Remora Deign was conceived in very early 2004 by bassist Ben Milliron, and Kyle Hoffman (Guitar, vocals). The two had been playing together for awhile in other projects, and had outstanding musical chemistry together. They soon recruited drummer Steve Herrell into the mix and the trio began writing material and playing local shows. A few months later, they added a second guitarist to the equation by the name of Tad Oakes. Now the newly fabricated quartet felt like the mix was complete.They began playing as many shows as possible, though this was always a challenge as all of the members lived quite far away, and Steve had just started college. Regardless of this, they began to thrive and get only better at each practice., and doing as much as they could to pursue their love of this "band." Several months later, they had enough time and money to record their first album titled "Red Skies and Lullabies." The band was very excited to complete this project, and once it was finished, their excitement transformed into disappointment. They realized that the recordings did not live up to their expectations, and knew there were many aspects of the music they had to revamp. The four marched on. They kept writing, playing, and doing their best to not give up, though the challenges only escalated further, due to all four members attending different colleges. In October of 2006, the band made the decision to replace Tad Oakes. They quickly assigned Adam "Hawry" Holley, a long time friend and "fifth unofficial member," to the position. Things stayed this way until June of 2007 when Steve and Adam quit due to their own personal reasons. This left the finishing and Funding of the album in the hands of Ben and Kyle. In order to fill in the gap left by the two departing members, Garth Porter and Corey Swartz agreed to hop on board. Garth now plays Drums and Ben switched to playing guitar so that Corey could play bass. Things have been going great with this new line up and the band has received a new breath of life.
Clementine
Remora Deign Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The resting place of everyone you once knew
You can't cry 'cause there's nothing left inside
At least nothing that you'll ever let them find
My Clementine... Don't say "Goodbye"
My Clementine... I can't take "Goodbye"
He can't help but stand and stare
And tell her to awake
He's shakin' her awake
Now trapped inside a cage, with only one escape
He sits and waits to die
So he can look her in the eye
My Clementine... Don't say "Goodbye"
My Clementine... I can't take "Goodbye"
I see you standing there at the pearly gates
To my surprise you've got a smile on your face
One more exchange of looks to say "I love you so"
Eventually I'll see that I have to let you go
My Clementine... Don't say "Goodbye"
My Clementine... Don't say "Goodbye"
My Clementine... I can't take "Goodbye"
I Can't take good, Can't take good, Can't take "Goodbye"
In Clementine by Remora Deign, the lyrics depict a mournful scene with an individual standing in a grave, emotionally paralyzed and unable to cry. The "hollow grounds" of the cemetery serve as a reminder of the final resting place for their deceased loved ones. The singer remarks that they have nothing left inside, at least nothing that they're willing to share. The song is about grief and loss, with the titular Clementine serving as the symbol of that loss. As the song progresses, the singer begins to hallucinate himself in a labyrinth of sorts, where he is trapped and only has one escape. He imagines himself dying so that he can look Clementine in the eye, and in a way, give closure to his grief.
The song's chorus, "My Clementine... Don't say 'Goodbye'", is a plea from the singer to Clementine, begging her not to leave him. He admits that he "can't take 'Goodbye'", implying that the loss he has experienced has been too much to bear. The chorus repeats twice after the final verse, driving home the point that this experience has altered the singer's perspective on life.
The song's verses are like a series of interconnected scenes, each depicting a different facet of grief. From standing in the cemetery to imagining himself trapped and dying, the singer's thoughts spiral in and out of reality. The song leaves the listener with the sense that the singer is struggling to come to terms with the loss of Clementine, and perhaps he never will.
Line by Line Meaning
These hollow grounds seem like one massive grave to you
To you, the place where you are standing feels like a cemetery.
The resting place of everyone you once knew
Everyone you have known and who has passed on is buried here.
You can't cry 'cause there's nothing left inside
You are unable to shed tears because you feel emotionally empty.
At least nothing that you'll ever let them find
You have buried your emotions and are unwilling to let others see them.
My Clementine... Don't say "Goodbye"
The artist does not want their loved one, Clementine, to leave them forever.
Lying so peaceful there
Clementine is lying peacefully, in eternal rest.
He can't help but stand and stare
The singer cannot help but gaze at Clementine.
And tell her to awake
The artist wishes they could bring Clementine back to life.
He's shakin' her awake
The artist is trying to revive Clementine, but knows they cannot.
Now trapped inside a cage, with only one escape
The artist feels trapped in their grief, with only death as a release.
He sits and waits to die
The singer is waiting for death to come so they can be reunited with Clementine.
So he can look her in the eye
The artist wants to see Clementine again so they can face each other one last time.
I see you standing there at the pearly gates
The singer envisions Clementine at the gates of heaven.
To my surprise you've got a smile on your face
The singer is surprised to see Clementine happy at the gates of heaven.
One more exchange of looks to say "I love you so"
The two share one last loving look to convey their feelings for each other.
Eventually I'll see that I have to let you go
The artist knows that they must eventually move on from their grief and accept Clementine's passing.
I Can't take good, Can't take good, Can't take "Goodbye"
The artist is unable to bear the thought of saying goodbye to Clementine.
Contributed by Charlie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.