Men and Whales formed in 2008, under the direction of singer-songwriter Tom Murphy (rhythm guitar, vocals) and fellow musicians Brent Lazo (lead guitar) and Clint Paul (bass). That same year the band released their home-made debut 'Farewell to the Fire' and began performing live with newest member Garrett Finley on drums. The following summer, the new four-piece released the Long Story Short EP and continued honing their skills in clubs throughout NYC.
In 2010, the band released their second full-length album, 'When the Days Blend', followed by a mini-tour through California culminating in a performance at the Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles. In May of 2011 the band successfully completed their first residency at the popular NYC venue Fontana's, highlighted by a memorable live performance of the Beatles’ legendary album 'Abbey Road.' The following October they performed at CMJ, New York City's largest and longest running music industry showcase.
In 2012 the band mutually parted ways with Garrett Finley and handed off the drumsticks to Mark Seman. In the spring of that year they completed their second successful residency, this time at Arlene's Grocery in NYC and in November released their third full length album, 'The Years Are Gone'. Recorded in Williamsburg and produced by Andy Baldwin, 'The Years Are Gone' proved to be the bands strongest effort to date. Current singles from the album include 'I Always Knew', 'Arabella', and 'Everything We Give'. Men and Whales is currently booking dates throughout 2014 in support of 'The Years Are Gone'.
From Here
Men and Whales Lyrics
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Up and down Broadway,
Pat had one expression and he'd use it every day;
Any time he'd grab a fare, to take them for a ride,
Paddy Jumped upon the seat, cracked his whip and cried.
One fine day on Broadway,
Pat was driving fast,
Down the hole poor Paddy went, a thinkin' of his past,
Then he says, says he, I think these words will be my last:
First of all, at the call,
When the war began,
Pat enlisted in the army as a fighting man;
When the drills began, they'd walk a hundred miles a day,
Tho the rest got tired,
Paddy always used to say:
Where do we go from here boys,
Where do we go from here?
Anywhere from Harlem to a Jersey City pier;
When Pat would spy a pretty girl, he'd whisper in her ear,
"Oh joy, Oh boy, Where do we go from here?"
Where do we go from here boys,
Where do go from here?
Paddy's neck was in the wreck
but still he had nor fear;
He saw a dead man next to him and whispered in his ear,
"Oh joy, Oh boy, Where do we go from here?"
Where do we go from here boys,
Where do we go from here?
Slip a pill to Kaiser Bill
and make him shed a tear;
And when we see the enemy we'll shoot in the rear,
"Oh joy, Oh boy,
Where do we go from here?"
The song, "From Here" by Men and Whales, exhibits a story of Paddy Mack, a taxi driver along Broadway, who, one day, fell prey to a subway explosion. The piece plunges listeners into the life of Paddy, describing how he went about his everyday routine in the taxi inclusive of how he would crack his whip every day. The lyrics, "Any time he'd grab a fare, to take them for a ride, Paddy Jumped upon the seat, cracked his whip and cried," paint a picture of a happy-go-lucky man, content with what he did for a living.
The second stanza of the song sees Paddy driving fast along Broadway when suddenly, a subway explosion sends him plummeting. While Paddy lies in the rubble semi-conscious and thinking of his past, he reminisces about his experiences in the army. Paddy enlisted voluntarily and was always the first to volunteer for every drill. He would utter the words, "Where do we go from here boys?" to inspire and encourage the troops, uplifting their spirits and keeping them motivated.
The song "From Here" showcases the sentimentality of a proud army veteran, Paddy Mack, who, despite being involved in an accident, still holds his head up high. The song is a testament to the idea that everyone has a story and that we should always aspire to be the best version of ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Paddy Mack drove a hack
Paddy Mack was a cab driver
Up and down Broadway,
He drove his cab all around Broadway
Pat had one expression and he'd use it every day;
His name was Pat, and he had a habit of using the same expression every day
Any time he'd grab a fare, to take them for a ride,
Whenever he would get a passenger to ride in his cab
Paddy Jumped upon the seat, cracked his whip and cried.
Paddy would excite his passengers by jumping on his seat, cracking his whip, and shouting out loud.
One fine day on Broadway,
One day while he was driving his cab on Broadway
Pat was driving fast,
Pat was driving his cab very fast
When the street was blown to pieces by a subway blast;
A subway explosion caused the street to explode into pieces.
Down the hole poor Paddy went, a thinkin' of his past,
Paddy fell through the hole created by the explosion and started to think about his past.
Then he says, says he, I think these words will be my last:
He said that he thought these would be his last words.
First of all, at the call,
First and foremost, when the war began,
When the war began,
The start of the war
Pat enlisted in the army as a fighting man;
Pat joined the army as a soldier
When the drills began, they'd walk a hundred miles a day,
During training, they walked 100 miles every day.
Tho the rest got tired,
Though others got tired from the walking,
Paddy always used to say:
Paddy would always say the following:
Where do we go from here boys,
What's our plan from here, guys?
Where do we go from here?
What's our next move?
Anywhere from Harlem to a Jersey City pier;
We could go anywhere, from Harlem to the Jersey City pier.
When Pat would spy a pretty girl, he'd whisper in her ear,
When Pat saw a pretty girl, he would whisper this in her ear:
"Oh joy, Oh boy, Where do we go from here?"
"Oh joy, Oh boy, What's our next move?"
Slip a pill to Kaiser Bill
Give a pill to Kaiser Bill to make him suffer.
and make him shed a tear;
Make him cry
And when we see the enemy we'll shoot in the rear,
When we see the enemy, we'll attack them from behind.
"Oh joy, Oh boy,
"What a great adventure,
Where do we go from here?"
What's our next move?"
Paddy's neck was in the wreck
Paddy's neck was injured in the accident
but still he had nor fear;
But he had no fear despite his injuries.
He saw a dead man next to him and whispered in his ear,
He saw a dead man next to him and said this to him:
"Oh joy, Oh boy, Where do we go from here?"
"What a great adventure, What's our next move?"
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HOWARD E JOHNSON, PERCY WENRICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind