Okkervil River is an indie/folk rock band from Austin, Texas USA. Formed i… Read Full Bio ↴Okkervil River is an indie/folk rock band from Austin, Texas USA. Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya. The band currently consists of Will Sheff (vocals, guitar), Will Graefe (guitar), Sarah K. Pedinotti (keyboards), Benjamin Lazar Davis (bass) and Cully Symington (drums).

The band self-released their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, which led them to the South by Southwest music festival. After recording their first album in a garage, they signed with Jagjaguwar. Okkervil River continued by releasing four more albums, including critically lauded concept album Black Sheep Boy.

After a period of touring for Black Sheep Boy, Okkervil River followed up with The Stage Names. The album sold 10,000 in its opening week in the United States. The group released a free covers album, Golden Opportunities Mixtape from their live performances.

The band has garnered positive critical reception. Especially noted are each song's lyrics, intricate instrumentation, and thematic albums. In addition, they were featured on the talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien and have performed with high profile bands such as The Decemberists, The New Pornographers, The National, and Lou Reed.

Okkervil River released their most recent album The Silver Gymnasium on September 3, 2013.

Discography:
* 1998 Bedroom EP – Jound
* 1999 Stars Too Small to Use - Jound
* 2002 Don't Fall in Love with Everyone You See - Jagjaguwar
* 2003 Down the River of Golden Dreams - Jagjaguwar
* 2003 Julie Doiron/Okkervil River (A split CD with Julie Dorion) - Acuarela
* 2004 Sleep and Wake-Up Songs (EP) - Jagjaguwar
* 2004 Sham Wedding/Hoax Funeral (A split CD with Shearwater) - Jagjaguwar
* 2005 Black Sheep Boy - Jagjaguwar
* 2005 Black Sheep Boy Appendix (EP) - Jagjaguwar
* 2006 Overboard and Down (EP) – Inertia, Australia-only tour EP
* 2007 The Stage Names - Jagjaguwar
* 2008 The Stand-Ins - Jagjaguwar
* 2011 I Am Very Far - Jagjaguwar
* 2013 The Silver Gymnasium - ATO Records
* 2016 Away - ATO Records
* 2018 In The Rainbow Rain - ATO Records

Current band members:
* Will Sheff - acoustic guitar, vocals, harmonica (keyboard occasionally)
* Travis Nelsen - drums, misc. percussion
* Scott Brackett - trumpet, coronet, keyboards, organ, tape player, misc. percussion
* Patrick Pestorius - bass, piano, woodblocks
* Justin Sherburn - keys, guitar
* Lauren Gurgiolo - electric guitar, pedal steel, mandolin

Past band members:
* Seth Warren - guitar
* Zachary Thomas - vocals, bass
* Jonathan Meiburg - vocals, banjo, guitar, accordion, piano, organ
* Mark Pedini - drums
* Brian Cassidy - electric guitar, pedal steel, mandolin, melodica (keyboard and accordion when on tour without Jonathan)

Kansas City
Okkervil River Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The river is deep and the river is wide, and the girl that I love is on the other side. She wants to move to Kansas City: “Move, pretty baby, where the sky is so blue.” She's walking down Ellum, turning down Main, trying to find someone to sell her cocaine. She wants to move to Kansas City: “Move, pretty baby, where the sky is so blue.” With a dayful of promises dead on her lips, Mark 15:34 tucked next to her hip, she wants to move to Kansas City: “Move, pretty baby, where the sky is so blue.” I jumped in the water and started to drown. I thought of her walking and turned back around. I want to move to Kansas City, where the sky is so blue. With her pair of old wings that opened just once, she can walk on two feet now, she can go where she wants. She can move to Kansas City, where the sky is so blue. And I'll tell you one thing that you should never do - never let a woman tell you she loves you. She'll call you “baby,” she'll look in your eye, then she'll get on that airplane and wave “bye bye bye bye bye bye, baby.” And if I could believe what I want to believe, I'd hold you all close and take you with me, all of you to Kansas City, where the sky is so blue.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Okkervil River's "Kansas City" tell the story of a woman who is looking to move to Kansas City, leaving behind a lover who jumps in the river but ultimately decides against following her. The imagery of the deep and wide river serves as a metaphor for the distance between the two lovers, with the girl on one side and the singer on the other. She wants to move to Kansas City where the sky is blue, for reasons unstated but perhaps alluding to the promise of a better life. The mention of her seeking out cocaine highlights the desperation and risk-taking actions the girl is willing to undertake to make her move.

The song takes a turn with the mention of Mark 15:34, a biblical reference to Jesus saying "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" This adds a layer of religious and spiritual weight to the story, as if suggesting that the girl is seeking salvation or redemption through her move. The singer ultimately decides not to follow her, realizing that they are not meant to be with each other despite their deep love. The final lines express a desire to take all the people close to him with him to Kansas City, perhaps indicating that the song is also about a broader sense of longing for a different, better life.

Line by Line Meaning

The river is deep and the river is wide, and the girl that I love is on the other side.
The distance between me and my loved one seems insurmountable.

She wants to move to Kansas City: “Move, pretty baby, where the sky is so blue.”
My lover desires to live somewhere with a clear and beautiful sky.

She's walking down Ellum, turning down Main, trying to find someone to sell her cocaine.
My lover is descending into a dangerously unhealthy lifestyle to cope with her difficulties.

With a dayful of promises dead on her lips, Mark 15:34 tucked next to her hip, she wants to move to Kansas City: “Move, pretty baby, where the sky is so blue.”
My lover carries religious scripture and is seeking a fresh start somewhere with a brighter future.

I jumped in the water and started to drown. I thought of her walking and turned back around. I want to move to Kansas City, where the sky is so blue.
Being so consumed by thoughts of my lover, I almost lost myself. I now share her desires to live somewhere different.

With her pair of old wings that opened just once, she can walk on two feet now, she can go where she wants. She can move to Kansas City, where the sky is so blue.
My lover has gained new strength and independence, and can now pursue her dreams elsewhere.

And I'll tell you one thing that you should never do - never let a woman tell you she loves you. She'll call you “baby,” she'll look in your eye, then she'll get on that airplane and wave “bye bye bye bye bye bye, baby.”
Love can hurt and lead to disappointment, and it's better to be wary of trusting others too easily.

And if I could believe what I want to believe, I'd hold you all close and take you with me, all of you to Kansas City, where the sky is so blue.
If I had it my way, I'd take everyone I care about with me to start anew in a better place.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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