Williams and White met in 2008, during a song-writing session or "writing camp" at a music studio in Nashville, Tennessee. According to Williams, the idea for the band's name came as she "was driving around town looking at all the Civil War monuments." Their first recording was of a 2009 performance at Eddie's Attic in Georgia which they released as a free Internet download called Live at Eddie's Attic. Later that year, they released a digital extended-play album, called Poison & Wine, produced by Charlie Peacock, and the title song appeared on the TV show Grey's Anatomy.
In 2011, The Civil Wars released the album Barton Hollow; which reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart, No. 54 on the UK Albums Chart and received Grammy nominations in the Best Folk Album and Best Country Duo/Group Performance categories. The album was included on several critics' Best Albums of 2011 lists, including NPR Music, Paste, Time, Associated Press, AllMusic.com The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and USA Today. They released the singles "Tracks in the Snow" and "Safe & Sound".
In 2012, The Civil Wars partnered with T-Bone Burnett on the film score for the documentary A Place At The Table (previously known as Finding North) and collaborated on the song "Lily Love" with The Chieftains. They released a 7" vinyl album with cover versions of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" and Portishead's "Sour Times" in April. The duo was featured in American Way magazine, USA Today, on the cover of Billboard, and released a photo book called To Whom It May Concern.
In November 2012, the duo went on hiatus, citing "internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition". In August 2014, The Civil Wars announced an official break-up through press release.
Falling
The Civil Wars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haven't you noticed me drifting
Oh
Let me tell you I am
Tell me it's nothing
Try to convince me that I'm not drowning
Oh
Please
Please tell me you know
I've got to let you go
I can't help falling out of love with you
Ooh
Why I am feeling so guilty
Why I am holding my breath
Worry about everyone but me and I just keep losing myself
Tell me it's nothing
Try to convince me that I'm not drowning
Oh
Let me tell you I am
Please
Please tell me you know
I've got to let you go
I can't help falling out of love with you
Won't you read my mind
Don't you make me like you
And I hear
Please
Please tell me you know
I've got to let you go
I can't help falling out of love with you
With you
Ooh
Ooh
Haven't you noticed
I'm sleepwalking
The lyrics to "Falling" by The Civil Wars tell the story of a person who is slowly falling out of love with their partner. The opening line, "Haven't you seen me sleepwalking 'cause I've been holding your hand," implies that the singer has been going through the motions of the relationship while feeling disconnected from their partner. The following line, "Haven't you noticed me drifting," reinforces this idea of emotional disengagement. The singer then pleads for their partner to acknowledge this distance, saying, "Tell me it's nothing / Try to convince me that I'm not drowning / Oh / Let me tell you I am."
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's conflicting emotions. They feel guilty for falling out of love and are ignoring their own needs while worrying about others. The line, "Worry about everyone but me and I just keep losing myself," reveals the singer's struggle to prioritize their own well-being, which is ultimately leading them to feel like they can't continue the relationship. The chorus is repeated twice, with the final plea for their partner to understand and let them go.
Overall, the lyrics in "Falling" convey a sense of melancholy and bittersweet acceptance of the end of a relationship. The singer is conflicted and unsure of what to do, but ultimately knows that they need to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
Haven't you seen me sleepwalking 'cause I've been holding your hand
I've been going through the motions of our relationship without fully being present, and you haven't even noticed.
Haven't you noticed me drifting
I've been feeling disconnected from you and our relationship, and it seems like you haven't realized.
Oh
Let me tell you I am
I'm telling you that I'm drifting away and losing my feelings for you, even if you don't want to hear it.
Tell me it's nothing
Try to convince me that I'm not drowning
Oh
Let me tell you I am
You're trying to downplay the problems in our relationship, but I feel like I'm suffocating and can't keep going like this.
Please
Please tell me you know
I've got to let you go
I can't help falling out of love with you
Ooh
I need you to understand that I need to end things, even if it's hard, because I can't keep loving you the way I used to.
Why I am feeling so guilty
Why I am holding my breath
Worry about everyone but me and I just keep losing myself
I'm struggling with guilt and anxiety about ending things, but I'm also realizing that I've been neglecting my own needs and feelings for too long.
Won't you read my mind
Don't you make me like you
And I hear
I don't want you to try to change my mind or make me feel differently; I need you to respect my decision to let go.
Please
Please tell me you know
I've got to let you go
I can't help falling out of love with you
With you
Ooh
Ooh
Once again, I'm asking you to understand that I have to end things, even if it hurts, because I've fallen out of love with you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John White, Joy Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@s.jillianslack1460
We’re about to welcome 2022 and I’m still mourning the breakup of these two.
@BluegrassGirl
Same!
@meghanmonroe
Word. Although in rewatching their live interactions, I see some passive aggressive stuff happening, mostly from Joy's end. I dunno if I'm imagining it since I don't really know the dynamic or what exactly happened. But for their sakes, I'm glad they split if it made them happier. An amicable divorce, if you will.
@Oferdrincere
Almost the end of 2022.. I'm always upset about them breaking up
@sara_robin1234
Almost 2023 and same.
@jademorris9932
@@sara_robin1234 2023 and still mourning
@sydneymoore4319
2023 and I'm still mourning that I'll never get more music from these two together. 💔
@BcRockon
One of the greatest duos ever created and abandoned. I can't speak for them. But certainly they must miss the music they made. Magic in a bottle. Sad they had their differences. Feel like Netflix needs to explain this all to us one day.
@emmaandtheblues
They sing like it's a secret. I'm so in love with these guys.
@grantstevens8099
I'm eight years late to this comment, but damn, you're so right. "They sing like it's a secret." Beautifully said.