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.
So Much Water
Gathering Field Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
head hung low in shame
Buy new clothes and dye my hair,
maybe even change my name
But the past don't ever disappear,
and to run's a losing game
So I might as well hang around here,
maybe you should do the same
Well you think you own a private hell
You decorated by yourself
Books that you wrote on the shelf
You're dying to come clean somehow
No need to go a thousand miles away
What I mean to say is there is…
So much water, so close
So much water, so close, so close
So much water, so close to home
I woke up on my brother's couch,
swear I was half-dead
Both my pockets emptied out,
my blue eyes painted red
I thought I had worked through my doubts,
but they worked me through instead
I lay there trying to figure out
who I saw and what I said
It started coming to me slow
I saw a girl I used to know
Asked her how it came to be
My innocence escaped from me
Hugged me when she stood to go
Said there's something you should know my friend
Then I swear she said that there was…
So much water…
You can't describe the pain inside
but that's all right
You can't believe you did the things
you did last night
Or should I say again, but you try to pretend
That you never did, yeah you try to keep it hid
I'm not strong and I'm not wise,
and there's not much I know
Told my share of downright lies,
spent some time below
Stumbled down a darkened road
just beyond my childhood home
Crossed the grassy clearing there,
into the forest black and bare
Came upon a silver stream,
through the vast transparency I stared
I had been unaware that there was
so much water…
The song "So Much Water" by Gathering Field is a reflective and contemplative piece that addresses themes of regret, shame, and coming to terms with the past. The first verse describes the singer's desire to escape their past mistakes and start anew, but acknowledges that running away is futile because the past always catches up with you. The chorus invokes the phrase "so much water, so close to home," which refers to a short story of the same name by Raymond Carver, in which a man's guilt and shame over a tragic accident involving a young girl is heightened by the fact that the accident occurred in a river close to his home. The chorus hints at the idea that the singer's past is always close by, just like the river in Carver's story.
The second verse is a flashback to a night of recklessness, where the singer finds themselves on their brother's couch with no memory of the events that transpired. As the memories start to flood back, the singer becomes increasingly consumed by shame and guilt. The lyrics allude to a sexual encounter that the singer deeply regrets and wishes they could undo. The encounter seems to be a recurring pattern in the singer's life, hinted at by the line "Or should I say again, but you try to pretend / That you never did, yeah you try to keep it hid."
Overall, "So Much Water" is a sobering and introspective song that grapples with the weight of past mistakes and the inescapable nature of shame and guilt.
Line by Line Meaning
I could go to anywhere,
I have the option to go anywhere I want.
head hung low in shame
I feel ashamed of my past actions.
Buy new clothes and dye my hair,
I might change my appearance to start fresh.
maybe even change my name
I might change my identity to leave behind my past.
But the past don't ever disappear,
My past actions will always be a part of me and won't just vanish.
and to run's a losing game
Running away from my problems won't solve anything.
So I might as well hang around here,
I might as well stay where I am instead of trying to escape my past.
maybe you should do the same
Perhaps you should stay and face your problems as well.
Well you think you own a private hell
You believe that you are the only one suffering.
You decorated by yourself
You have created your own personal suffering.
Books that you wrote on the shelf
Your personal struggles are detailed in your writing.
You're dying to come clean somehow
You want to confess and make amends for your past actions.
No need to go a thousand miles away
You don't have to travel far to make things right.
What I mean to say is there is…
I want to express that there is something you should know.
So much water, so close
There is a lot of emotional weight tied to this place.
So much water, so close, so close
The emotional burden is almost suffocating due to the close proximity of the location.
So much water, so close to home
This location, with its emotional burden, is in or close to my childhood home.
I woke up on my brother's couch,
I regained consciousness on my brother's couch.
swear I was half-dead
I was certain that I was almost dead.
Both my pockets emptied out,
I lost everything I had on me.
my blue eyes painted red
My eyes are bloodshot from last night's events.
I thought I had worked through my doubts,
I had believed I had overcome my uncertainties.
but they worked me through instead
My doubts ended up overwhelming me instead.
I lay there trying to figure out
I was lying there, attempting to understand what happened.
who I saw and what I said
I tried to recall who I encountered and what I did or said to them.
It started coming to me slow
My memories of last night were returning to me gradually.
I saw a girl I used to know
I saw someone from my past.
Asked her how it came to be
I inquired about how we reconnected.
My innocence escaped from me
I lost my innocence in some way last night.
Hugged me when she stood to go
She embraced me before leaving.
Said there's something you should know my friend
She wanted to inform me of something important.
Then I swear she said that there was…
I distinctly recall her saying something important, but I don't remember exactly what it was.
You can't describe the pain inside
You don't have the words to express the emotional pain you are feeling.
but that's all right
It's okay that you can't put your feelings into words.
You can't believe you did the things
You can't even fathom the things you did last night.
you did last night
Your actions from the previous night are difficult to comprehend.
Or should I say again, but you try to pretend
Perhaps I should rephrase that, but you are trying to keep up appearances and hide what you did last night.
That you never did, yeah you try to keep it hid
You are attempting to conceal the fact that you did something wrong.
I'm not strong and I'm not wise,
I don't possess much inner strength or wisdom.
and there's not much I know
I don't have an abundance of knowledge or insights.
Told my share of downright lies,
I have lied on several occasions.
spent some time below
I've been in a dark and troubled place before.
Stumbled down a darkened road
I have taken a treacherous path in my past.
just beyond my childhood home
This road was close to where I grew up.
Crossed the grassy clearing there,
I arrived at a meadow located in this area.
into the forest black and bare
I entered a forest that was dark and empty.
Came upon a silver stream,
I encountered a glistening body of water.
through the vast transparency I stared
I peered into the crystal-clear water.
I had been unaware that there was...
I was oblivious to the existence of something important.
so much water…
There is a great deal of emotion tied to this body of water.
Contributed by Dylan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.