The band originated in the early 1990s as One Fell Swoop, but changed their name to Dispatch in 1996. Chad Urmston, Braddigan, and Pete (Francis) Heimbold, who were all attending Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont comprised the band's lineup throughout their entire career. Their music has drawn on several influences, such as acoustic folk-rock, reggae, and funk.
Dispatch gained much recognition outside of New England, without any help from a label, and stuck together long enough to release seven albums, three of which were live performances. During concerts, the band had been known to improvise upon their album releases, often resulting in a song ending in twice the length of the original. The group was also fond of switching instruments and vocal duties when playing live.
Upon the announcement of its break-up in 2002, the band scheduled one final concert. The free show was performed at the Hatch Shell in Boston on July 31, 2004. "The Last Dispatch," as it was referred, is said to be the largest concert in independent music history; roughly 110,000 fans from over 20 different countries attended the show. Parts of the performance were released as a CD/DVD two-disc set later that year, entitled All Points Bulletin, along with an earlier show in Somerville, Massachusetts.
All three of the band's members are currently still in the music industry. Urmston is now the frontman of State Radio, while Corrigan (now credited as Braddigan, a nickname by which he was known since his time with Dispatch) and Heimbold (now credited as Pete Francis, his middle name) are succesfully pursuing solo efforts.
After the song Elias, written by Urmston after his experience living and teaching in Zimbabwe, the "Elias Fund" was formed to send children from the ravaged country to college.
Dispatch came out with a movie entitled "Last Dispatch" in July 2005, which documents their final 12 days together as a band and tells the story of how they became "the band that redefined independent music history". The film was released and previewed in Boston. Chad, Brad, and Pete attended the showing and celebrated throughout the weekend with their fans.
On December 22, 2005, Corrigan helped to organize a benefit concert, known as the Relief Project, at Irving Plaza in New York, New York. Along with several other performers, Corrigan invited Heimbold and State Radio to play. The three reunited very briefly, playing the song Here We Go as an encore. Corrigan stated there that he plans further Relief Project concerts featuring all three and perhaps sometime in 2007, a major Dispatch reunion concert.
Entitled "Dispatch: Zimbabwe", Dispatch arranged for one show in Madison Square Garden, with all the money sent towards relief efforts in Zimbabwe. Originally billed as a one show deal on July 14, Dispatch was surprised how quickly this first show sold out and set two more shows for the 13 and 15. After all three shows sold out, Dispatch announced another smaller show on July 11th at Webster Hall in New York, where they made their comeback debut to great success.
Dispatch had a second set of reunion concerts beginning at Red Rocks amphitheater in Denver, Colorado on June 3, 4, and 5th, 2011. These performances launched a reunion tour around the US and the release of their Dispatch EP on May 17th.
In 2017, the band released the song, "Only The Wild Ones" from their album, America, Location 12.
Follow I the River
Dispatch Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From this road we are traveling for the winter
The land she takes us under her feathered wing
And fire light
Go up and tell the night
That on my word
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
Stay right on your shoulder I
We'll fade brighter and trust the water keeper
Do you mind standing guard for the locust eaters
For they have brought us this far
Let the white face stone their own
And fire light
Go up and tell the night
That on my word
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
Stay right on your shoulder I
Sweet delight of mine, won't be long to we are gone
The only way to go is towards the sun, my love
And give 'em what they want
May they love before they fear
And hope is not undone
And fire light
Go up and tell the night
That on my word
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
Stay right on your shoulder I
The lyrics to Dispatch's song "Follow I the River" are open to interpretation, but on a surface level, they appear to be about a journey. The opening lines set the scene for the journey, with the leaves falling as the travelers move towards the river, preparing for winter. The land encompasses them as a feathered wing would, and they are guided by the light of the fire. The lyrics then urge the listener to follow the river and stay on the shoulder of the person leading them. The repetition of "things are going to change now" is an encouragement to embrace the upcoming transitions and changes that the journey may bring.
Later on, the song seems to be speaking to somebody specific, as the lyrics address standing guard for locust eaters and letting the white face stone their own. This could be referencing a group of people or a specific person that the traveler is looking out for. The "fire light" is once again mentioned, and it is urged to "go up and tell the night" that the journey is not far away now. The mood of the song takes a somber turn, as the sweet delight of the traveler's love will not last long, and they must move towards the sun. They are encouraged to give people what they want and love before they fear, and to keep hope alive.
Overall, the lyrics to "Follow I the River" seem to be about embracing change, being guided by a strong leader, and taking a journey that may be difficult but ultimately rewarding. The repeated mentions of fire and river create a sense of moving forward and evolving, while the references to keeping hope alive and loving before fearing give the song a heartfelt, soulful quality.
Line by Line Meaning
Leaves are falling, soon we'll be able to see the river
Nature signals a change in the season and soon we'll be able to see the river we are traveling on this road for the winter.
The land she takes us under her feathered wing
We feel protected and nurtured by the land we are traveling through.
And fire light
Go up and tell the night
That on my word
We will use the light of our fire to send a message into the night, promising that what we say is true.
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
Stay right on your shoulder I
Change is imminent and if we only have today, we should follow the river and stay together, making sure to support each other along the way.
We'll fade brighter and trust the water keeper
We will become more vibrant and alive while trusting the one who knows how to navigate the water.
Do you mind standing guard for the locust eaters
For they have brought us this far
Let the white face stone their own
Can you keep watch for our fellow travelers, the locust eaters, who have helped us on this journey so far? We should let those who have wronged us deal with their own consequences.
Sweet delight of mine, won't be long to we are gone
The only way to go is towards the sun, my love
And give 'em what they want
May they love before they fear
And hope is not undone
Our time is limited, so we should enjoy what we have while we can. We should move forward towards positivity and love, while also giving others what they want. May they learn to love before they fear, and may hope never be lost.
Writer(s): Chad Urmston, Peter Heimbold, Bradley Corrigan
Contributed by Gabriel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Melanisticmoon
Leaves are falling, soon we'll be able to see the river
From this road we are traveling for the winter
The land she takes us under her feathered wing
And fire light
Go up and tell the night
That on my word
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
Stay right on your shoulder I
We'll fade brighter and trust the water keeper
Do you mind standing guard for the locust eaters
For they have brought us this far
Let the white face stone their own
And fire light
Go up and tell the night
That on my word
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
Stay right on your shoulder I
Sweet delight of mine, won't be long to we are gone
The only way to go is towards the sun, my love
And give 'em what they want
May they love before they fear
And hope is not undone
And fire light
Go up and tell the night
That on my word
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
It's not far away now
Things are going to change now
If we only have today then follow I the river
Stay right on your shoulder I
@KosherPorky
Crazy it's been 2 years
@JL-uu3lv
the harmonizing gives me the chills. i wish i had musical talent.
@angiemonger
May be the best song yet on the new album!
@mentalcase4299
Love the fish swimming in the background!! So fkn sweet!! One love from Chicago! ✌️
@tonyallen4265
Love this song! It should have thousands of likes. So many awesome songs from them. My favorite new discovery. Why is Dispatch so unnoticed?
@sloppysalami5490
That's the beauty. Dispatch wouldn't be the same if it had mainstream exposure
@Vlad-ip5tq
Glad you're back lads!
@luisfelipefernandes1204
Hello from Brazil dispatch. Now my week finish while I listen this beauty song and drink some wine xD.
@shaysaenz2259
Love this! (And, all your other stuff as well) 💜
@mentalcase4299
Awesome!!