The band was formed in 1993 by Geoff Farina, Eamonn Vitt and Gavin McCarthy. In 1995, Jeff Goddard joined the band as bass player, and Vitt moved to second guitar. Vitt departed Karate to pursue a medical career in 1997.
Karate’s perfectionism and attention to detail belied the off-the-cuff ethos of the indie rock world, and some considered them to be as un-punk as it gets. But fans would say that their auto-didactic music studies, compulsive control of their song arrangements, ascetic studio values, and Geoff’s work modifying old tube amplifiers and creating original album artwork, was pure DIY. Karate was even compulsive about naming this recording, which was originally called "594” since it was believed to be a recording of their 594th show, according to “The Showlist.” Culled mostly from Jeff Goddard’s elephantine memory, The Showlist is a mammoth list of Karate’s 695 shows, complete with dates, venues, support bands, and even the specific tour vehicle used to get to each show. But when Gavin recently discovered a flyer for a forgotten early show that had somehow evaded Jeff’s memory, the band quickly changed the title to '595'.
The early incarnation of Karate included Eamonn Vitt on bass and guitar, and when Jeff Goddard joined early on, they recorded In Place of Real Insight as a four-piece. When Eamonn left to pursue medical school, the lineup stabilized and remained a trio until their 2005 demise. Karate also built up a close-knit community of collaborators who shared their same no-nonsense values, including Tape Op tech guru Andy Hong who engineered most of their studio albums, Flower Booking’s Mahmood Shaikh who booked the band for over a decade, and tour manager / live sound engineer Greet Vyvey who traveled with the band on all their European tours.
Since the band's breakup, Jeff and Gavin recorded a bass/drums project called Possible Path, and Gavin began drumming for the legendary Boston psych-rock band Cul De Sac. Geoff and Gavin have a new band called Glorytellers that also features Josh Larue (Mice Parade, Him, The Sorts ) on electric guitar. Geoff started work on a new solo release for Southern Records, a recording of pre-War blues songs with Chris Brokaw (Codeine, Pullman, The New Year), and recently appeared on an all-covers record called Guilt by Association with Devendra Banhart, Mike Watt, Will Oldham, Petra Haden, Mark Mulcahy, Jim O'Rourke, and other great performers.
water
Karate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Accessorize.
Corners of sin, and potential crimes.
The cold scolds your chin.
Draws some salt from an eye,
But even the winds can't get much of a rise.
How long will it take you to want to go home?
You were a sister, a daughter; just what was your role?
In a family now scorned by stitches and holes.
You got no where to be.
So you just can't get lost.
And your fool of a substance that melts heavy frost.
I'd want to take you to dinner,
But you'd rather hang out at rest-stops engaging in discourse better scratched into desktop.
Then your phone rings.
It's just me.
How long will it take you to trust me?
I'm coming down to get you even though you don't answer.
Because the snow was okay, but the rain in coming faster.
Water sinks in
Faster then thickens.
My Pockets, my pockets are drinking.
Your fingers, my fingers are sinking.
The lyrics of Karate's song Water seem to be reflective of a feeling of being lost and the need for connection. The opening lines "Gloves hold you in. Accessorize. Corners of sin, and potential crimes. The cold scolds your chin. Draws some salt from an eye, But even the winds can't get much of a rise" create a vivid image of a person who feels isolated and trapped. The gloves holding one in and the corners of sin and potential crimes seem to suggest that the singer is in a dangerous or threatening environment. The cold scolding the chin and drawing salt from an eye seem to suggest a sense of vulnerability and pain, but the fact that the winds can't get much of a rise suggests a sense of resignation or being emotionally shut down.
The chorus of the song highlights the person's sense of dislocation: "How long will it take you to want to go home? How long will it take you to learn there is none? You were a sister, a daughter; just what was your role? In a family now scorned by stitches and holes." Here the person seems to be examining their place in the world and feeling disconnected from their family or support structure. The line "you were a sister, a daughter; just what was your role?" suggests a feeling of not knowing who one is or what one's purpose is.
The second part of the song seems to be about someone who is trying to reach out to the person and help them. The line "I'd want to take you to dinner, But you'd rather hang out at rest-stops engaging in discourse better scratched into desktop" seems to suggest that the person is not interested in conventional forms of connection and would rather engage in deeper conversations. The final lines "then your phone rings. It's just me. How long will it take you to trust me? I'm coming down to get you even though you don't answer. Because the snow was okay, but the rain in coming faster" seem to indicate that the person is trying to reach out and connect, but the person is hesitant to trust them.
Overall, the song seems to be about feeling lost and disconnected from the world, but also about the need for connection and the search for meaning and purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Gloves hold you in.
Your gloves keep you warm and protected in the cold.
Accessorize.
Choose your fashion carefully, even in harsh weather.
Corners of sin, and potential crimes.
Beware of danger and criminal activity lurking in hidden corners.
The cold scolds your chin.
The freezing weather can cause discomfort and pain.
Draws some salt from an eye,
The cold weather can cause tears to flow.
But even the winds can't get much of a rise.
The cold weather is so extreme that even the winds seem subdued.
How long will it take you to want to go home?
How long will it take for you to realize that you want to leave your current situation?
How long will it take you to learn there is none?
How long will it take for you to understand that there is no true home or belonging?
You were a sister, a daughter; just what was your role?
You had familial roles, but now you may be unsure of your identity and purpose.
In a family now scorned by stitches and holes.
Your family has been torn apart by conflict and division.
You got no where to be.
You have no specific destination or obligation.
So you just can't get lost.
You feel free and unrestricted in your travels.
And your fool of a substance that melts heavy frost.
You have a drink that warms and soothes you in the cold weather.
I'd want to take you to dinner,
I would like to take you out to eat.
But you'd rather hang out at rest-stops engaging in discourse better scratched into desktop.
You prefer to have philosophical conversations at roadside rest stops, even though they are not the most comfortable or ideal environment.
Then your phone rings.
Your phone starts to ring.
It's just me.
It's only me calling you.
How long will it take you to trust me?
How long until you can trust and depend on me?
I'm coming down to get you even though you don't answer.
I will come to find you, even if you do not respond to my call.
Because the snow was okay, but the rain in coming faster.
The snow was manageable, but rain is approaching and will be more difficult to deal with.
Water sinks in
Water begins to seep in and soak through.
Faster then thickens.
The water absorbs quickly and becomes thicker.
My Pockets, my pockets are drinking.
My pockets are becoming wet from the water seeping in.
Your fingers, my fingers are sinking.
Our fingers are becoming cold and numb in the wet and cold weather.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MELANIE CHISHOLM, TORE JOHANSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gabrielmaffei7623
Gloves hold you in.
Accessorize.
Corners of sin, and potential crimes.
The cold scolds your chin.
Draws some salt from an eye,
But even the winds can't get much of a rise.
How long will it take you to want to go home?
How long will it take you to learn there is none?
You were a sister, a daughter; just what was your role?
In a family now scorned by stitches and holes.
You got no where to be.
So you just can't get lost.
And your fool of a substance that melts heavy frost.
I'd want to take you to dinner,
But you'd rather hang out at rest-stops engaging in discourse better scratched into desktop.
Then your phone rings.
It's just me.
How long will it take you to trust me?
I'm coming down to get you even though you don't answer.
Because the snow was okay, but the rain in coming faster.
Water sinks in
Faster then thickens.
My Pockets, my pockets are drinking.
Your fingers, my fingers are sinking.
@lobbo64
This band got me though some of the toughest times of my life, and I'll never forget that.
@WestBronDon007
Probably because there 1 of the GOAT's kid😉👍✊
@happysmile6095
I blew my ears out listening to this when it came out. Talk about time travel. If i can remember what was playing I can remember where I was and what I doing. Arguing this was my the best track on the first listen was one of those. Talk about flashbacks.
@Ruby_The_Dog
Favorite, I m trying hard with my guitar on that, what a solo. So nice simple chords. Just love it. My favorite song of all times
@janipashkvan797
❤ what a song
@duhlike
This is definitely one of my favorite songs of all time.
@paulavicario7900
Mine too
@WestBronDon007
Probably because there 1 of the GOAT's kid😉👍✊
@cenkkmusic
Karate is one of my favourite bands. And this tune gets me every time I listen to it...
Water... sinks in faster and thickens..my pockets my pockets are drinking my fingers my fingers are sinking.. sinking..
@WestBronDon007
Probably because there 1 of the GOAT's kid😉👍✊