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)
On Tour With Zykos
Okkervil River Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take your shit
Take your clothes and get out of my home
Well I want to love me, or I want you long gone
You say your real name is John
Hey thanks John, go sing songs
Go rock on
Think you can get up above me
Well I want you to know
You're a figure of fun to everyone beneath lone-star neon blue broken sign
They wish they were you, like I wish you were mine
What a dumb thing to do
How come I shout "goodbye" when god knows I just want to
Make this white lie big enough to climb inside with you
Another day lost and gone
Clipping pages from the news for the senators son
Well he just strolls through the lobby and glad hands everyone
Another day tossed and done
I go home take off clothes
Smoke a bowl
Watch a whole TV movie
I was supposed to be writing the most beautiful poems
And completely revealing
Divine mysteries up close
I can't say that I'm feeling that much at all
Twenty seven years old
I am discussed with desire by the guys who conspire at the only
Decent bar in town
And they drink MGD's
And they wish they had me like I wish I had fire
What a sad way to be
What a girl who got tired
So I wonder who you got your hooks in tonight
Was she happy to be hooked?
And on your arm did she feel alive?
Her head alright?
The song "On Tour With Zykos" by Okkervil River is a reflective narrative about the emotional turmoil of a young woman on the downside of a romantic relationship. The opening lines describe her frustration with her partner's inability to connect with her emotionally. The line "He gets close, but I choke" suggests her desire for intimacy and vulnerability that is not being met. The subsequent lines "Take your shit, take your clothes, and get out of my home" are her final message that she is done with the relationship. She then questions her own desires, "I want to love me, or I want you long gone."
The chorus is directed at a touring musician named John who seems to be just passing through town, performing gigs, and moving on. She acknowledges that he has achieved a level of success that the locals admire, but she also sees him as a "figure of fun" to those who will never truly know him. The contrast between his apparent fame and her relationship struggles adds to her sense of isolation and loneliness.
The third verse further emphasizes her disillusionment with her life. She starts by implying that she has become disillusioned with her job, alluding to the fact that she is sleeping with a senator's son, hence the line "clipping pages from the news for the senator's son/ Well, he just strolls through the lobby and glad hands everyone." The lines "I was supposed to be writing the most beautiful poems/ And completely revealing/ Divine mysteries up close" suggest that she has deeper creative aspirations but has yet to realize them. The fourth and final verse is a reflection of her isolation as she wonders whom her ex-partner might be with and how their relationship compares to her own experiences.
Overall, "On Tour With Zykos" is a song about emotional complexity and the inevitable journey towards self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
He gets close, but I choke
I have feelings for him, but when we get intimate, I panic and push him away
Take your shit
Take your belongings and leave my house
Take your clothes and get out of my home
Not only should you take your belongings, but also leave my house right now
Well I want to love me, or I want you long gone
If he does not love me, then I want him to leave and never come back
You say your real name is John
He goes by a different name than his real one
Hey thanks John, go sing songs
John should leave and continue performing to his fans
Go rock on
Keep up with the good work, keep being successful
Roll your crew on down the road to the next sold out show
Continue on touring with your band and go perform for your fans
Think you can get up above me
Do not get overconfident and believe you are better than me
Well I want you to know
I need to let him know my feelings, good or bad
You're a figure of fun to everyone beneath lone-star neon blue broken sign
Everyone in this small town mocks him and finds him amusing, right under the bright and broken sign of the bar
They wish they were you, like I wish you were mine
As much as people here joke about John, they wish they had his talent, just as much as I wish he was my partner
What a dumb thing to do
It was a fool's errand to ever pursue John
How come I shout "goodbye" when god knows I just want to
I wish John could stay, but I need to let him go
Make this white lie big enough to climb inside with you
I need to say a goodbye that is so big that we will both remember it forever
Another day lost and gone
Another day that has been wasted and gone by
Clipping pages from the news for the senators son
I work a mundane job cutting articles for a politician's son
Well he just strolls through the lobby and glad hands everyone
The politician's son gets to simply walk through the lobby and shake hands with everyone
Another day tossed and done
Another day that had no impact and is now finished
I go home take off clothes
I come home from work and take off all my clothes
Smoke a bowl
I smoke some marijuana to relax my nerves
Watch a whole TV movie
I sit back and watch an entire movie on TV, unwinding from the day
I was supposed to be writing the most beautiful poems
I had grand plans for the day, but never got around to writing my poetry
And completely revealing
I wanted my poetry to be as honest and revealing as possible
Divine mysteries up close
The poetry I wanted to write centered around close, personal secrets that would reveal something truly divine
I can't say that I'm feeling that much at all
However, I am feeling numb and creatively blocked today
Twenty seven years old
I am twenty-seven years old, still striving to find my creative path in life
I am discussed with desire by the guys who conspire at the only
Men at the only decent bar in town discuss me and make plans
Decent bar in town
There is only one bar worth going to in this town
And they drink MGD's
These men drink Miller Genuine Draft beers
And they wish they had me like I wish I had fire
These men wish they had me, just as much as I wish I had some sort of spark of inspiration
What a sad way to be
It is a pathetic way to live, craving inspiration, but finding nothing instead
What a girl who got tired
I am a girl who has gotten tired of looking for inspiration to write beautiful poems and create beautiful art
So I wonder who you got your hooks in tonight
I cannot help but wonder who John is spending time with tonight
Was she happy to be hooked?
I wonder if his new love interest is happy to be with him
And on your arm did she feel alive?
I wonder if John’s new love interest feels alive and happy when he is around
Her head alright?
I am concerned about John’s new love interest, wondering if she is okay
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: WILL ROBINSON SHEFF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind