MxPx started as three 15-year-old kids calling themselves Magnified Plaid pounding out music inspired by and similar to The Descendents and other Southern California punk rock bands. They didn’t really love their band name, however, which was a tribute to the original guitarist’s penchant for wearing one particularly loud plaid shirt. Consequently, the name was abbreviated to M.P., but in Yuri’s handwriting, periods become “X“‘s and since he made up the show posters for the band, the four-letter moniker stuck.
Andy Husted, the former guitarist, left the band in 1995 to continue college.
Andy was replaced by Tom to solidify the line-up that would take the band into their post-teen years. Maybe Tom’s background as a drummer made up for his relative inexperience playing guitar (he had only played for a year at the time). He and Yuri lock into backbreakingly fast rhythms that rank with vintage Minor Threat for speed and percussive attack. Mike then adds to the mix his signature sing-along melodies that call to mind SoCal punk bands from the early ’80s.
Bremerton had been a town most famous for its naval shipyards until MxPx caught the attention of Tooth & Nail Records when they played a “showcase” for the T&N label in 1993 in Herrera’s parents’ garage. Mike Herrera had practiced so much before the first show, he lost his voice.
MxPx released three albums with Tooth & Nail Records: Pokinatcha in 1994, Teenage Politics in 1995, and Life in General in 1996. After a falling out with Tooth & Nail, MxPx left the label and signed with A&M Records.
In July 2010 drummer Yuri Ruley announced he would be retiring from the band to focus on his family. Ruley played his last show with the band in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 18, 2010. In a recent video message from Mike, he stated that Tom and Yuri have both finished touring full time, but will continue to play one-off shows with the band.
Far Away
MxPx Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brute force when he decides on the fight
While the ship is going under
The pirates will tear us to sunder
And the land is too far away, land is too far away
Would you please promise me,
You'll come back to stay, before you're too far away
You think you've got it figured like 3,4,5
But now the city's burning down
To the sea your higher ground
But the sea is too far away, higher ground far away
Would you please promise me,
You'll come back to stay, before you're too far away
When the sea rises up just swallow you
The wind's so cold and all of you
A new day will come just keep up the fight
In the end you'll know whether you were right
We were never going down for the count
We were always going all 10 rounds,
Yeah, cause are dreams are not too far away
Our dreams are not far away
Would you please promise me,
You'll come back to stay, you're never too far away
You're never too far away, you're never too far away
You're never too far away, you're never too far away.
The song "Far Away" by MxPx is a powerful testament to the struggle that life can bring. The lyrics describe the difficulty in staying away from something that is inevitably destructive. This could be a relationship, addiction, or any other form of personal struggle that seems difficult to overcome. The singer speaks of brute force in fighting against this force, but concedes that sometimes the ship is going under and the pirates will tear us to sunder, emphasizing that there are times when we must accept defeat.
Despite the overwhelming odds stacked against us, the singer asks for a promise that his loved one will come back to stay before they're too far away. The idea of distance is woven throughout the song, with the land, the sea, and higher ground being too far away. This speaks to the feeling of helplessness that we can all experience at some point and the desire to have someone by our side to help us make it through.
The last verse of the song shifts the focus from the struggle to the hope that one day a new day will come and we can keep up the fight. The singer believes that in the end, we will know if we were right for not giving up. The song concludes with a reaffirmation that our dreams are not too far away, and that we are never too far away from being able to achieve them.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a struggle just to stay away
Avoiding something is difficult and requires a lot of effort
Brute force when he decides on the fight
When confronted with a battle, he uses strong physical power to fight back
While the ship is going under
During a difficult situation where things are falling apart and becoming worse
The pirates will tear us to sunder
If we don't take action, others will take advantage of our struggle and tear us apart
And the land is too far away, land is too far away
Even if there is a way out of our situation, it seems unreachable or too difficult to get to
Would you please promise me, You'll come back to stay, before you're too far away
Please assure me that you'll return and stay with me before it's too late
? topic every every person's why
Everyone has a question or a topic they are curious about
You think you've got it figured like 3,4,5
You believe you have a clear understanding of something, as easy as counting numbers 3, 4 and 5
But now the city's burning down
Presently, the situation is out of control and bad things are happening
To the sea your higher ground
Escaping to the sea may seem like the best option when things are bad
But the sea is too far away, higher ground far away
However, the solution of going to the sea or finding higher ground is too far or unrealistic
Would you please promise me, You'll come back to stay, before you're too far away
Please assure me that you'll return and stay with me before it's too late
When the sea rises up just swallow you
Sometimes unexpected events or situations may cause you to feel overwhelmed and powerless
The wind's so cold and all of you
Describing a situation where everything is against you and you feel hopeless
A new day will come just keep up the fight
Although things may be tough, everything could change, so keep fighting
In the end you'll know whether you were right
When everything is over, you'll be able to realize if your actions were correct
We were never going down for the count
We were always tough and persevering, and never gave up without a battle
We were always going all 10 rounds,
We would fight until the very end, without giving up, even if it takes everything out of us
Yeah, cause are dreams are not too far away
Our aspirations and goals are achievable and not out of reach
Our dreams are not far away
We are able to achieve our dreams and aspirations
Would you please promise me, You'll come back to stay, you're never too far away
Please assure me that you'll always come back and stay, and that you'll never be too far out of reach
You're never too far away, you're never too far away
You are always within reach, and despite the difficulties, there is always a way to come back
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Michael Herrera
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrFrogwaffles
About 14 years ago-ish I caught a guitar pick at their show in Raleigh. Now, 14 years later I'm still listening to them! Still have the pick too.
aspirador de Almeida
Sonzera demais
ta8088
Caught this the other night on Octane and liked it. Watching the video just backs up how much I liked it the first time I heard it. Nice to see bands from my youth still around and not having sold out.
jason hall
This is one of my favorite songs on the record. They have a bunch of goodies on this record. I always liked Mikes tone and singing style but I like that he changed it up on this one. The up-beat drums, lead guitar licks and vocals make this my favorite track. The lead guitar riffs in the intros remind me of Bigwig leads, which I like a lot. I'll see them in NYC next week. I'm one of their biggest fans and I talked a boat-load of my mid-30's friends to attend with me who have never seen them be
Ryker Huizinga
Great lyrics! This song means so much to me.
punkempireinterviews
Wow ! This is really good ! Good job guys ! True to your roots. I dig the video as well. Great job. See you on tour somewhere this year.
hoosierhippy
Awesome, you guys have still got it. Rockin' harder than ever!! Thanks for the music!
lucara
I'm happy to see,that there is still good music out there =)))
Jonatas Ferreira Bianchi
MxPx é uma das poucas bandas que ainda representam o Punk.. Punk's Not Dead !!!
MrEdesign
Just when I needed that extra kick to get this day done! MxPx will always have that sound and special something that none will come close.