Lewis and Sennett are former child actors and were introduced to each other by Tara Subkoff, a mutual friend, in 1993. In 2001, original drummer Dave Rock left the band and was replaced by Boesel.
They began their career on Barsuk Records, releasing Take Offs And Landings in 2001. They moved to Omaha-based indie label Saddle Creek for their second album, 2002's The Execution of All Things. But come time for their third release, More Adventurous in 2004, the band left Saddle Creek for Brute/Beaute, a Warner Bros. imprint.
2004 saw a great increase in recognition for the band, as Sennett and Boesel released an album with their band The Elected and Lewis sang backup on Ben Gibbard's (Death Cab For Cutie) indie electronic side project The Postal Service. Lewis toured with The Postal Service before heading out on two tours in support of Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous in the summer and fall of 2004. The album spent late 2004 high on Billboard Magazine's Heatseekers Chart, success only furthered by appearances on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The band opened for Bright Eyes on the international leg of Conor Oberst's tour for 2005's i'm wide awake, it's morning. In Fall 2005, Rilo Kiley were the opening act for the North American dates of Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour.
Lewis released her first solo album in January of 2006, with Leigh and Chandra Watson as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. The album, entitled Rabbit Fur Coat, was co-produced by Clifford M Ward and Mike Mogis. Furthermore, The Elected released their second album, sun, sun, sun on the same day as Lewis' album.
The 4th Rilo Kiley LP, Under the Blacklight, was released in August 2007. This has a more pop-influenced sound and received mixed reviews.
The band broke up in 2011 after vague statements made by Blake Sennett comparing the band to a "corpse" and referring to disagreements among members.
Patiently
Rilo Kiley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I'm not moving; I'm not leaving.
A thousand miles from who I want to be,
But I'm not dead yet. I'm still breathing,
And patiently, I exist.
You stand out in a crowd
You've got friends, you create with them.
But I'm not dead yet, I'm still breathing.
Patiently and with certainty, I wish.
It just isn't right,
The time of your life spent
Right where you wanna be,
Impatiently
And you just talk,
But you don't stop.
But I'm not dead yet, I'm still breathing
Patiently and with certainty.
It just isn't right,
The time of your life spent
Right where you wanna be.
Providing for mouths, pursuing a family
Right where she wants you to be.
Resigned to these histories, we exist.
The lyrics to Rilo Kiley's song Patiently describe a feeling of being stuck in a place where you don't want to be, but not being ready to leave yet either. The first verse sets the scene of being far from where the singer wants to be, but not making any moves to change that. They feel like they're not fully living, but they're still breathing and taking it all in. The line "patiently, I exist" suggests a sense of resignation, as if the singer is waiting for something to happen rather than taking action themselves.
The second verse seems to be directed at someone else - perhaps someone who seems to have everything the singer wants but who they don't want to become. They admire this person's talent and friends, but there's something about them that makes the singer want them dead. This could represent a fear that if they achieve what this person has, they'll lose themselves in the process. The repeated "I'm not dead yet, I'm still breathing" suggests a determination to keep going, even if it's not in the direction they want to go.
The third verse seems to zoom out from the personal struggle to a more general sense of dissatisfaction with the way things are. The repetition of "it just isn't right" suggests a frustration with the status quo, but the focus remains on the idea that the singer is still breathing and still patient. The final lines - "resigned to these histories, we exist" - suggest that the singer recognizes that they're part of a bigger pattern of people living unsatisfying lives but not really doing anything to change them.
Overall, the lyrics to Patiently capture a sense of restlessness and frustration, but also a sense of resignation and a belief that things will eventually work out - even if they don't quite know how.
Line by Line Meaning
A thousand miles from Indiana,
Although I am far from where I come from, I am not physically moving away.
But I'm not moving; I'm not leaving.
Despite my physical distance from Indiana, I am not leaving my current location.
A thousand miles from who I want to be,
I am far from becoming the person I want to be.
But I'm not dead yet. I'm still breathing,
Although I am not where I want to be, I am still alive and have time to grow.
And patiently, I exist.
I am living my life calmly and peacefully, even though I'm not where I want to be.
You stand out in a crowd
You are noticeable among many people.
But I want you dead; I'm not you yet.
I want to move away from who you are and become my own person.
You've got friends, you create with them.
You have friends and together, you make things.
Patiently and with certainty, I wish.
I long for my future with calmness and certainty.
It just isn't right,
Something is just not correct.
The time of your life spent
The duration of your life so far has been spent.
Right where you wanna be,
In the place where you desire to be.
Impatiently
Without patience or calmness.
And you just talk,
You only speak but do not act.
But you don't stop.
You do not give up.
Providing for mouths, pursuing a family
Taking care of others and trying to build a family.
Right where she wants you to be.
In the place where someone else desires you to be.
Resigned to these histories, we exist.
We live and accept our past experiences.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Blake Sennett, Jenny Diane Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind