“Ellis Paul is one of Boston’s best-ever songwriting exports...” – The Boston Globe. The Day After Everything Changed, the 2010 album from singer- songwriter Ellis Paul, was released on Ellis’ label, Black Wolf Records. Since emerging from the Boston music scene, Paul’s music has been consistently recognized and celebrated worldwide. The new record reinforces this acclaim and is sure to cement his place as one of America’s most talented songwriters.
Recorded in Nashville, the 15-song album was produced by Thad Beaty and Jason Collum and features five songs co-written by Paul’s longtime friend and collaborator, Kristian Bush, founder of the Grammy Award winning band Sugarland. Several of the Sugarland musicians served as Ellis’ backing band for the recording. Throughout 2011, to keep the collaboration alive, Paul will continue to open numerous sold-out arena dates for Sugarland on the current Incredible Machine Tour.
“Ellis has a voice that is so powerful that you know who it is the second he comes through your radio. His music and songs are a new birth in American sound that makes me want to go see concerts again.” -Kristian Bush / Sugarland
“The Day After Everything Changed” is Paul’s first studio album in five years and his 16th release to date. The project was 100% funded by his loyal fan base. The songs on the record reflect Paul’s commitment to storytelling, exemplified in the title track “The Day After Everything Changed.” Described by Paul himself, the songs on the album are about people who are at a crossroads in their life. “I like songs to be cultural events, little ones, that somehow tell me what it feels like to be living here on this planet, in this country, at this time. I want to hear about people’s joys and woes and apply them to my own. You can’t fake real life stories. When you’re faking it --it’s obvious. As long as the writing feels real -- it works in any genre.”
Movie director Peter Farrelly, of the Farrelly Brothers, praises Ellis Paul as “a national treasure”. Ellis’ songs have appeared in the soundtracks for three Farrelly Bothers movies, “Me Myself & Irene” with Jim Carey, “Shallow Hal” with Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow, and in February 2011, the Farrelly Brothers latest project, "Hall Pass" starring Owen Wilson and Alyssa Milano will showcase up to 9 musical tracks off of Ellis' latest album The Day After Everything Changed as the score of this hit movie. This is Ellis’ third Hollywood blockbuster credit.
With “The Day After Everything Changed” we're struck more by the fact that Paul is still playing at the top of his game to such an extraordinary degree. It is, as always, the quality not the quantity but in this case we're rewarded with both. / Direct Current
Ellis celebrated his 20th anniversary of being a touring musician on July 2010 when the Mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, declared July 9th 2010 “Ellis Paul Day” to honor one of Boston’s leading musical exports. Ellis will be anointing his 2 decades of song during his “20th Anniversary Tour” throughout 2011. Over the past two decades Paul has garnered numerous honors including 14 Boston Music Awards, second only to Aerosmith. He has performed with countless acclaimed musicians, including Patty Griffin, John Mayer, Ani Difranco, John Prine, Sugarland, and at the request of Woody’s daughter Nora Guthrie and after several trips to the Woody Guthrie archives, Ellis even has a co-write with Woody, their song “God’s Promise”.
Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora says of Ellis, “A singer songwriter is only as good as the times he reflects. Wise, tender, brilliant and biting, Ellis is one of our best human compasses, marking in melodies and poems where we’ve been and where we might go if we so choose to. Personally Ellis, I’m goin’ where you’re goin’!”
All Things Being the Same
Ellis Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the corner of a bar down the street,
But the gin controls whole conversations
And plays magic tricks with her feet
She gets up, falls down, breaks even,
Gets caught by the wrong mister right
Hey, it's a hard town.
I wouldn't want to live in it
All things being the same
Back home she's got these pictures on her mirror,
They frame her when she looks back at her face.
They tell her where she's been
I'll tell you where she's going,
She's got her name on a stool down at Eddie Owen's place.
She drinks when romance brings her down.
Like the sight of blood is a wedding gown.
Bright lights and smoke fill up this space.
It's a crowded room, but still a lonely old place
All her friends are nothing more than strangers,
Whose names are just words on a face .
If they bumped into her out on a sidewalk on some Sunday,
They wouldn't recognize her outside of the place
Ellis Paul's "All Things Being the Same" is a heartbreaking depiction of a woman who struggles with addiction and is in search of some form of salvation. The song speaks of her being in a bar down the street, looking for a way to escape her pain. However, the gin that controls her conversations is only a temporary solution to her problems, and it plays "magic tricks with her feet," causing her to stumble and fall. These failures are only one part of her life that's filled with little victories among the hard times; sometimes she falls down, sometimes she gets up, sometimes she breaks even, and sometimes she gets caught by the wrong mister right. As the song goes on, Ellis Paul comments on the state of the hard town, stating that he wouldn't want to live in it, but he also wouldn't want to give up on it.
The song describes a girl who has pictures on her dresser that remind her of where she's been and where she's going. She has her name on a stool down at Eddie Owen's place, showing that her addiction has taken her to a place where she's made a home among the other patrons of the bar. However, the song speaks of her succumbing to her addiction whenever romance brings her down, and the bar becomes her escape from the world. The bar is filled with bright lights and smoke that fill up the space, making it a crowded place though still a lonely one. The song ends with the realization that all her friends are nothing more than strangers outside of the bar, and they wouldn't recognize her on the street.
Line by Line Meaning
She is searching for some form of salvation
She is looking for something to help her feel better.
In the corner of a bar down the street,
She is located in a bar nearby.
But the gin controls whole conversations
Alcohol is dominating the conversation there.
And plays magic tricks with her feet
The alcohol is making her unbalanced.
She gets up, falls down, breaks even,
Her actions become unpredictable due to being intoxicated.
Gets caught by the wrong mister right
She gets involved with someone not good for her.
Hey, it's a hard town.
The town is not an easy place to navigate.
I wouldn't want to live in it
Living there would be undesirable.
But I wouldn't want to give up in it,
She is not ready to give up on the town yet.
All things being the same
Under the same circumstances.
Back home she's got these pictures on her mirror,
She has personal memorabilia displayed in her home.
They frame her when she looks back at her face.
They remind her of her past experiences.
They tell her where she's been
They show her what she has gone through.
I'll tell you where she's going,
She is heading towards a particular direction.
She's got her name on a stool down at Eddie Owen's place.
She has her personal claim to fame at a specific location.
She drinks when romance brings her down.
She uses alcohol as a coping mechanism.
Like the sight of blood is a wedding gown.
The way she drinks is unusual or strange to others.
Bright lights and smoke fill up this space.
The bar is filled with loud and flashy elements.
It's a crowded room, but still a lonely old place
The atmosphere of the bar is still isolating.
All her friends are nothing more than strangers,
The people she associates with are not true friends.
Whose names are just words on a face.
She only knows them by their name and appearance.
If they bumped into her out on a sidewalk on some Sunday,
If she were to encounter them outside of the bar.
They wouldn't recognize her outside of the place
Her bar persona is different from her usual self.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, ELLIS PAUL PUBLISHING
Written by: ELLIS PAUL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind