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".
My Heart Is The Bums on the Street
Marah Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With nothing to eat and their dirty hands cupped up
My heart is the squirrels in the park
Late Sunday evening dodging the raindrops
My heart is a barrel on fire
That blows burnin' ashes at a telephone wire
My heart is the avenue wind rattlin' street signs
With its delicate din…
What did I do to cause you to leave me?
Girl if you just knew what I'm goin' through
I lost my pride, my head hands in sorrow
Every inch of the city reminds me of you…
My heart is the schoolyard so empty
Vacant of smiles and void of all joy
My heart is the ghetto at midnight
Teeming with beats and reverberate fear
My heart is the newspaper blowin'
Down the street when it's snowin' and no ones around
My heart is a saxophone solo from a third story window
Just before dawn
What did I do to cause you to leave me?
Girl if you just knew what I'm goin' through
I lost my pride, my head hands in sorrow
Every inch of the city reminds me of you…
My heart is the smell of the sewer,
The taste of the lobster, the price of the wine
My heart is the rush of the traffic
The tug of the music, the scene of the crime
My heart is the crowd that keeps cheerin'
The trains by the river, the points that we score
My heart is this wondrous city
With its love and its life
And its one…slammin' door
The song "My Heart Is The Bums on the Street" by Marah is a poetic representation of the singer's heart as different elements of a city. The singer's heart is the bums on the street, who have nothing to eat and are desperately seeking help. It's also the squirrels in the park, trying to avoid the raindrops. The heart is compared to a barrel on fire, which burns with high intensity and lets out burning ashes at a telephone wire. It's the wind that rattles street signs on the avenue with its delicate noise.
The singer's heart continues to be compared to different elements of a city such as the empty schoolyard, the dangerous ghetto, the newspaper blowing down the street, and the saxophone solo played from a third-story window. All of these elements represent the pain and anguish that the singer is experiencing after being left by a lover. The city appears to be empty and void without them. Finally, the singer compares his heart to the wondrous city with its love, life, and its one slamming door, which is a metaphor for the heartbreak caused by the departure of his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
My heart is the bums on the street
With nothing to eat and their dirty hands cupped up
My heart is like the homeless people on the streets, who go hungry and beg for food with their hands, reflecting how empty and disadvantaged I feel.
My heart is the squirrels in the park
Late Sunday evening dodging the raindrops
My heart is like the squirrels, trying to dodge obstacles and unpredictable events, feeling a little playful, trying to avoid the harsh reality.
My heart is a barrel on fire
That blows burnin' ashes at a telephone wire
My heart is like a burning barrel shedding ashes and smoke onto a telephone wire. Its fiery and overactive nature reflects my inner turbulent emotions.
My heart is the avenue wind rattlin' street signs
With its delicate din…
My heart is like the windy avenue that makes its presence felt by rattling street signs, with the gentle sound indicative of the turbulence within me.
What did I do to cause you to leave me?
Girl if you just knew what I'm goin' through
I lost my pride, my head hands in sorrow
Every inch of the city reminds me of you…
I am struggling with the pain of losing you and everything around me reminds me of you. I lament my mistakes and feel humiliated because of losing you.
My heart is the schoolyard so empty
Vacant of smiles and void of all joy
My heart feels like the empty schoolyard, deserted by the smiles and joy that once filled it. I feel lonely and forlorn without you.
My heart is the ghetto at midnight
Teeming with beats and reverberate fear
My heart feels like the ghetto at midnight where there's the thrill of life and the reverberating sound of fear accompany every movement, full of anticipation and unease.
My heart is the newspaper blowin'
Down the street when it's snowin' and no ones around
My heart is like the newspaper flying down the road in the snow, in a scenario where nobody else is around. It's the idea of being lost, unnoticed, and insignificant.
My heart is a saxophone solo from a third story window
Just before dawn
My heart is like the saxophone solo that plays from a window on the third floor, right before dawn. It's the idea of something intense, different and unforgettable that is happening in a quiet way.
My heart is the smell of the sewer,
The taste of the lobster, the price of the wine
My heart is such that it can appreciate and find a familiar aspect in the smell of sewer, the taste of lobster, and the price of wine. It's because of my varied experiences, made possible because of you.
My heart is the rush of the traffic
The tug of the music, the scene of the crime
My heart has the excitement of rush hour traffic, the emotional tug of music and the thrill of a criminal act. It's the idea that life is unpredictable and full of such moments, both good and bad.
My heart is the crowd that keeps cheerin'
The trains by the river, the points that we score
My heart is the crowd that cheers for us, the trains that run by the river, the points that we get. It's an embodiment of the joy of small victories and the significance of community.
My heart is this wondrous city
With its love and its life
And its one…slammin' door
My heart is this wonderful city, full of love and life, but eventually, there is always a slam of a door. It's the idea of how life eventually has to come to a standstill, and we have to face it bravely.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID BIELANKO, SERGE BIELANKO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind