Together, they recorded a 5 track demo in Enders' basement and sent it, along with a poorly edited videotape to only one label: Drive-Thru Records.
A couple of months passed while both Sacco and Anello had to budge for more skilled replacements, Steve Nakovich (guitar) and Mike Klemash (bass), until the band got in touch with Richard Reines of Drive-Thru, who luckily was visiting their hometown and agreed to meet with the band to give advice.
Stunned by what he had heard, Reines returned to California to discuss a possible signing with Drive-Thru co-owner Stefanie Reines. A few weeks and yet another line-up change later (Joe Marro joined for Nakovich), Drive-Thru signed The Early November and put them, despite their practically non-existent on stage experience, on 2002's Skate and Surf Fest and on selected dates of the Warped Tour.
Klemash and Marro left the band before the recording of their debut EP For All of This. Anello re-joined on bass, while a temporary second guitarist was found in John Dubitsky. The CD came out on Drive-Thru Records in early November 2002. Enders recorded The Acoustic EP on his own, featuring acoustic versions of most songs off their debut EP, which was released a mere two months later. Simultaneously, guitarist Marro had re-joined the band in exchange for Dubitsky.
Throughout 2003, the band continued to tour and write songs in preparation for their first full-length CD The Room's Too Cold, which was released in fall of that year. Soon afterwards, Enders recorded a solo record under the name I Can Make a Mess Like Nobody's Business. The CD was almost scrapped due to Enders wanting to focus on The Early November after Kummer left the band in summer 2004 and re-joined two weeks later.
While in the long and grueling process of recording their second full-length, the band had their guitar tech Bill Lugg aka UltraBill join, and the triple disc entitled The Mother, the Mechanic and the Path was released on July 11, 2006.
On March 13th, 2007, TEN announced that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus after they complete their current tour. They announced this both online and at their show at the Meridian in Houston that night. They played their last show at the Bamboozle Festival in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on May 6th, 2007, and left open the possibility of one day returning to the stage but were grateful for everyone who supported them throughout the past 6 years.
An official statement from the band:
We would like to announce that at end of our upcoming headlining tour, The Early November will be taking an indefinite hiatus.
Throughout the past six years we have released two LP’s, two EP’s, played over one thousand shows, seen six wonderful countries, have met thousands of great people, made life-long friends, and have broken countless amounts of instruments. We have done more than we have ever thought possible for a small rock band out of southern New Jersey. We are very proud and very grateful of every moment we have spent as The Early November.
In case any of you are wondering, this is not a result of anything one can consider negative. No fighting, no one hates each other, no one has a substance abuse problem… none of the typical baggage that is usually carried along with rock bands taking a hiatus. The situation is actually much the opposite. We all love and care for on another tremendously. We’re as close of friends as we have ever been and, as long as the five of us exist, we will continue to be so. This “hiatus” or “break” is just a result of time and life. As we grow older, priorities change. We’ve decided we need to take some time and see that life isn’t all dirty rock clubs, rest stops at 2 am, and long distance phone calls. We have to be where we haven’t been in the past six years; with our friends, family, and loved ones.
We hope this isn’t completely somber news to anyone of you. We want to view it almost in the same way many cultures view the passing of a friend or loved one. Not to mourn but to celebrate their life and memory. In our small way, we’d like to do the same. We invite you to come and send off something that has meant so much to the five of us for so long. We may or may not be coming back. Who knows. But for now, all we can say is “Thank You.” “Thank You,” to everyone who was or has been a part of making our dreams a reality. Most importantly, “Thank You” to every single TEN fan. We hope you guys understand. We truly love all of you.
- Ace, Joe, Jeff, Serg, Bill
The Early November
Ace carried on writing his solo project and released The World We Know in 2010.
Since then, the band have announced their reunion 2011, and have done a full US tour in 2012. Their first album since the break is set to be released Summer 2012.
Runaway
The Early November Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause it's the last you'll ever see because I'm leaving tonight.
And just think about it, you'll never have to be embarrassed,
In front of your friends and family again, so enjoy it.
And the air will be better,
It will feel much thinner.
There will be no more excuses,
And no more covering up your face.
And I'm going to run away with my baby,
Get married and maybe someday we'll have kids that you'll never meet.
And I'm gonna tell them stories of how the grandpa would bathe in the glory of all his power,
And use his fake friends.
And see the air will be better,
It will feel much thinner.
It will feel like heaven.
It will feel so good when I am gone.
Now see I don't know what you think, you're just a kid.
Only 18, where do you think you're going?
See, you've got nothing to stand on,
You don't have a better place to live.
And you'll be wishing that you never left.
And the air will be thicker,
It will be hard to breathe sometimes.
You won't know what hit you,
You'll be sad and lonely before you know it.
Now, don't go make a decision that's going to leave your life down a collision course of failure.
But you're a grown up now, you're 18.
Just don't come running back to me when you need something,
My door is locked.
And the air will be humid,
It will give you headaches.
It will make you sweat.
It will be a mistake if you go,
And I won't be there to cover up your tracks no more.
Dad, I'm leaving tonight,
You can't scare me anymore.
And I don't need this in my life,
I don't need it anymore.
Dad, I'm leaving tonight,
You can't scare me anymore.
And I don't need this in my life,
I don't need it anymore.
Goodbye.
The Early November's song "Runaway" tells the story of a teenage protagonist who is fed up with their current situation and decides to leave everything behind without looking back. The track begins with the singer addressing someone, perhaps a parent or guardian, who had been causing them embarrassment and shame. They announce that they are leaving and will never have to feel ashamed again. The singer is escaping to begin a new life with a partner, have children, and create new memories that don't include those that made them feel trapped in the past.
There is a level of uncertainty and fear surrounding the singer's decision to run away. Their father tries to scare them into staying, but the singer is determined to leave and start anew. The song ends with them saying goodbye and leaving everything behind.
The lyrics of "Runaway" embody the struggles that many teenagers face as they try to find themselves and make their own way in the world. Often, they feel trapped by familial and societal expectations, and leaving everything behind may seem like the only way to achieve true freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Alright, now take one look at me,
Please pay attention to me for a moment.
Cause it's the last you'll ever see because I'm leaving tonight.
I'm leaving you forever and this is the last time we'll see each other.
And just think about it, you'll never have to be embarrassed,
You won't have to feel awkward or ashamed anymore.
In front of your friends and family again, so enjoy it.
You can relax and be yourself around other people.
And the air will be better,
The atmosphere will be more pleasant.
It will feel much thinner.
The air will be easier to breathe and feel lighter.
There will be no more excuses,
You won't have any more justifications or explanations to give.
And no more covering up your face.
You won't need to hide or cover up what you're feeling anymore.
And I'm going to run away with my baby,
I am leaving with my partner.
Get married and maybe someday we'll have kids that you'll never meet.
We may get married and have children who you will never know.
And I'm gonna tell them stories of how the grandpa would bathe in the glory of all his power,
I will tell my children how my father was obsessed with his own power and influence.
And use his fake friends.
And how he relied on fake friends for support and validation.
And see the air will be better,
The environment and circumstances will be improved.
It will feel much thinner.
The air will feel refreshing and light.
It will feel like heaven.
It will feel like a heavenly relief.
It will feel so good when I am gone.
I will feel so much better when I am not around anymore.
Now see I don't know what you think, you're just a kid.
I don't know what's going on in your mind, you're young and inexperienced.
Only 18, where do you think you're going?
You're only 18, what do you know about life and where it will take you?
See, you've got nothing to stand on,
You don't have any solid foundation or experience to rely on.
You don't have a better place to live.
You don't have a better living situation or prospects.
And you'll be wishing that you never left.
You will regret your decision to leave and wish to go back.
And the air will be thicker,
The atmosphere will be more clingy and stifling.
It will be hard to breathe sometimes.
Breathing might require extra effort or present challenges.
You won't know what hit you,
You will be taken by surprise by the difficult reality of your situation.
You'll be sad and lonely before you know it.
You will feel unhappy and alone sooner than you would expect.
Now, don't go make a decision that's going to leave your life down a collision course of failure.
Don't make a choice that will steer your life towards failure and disaster.
But you're a grown up now, you're 18.
However, you are a legal adult now that you are 18 years old.
Just don't come running back to me when you need something,
Don't expect me to be there for you when you need help.
My door is locked.
I will not welcome you back into my life with open arms.
And the air will be humid,
The environment and conditions will be uncomfortable and stifling.
It will give you headaches.
It will cause discomfort and pain, both literally and figuratively.
It will make you sweat.
It will cause you to feel nervous and anxious.
It will be a mistake if you go,
It will be a mistake if you decide to leave.
And I won't be there to cover up your tracks no more.
You won't have my support to help you hide or fix your mistakes anymore.
Dad, I'm leaving tonight,
Dad, I am leaving and this is my final goodbye.
You can't scare me anymore.
I am no longer intimidated or afraid of you.
And I don't need this in my life,
I don't want to have this stress or negativity in my life anymore.
I don't need it anymore.
I have grown beyond this and I don't need it anymore.
Goodbye.
Farewell and good riddance.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind