Dispatch is an American indie-roots band founded in 1996 in Middlebury, Ver… Read Full Bio ↴Dispatch is an American indie-roots band founded in 1996 in Middlebury, Vermont.

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.

The Way It Goes
Dispatch Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A forgotten whisper screams at me now
So that I don't forget how
To sit like a child on my mothers knee
How dare that child be me
And it's trot trot to Boston
And trot trot to Lynn
And trot all the way home again
But don't let me fall in

Cause I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs

So race me up the loft
Up the ladder until I get lost
And let you be an arms length away
So you can wake me and tell me of the day

Cause we'll trot trot to Boston
And trot trot to Lynn
And trot all the way home again
But don't let me fall in

Cause I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs, legs

So where are you going did you follow me?
And how could you see so well? So well
You were helpless like a dove at bay
But what did you say
When he pulled it out
Did you shout, did you shout
Did you woah

Cause I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs
I'm slipping through your legs, hey

So where are you going?
Did you follow me?
And how could you see so well? So well
You were helpless like a dove at bay
But what, what did you say when he pulled it out
Did you shout, did you shout, did you woah

And the way it goes, and I can't remember
And the way it goes, and I can't remember
And the way it goes, and I can't remember
And the way it goes, and I can't remember

And the way it goes, and I can't remember
And the way it goes, and I can't remember

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Dispatch's song The Way It Goes evoke feelings of nostalgia, confusion, and even a sense of loss. The opening line, "A forgotten whisper screams at me now," sets the tone for the rest of the song. It speaks to the way memories can come flooding back unexpectedly and with great intensity. The following line, "So that I don't forget how to sit like a child on my mother's knee," adds to the nostalgic feel of the song. It speaks to the desire to hold onto those memories of childhood and the comfort and safety of being held by a parent.

The repetition of "trot trot to Boston" and "trot trot to Lynn" adds a sing-song quality to the lyrics, which contrasts with the more serious tone of the rest of the song. These lines suggest a kind of playfulness, as if the singer is trying to distract themselves from their own thoughts and feelings.

The lines "Cause I'm slipping through your legs" are repeated several times throughout the song, adding to the sense of confusion and disorientation. It suggests the feeling of slipping away from something or someone, unable to hold on. The final lines of the song, "And the way it goes, and I can't remember," encapsulate this feeling of confusion and disorientation.

Overall, The Way It Goes is a song that speaks to the human experience – the desire to hold onto memories of the past, the struggle to cope with unexpected emotions, and the feeling of being lost or disoriented at times.

Line by Line Meaning

A forgotten whisper screams at me now
An old memory that has been ignored is now resurfacing and standing out to me.

So that I don't forget how
This memory is important for me to remember.

To sit like a child on my mothers knee
The memory is related to being comforted, protected, and taken care of.

How dare that child be me
It's hard to believe that there was a time when I needed that kind of comfort and protection.

And it's trot trot to Boston
Life can feel like a journey or a race, and it's easy to get caught up in the momentum.

And trot trot to Lynn
We follow a path without questioning its purpose or destination.

And trot all the way home again
Eventually we'll end up back where we started, but we might not have found what we were looking for.

But don't let me fall in
I need someone to keep me from getting lost in the momentum and forgetting what's important.

Cause I'm slipping through your legs
I'm in danger of losing touch with reality and slipping away.

So race me up the loft
I want to feel alive and engaged, and I'm willing to take risks to make that happen.

Up the ladder until I get lost
I want to reach new heights but I might lose sight of where I came from.

And let you be an arms length away
I need someone to be close enough to catch me if I fall, but not so close that they're suffocating me.

So you can wake me and tell me of the day
I want to experience life fully and sometimes I need a reminder to wake me up and help me appreciate what's around me.

So where are you going did you follow me?
I'm not sure where I'm headed and I'm looking for someone to give me direction or a sense of purpose.

And how could you see so well
I'm impressed by someone who seems to have it all figured out and I envy their clarity and confidence.

You were helpless like a dove at bay
Even people who seem to have it all figured out can feel vulnerable and trapped.

But what did you say
I'm curious about the inner thoughts and feelings of those who seem more confident and sure of themselves than I do.

When he pulled it out
Something unexpected and potentially dangerous happened.

Did you shout, did you shout, did you woah
I'm curious how others react to unexpected situations, and I wonder if they're able to keep their cool or if they panic like I do.

And the way it goes, and I can't remember
Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, and it's hard to remember how we got here or what we're supposed to do next.

Contributed by Hailey S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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