refuge. Even when the windows and doors are closed to shelter from the actual storm, the inner grief still pours out whenever the couple says goodbye. There's a sense of inevitability in the song, that no matter what they do, they cannot avoid the pain.
The lyrics then take a more philosophical turn, suggesting that every relationship has a seed of tragedy at its core. This could refer to the fact that love always involves vulnerability, and can lead to heartbreak. The line "you must lay down your life to live" implies that in order to fully experience love, you must be willing to sacrifice everything. However, this can lead to resentment, as the one who gives their all may come to regret it. The couple in the song seemed to have been too scared to face reality, to the point where they remained "children in the rain" every time they part.
The final verse, with its haunting lines about the loudest sound being silence and the heart letting one down, paints a picture of numbness and disappointment. The song ends on a somber note, leaving the listener with a sense of lingering sadness.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby we don't know where to go
We're lost and confused, unsure of where to turn.
We can't find anywhere to hide
We can't escape our problems or feelings.
You can't come in out of the rain when the storm is on the inside
You can't fix what's going on inside of you, no matter what's happening outside.
Close the windows and the doors
Try to block out the pain and sadness.
And take shelter from the sky
Protect yourself from the outside world, which can't hurt you as much as your own emotions.
But the rain inside still pours every time we say goodbye
Even though we try to hide from our feelings, they still overwhelm us when we part ways.
Love holds a seed of tragedy
Love can bring pain and heartache.
You must lay down your life to live
To fully experience love, you must be willing to risk everything.
Seems you become the very thing that you will not forgive
Sometimes we become the people we never thought we would be, and it's hard to forgive ourselves for that.
We were children too afraid to look sorrow in the eye
We were naive and didn't want to confront our emotions.
We're just children in the rain every time we say goodbye
Even though we're adults now, we still feel like helpless children when we say goodbye to each other.
Silence is the loudest sound
When we're not speaking, the weight of our emotions is deafening.
Like the whole night wants to cry
The sadness is overwhelming and feels never-ending.
But my heart just lets me down every time we say goodbye
No matter how hard I try to prepare myself, my emotions always get the best of me when we say goodbye.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: JULIE ANNE MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind