Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single named "Crazy Game", with the B-side "Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home)". That same year, the Indigo Girls released a six-track Extended play album named "Indigo Girls", and in 1987 released their first full-length album, Strange Fire, recorded at John Keane Studio in Athens, Georgia, and including "Crazy Game". With this release, they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager to the present; they had first approached him when the EP album was released, but he told them their songs were "immature" and they were not likely to get a record deal.
They were signed to Epic Records in 1989 and won the Grammy for best contemporary folk album later that year (for their self titled release) Some of their hit songs include "Galileo," "Closer to Fine," and "Shame on You."
Aside from being musicians, Ray and Saliers are activists, constantly supporting causes like gun control, women's rights, Native American rights, environmental protection, the abolition of the death penalty, and as lesbians themselves, LGBT rights. They constantly devote their time and money to such causes, often playing benefit concerts.
Ray and Saliers both have side projects. Ray owns and founded Daemon Records, an independent label based in Decatur. She also has a career as a solo artist, and has released two albums thus far. Saliers is the part owner of Watershed, a restaurant and wine bar in Decatur.
Together, the Indigo Girls are constantly touring. Their new album, Poseidon and the Bitter Bug, was released March 24, 2009.
Everything in Its Own Time
Indigo Girls Lyrics
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Keep it in your heart like a stone
And when the winds have blown things round and back again
What was once your pain will be your home
All around the table the white haired men have gathered
Spilling their sons' blood like table wine
Remember everything I told you
The music whispers you in urgency
Hold fast to that languageless connection
A thread of known that was unknown and unseen seen
Dangling from inside the fifth direction
Boys around the table mapping out their strategies
Kings of mountains one day dust
A lesson learned, a loving God, and things in their own time
In nothing more do I trust
But we own nothing, nothing is ours
Not even love so fierce it burns like baby stars
But this poverty is our greatest gift
The weightlessness of us as things around begin to shift
Remember everything I told you
Keep it in your heart like a stone
And when the winds have blown things round and back again
What was once your pain will be your home
Everything in its own time
Everything in its own time
The Indigo Girls’ song, “Everything In Its Own Time” is a poignant look at the passage of time, the impermanence of life, and the importance of holding onto our memories and experiences. The song’s opening lines urge the listener to remember everything they’ve been told and to keep it in their heart like a stone. The singer seems to be cautioning against forgetting the lessons we’ve learned in life, and instead encouraging us to carry them with us as we navigate life’s changes and challenges.
The second verse of the song brings in imagery of older men sitting around a table, spilling their son’s blood like table wine. The imagery is powerful, recalling the violent conflicts of the past and the ways in which war destroys lives and families. But through the darkness of the world’s violence, the singer offers hope that everything happens in its own time. The music whispers to us, urging us to hold on to the connections we’ve made and the lessons we’ve learned.
The final verse of the song reinforces the importance of remembering our experiences, even as we recognize that we don’t truly own anything in this world. The poverty of our existence, the weightlessness of our lives, is in some sense our greatest gift. As things around us begin to shift and change, we can hold onto the memories and experiences that make us who we are. The final refrain reminds us that everything happens in its own time, a reminder to trust in the process of life and to allow ourselves to be carried along with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Remember everything I told you
Don't forget the important things I shared with you before.
Keep it in your heart like a stone
Take those words to heart and remember them for a long time.
And when the winds have blown things round and back again
Life's unpredictability can change things and bring back the past.
What was once your pain will be your home
You'll find comfort once again in the things that have hurt you before.
All around the table the white haired men have gathered
The old men sitting around the table are planning something.
Spilling their sons' blood like table wine
They are sacrificing their own children, as though it were just table wine.
The music whispers you in urgency
You can hear the music calling you with an urgent tone.
Hold fast to that languageless connection
Hold on to the connection you feel without words, it's valuable.
A thread of known that was unknown and unseen seen
You might discover things you already somehow knew, yet couldn't see before.
Dangling from inside the fifth direction
Something significant is coming from an unusual or unexpected direction.
Boys around the table mapping out their strategies
Young men sitting at a table to devise a plan.
Kings of mountains one day dust
Even the mightiest rulers will eventually crumble and die.
A lesson learned, a loving God, and things in their own time
Take the lessons you learn, have faith in God, and trust that things happen when they're supposed to.
In nothing more do I trust
I only have faith in this one thing.
But we own nothing, nothing is ours
We don't possess anything in life, including the love that feels like it's ours.
Not even love so fierce it burns like baby stars
Even the most intense and powerful love can be fleeting and temporary.
But this poverty is our greatest gift
Being stripped of everything can teach us valuable lessons.
The weightlessness of us as things around begin to shift
When everything is changing around us, we can feel lighter and more free.
Everything in its own time
Have patience and trust that everything happens when it's supposed to.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AMY ELIZABETH RAY, EMILY ANN SALIERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind