The Eames Era were a Baton Rouge, Louis… Read Full Bio ↴Louisiana, USA (2002 - 2008)
The Eames Era were a Baton Rouge, Louisiana based indie pop quintet founded by New Orleans guitarists Grant Widmer and Ted Joyner. The band started its way in 2002, Grant and Ted's junior year at Louisiana State University, when the two former high school friends enlisted drummer Greg Gauthreaux and bass player Brian Waits to form "The Double Zeros". Singer Ashlin Phillips auditioned for the band in December 2002, after work had begun writing and practicing for the band's first gig. The band's name honors famed designers Charles and Ray Eames.
By 2003 the now complete lineup became "The Eames Era" and had begun recording a 3-track demo in Grant's garage. Later that year the band signed on to the C Student Records label to release their first single "Could Be Anything" April 2004. After winning an award at the university's annual independent film festival they embarked on their first tour along the east coast. Upon returning the band released "The Second EP" on the C Student label.
The album's lead track Could Be Anything was featured on the Abercrombie & Fitch website and two television shows (Grey's Anatomy and Falcon Beach) and had received major airplay on college radio stations nationwide. In October 2005, shortly after graduating from Louisiana State University, the band released their full-length debut Double Dutch. The week of the album's release, the band's tour bus got in an accident with a military truck on the way home from a photo shoot, thus canceling a tour booked for November that year. The military truck was only in the area for Hurricane Katrina aid, making the whole event even more painful for the Louisiana based band, who were surely affected from the hurricane.
In 2007, The Eames Era won $2500 in the Yaris SXSW band video contest. . In April 2007, the band released its second full-length album, "Heroes and Sheroes." The song "When You Were a Millionaire" from that album was featured on MTV's new reality show "I'm from Rolling Stone", running at the beginning and end of each of the ten episodes. That song as well as "Watson On Your Side" have videos made by Untucked Films.
In April 2008, Grant Widmer wrote music blog The Rocklist Society to let them know the band had decided to go their separate ways: "That's right, The Eames Era are no more. Ashlin and Greg moved to Chicago in the past few months and they are on to other things. Ted, Brian and I have also moved to New Orleans and we are hard at work on a new album. As I said before, Brian got married this week and his life has been very busy so it's still unclear what kind of role he'll have in the new group. But Ted and I have been traveling to record with Daniel Black, the producer of our last album, in D.C. since January. We are about 1/3 finished and hope to be all done in May. Then it will be time to tour for a while."
Promises
The Eames Era Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You better believe what I say
You better hold on to your promises
Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve
She's going to leave him over
She's gonna take her love away
So much for your eternal vows, well
It does not matter anyway
Why can't you stay here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me
Oh, all the promises we made
All the meaningless and empty words
I prayed, prayed, prayed
Oh, all the promises we broke
All the meaningless and empty words
I spoke, spoke, spoke
Do-do-do, Do-do-do,
Do-do-do, Do-do-do
What of all the things that you taught me
What of all the things that you'd say
What of all your prophetic preaching
You're just throwing it all away
Maybe we should burn the house down
Have ourselves another fight
Leave the cobwebs in the closet
Cuz tearing them out is just not right
Why can't you stay here awhile
Stay here awhile
Stay with me, oh oh!
Oh eh, oh eh, oh eh,
oh eh (times 4)
Do-do-do
Do-do-do
Do-do-do
Do-do-do
The Eames Era's song Promises is a melancholic take on broken promises and vows. The song begins with a warning of impending consequences, emphasizing the importance of keeping one's promises. The lyrics suggest that those who don't keep their promises will eventually receive their comeuppance, as the singer sings "you bet, you'll get what you deserve." The song then shifts the focus to a relationship that is falling apart. The woman in the relationship is leaving her partner, and the lyrics suggest that promises made in the past hold little meaning in the present, as the singer sings "so much for your eternal vows, well, it does not matter anyway."
The chorus sees the singer pleading with their partner to stay with them, emphasizing the importance of keeping each other's promises. The second verse continues to lament broken promises and meaningless words, indicating a sense of frustration and disappointment. The bridge sees the singer questioning the teachings and preaching of their partner, suggesting that they are no longer worthy of respect. The song concludes with an ambiguous but powerful ending, as the singer suggests burning their house down and leaving the past behind.
Overall, Promises is an emotional song that paints a vivid picture of the pain and frustration that comes with broken promises. It highlights the importance of staying true to one's word and the consequences that come with failing to do so. The song's haunting melody and poignant lyrics make it a standout track in The Eames Era's discography.
Line by Line Meaning
You better believe I'm coming
I am committed to coming and you can trust me
You better believe what I say
What I am saying is true and you can trust me
You better hold on to your promises
Keep your word because you will get what you deserve
Because you bet, you'll get what you deserve
If you keep your promises, you will receive what you deserve
She's going to leave him over
She will break up with her partner because of his actions
She's gonna take her love away
She will withdraw her love from her partner
So much for your eternal vows, well
Your promises of forever don't mean anything now
It does not matter anyway
The situation is hopeless and nothing can be done
Why can't you stay here awhile
I want you to spend more time with me
Stay here awhile
Be with me for a longer period of time
Stay with me
I want you to be in my life
Oh, all the promises we made
We made a lot of promises to each other
All the meaningless and empty words
Our promises were shallow and insincere
I prayed, prayed, prayed
I hoped and wished for us to keep our promises
Oh, all the promises we broke
We did not keep most of our promises
All the meaningless and empty words
Our promises were shallow and insincere
I spoke, spoke, spoke
I made a lot of promises that I did not keep
What of all the things that you taught me
I learned a lot from you, what about it?
What of all the things that you'd say
What about all the words you said to me?
What of all your prophetic preaching
What about your preachings that were meant to foresee the future?
You're just throwing it all away
You are disregarding everything you taught or said to me
Maybe we should burn the house down
We should destroy everything and start fresh
Have ourselves another fight
We need to fight again to sort out our issues
Leave the cobwebs in the closet
We should leave our past problems behind us
Cuz tearing them out is just not right
It is not healthy to continually bring up past problems
Oh eh, oh eh, oh eh,
An expression of disappointment and frustration
Oh eh (times 4)
An expression of disappointment and frustration
Do-do-do
Vocalization of the instrumental
Do-do-do
Vocalization of the instrumental
Do-do-do
Vocalization of the instrumental
Do-do-do
Vocalization of the instrumental
Writer(s): Dolores Mary O'riordan Copyright: Juztol Ltd.
Contributed by Brody A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.