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".
It's Only Money Tyrone
Marah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Screamin' “Gimme back, back all that money Tyrone”
So he snapped her neck back and slapped his lover
Put a bullet in her brain and threw her body off the bridge
(sssshhhhh)
Well nothin' was found ‘till the Brown River flooded
Stolen cars; cracked up, handguns and bodies
Given back, back to the world up above….
Even if you don't want it
Even if you don't want it
Even if you don't want it
Hey baby someday it comes back
The river's muddy guts backed up, exploded
Spillin' out the facts…fast and a lot
Spillin' out the facts of the city's dirty secrets
Like a city surfacing from out of the black…
Driftin' down, down went a lifetime of secrets
Driftin' down, down went a lifetime of things
Stolen cars, train tracks, haz mats and bodies
Given back, back to the world up above
A bag of dead kittens,
And mufflers and engines,
An army of rats and Colt 45
Bottles and tires and shipwrecks and trashcans
A porcelain Jesus, and your old Christmas trees
(All) busted and rotten, dismembered, forgotten,
Borrowed or stolen, purchased or hot,
Brokedown and useless, rusting, disgusting
On an unwelcome comeback
Are you ready or not?
Even if you don't want it
Even if you don't want it
Even if you don't want it
Hey baby someday it comes back
The song "It's Only Money Tyrone" by Marah narrates a tragic story of Josephine, who confronts her lover Tyrone for taking all her money. In response to her demand, Tyrone becomes violent and kills Josephine. He throws her body off the bridge into Brown River, but the body remains undiscovered until the river floods. The river spews out many dark city secrets, including stolen cars, haz mats, dead kittens, rat armies, and dismembered bodies. The song ends with a haunting realization that all of these things are going to make an unwelcome comeback someday.
The lyrics of the song depict the dark side of urban life, where violent crime and corruption go unpunished, and the victims remain unheard. The song's narrative portrays how people with power and money can get away with heinous crimes while the societal imbalance remains unaddressed. The line "Hey baby someday it comes back" implies that these misdeeds will ultimately catch up with these oppressors and bring them down.
Line by Line Meaning
Josephine cracked; her eyes black and bloodied
Josephine emotionally broke down and had black eyes and bloody features.
Screamin' “Gimme back, back all that money Tyrone”
Josephine was screaming and demanding that Tyrone give back all the money he had taken from her.
So he snapped her neck back and slapped his lover
Tyrone got violent with Josephine by breaking her neck and slapping her.
Put a bullet in her brain and threw her body off the bridge
To cover up his crime, Tyrone shot Josephine and threw her body off the bridge.
Well nothin' was found ‘till the Brown River flooded
After a long time, the Brown River flooded and revealed the secrets hidden in it.
And drifting down, down went a lifetime of things
Various things related to crimes were found during the flood and were washed away with the water.
Stolen cars; cracked up, handguns and bodies
During the flood, various stolen cars, handguns, and even human bodies were discovered.
Given back, back to the world up above….
All the items found during the flood were returned to the surface and revealed to the world.
Even if you don't want it
Even though someone may not want something, it doesn't mean they won't face the consequences of their actions.
Hey baby someday it comes back
The consequences of one's actions will eventually catch up to them.
The river's muddy guts backed up, exploded
The flood caused the river to overflow and erupt, revealing the hidden secrets within.
Spillin' out the facts…fast and a lot
The flood revealed numerous facts and details quickly and in large amounts.
Spillin' out the facts of the city's dirty secrets
The flood revealed the dark and dirty secrets of the city that were once hidden.
Like a city surfacing from out of the black…
The flood caused the hidden secrets of the city to resurface into the light.
Driftin' down, down went a lifetime of secrets
The flood washed away numerous secrets that were once kept hidden or unknown.
Stolen cars, train tracks, haz mats and bodies
Various items related to crimes such as stolen cars and even dead bodies were washed away by the flood.
A bag of dead kittens, and mufflers and engines
Numerous unwanted and broken items were found during the flood, such as a bag of dead kittens and damaged car parts.
An army of rats and Colt 45
During the flood, a swarm of rats and weapons were discovered.
Bottles and tires and shipwrecks and trashcans
The flood caused various discarded objects such as bottles, tires, and even shipwrecks to resurface.
A porcelain Jesus, and your old Christmas trees
Even religious and sentimental objects such as porcelain Jesus and old Christmas trees were found during the flood.
(All) busted and rotten, dismembered, forgotten, Borrowed or stolen, purchased or hot, Brokedown and useless, rusting, disgusting
All of the items discovered during the flood were old, broken, and useless due to years of neglect and abuse.
On an unwelcome comeback
All of the objects discovered during the flood were unwelcome and unwanted.
Are you ready or not?
The consequences of one's actions will eventually catch up to them, whether they are ready for it or not.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID BIELANKO, SERGE BIELANKO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind