(2) The Maccabees (2002-2016, 2024-present) are an indie rock band from London, UK. The line-up consisted of Orlando Weeks (vocals), Hugo White (guitar), Felix White (guitar, vocals), Rupert Jarvis (bass) and Sam Doyle (drums), who replaced Robert Dylan Thomas. Weeks stated once that the band came up with the name by flicking through the Bible and picking out a random word. Despite adopting a name with religious connotations, he affirmed that none of the band are religious.
Debuting in 2004 with the You Make Noise I Make Sandwiches EP (released on Haircut Records), they released their first single X-Ray on Promise Records on November 28, 2005. Receiving just little significant exposure - some evening play on XFM London radio station - the band however scored a minor indie hit with their second post-punk influenced single Latchmere released in April 2006 on Fierce Panda Records.
Then inking a deal with the Polydor imprint (and former home of The Cure) Fiction Records the bands first studio album, Colour It In, was released on May 4, 2007 .
To date (late September 2007) they have released three (widely available) singles from the album (First Love, About Your Dress and Precious Time) with a fourth and final single Toothpaste Kisses released on October 8, 2007.
On May 4, 2009 the band released Wall of Arms, their second album. Preceded by the single Love You Better on April 27th. Markus Dravs, who collaborated in the past with artists such as Björk, Arcade Fire and Coldplay, produced the album. The album has been recorded in various cities including Liverpool and Paris, unlike their first long-player which was recorded in "dribs and drabs" like frontman Orlando Weeks said.
On January 9, 2012 the Maccabees released Given To The Wild, their third album. The band worked on the album at both Rockfield Studios in Wales and their rehearsal space in London's Elephant and Castle district, before decamping to Suffolk to finish the record.
Marks to Prove It, their last album, was released in 2015. The band announced that they decided to disband in August 2016, with farewell gigs in 2017.
On 25 October 2024, it was announced that the band were reuniting.
Official Website
Guitarist Felix White was initially in a band called Jack's Basement with fellow friend Jack Peñate. Felix and Hugo White are brothers, along with Will White, who is the frontman of another band called Talk Taxis. Former drummer Robert Dylan Thomas left the band in 2008.
Go
The Maccabees Lyrics
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In the sunshine by the windowsill in the kitchen
In light of what was to come it was not enough
Just like the cardboard that covered
The missing panes and cracks in our bedroom windows
We should have known they wouldn't keep out the cold
It was not enough
It's not enough
And it never was
And they'll call out with a name by which I'd never call you
And we'll grow out when it's time
And the skins we've known no longer fit us
It's not enough and it leaves you tired
See you there in the sunlight
In the sunshine by the windowsill in the kitchen
And they'll call out with a name by which I'd never call you
All things being well still feel it was not enough
The Maccabees's song "Go" is a poignant reflection on the feeling of the inadequacy of what we once thought was enough in a relationship. The first two stanzas paint a vivid picture of a moment in time, specifically in a kitchen, where two people shared a bright moment in the sun. However, the singer acknowledges that despite that moment, he left the other person alone, exposed to the cold which they knew was coming. It is as though that moment is not enough to keep them together, and it was a realization that they should have seen from the beginning when they tried to keep out the cold with cardboard.
The last part of the song adds some complexity to this scene. The singer is haunted by the idea that their relationship is not enough, and yet, they were not allowed to call each other by name. The name seems to represent something more profound, be it a shared identity or something else, and its restriction adds to the loss and the inability to hold onto what remains. The line "All things being well still feel it was not enough" emphasizes how the singer is still haunted by different what-ifs.
Overall, "Go" is a beautifully dreary song that speaks to the reality of how we can sometimes have moments in life that we think are enough but then eventually realize that they are not.
Line by Line Meaning
Left you there in the sunlight
I deserted you in a bright and hopeful place.
In the sunshine by the windowsill in the kitchen
You were sitting in the warm light streaming in from the kitchen window.
In light of what was to come it was not enough
I realized that the current situation was insufficient for what was about to happen.
Just like the cardboard that covered
Similar to the flimsy material used to cover up holes in our bedroom windows,
The missing panes and cracks in our bedroom windows
which failed to keep out the cold drafts of air.
We should have known they wouldn't keep out the cold
We should have known that our temporary solutions would not be adequate for the long term.
It was not enough
Our efforts were not adequate.
It's not enough
What we currently have is not sufficient.
And it never was
Our current state never met our needs or expectations.
And they'll call out with a name by which I'd never call you
Others may address you using a name I wouldn't use.
And we'll grow out when it's time
We will depart from our current states when necessary for growth and change.
And the skins we've known no longer fit us
We have outgrown our current identities and habits that once defined us.
It's not enough and it leaves you tired
Our insufficient efforts leave you feeling depleted and weary.
See you there in the sunlight
I remember seeing you in a hopeful and bright moment.
In the sunshine by the windowsill in the kitchen
You were sitting in a warm and comforting spot in the kitchen.
And they'll call out with a name by which I'd never call you
Others may refer to you in a way I find unfitting.
All things being well still feel it was not enough
Despite everything appearing to be fine, there is still a sense that our current state is insufficient.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, O/B/O DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: FRANCIS EG WHITE, JAMELIA DAVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind