The Gathering Field's legacy began in a burned-out third floor in Grove Cit… Read Full Bio ↴The Gathering Field's legacy began in a burned-out third floor in Grove City, Pennsylvania when Bill Deasy, Dave Brown and Rusted Root percussionist Jim DiSpirito hunkered down for the weekend with guitars, tequila, microphones and recording gear. An obscure, rare recording was born out of that weekend, appropriately titled "The Lost Weekend" which was never made commercially available.

The Gathering Field line-up ultimately became Bill Deasy vocals and acoustic guitar), Dave Brown (lead guitar), Eric Riebling (bass) and Ray DeFade (drums). (After DeFade left the group he was replaced with Joe Zelek.) Their first independent release, entitled "The Gathering Field", was met with great reception around the region and they started playing to packed clubs. However, the band's popularity really skyrocketed when one of the region's most powerful rock radio stations, WDVE, began playing a song called, "Lost in America" and it remained in rotation for over 7 months. Based on the success of the independent release which bore the same name, the group garnered a major label deal with Atlantic Records, who re-released the CD.

Soon after they signed to Atlantic Records and "Lost in America" was re-released, there was turmoil at the label. The album charted on the Billboard Top 100 album chart, Radio and Records and various other industry publications but ultimately the CD and group got lost in the shuffle, largely due to Matchbox 20. When Matchbox 20 signed, the Gathering Field was forgotten, and the struggling band attempted to be released from their contract. When they finally succeeded, they released two more CDs; "Reliance" and "So Close to Home," the latter consisting of songs the band had played live for several years but never recorded. During that time Deasy also released a semi-acoustic solo album called "Spring Lies Waiting", produced by Brown. The band ultimately called it quits in 2002 and went their separate ways but their legacy includes a still loyal fan base across the United States and in several countries abroad, most notably (but not limited to) the Netherlands and Germany, where they received a stellar review in that country's edition of Rolling Stone. Lead singer-songwriter Bill Deasy now records as a solo artist and continues to be a prolific songwriter. His songs have also been recorded by several major label artists and used in a national television campaign for Good Morning America in which he also appeared.

Promises
Gathering Field Lyrics

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In the dark heart of my journey
On the dark night of my soul
I felt an old familiar yearning
For what I did not know
You see I had to have my freedom
So I hit the open road
What I thought I needed
I don't know

Wait for me to come
I hope it won't be long
Made you those promises of love

Now the life that left me empty
Is a faded paradise
And the sun goes down so swiftly
But it takes so long to rise
I seen one too many sunsets
Without you by my side

Wait for me to come
I hope it won't be long
Made you those promises of love
You thought that I was strong

I guess that you were wrong
Breaking those promises of love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Gathering Field's song Promises delve into the idea of regret and longing for something that was once taken for granted. The opening lines describe a moment of personal crisis, a 'dark night of the soul,' and a yearning for something that was lost. The singer seems to be on a personal journey, one that had begun with a need for freedom and a desire to explore.

The lyrics reveal that the singer had made promises of love to someone they cared for deeply, but had broken them. They now realize the painful consequences of their past actions and are filled with regret. The life they envisioned for themselves – one of adventure and personal freedom - didn't turn out quite as expected. Now, they are left feeling empty and incomplete without their loved one by their side.

The lines "Wait for me to come, I hope it won't be long, made you those promises of love" are a plea for forgiveness and a hope that the two can reconcile their differences. The singer recognizes that they were wrong in breaking their promises of love and is willing to try to make amends.

Overall, the song captures the emotions of regret, longing, and the desire for redemption. It showcases the importance of promises, the impact of breaking them, and the lengths one might go to make amends.

Line by Line Meaning

In the dark heart of my journey
During a difficult and uncertain time in my life

On the dark night of my soul
When I was feeling lost and alone

I felt an old familiar yearning
An intense desire for something I couldn't name

For what I did not know
But I couldn't figure out what that something was

You see I had to have my freedom
I needed to be able to do what I wanted without anyone holding me back

So I hit the open road
I left everything behind and started traveling

What I thought I needed
But as I went along, I realized that what I thought I wanted wasn't enough

I don't know
And I was left without a clear sense of direction

Wait for me to come
Please be patient and wait for me to return

I hope it won't be long
I'll do my best to come back as soon as I can

Made you those promises of love
I promised to love you and be with you when I return