Satchel's roots lay in the band Brad, which was originally put together as a one-shot side project for Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard. It was essentially an excuse for a group of friends to unwind and make music for the sheer fun of it. After releasing the album Shame in 1992, Gossard returned to Pearl Jam, while drummer Regan Hagar and singer Smith decided to form a permanent band. After hooking up with guitarist John Hoag and bassist Cory Kane, the newly named Satchel (originally called Bliss) secured a record deal with Epic Records. Their debut, EDC, was released in 1994, and was an unfortunately overlooked masterpiece. The band toured relentlessly, and soon bassist Kane exited, with his replacement being Mike Berg. The album didn't sell in vast quantities as hoped, so the band regrouped and began writing their next one.
Stone Gossard was signed on to co-produce their next album, and the resulting The Family (released in 1996) was a surprisingly mellower affair than the debut. Satchel again embarked on a long tour, and again their album went unnoticed (even an opening slot on an Afghan Whigs tour didn't help). By tour's end, Gossard expressed interest in re-forming Brad with Smith and Hagar, and in contrast to Brad's debut, this time they would tour. The group accepted, and Hoag promptly quit Satchel. Brad's superb Interiors received glowing reviews upon its spring 1997 release. And although the album wasn't a smash, the group obtained a loyal fan base, who made the tour a sold-out success. Brad bassist Jeremy Toback was unable to tour (even though he played on the record), so Satchel bassist Berg stepped in for the duration. This left the future of Satchel up in the air, along with Hoag's exit and the fact that many fans felt Brad should become a permanent band, putting out albums and touring on a regular basis.
Biography by Greg Prato
Willow
Satchel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could we all be so blind?
A lesson in life to last a lifetime
Always and everytime
Hold on with patience, my love
For the present I'm thinking of
Do what you will, what you must
Deserving of my love and trust
Tell me a story
Tell me another one please
I'm sure we'd all love to hear it, go ahead
Oh yea, that's the way everytime
To last a lifetime
This is no time for patience
My friends
Well we ever go this way again?
The lyrics of Satchel's "Willow" revolve around the themes of betrayal, forgiveness, and redemption. The song is a conversation between two individuals or groups, where one seems to have been betrayed by the other but is still willing to forgive and forget. The opening lines "Why did we ever put up with you" and "How could we all be so blind" indicate that the singer and their group have realized that they were wronged but were oblivious to it until now. The following lines "Hold on with patience, my love, for the present I'm thinking of" suggest that despite the betrayal, the singer is willing to wait and give another chance to the one who wronged them.
The chorus of the song, where the singer asks the other to "Tell me a story, Tell me another one please, I'm sure we'd all love to hear it, go ahead", seems to indicate that the singer wants to hear the other person's side of the story. The willingness to listen suggests that the singer is open to understanding the other perspective and is willing to forgive. The lyrics "This is no time for patience, my friends, will we ever go this way again?" indicates that the singer is willing to move on but is wary of being betrayed again.
Overall, the lyrics of "Willow" are a plea for forgiveness and a desire to move on while being cautious of being betrayed again. It suggests that forgiveness is a crucial aspect of any relationship and that one should be willing to listen and understand the other's perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
Why did we ever put up with you
Questioning why we tolerated your behavior for so long
How could we all be so blind?
Expressing disbelief at being oblivious to your true nature
A lesson in life to last a lifetime
Acknowledging that your actions taught us a valuable lesson that we won't forget
Always and everytime
Reiterating the lesson will stick with us forever
Hold on with patience, my love
Encouraging perseverance and endurance through this difficult time
For the present I'm thinking of
Focusing on the present moment and not dwelling on the past
Do what you will, what you must
Accepting your decisions and actions while maintaining a sense of detachment
Deserving of my love and trust
Affirming that despite everything, you still have our love and trust
Willow
Perhaps a reference to strength and resilience
Tell me a story
Requesting a distraction or diversion from our troubles
Tell me another one please
Asking for more stories to keep us entertained and distracted
I'm sure we'd all love to hear it, go ahead
Encouraging the storyteller to continue with their tale without interruption
Oh yea, that's the way everytime
Expressing appreciation for the familiar and predictable nature of stories
To last a lifetime
Hoping that these stories, like the lesson learned, will be remembered and cherished always
This is no time for patience
Indicating that the situation is urgent and requires immediate action
My friends
Addressing those around us and trying to rally them to action
Well we ever go this way again?
Reflecting on whether we will end up in a similar situation again
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ann Ronell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mr. Finkle's Tragedy
The demo of this is the best version, I don't have my copy anymore and its hard to find. From the Beasley Buds cassette demo. Taste it from that same demo is also kick ass.
WARBORN
R.I.P. Shawn you will be missed
Bigrizzle Foshizzle
Flashback to simpler times
Jimandthegringos
Why use drugs when you can cheaply bang your mind with songs like this. All the track is beautiful, but the finale... from 3.00...
da da da dada dada da daaa...
prettyhatemachine
Hold on with patience, my love
For the present I'm thinking of
Do what you will, what you must
Deserving of my love and trust
TheBluridgemountains
Thank you yet again!!!
Kristine Ehlers
Hey I’m having a huge brain fart trying to remember the name of a Shawn smith song. It goes something like let’s be friends, let’s pretend. That’s all I can remember! Driving me crazy. Do you know which one I mean?