(2) The Maccabees (2002-2016) were 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.
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.
O.A.V.I.P.
The Maccabees Lyrics
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Where once he had kept his
And holds out hope the year old worries
Will be gone
Long before she goes
So when's your start and when's your end?
The slow depart: happening again
The fun-size can you can expect
It only reflects her wants for you
When's your start and when's your end?
The slow depart happening again
Cause this is not farewell old dear
This is not farewell old dear
So when's your start and when's your end?
The slow depart: happening again
The opening lines, "She collects medicines in the box/Where once he had kept his," sets up the song's theme of a couple's relationship deteriorating due to one partner's illness. The female partner is now the caretaker, collecting medicine for the male partner, who is implied to be deceased or incapacitated. She is holding onto hope that her own worries about the future will be resolved before her own eventual passing.
The chorus repeats the lines, "When's your start and when's your end?/The slow depart happening again," highlighting the cyclical nature of life and death, and the inevitability of their eventual separation. The lines, "The fun-size can you can expect/It only reflects her wants for you," suggests that the caretaker is trying to focus on the positive memories of their relationship, despite the difficult circumstances they are currently facing.
The closing lines, "Cause this is not farewell old dear/This is not farewell old dear," reinforce the idea that while they must eventually part ways, their love will endure beyond death.
Line by Line Meaning
She collects medicines in the box
She keeps medications in a container
Where once he had kept his
The box previously belonged to him
And holds out hope the year old worries
She hopes her long-standing troubles will resolve
Will be gone
Her worries will disappear
Long before she goes
This will happen while she is still alive
So when's your start and when's your end?
Asking when something begins and when it ends
The slow depart: happening again
A gradual departure is taking place once more
The fun-size can you can expect
The small can is what she thinks you desire
It only reflects her wants for you
The can is a symbol of her desires
When's your start and when's your end?
Repetition of questioning when something begins and ends
The slow depart happening again
The gradual separation is occurring once more
Cause this is not farewell old dear
Reassuring that this is not the final goodbye
This is not farewell old dear
Repeating that this is not the end
So when's your start and when's your end?
Repeating the question of when something starts and ends
The slow depart: happening again
Repeating that a gradual departure is occurring again
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FELIX WHITE, HUGO WHITE, ORLANDO THOMAS PENHALE WEEKS, ROBERT DYLAN THOMAS, SHEPHERD RUPERT ALEXANDER J. JARVIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind