Their full-length debut album Old Liquidator was released in 1995, and the Minus 5's lineup consisted of McCaughey, Buck, and Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of The Posies. After releasing Old Liquidator on East Side Digital, the group reconvened in late 1996 to record their Hollywood Records debut, The Lonesome Death of Buck McCoy, released the following spring. The same year, McCaughey's 1989 solo album My Chartreuse Opinion was reissued by Hollywood as a Minus 5 album.
In 2001, the Minus Five and the Young Fresh Fellows, another McCaughey project, released a split double album, Let the War Against Music Begin/Because We Hate You; the "Let the War Against Music Begin" half was the Minus 5 submission.
After a change of guard at Hollywood Records, the Minus 5 found themselves releasing music via independent channels, with the Return To Sender label releasing a collection of outtakes from Let The War Against Music Begin called I Don't Know Who I Am before McCaughey signed the band to the Yep Roc label for his collaboration with Wilco, Down With Wilco. Yep Roc later issued an EP dominated by Down With Wilco outtakes, At The Organ, and reissued In Rock, a collection of tunes McCaughey recorded in a single day in 2000.
In 2002, the band contributed a track, "Girl I Never Met" to Rami Jaffee, Pete Yorn, and Marc Dauer's Trampoline Records release: Trampoline Records Volume I.
The band's seventh album, self-titled (but known as The Gun Album), was released early 2006, and features, along the regular line-up, guest appearances by Wilco, Kelly Hogan and The Decemberists' singer/songwriter Colin Meloy, among others.
Buck and McCaughey went on to play in The Baseball Project together in 2008.
evolution
The Minus 5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Captain of the membership is dead below the waist
It happened in a faraway forgotten no place
He won't come with the sailors now although we beg him so
It hurts too much to put on those clothes
It hurts too much to know what everybody knows
And the power of eternal friends
The moth of flee is floating in space
Migrating from place to place,
Call it evolution
It's a compensation but it always seems worthwhile
To dance on your head until you feel that little smile
The dance gets bigger and bigger
A permanent addiction to the man that you're going to be
The man you're gonna see coming after you
And the power of eternal logic
Is hanging on a rack in the closet
The moth of flees flow the golden wing
Looking for a place to stay
Call it evolution
We got soaked and tired on a not forgotten summer's day
When a raft up starving women put on a very special play
They where dressed like horses and children
So we clapped for confusion sake till they wandered out among us
And pulled us by our tongue into the silver lake
When the power of eternal love
Made everything work out hand in glove
The moth of flee flowed in the golden wing
Looking for a place to stay
Call it evolution
The song "Evolution" by The Minus 5 has a rather obscure and enigmatic meaning that may be difficult to understand at first listen. The first verse of the song tells a story about the captain of the membership who has become disabled below the waist. He is unable to join the sailors anymore, and it hurts too much for him to put on clothes. The opening lines convey a sense of loss and isolation, and the captain's injury can be seen as a metaphor for feeling powerless and unable to participate in the world. The second line of the verse mentions a faraway forgotten no place, which can be interpreted as a symbol for a forgotten piece of the captain's own memories or experiences.
The second verse of the song seems to be about finding meaning and purpose through dance, but still feeling trapped and isolated by the expectations of others. It talks about the dance getting bigger and bigger, almost becoming a permanent addiction. The line, "A permanent addiction to the man that you're going to be, the man you're gonna see coming after you," could suggest that one is constantly striving to be someone else, rather than accepting themselves for who they are. The third verse tells the story of an unusual group of women dressed like horses and children who pull the singer and his friends into a silver lake. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the transformative power of love, which can pull individuals out of their ordinary lives and lift them to a new level of awareness and consciousness.
Overall, the song "Evolution" seems to be about personal growth and transformation, and the journey towards becoming one's true self. It emphasizes the necessity of overcoming obstacles, embracing change, and finding support from others along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
The Captain of the membership is dead below the waist
The leader of the group is disabled and unable to participate
It happened in a faraway forgotten no place
The incident occurred in a distant and unremembered location
He won't come with the sailors now although we beg him so
Despite our pleas, he refuses to join in with the group
It hurts too much to put on those clothes
The activity is physically painful for him to do
It hurts too much to know what everybody knows
He is mentally affected by the knowledge of others' experiences
And the power of eternal friends
Strength in friendship over time
Can raise him up in the bitter end
In the end, friends can help lift him up
The moth of flee is floating in space
An idea or concept drifts aimlessly
Migrating from place to place
Moving from one idea to another
Call it evolution
This process could be considered a form of evolution
It's a compensation but it always seems worthwhile
The reward offsets the cost and is always valuable
To dance on your head until you feel that little smile
To do something unconventional but pleasing to oneself
The dance gets bigger and bigger
The activity grows in importance and scope
A permanent addiction to the man that you're going to be
A long-lasting attachment to the person one is becoming
The man you're gonna see coming after you
The person one may become in the future
And the power of eternal logic
Strength in long-lasting and rational thought
Is hanging on a rack in the closet
This strength is unused and forgotten
The moth of flees flow the golden wing
An idea or concept with potential
Looking for a place to stay
Seeking a place where it can be valuable
Call it evolution
This process could be considered a form of evolution
We got soaked and tired on a not forgotten summer's day
A memory of becoming tired and wet on a summer day
When a raft up starving women put on a very special play
When a group of undernourished women performed a unique show
They where dressed like horses and children
The women were costumed in an unusual way
So we clapped for confusion sake till they wandered out among us
Audience members applauded although they were perplexed
And pulled us by our tongue into the silver lake
The performance enchanted and drew the audience in
When the power of eternal love
The strength of love over time
Made everything work out hand in glove
Love made everything come together perfectly
The moth of flee flowed in the golden wing
An idea with great potential
Looking for a place to stay
Seeking somewhere to be useful
Call it evolution
This process could be considered a form of evolution
Contributed by Layla C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.