The quartet recorded two albums together: Let's Cut the Crap & Hook Up Later On Tonight, released on Black Dog Records in 1998, and Kids in Philly, released on Steve Earle's now-defunct E-Squared Records in 2000. Both critically acclaimed CD's were recorded and produced by the band and recording engineer Paul Smith above an auto repair garage in south Philadelphia.
Metz and Vance left the band in 2000, and were replaced by Mick Bader on drums and Joe Hooven on bass. Augmented by Mike "Slo-Mo" Brenner on lap steel, this version of the group toured extensively to support Kids in Philly. Marah performed the song, "Point Breeze" from Kids in Philly on The Late Show with Conan O'Brien in 2000. Bader and Hooven left Marah in 2001 and were replaced by Jon Kois (drums) and Jamie Mahon (bass) of Philadelphia psychedelic rock band The Three For Tens.
The Bielankos, with Kois and Mahon, left for Wales in late 2001 to record their third CD, Float Away with the Friday Night Gods with former Oasis producer Owen Morris. It was released on Artemis Records in 2002.
In 2003, Marah returned to the auto garage and recorded their fourth record, 20,000 Streets Under the Sky. The CD was released on Yep Rock records in 2004. The band toured this album with John Wurster (of Indie Rock-stalwarts Superchunk) on drums, Mike Brenner on lap steel, and Kirk Henderson on bass and keyboards.
In 2005, the band entered The Magic Shop recording studio in New York City to record their fifth album with the help of Henderson and two new members, Adam Garbinski and Dave Peterson. The result, If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry (IYDLYC), was hailed by critics as a return to form for the band.
The release of IYDLYC was complemented by the recording and release of a Christmas album, A Christmas Kind of Town, on October 18, 2005. The band, solidified as a three-guitar quintet, embarked on a year-long tour of the US and Europe to support the two albums. Highlights of the tour included Serge Bielanko's intense renditions of "Dishwasher's Dream" off of IYDLYC, as well as occasional performances of "Reservation Girl," an original song that has never been officially released by the band.
Dave Bielanko, Serge Bielanko, and Adam Garbinski at ACL 2006.The band played at the Bonnaroo Music Festival on June 16, 2006, which was highlighted by a rousing introduction by St. Louis scenester/character Beatle Bob and a cover of The Who's "Baba O'Riley." Marah later played the Austin City Limits Music Festival on September 15th, 2006, featuring a spirited performance from the band with Dave and Serge Bielanko jumping over the crowd barriers into the audience. The audio of this performance was released on iTunes on November 7th, 2006.
On September 21, 2006, the band's website announced the release of a live DVD of the IYDLYC tour, entitled Sooner or Later in Spain. The DVD, which was originally recorded and released as a fan bootleg, was released on November 17th, 2006.
Marah, with Christine Smith now a full time member, entered Nashville's 16 Ton Recording Studios in August 2006 to record songs for a new record. In April 2007, the group recorded and mixed additional songs at Brooklyn, New York's Excello Recording. In June, Marah announced that the new record, Angels of Destruction, would be released on January 8, 2008 and previewed the album at a concert/listening party in Philadelphia on September 8th, 2007. Angels of Destruction was preceded by a 6-song 10" EP entitled Can't Take It With You which was released in October 2007. A Christmas EP called Counting the Days was released in November 2007.
The new album was released in early January 2008 to widespread acclaim. Almost immediately afterwards, however, plans for an extensive US tour were cancelled following the departure of Garbinski, Peterson, and Henderson. A statement from Dave Bielenko stated that the current line-up could not agree on tour plans, and that to acquiesce to rhythm section would have represented a "musical regression." Bassist Johnny Pisano and drummer Joe Gorelick were hired as replacements, and in late February the band embarked on a European tour to promote the album.
In August 2008, Dave Bielanko, Smith and Pisano started recording new material at 16 Ton Studios in Nashville. Bielanko has stated his intentions of recording "a lilting beautiful folky record of acoustic guitars, tack pianos, and the stand-up bass".
Faraway You
Marah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Found myself a seat
More people pilin' on
I watch the busy street
Snow was comin' down
And more was on the ground
What's rollin' into town
Said I'd better get back home
I seen a rain soaked mattress
‘neath the apartment house of death
Strewn in a vacant mess
All watered-down and wet
I seen the horse cops take the beat
Makin' horseshoes in the sleet
Outside the dollar store
I didn't have a broken heart
I was not that lonely yet
When life played a trick on me
I'm afraid I didn't get
Seen two lovers in the park
Felt the blood rush to my fists
They were sittin' on a bench
Entangled in a kiss…
Which wouldn't mean a goddamned thing
It wouldn't be no big to do
But even from behind I could see that she was you
She was…
Faraway you – what is it you do?
Treat me so cruel, act so faraway
Sittin' on the bus
Heard the driver signal sound
More people pilin' on,
Other people climbin' down
I seen a dumpster bum appeased
Dinin' on a dumpster feast
He looked up at me,
We turned the corner headin' east
And then we made a couple rights
My face had faded white
Stopped at a traffic light
And made a left on 17th…
Then I got off the bus
Found my apartment door
Held the keys up to the lock
And they jangled to the floor
Well I jangled down beside ‘em
And I guess I might've slept
‘Cause when I woke up in the mornin'
I was still out on the step.
Singin'…
Faraway you – what is it you do?
Treat me so cruel, act so faraway
The song "Faraway You" by Marah captures the disorienting and lonely feeling of being in transit in a bustling city. Through a series of vivid descriptions, the lyrics paint a picture of the various people and scenes the singer encounters on a bus ride home. The first verse describes the snowy streets and the singer's sense of urgency to make it back home. The second verse describes a rain-soaked mattress, police on horseback making horseshoes, and a couple kissing in the park. The refrain, "Faraway you - what is it you do? Treat me so cruel, act so faraway," hints at the singer's focus on a distant lover who seems to be emotionally detached.
The song is notable for its use of concrete and specific imagery to convey a sense of place and mood. The sense of movement and the fleeting glimpses of other people's lives on the bus ride add to the sense of existential angst and disconnection. The lyrics also convey a sense of irony and humor, as the singer observes the absurdity of the world around him, including a homeless man eating from a dumpster.
Overall, "Faraway You" is a song about loneliness and the search for connection, even in the midst of chaos and detachment. The vivid descriptions of city life and the singer's inner monologue create a vivid and relatable portrait of modern life.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, I got on the bus
I boarded a bus
Found myself a seat
I found a place to sit
More people pilin' on
More people getting on the bus
I watch the busy street
I observed the busy street
Snow was comin' down
It was snowing
And more was on the ground
There was already snow on the ground
What's rollin' into town
Wondering what is coming into town
Said I'd better get back home
Realizing it's time to go home
I seen a rain soaked mattress
I saw a mattress drenched in rainwater
‘neath the apartment house of death
Under a building where people have died
Strewn in a vacant mess
The area around the mattress was cluttered and deserted
All watered-down and wet
The mattress was heavily moist and damp
I seen the horse cops take the beat
I witnessed cops riding horses patrolling the area
Makin' horseshoes in the sleet
The cops were making horseshoes despite the sleet falling
Outside the dollar store
This took place outside a dollar store
I didn't have a broken heart
I wasn't grieving
I was not that lonely yet
I wasn't feeling too lonely at that time
When life played a trick on me
Life pulled a prank on me
I'm afraid I didn't get
I didn't realize it was a joke
Seen two lovers in the park
I saw two people in love sitting in the park
Felt the blood rush to my fists
I felt my hands clench in anger
They were sittin' on a bench
The couple was sitting on a bench
Entangled in a kiss…
They were locked in an embrace
Which wouldn't mean a goddamned thing
It didn't matter at all
It wouldn't be no big to do
It wasn't a big deal
But even from behind I could see that she was you
I've identified the woman in the embrace as you
She was…
The woman was…
Faraway you – what is it you do?
You who are so far away - what is it that you do?
Treat me so cruel, act so faraway
You are treating me cruelly, acting as if you're miles away.
Sittin' on the bus
I am still on the bus
Heard the driver signal sound
I heard the sound of the driver signaling for stops
More people pilin' on,
More people getting on the bus
Other people climbin' down
Others getting off the bus
I seen a dumpster bum appeased
I witnessed a homeless person satisfied by food from a dumpster
Dinin' on a dumpster feast
The homeless person was eating an entire meal from the dumpster
He looked up at me,
He glanced at me briefly
We turned the corner headin' east
The bus turned a corner, going eastward
And then we made a couple rights
The bus took two right turns
My face had faded white
I turned pale and scared
Stopped at a traffic light
The bus halted at a traffic light
And made a left on 17th…
The bus turned left on 17th Street
Then I got off the bus
I got off the bus
Found my apartment door
I reached my apartment's door
Held the keys up to the lock
I put the keys in the lock
And they jangled to the floor
The keys slipped out of my hand and made a loud noise as they fell
Well I jangled down beside ‘em
I sat by the keys on the floor
And I guess I might've slept
I fell asleep?
‘Cause when I woke up in the mornin'
Because when I woke up the next morning
I was still out on the step.
I was still outside lying on the doorstep.
Singin'…
Singing...
Faraway you – what is it you do?
You who are so far away - what is it that you do?
Treat me so cruel, act so faraway
You are treating me cruelly, acting as if you're miles away.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID BIELANKO, SERGE BIELANKO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind