Gomez completed an inaugural U.S. tour opening for Eagle-Eye Cherry in October 1998, while the press still offered praise (Spin magazine called Bring It On "a damn beautiful album," giving it an eight out of ten rating). Liquid Skin followed one year later and went platinum in England, and the rarities/B-sides compilation Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline appeared in 2000. A third studio album, In Our Gun, was released in spring 2002. Another hiatus saw Ian Ball relocating to Los Angeles while still working with the band at its new studio in Portslade, England. The dozens of tracks recorded during this time were whittled down and fashioned into Split the Difference, released in May of 2004. By that time, Hut, the group's original label, had gone under, leaving Gomez signed to Virgin (Hut's distributor). Despite all the critical acclaim, the band's album sales never seemed to match Virgin's expectations, and the two sides parted ways later that year.
In 2005, Gomez signed with ATO Records and released Out West, the group's first live album. How We Operate arrived in May 2006, and the band rounded out the year by assembling a retrospective collection of singles, rarities, and unreleased tracks entitled Five Men in a Hut: Singles 1998-2004. Gomez's members were spread across two continents by this point, leading to a three-year gap between How We Operate and the band's sixth studio release, A New Tide, parts of which were recorded individually by the various bandmates and then merged online. Ben Ottewell took some time after its release to launch a solo career, with 2011's Shapes & Shadows marking his first major release outside of the band. Months later, the band released another studio album, Whatever's on Your Mind, with Phantom Planet's Sam Farrar sharing production duties with the bandmates themselves.
Biography by Greg Prato
We Haven't Turned Around
Gomez Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To stem the tide and point the blame
Came back for more
Came back to see what you had in store
Everyone join the line, everyone
Yeah
So you want to spin the world around?
And anybody else, cut 'em down
So you want to make catastrophe?
Won't you send it right over to me
I got some time
Everybody running high
The same, the same, the same again
To steal the time and haunt the graves
Just because it's there
Don't mean you see it anywhere
Maybe it's a trick of the light
Maybe, yeah
So you want to spin the world around?
So you want to spin the world around?
And anybody else, cut 'em down
So you want to make catastrophe?
Don't you send it right over to me
I got some time
Everybody come alive
Yeah
So you want to spin the world around?
So you want to spin the world around?
And anybody else, bring 'em down
So you want to make catastrophe?
Don't you send it right over to me
I got some time
Everybody running high
So you want to spin the world around?
So you want to spin the world around?
And anybody else, cut 'em down
So you say we haven't turned around?
So you say we haven't turned around?
Just everybody else is going wrong
Going wrong
The song "We Haven't Turned Around" by Gomez reflects the frustration of the singer towards the world around him. The repeated phrase "we came, we came, we came again" can be interpreted as the singer's return to the same problems and issues that persist in society. The singer believes that people are quick to point fingers and assign blame, but no one is taking the necessary steps to make a change.
The lyrics continue to show the singer's disdain for those who contribute to the issues in society. The phrase "And anybody else, cut 'em down" displays the singer's anger towards those who don't care about the consequences of their actions. The phrase "So you want to make a catastrophe" can be interpreted as the singer's plea for someone to take responsibility for their actions instead of expecting everyone else to deal with the aftermath.
The repeated phrase "So you say we haven't turned around?" shows the frustration of the singer towards those who won't acknowledge the need for change. The final line "Just everybody else is going wrong, going wrong" further cements the idea that the singer believes society as a whole needs to change their behavior if they want to move forward and progress.
Overall, "We Haven't Turned Around" is a commentary on society's lack of accountability and unwillingness to make necessary changes to improve the world around us.
Line by Line Meaning
We came, we came, we came again
We returned, we returned, we returned once more
To stem the tide and point the blame
We returned to stop the worsening situation and find a reason for it
Came back for more
Returned again to get more
Came back to see what you had in store
Returned to know what you had prepared for us
Everyone join the line, everyone
Everyone follow the same path, everyone
So you want to spin the world around?
Do you intend to cause chaos and confusion?
And anybody else, cut 'em down
Bring down anyone who opposes you
So you want to make catastrophe?
Are you trying to create a disaster?
Won't you send it right over to me
Direct it towards me instead
I got some time
I can take it
Everybody running high
Everyone is excited
The same, the same, the same again
Again the same old thing
To steal the time and haunt the graves
To waste time and dwell on the past
Just because it's there
Just because it exists
Don't mean you see it anywhere
Doesn't mean you can perceive it
Maybe it's a trick of the light
Perhaps it's an optical illusion
Maybe, yeah
Perhaps it is
So you say we haven't turned around?
You think we haven't changed direction?
Just everybody else is going wrong
It's just that everyone else is making mistakes
Going wrong
Making mistakes
And anybody else, bring 'em down
Bring down anyone who opposes you
Everybody come alive
Everyone become enthusiastic
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BEN OTTEWELL, IAN THOMAS BALL, OLIVER JAMES PEACOCK, PAUL BLACKBURN, THOMAS WILLIAM GRAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cm-re7ct
Loved this song the first time I heard it, I was about 14 now 38 and it still sounds just as good today, gomez are so underrated. Such a great band
@bmartinez7643
I hadn't heard this song in 20 years and inexplicably woke up singing it a few days ago and have listen to every day since! Great song
@gsd8225
Same here mate,
@EggBastion
@@gsd8225 ditto
@stephanierichardson5623
Same.
@garbleduser
American Beauty?
@cooltheory
Ffs finally I found the song that’s been humming in my head for 20 plus years. All i had to do was hum it to google. Now I can move on in life 😂
@TeganKosterProject
Eerie really eerie
@Vmb07
Right in front of the World Trade Centre....see at 4.35
@BigMan382
Since their album was released on the 13th September, 1999, this video seems to be little more than just foreshadowing. Great song though.