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.
The One That Got Away
The Civil Wars Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never meant for this to mean a thing
Oh, I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
I got caught up by the chase
And you got high on every little bit
I wish you were the one
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing, gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
I miss the way you wanted me
When I was staying just out of your reach
Begging for the slightest touch
Ooh, you couldn't get enough, mmm
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing, gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
Got away from me
Got away from me
For anybody has to breathe
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing, gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
I wish you were the one
Oh, I wish you were the one
I wish you were the one that got away
The Civil Wars' "The One That Got Away" is a beautiful ballad about the regret and longing for a love that was never fully realized. The singer is upfront about their culpability in the situation, acknowledging that they "never meant to get us in this deep" and that they "got caught up by the chase." Despite their misgivings, the singer is unable to deny the intensity of their feelings, admitting that they "miss the way you wanted me" and that they "wish you were the one that got away." The song is a bittersweet meditation on the pain of unrequited love, and the lasting impact that it can have on a person's life.
The first verse sets the stage for the song's themes, as the singer admits that they never intended for their relationship to become so intense. They "never meant for this to mean a thing," but are nevertheless consumed by their feelings. The second verse reinforces this idea, as the singer looks back on their initial attraction to the other person. They "only held [them] in [their] mind," but even then, they knew that their feelings would be hard to shake.
The chorus is where the song truly shines, as the singer expresses their longing for the one that got away. They wish that they could go back in time, to a point where their love was still just a "longing, gone without a trace." They regret ever having met the other person, as this only made their feelings stronger. The repeated refrain of "I wish you were the one that got away" is particularly poignant, as it underscores the pain that the singer is experiencing.
Overall, "The One That Got Away" is a hauntingly beautiful song about the trials of love and loss. It is a testament to The Civil Wars' songwriting prowess, as well as their ability to convey difficult emotions with just a few carefully crafted lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I never meant to get us in this deep
I didn't intend for us to get so involved in this relationship
I never meant for this to mean a thing
I didn't think this relationship would turn into something serious
Oh, I wish you were the one
I regret not choosing you instead
Wish you were the one that got away
I wish we never got together in the first place
I got caught up by the chase
I became obsessed with chasing after you
And you got high on every little bit
You enjoyed every little bit of attention I gave you
Oh, if I could go back in time
I wish I could turn back time
When you only held me in my mind
When I only dreamed of being with you
Just a longing, gone without a trace
Just a desire that faded away
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I regret ever laying eyes on you
I miss the way you wanted me
I miss the way you desired me
When I was staying just out of your reach
When I kept myself at a distance from you
Begging for the slightest touch
Longing for any sort of physical affection from you
Ooh, you couldn't get enough, mmm
You were insatiable in your desire for me
Got away from me
You left me
For anybody has to breathe
For anyone to move on and live their life
I wish you were the one
I wish you were the one I chose
I wish you were the one that got away
I wish we never got together in the first place
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, TWENTY TEN MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Charlie Peacock, John White, Joy Elizabeth Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@meghanmcneill5365
@Mcharley Miller I'm a huge fan and have watched, read, and listened to everything I can get my hands on. From what I have gathered every source swears it was "differences of ambition" blah blah blah. My theory is that one or both of them developed feelings and they had to shut the band down to keep their marriages.
JP especially seemed really dedicated to his wife when he thanked her during their last Grammy speech (where Joy was noticeably absent).
He also didn't thank Joy at all which seemed so odd. Like could you really hate someone so much over differences of ambition?
Although I have seen in interviews where JP and Joy talk about being "opposites" of each other. I also saw another interview where there was awkward tension and Joy "joked" about negatives coming into her life when she met JP.
JP also said in an interview once that "If people spent 5 min with them -they'd realize they are NOT a couple".
Joy also mentioned on a podcast she signed an NDA when they broke up. But maybe that is standard procedure when a band breaks up these days?
While I do feel there was some element of romance between them I can only guess on to what extent.
The only pinch of information I found alluding to a romantic relationship was in Joy's NPR where she says this, " But I do think that that was something that could be confusing, both for the audience and for me at times" in regards to marketing themselves to look like a couple.
While this is really really vague she clearly states the lines between pretend and reality got blurred for her at least.
Lastly, I want to add the disclaimer my theory is only my theory and I could be totally wrong. Maybe it's possible they are simply great at acting and looking in love with each other to pull the audience in? If so, it clearly worked on me.
Anyway. I love talking about this band so thanks for asking :)
They were my fav band and I am still mourning their split, but at least we still have the music they made even if there will never be any new material from them.
@JC-rr2kc
Lyrics
I never meant to get us in this deep
I never meant for this to mean a thing
Oh, I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
I got caught up by the chase
And you got high on every little bit
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing, gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
I miss the way you wanted me
When I was staying just out of your reach
Begging for the slightest touch
Ooh, you couldn't get enough, mmm
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing, gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
Got away from me
Got away from me
For anybody has to breathe
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing, gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
I wish you were the one
Oh, I wish you were the one
I wish you were the one that got away
@gizemduman8691
I never meant to get us in this deep
I never meant for this to mean a thing
Oh, I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
I got caught up by the chase
And you got high on every little game
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I'd never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
I miss the way you wanted me
When I was staying just out of your reach
Begging for the slightest touch
Ooh, you couldn't get enough, mmm
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I'd never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
Wish you were the one that got away
Got away from me
Got away from me
Before anybody has to bleed
Oh, if I could go back in time
When you only held me in my mind
Just a longing gone without a trace
Oh, I wish I'd never ever seen your face
I wish you were the one
I wish you were the one
Oh, I wish you were the one
I wish you were the one that got away
@marileedreyer6901
2023 and still gives me chills
@sam8789
Suuuuuch a good song
@tinylilmonster28
Absolutely the same ❤
@skillzisrealz718
The best
@texasskygirl7890
I loved them. Did you ever hear their cover of Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.
@marileedreyer6901
@@texasskygirl7890 omg yes I listened to it on repeat.
@beliteweightmanagement3054
It's 2021 and I'm still not over their breakup...probably never will be sigh
@MoBerrios
2022, same
@NeverlandSystemKitten
Late 2022, same...
@mcharleymiller1291
Same, anyone knows what happened?