In August 2006 MacNeil and Torr released their first album The Younger, through South African record label, Just Music), under the band name, Harris Tweed. In 2008 they adopted the name Dear Reader, after the Scottish textile company Harris Tweed asked them to stop using their name.
In 2008 MacNeil and Torr recorded their first album as Dear Reader called, Replace Why with Funny. The album was produced by Brent Knopf, of Menomena/Ramona Falls. Soon after, they signed a licensing deal with Berlin based indie label, City Slang, and the album was released in February 2009 – in Europe by City Slang, and in South Africa by Just Music.
In 2010 Replace Why with Funny won the award for Best English Adult contemporary Album at the South African Music Awards.
In 2010 MacNeil and Torr amicably parted ways and Cherilyn relocated to Berlin, where she wrote the material for the follow-up Dear Reader album, Idealistic Animals. The album was recorded in Leipzig, Germany and Portland, Oregon, again with the assistance of Brent Knopf and various other friends and musicians.
Idealistic Animals was released in Germany and South Africa in September 2011 and in Europe and the UK in November 2011. The album was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 2012 South African Music Awards.
In 2012 MacNeil began work on the follow up to Idealistic Animals. This time, MacNeil produced the album herself, and recorded and edited most of it in her one-room apartment in Berlin. Dear Reader's 4th studio album is called Rivonia, and each song on the album is a story inspired by South African history. The album was released in Europe and South Africa in April 2013.
In April 2013 Dear Reader played a live radio concert with the Babelsberg Film Orchestra, which they recorded and released in December 2013 under the name We Followed Every Sound.
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Took Them Away
Dear Reader Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were playing in the yard
I saw them in the barn
White and black together sat
I just stood and stared
How was I to know what it all meant
Mr Goldreich and his wife were generous to me
I had seen him in the barn, something wasn’t right
As I told my father late that night
So they came in a dry-cleaning van and they took them away, took them away
One dog and a dozen strong men and they took them away, took them away
On that Thursday according to plan
They took them away in a dry-cleaning van
I stood and watched by the side of the road
How could I know?
How could I know?
How was I to understand?
How to make it right?
As I ask our father every night
So they came in a dry-cleaning van and they took them away, took them away
One dog and a dozen strong men and they took them away, took them away
On that Thursday according to plan
They took them away in a dry-cleaning van
I stood and watched by the side of the road
How could I know?
How could I know?
The lyrics of "Took Them Away" by Dear Reader tell a poignant and emotional story about a young girl's experiences of witnessing the taking away of animals from a farm. The song is centered on the singer's memories of visiting her friend Nicholas on his family's farm, where she saw a group of cows grazing in the yard. However, the cows were later taken away in a truck, leaving the singer feeling confused and helpless.
The lyrics also mention Mr. Goldreich and his wife, who were generous to the singer during her visit, and David, whom she had seen in the barn and who she sensed was not behaving properly with the animals. Later, the singer discovers that the animals were taken away by a group of men in a dry-cleaning van on a Thursday, according to plan. She stands by the side of the road, watching as the truck disappears from view, bewildered and sad.
The song is highly metaphorical, exploring issues of innocence, powerlessness, and the struggle to make sense of senseless events. The lyrics suggest that the singer is struggling to understand the cruelty and injustice she has witnessed, and feels powerless to do anything about it. The dry-cleaning van becomes a symbol of the nefarious forces of authority that can take away those things we love and hold dear without explanation or justification.
Line by Line Meaning
Nicholas invited me to visit at the farm
I was invited to the farm by Nicholas.
We were playing in the yard
Nicholas and I were playing in the yard.
I saw them in the barn
I saw something in the barn.
White and black together sat
It was a group of black and white beings sitting together.
I just stood and stared
I was taken aback and couldn't do anything but stare.
How was I to know what it all meant
I wasn't aware of the significance of what I saw.
Mr Goldreich and his wife were generous to me
The Goldreichs were kind to me.
David in blue overalls came in to serve the tea
David is serving tea while wearing blue overalls.
I had seen him in the barn, something wasn’t right
David's presence in the barn seemed unusual to me.
As I told my father late that night
I shared my concerns with my father that night.
So they came in a dry-cleaning van and they took them away, took them away
The beings I saw were taken away in a dry-cleaning van.
One dog and a dozen strong men and they took them away, took them away
A group of strong men and a dog also helped with taking them away.
On that Thursday according to plan
The taking away happened on a planned Thursday.
They took them away in a dry-cleaning van
The beings were taken away in a dry-cleaning van.
I stood and watched by the side of the road
I observed from the sideline as they were taken away.
How could I know?
I couldn't have known what was going to happen.
How could I know?
I couldn't have known the significance of what I saw or what was going to happen.
How was I to understand?
I didn't have the knowledge or understanding to comprehend the situation.
How to make it right?
I don't know how to make the situation better or fix it.
As I ask our father every night
I ask my father for guidance or answers every night.
Contributed by Amelia G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sid Akbar
love this music video, Rob's done it again! And such a great song, how music videos are ment to be! I can't stop listening to it! :D
iesus68
Amazing song and video. Love has no colour but we still have to fight against prejudice.
Marcus Maschwitz
WOW!!! Super emotional and SUPER beautiful. I love it!
DINEY BINDMAN
absolutely brilliant, moving, powerful video and song.
Garth Manthe
Love it!
Alex Stavi
chords, harmony, voice! amazing!! greetings from Romania!
Baxter Willoughby
cool song and video :) well done Ellie x
JacoboFrida LindJosefson
Wonderful!
Teona
Wonderful!
Ashley Spiller
I love that it's "them" and not "him". Brilliant!