The band's lineup has changed frequently during its career, with founding members Miller and Prystowsky being the only constants. Former members include Dan Lefkowitz (guitar) (2006–2007), Mat Davidson (bass) (2009–2011), Jocie Adams (vocals, organ, clairinet) (2007–2013), Mike Irwin (guitar, bass, trumpet) (2011–2013) and Tyler Osborne (guitar, bass). Adams, the longest serving member other than Miller and Prystowsky, amicably left the group in 2013 to focus on her other band Arc Iris.
Ben Knox Miller and Jeffrey Prystowsky met while DJing an overnight jazz show on a Brown University radio station, WBRU. They became friends and teammates for a local wood-bat baseball team called the Providence Grays. Miller and Prystowsky played in various ensembles together ranging from classical and jazz to electronica, and the Low Anthem was formed in 2006. In the fall of 2006, Dan Lefkowitz, a bluesman from Strasburg, Virginia, joined the band and contributed to its evolving brand of songwriting with his song “This God Damn House." Early in 2007, Lefkowitz left the band to pursue simple living in a yurt in Arkansas. The band became a trio again in late 2007 with the addition of classical composer and clarinetist Jocie Adams, a fellow student and former NASA employee, who joined the band after a late-night recording session for the band's album What The Crow Brings. She appears on vocals and clarinet on the album's closing track, "Coal Mountain Lullaby."
What the Crow Brings was recorded in Miller’s and Prystowsky’s apartments over several months and was then self-released on October 2, 2007. The band took on every aspect of manufacturing the album including dumpster diving for empty cereal boxes to fold into album sleeves to creating the silkscreens for the album art, to hand painting and serial-numbering 600 copies of the album.
The Low Anthem recorded and self-released its second album, Oh, My God, Charlie Darwin on September 2, 2008. The band traveled to Block Island in the middle of winter and spent ten days recording the tracks that would become the album, with engineer and co-producer Jesse Lauter. After the album was completed, the band returned to the island to handpaint and silkscreen the first 2000 copies of the album The band did a release tour booked by booking agent Jeff "The Scarecrow" Jones.
While touring, the Low Anthem first gained some recognition in the UK when Rough Trade Shops decided to make it an Album of the Month. End of the Road Festival then booked the band and released a 7” single of "Charlie Darwin" coinciding with the celebration of Darwin Day.
The band signed record deals with both Nonesuch Records and the UK label Bella Union and both rereleased Oh, My God, Charlie Darwin after Bob Ludwig re-mastered the disc. There was new artwork and the track order was resequenced.
In the summer of 2009, the band played US festivals Bonnaroo, Lollapalloza, the Newport Folk Festival, and Austin City Limits. In addition to headlining shows throughout Europe, The Low Anthem also played Glastonbury, Hyde Park Calling, Wireless, and End of the Road Festivals in the UK. Matt Davidson became a member of the band shortly before the band's Autumn 2009 tour.
In November, The Low Anthem released its debut music video for Charlie Darwin, a claymation work by Glenn Taunton and Simon Taffe. On November 20, 2009, The Low Anthem made its television debut on Later... with Jools Holland.
The beginning of 2010 saw the band's first US television appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, where it performed "Charlie Darwin", and a short tour in Europe, including its biggest headlining show at Shepherds Bush Empire. The band returned to the US to support The Avett Brothers and then completed its first headline tour of the USA.
From December 2009 until February 2010, the band recorded its fourth album, Smart Flesh, in the abandoned Porino’s pasta sauce factory in Central Falls, RI. The album was engineered by Jesse Lauter and mixed by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes. The album was released February 22, 2011. The band released "Ghost Woman Blues", the first song on the record as a free download in December on its Web site. The band appeared again on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 12, 2011, performing "Ghost Woman Blues."
In July 2011, Matt Davidson played his final show with The Low Anthem. He has been replaced by Mike Irwin. Multi-instrumentalist Tyler Osbourne joined the band in December 2011.
On December 20, 2011, the band released an album for free under the alter-ego Snake Wagon, entitled "Have Fun With Snake Wagon". The album was recorded during the same sessions as Smart Flesh. The band has also recorded a soundtrack album for the upcoming film "Arcadia" for release in 2012.
Home I'll Never Be
The Low Anthem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To go across the country without a bad blame dime
Montana in the cold cold fall
Found my father in the gambling hall
Father, Father where you been?
I've been out in the world and I'm only ten
Father, Father where you been?
Don't worry about me if I should die of pleurisy
Across to Mississippi, across to Tennessee
Across the Niagara, home I'll never be
Home in ol' Medora, home in ol' Truckee
Apalachicola, home I'll never be
Better or for worse, thick and thin
Like being married to the Little poor man
God he loves me (God he loves me)
Just like I love him (just like I love him)
I want you to do (I want you to do)
Just the same for him (just the same for him, yeah)
Well the worms eat away but don't worry watch the wind
So I left Monatana on an old freight train (on an old freight train)
The night my father died in the cold cold rain (in the cold cold rain)
Road to Opelousas, road to Wounded Knee
Road to Ogallala home I'll never be
Road to Oklahoma, road to El Cahon
Road to Tahachapi, road to San Antone
Hey, hey
Road to Opelousas, road to Wounded Knee
Road to Ogallala, home I'll never be
Road to Oklahoma, road to El Cahon
Road to Tahachapi, road to San Antone
Home I'll never be, home I'll never be
The Low Anthem's song "Home I'll Never Be" is a haunting tune that tells a story of a young boy who leaves New York in 1949 with no money and sets out on a journey across the country. He travels from Montana, where he finds his father gambling, and continues on to places like Mississippi, Tennessee, Niagara, and Apalachicola. The boy's father seems absent in his life and the boy is left to fend for himself, even though he is only ten years old. The song is filled with images of the boy's travels, both physically and emotionally, and the longing for a place to call home that he knows he will never find.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the boy's journey, taking the listener on a ride across America. The use of repetition, like "Father, Father where you been?" emphasizes the boy's loneliness and desperation for connection. His father's response of "I've been out in the world and I'm only ten" underscores the idea that the boy is left to face adulthood on his own. The final verse of the song suggests a hopelessness and acceptance of his wandering fate, and the line "Home I'll never be" is repeated as a heartbreaking refrain.
Overall, the song is a poignant commentary on the isolation and displacement that can come with a life on the road. The singer seeks a sense of belonging, but ultimately realizes that he may never find it.
Line by Line Meaning
I left New York in 1949
I departed New York in 1949
To go across the country without a bad blame dime
To journey across the country without any money
Montana in the cold cold fall
Arriving in Montana during the cold autumn
Found my father in the gambling hall
Discovered my father in a gambling hall
Father, Father where you been?
Asking my father where he has been
I've been out in the world and I'm only ten
Father replies that he has been exploring the world despite being only ten years old
Don't worry about me if I should die of pleurisy
Telling others not to worry if they contract pleurisy and die
Across to Mississippi, across to Tennessee
Traveling across Mississippi and Tennessee
Across the Niagara, home I'll never be
Crossing the Niagara River but realizing that home will never be reached
Home in ol' Medora, home in ol' Truckee
Reflecting on homes in Medora and Truckee
Apalachicola, home I'll never be
Acknowledging that Apalachicola would never be a true home
Better or for worse, thick and thin
Staying loyal in any situation
Like being married to the Little poor man
Comparing the commitment to being married to a poor man
God he loves me (God he loves me)
Expressing belief in God's love
Just like I love him (just like I love him)
Claiming to love God reciprocally
I want you to do (I want you to do)
Asking others to show the same love for God
Just the same for him (just the same for him, yeah)
Encouraging others to have equal love for God
Well the worms eat away but don't worry watch the wind
Acknowledging that corpses will decompose but it's okay as long as one lives in spirit
So I left Monatana on an old freight train (on an old freight train)
Departing Montana by an old freight train
The night my father died in the cold cold rain (in the cold cold rain)
The night of my father's death in cold rain
Road to Opelousas, road to Wounded Knee
Traveling towards Opelousas and Wounded Knee
Road to Ogallala home I'll never be
Realizing that home will never be reached, even when going down the road to Ogallala
Road to Oklahoma, road to El Cahon
Traveling down the road to Oklahoma and El Cajon
Road to Tahachapi, road to San Antone
Traveling down the road to Tahachapi and San Antonio
Home I'll never be, home I'll never be
Confirming that home will never be reached
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, JALMA MUSIC
Written by: JACK KEROUAC, TOM WAITS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TheMotorcycleBoy94
Saw these guys live, awesome musicians all of them, and awesome people to boot, just because of this cover if nothing else
FigNewton88
Hot damn... how cool is this? B'lls to the Wlls.. Jammin! Yowza!
Phil S
Made me buy rest of their albums! Lol so different
George Cairns
Haha this is a tad different to Jack's near-whisper...
Niels
a cover of a cover haha