Over the Rhine is an American, Ohio-based band, the core of which is the hu… Read Full Bio ↴Over the Rhine is an American, Ohio-based band, the core of which is the husband-and-wife team of pianist/guitarist/bassist Linford Detweiler and vocalist/guitarist Karin Bergquist. The band originally began as a quartet with guitarist Ric Hordinski and drummer Brian Kelley. Hordinski left the band in December 1996, and Kelley continued to play into 1997 before departing. The original foursome has reunited a couple of times recently; first in December of 2008 at The Taft Theatre (in Cincinnati) to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the formation of the band and more recently, in the summer of 2010 at Ric's studio, "the Monastery," to play the album "Good Dog Bad Dog" live, in its entirety.

The band's namesake and place of origin is the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood Over-the-Rhine. Karin attended school in Barnesville, Ohio and graduated from Barnesville High School in 1984. She then went to Malone College, located in Canton, Ohio, where she met Linford. Karin and Linford were married in the fall of 1996 in Cincinnati and several years ago relocated to a pre-civil war farm outside of town.

Over the Rhine is now primarily Bergquist (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano) and Detweiler (keyboards, electric bass, vocals) accompanied by complementary musicians on albums and tours. Over the years, they have toured and recorded in many variations. They have shared the stage with a number of fine musicians, including Bob Dylan, John Prine, Adrian Belew, Squeeze, Ani DiFranco, My Morning Jacket, Hem, and toured as "adjunct" members of Cowboy Junkies.

Over the Rhine's new album, _The Long Surrender_ was released nationally on 1/1/11. It recorded on California with Grammy winning producer, Joe Henry and contains a duet with Lucinda Williams on "Undamned" and two songs co-written with Joe Henry.

Etcetera Whatever
Over the Rhine Lyrics

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Don't speak.
Words come out your eyes.
You're wet with this nightmare.
Like thorns you hold these secrets to your breast,
your slender fingers closing into fists.

Trace your bruise
like a guilty streak.

Hold the pain.
You're a connoisseur.
You think you have no other gift to give,
but we have so much left to live.

We don't need a lot of money.
We'll be sleeping on the beach,
keeping oceans within reach.
(Whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free.)
I will stumble there with you
and you'll be laughing close with me,
trying not to make a scene
etcetera. Whatever. I guess all I really mean

is we're gonna be alright.
Yeah, we're gonna be alright.
You can close your eyes tonight,
'cause we're gonna be alright.

So come on now,
I can almost see
that place
on a distant shore.
And courage is a weapon we must use
to find some life you can't refuse.

We don't need a lot of money.
We'll be sleeping on the beach,
keeping oceans within reach.
(Whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free.)
I will stumble there with you
and you'll be laughing close with me,
trying not to make a scene
etcetera. Whatever. I guess all I really mean

is we're gonna be alright.
Yeah, we're gonna be alright.
You can close your eyes tonight,
'cause we're gonna be alright.
All that I can see is your eyes.

Close your eyes.
Close your eyes.

Overall Meaning

The song "Etcetera Whatever" by Over the Rhine is a ballad about supporting someone who is struggling with grief and hidden pain. The first verse establishes a sense of emotional distress through the imagery of tears coming out of the eyes instead of words. The person is holding onto deep pain like thorns and their fists are tightly clenched. The singer encourages them to share their pain and offers comfort by assuring them that they are not alone.

In the second verse, the singer acknowledges the person's pain as a "gift" that they can offer to support and comfort others who are struggling. The chorus repeats the phrase "we're gonna be alright" multiple times, emphasizing that no matter how heavy the pain is, they will come through it together. The second half of the chorus mentions sleeping on the beach and conjuring up private oceans for free, creating a sense of escape and freedom from the heavy pain.

The song ends with the singer urging the person to close their eyes, promising that they will be alright, and offering to lead them to a distant shore where they can find life they can't refuse. The repeated phrase "close your eyes" is a way of indicating that the pain they are experiencing will pass and that they can rest easy for now.

Overall, "Etcetera Whatever" is a poignant reminder of the power of love and support in the midst of pain and grief.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't speak.
I understand that you are in a difficult place right now and may not be able to articulate what's going on inside of you. That's okay, you don't have to speak.

Words come out your eyes.
Your eyes reveal more than words could ever express. I see the pain and fear in them.

You're wet with this nightmare.
Your emotions are overwhelming you and it feels like a nightmare that you can't wake up from.

Like thorns you hold these secrets to your breast, your slender fingers closing into fists.
You're holding onto these painful secrets tightly, like thorns piercing your heart. Your hands show the tension and struggle you're going through.

Trace your bruise like a guilty streak.
You're almost obsessed with the pain and can't help but trace it over and over. It's like a guilty mark on your skin that you can't ignore.

Hold the pain. You're a connoisseur.
You're so attuned to the pain that you almost appreciate it in a twisted way. It's like you've become a connoisseur of suffering.

You think you have no other gift to give, but we have so much left to live.
You may feel like you're worthless and have nothing to offer, but I believe that there is still so much life ahead of us to experience and enjoy together.

We don't need a lot of money. We'll be sleeping on the beach, keeping oceans within reach.
Money doesn't matter to us. We can be happy with just the essentials, sleeping near the ocean and feeling its vastness and power.

(Whatever private oceans we can conjure up for free.)
We can create our own private oceans of happiness and contentment without needing anything else except each other.

I will stumble there with you, and you'll be laughing close with me, trying not to make a scene etcetera. Whatever.
I'll be there with you every step of the way, making you laugh and helping you forget your troubles. We can be silly and carefree, not worrying about what others think.

I guess all I really mean is we're gonna be alright. Yeah, we're gonna be alright. You can close your eyes tonight, 'cause we're gonna be alright.
There's no need to worry anymore. We're going to make it through the tough times together and come out stronger on the other side. You can rest easy knowing that everything will be alright.

So come on now, I can almost see that place on a distant shore.
Let's keep moving forward towards a brighter future. I can see it just out of reach, but we'll get there eventually.

And courage is a weapon we must use to find some life you can't refuse.
We need to be brave and face our fears in order to find the life that we truly want and deserve. We can't shy away from the challenges ahead of us.

All that I can see is your eyes. Close your eyes. Close your eyes.
I'm totally focused on you right now, and I want you to close your eyes and rest. Let me take care of everything else for you.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LINFORD JEROME DETWEILER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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