“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’!”
River
Ellis Paul Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A young man is dying
On the concrete of a sidewalk downtown.
As his brother weeps,
The sirens come calling
And the medics feed him lines on the ground.
Run, river, run
The director speaks,
The cameras are rolling.
A boy steps between the backdrop and the lights.
And he's stealing the scene,
With the crew as his witness.
The whole industry will judge him come academy night
Now the tabloids will say what they want to,
And the cameras will re-enact his fall.
His legacy speaks, but no one can hear it,
Cause his death has made critics of us all.
His legacy speaks
In the canister rooms,
In the archives of great studio halls.
And there it will keep like a secret that's whispered between lovers
And those who never knew him at all.
The song "River" by Ellis Paul is a hauntingly beautiful portrayal of the stark contrast between the glamour of Hollywood and the harsh reality of life for a nameless young man dying on the streets. The lyrics depict two parallel stories that intersect briefly before diverging again: that of the young man dying alone on the sidewalk, and that of a boy becoming a star on the Hollywood stage. The song points out the cold and calculating nature of the entertainment industry, which consumes the talents and lives of individuals mercilessly. Despite the stark contrast between the two worlds, the song speaks to the universal human experiences of pain, loss, and legacy.
In the first verse, the song sets the stage: while Hollywood sleeps, a young man is dying on the concrete of a sidewalk downtown. As his brother weeps, the sirens approach, and the medics attend to him. The chorus echoes the cry of the river, a recurring motif throughout the song, that runs incessantly, regardless of the tragedies that unfold around it. In the second verse, the song shifts its perspective to focus on the entertainment industry. The camera rolls, the boy steps onto the stage, and the crew watches in awe as he steals the scene. The industry will judge him on academy night, and his fate is in their hands. The final verse brings the two worlds together: the tabloids will spin their stories, the cameras will re-enact his fall, his legacy will speak, but no one will listen. In the canister rooms, the archives of the great studio halls, his story will be whispered, but few will hear it.
Line by Line Meaning
While Hollywood sleeps,
During the time when the entertainment industry is inactive,
A young man is dying
A boy is on the verge of death
On the concrete of a sidewalk downtown.
Collapsed helplessly on the platform of a busy street in the urban area.
As his brother weeps,
The brother of the dying boy cries uncontrollably,
The sirens come calling
An emergency vehicle arrives with the sound of a siren,
And the medics feed him lines on the ground.
The medics give him certain instructions to follow by the ground itself.
Run, river, run
An expression of grief over the unfortunate event.
The director speaks,
The person in charge of filming speaks,
The cameras are rolling.
The cameras are recording the scene,
A boy steps between the backdrop and the lights.
A young male stands between the background and the front light,
And he's stealing the scene,
He becomes the focal point of the shot,
With the crew as his witness.
The staff involved in the shooting notices and sees what he did,
The whole industry will judge him come academy night
The entire film industry will examine and evaluate his performance at the time of rewarding,
Now the tabloids will say what they want to,
The media will exploit the opportunity and spread rumors without any constraints,
And the cameras will re-enact his fall.
The camera will reproduce his fall (death) as an act,
His legacy speaks, but no one can hear it,
Although his values and influence persists, nobody understands nor acknowledge it,
Cause his death has made critics of us all.
Due to his death, everyone has become judgmental on his life journey and actions,
His legacy speaks
His ideas and impact remain alive,
In the canister rooms,
In the small spaces within the studio,
In the archives of great studio halls.
In the repositories of the large studio buildings,
And there it will keep like a secret that's whispered between lovers
It will remain a confidential fact shared under discretion like how lovers talk behind closed doors,
And those who never knew him at all.
And even people who had no familiarity with him.
Lyrics © ELLIS PAUL PUBLISHING
Written by: ELLIS PAUL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind