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.
Leaving
Indigo Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pulling up to the delta signs
Distant shape of my hometown
Black stain where the wheels touch down
I pick up the morning news
I pass the man who's never shined my shoes
Through security and to the train
Count the miles on the highway
(count the miles on the highway)
The sum of all my days
(the sum of all my days)
There's a postcard there's a call
(there's a call)
And there's a picture for your bedroom wall
(bedroom wall)
But do you ever wonder through and through
Who's that person standing next to you
(who's that person standing next to you)
And after all the nights apart
Is there a home for a traveling heart
But if I weren't leaving you
(if I weren't leaving, if I weren't leaving you)
I don't know what I would do
(I would do)
But the more I go the less I know
Will the fire still burn on my return
Keep the path lit on the only road I know
Honey all I know to do is go
A cup of coffee and my bags are packed
(coffee and my bags are packed)
The same vow not to look back
(same vow not to look back)
(if I weren't leaving)
Familiar emptiness inside
(familiar emptiness inside)
As the distances grow wide
(if I weren't leaving)
And though I vow to memorize
(i vow to memorize)
The last look in your loving eyes
(the last look in your loving eyes)
It's here dusk and there dawn
Oh it's like a curtain getting slowly drawn
But if I weren't leaving you
(if I weren't leaving, if I weren't leaving you)
I don't know what I would do
(I would do)
But the more I go the less I know
Will the fire still burn on my return
Keep the path lit on the only road I know
Honey all I know to do is go
But if I weren't leaving you
(if I weren't leaving, if I weren't leaving you)
I don't know what I would do
(I would do)
(Leaving you)
But the more I go it seems the less I know
(but the more I go the less I know)
Will the fire still burn on my return
(will the fire still burn on my return)
Keep the path lit on the only road I know
(keep the path lit on the only road I know)
Honey all I know to do is go
The song "Leaving" by Indigo Girls follows the perspective of someone who is constantly on the move, leaving behind their hometown and loved ones to travel to new places. The first verse describes the process of flying to a new destination, with lines such as "Jet fuel and traffic lines/Pulling up to the delta signs" and "Black stain where the wheels touch down" painting a vivid picture of the experience.
As the song progresses, the lyrics reflect on the toll that this lifestyle can take on relationships. The lines "But do you ever wonder through and through/Who's that person standing next to you" and "And after all the nights apart/Is there a home for a traveling heart" convey a sense of loneliness and disconnection that can arise when constantly traveling.
Despite the emotional struggles that come with leaving loved ones behind, the singer ultimately feels a compulsion to continue on this path. The repeated refrain of "But if I weren't leaving you/I don't know what I would do" suggests that even if the singer feels uncertainty and doubt about their lifestyle, they cannot imagine doing anything else.
Overall, "Leaving" is a poignant reflection on the costs and benefits of a traveling lifestyle, and the complicated emotions that come with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Jet fuel and traffic lines
The commotion at the airport is overwhelming with planes taking off and landing and cars honking and rushing to their destinations.
Pulling up to the delta signs
The singer is approaching the terminal where the Delta airlines flights depart.
Distant shape of my hometown
The singer can barely see her hometown in the distance as she leaves for another journey.
Black stain where the wheels touch down
The sight of the tires screeching while landing on the tarmac and leaving a black residue is a familiar one to the artist.
I pick up the morning news
The artist is keeping up with the news to stay informed while traveling.
I pass the man who's never shined my shoes
The singer has been traveling so much that she has never had the chance to have her shoes shined by the man she sees regularly at the station.
Through security and to the train
The singer is rushing through airport security to catch a train to the airplane.
That will take me to the airplane
The train will lead the artist to the airplane, the final destination of her journey.
Count the miles on the highway
The artist is keeping track of the miles she travels on the road as she goes from place to place.
(count the miles on the highway)
The sum of all my days
The distance she has traveled is the sum of all the days she has spent traveling.
(the sum of all my days)
There's a postcard there's a call
The singer's friends and family try to keep in touch while she is away by sending postcards or making phone calls.
(there's a call)
And there's a picture for your bedroom wall
Her loved ones also send her pictures to put up in her bedroom as a reminder of home.
(bedroom wall)
But do you ever wonder through and through
The artist is wondering if her loved ones ever stop to think deeply about her and their relationship while she is away.
Who's that person standing next to you
The singer is questioning whether her loved ones have someone else standing by them while she is traveling.
(who's that person standing next to you)
And after all the nights apart
The artist is reflecting on the many nights she has spent apart from her loved ones due to her traveling.
Is there a home for a traveling heart
The artist is questioning whether there is a place for her heart to settle as she continues to travel.
But if I weren't leaving you
The artist is contemplating what things would be like if she were not leaving her loved ones again to travel.
(if I weren't leaving, if I weren't leaving you)
I don't know what I would do
The artist realizes how important traveling is to her and does not know what she would do without it.
(I would do)
But the more I go the less I know
The more she travels, the less she understands about her life and relationships.
Will the fire still burn on my return
The singer is questioning whether the passion in her relationships will still be there when she returns from her travels and how she will approach them.
Keep the path lit on the only road I know
The artist is asking her loved ones to keep the way lit for her as she travels on her familiar path.
Honey all I know to do is go
Despite her many doubts, the only thing the artist knows how to do is to keep traveling.
A cup of coffee and my bags are packed
The singer prepares for her journey with a cup of coffee and her packed bags.
(coffee and my bags are packed)
The same vow not to look back
The artist is determined to not dwell on the past as she leaves for another trip.
(same vow not to look back)
Familiar emptiness inside
Despite her love for traveling, there is a familiar emptiness inside that the artist feels whenever she starts another trip away from her loved ones.
(familiar emptiness inside)
As the distances grow wide
The artist feels the distance growing between her and her loved ones as she travels farther and farther away.
(if I weren't leaving)
And though I vow to memorize
The singer promises herself to remember her loved ones and the memories they made while she was home as she travels.
(i vow to memorize)
The last look in your loving eyes
The artist wants to remember the last look her loved ones give her before she leaves and cherish it while she is away.
(the last look in your loving eyes)
It's here dusk and there dawn
The singer compares the different times of day in the places she is traveling from and to, symbolizing the separation of her and her loved ones.
Oh it's like a curtain getting slowly drawn
The singer describes the gradual separation of her and her loved ones as a curtain getting slowly drawn, closing one chapter of her life as she goes on another journey.
But if I weren't leaving you
The artist continues to contemplate how things would be different if she were not leaving her loved ones again to travel.
(if I weren't leaving, if I weren't leaving you)
I don't know what I would do
The artist reflects once again how important traveling is to her and how lost she would be without it.
(I would do)
But the more I go it seems the less I know
The more the artist travels, the less she seems to understand about her life and her relationships with her loved ones.
(but the more I go the less I know)
Will the fire still burn on my return
The singer continues to question if the passion in her relationships will still be there when she returns from her travels or if they will have moved on without her.
(will the fire still burn on my return)
Keep the path lit on the only road I know
The artist asks her loved ones to keep the route lit for her as she continues on her familiar path.
(keep the path lit on the only road I know)
Honey all I know to do is go
Despite her doubts, the singer knows that her only choice is to keep traveling on her familiar path.
But if I weren't leaving you
The singer wonders one last time how different her life would be if she did not travel so often.
(if I weren't leaving, if I weren't leaving you)
I don't know what I would do
Despite the challenges that come with traveling, the artist is unsure of what she would do without it.
(I would do)
(Leaving you)
The song is called Leaving, which is a recurring theme throughout the lyrics as the singer reflects on the challenges of constantly being away from her loved ones while traveling.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMILY ANN SALIERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind