The first incarnation of what would later become the Nields came together in 1987 in McLean, Virginia, when Nerissa Nields met David Jones, a theater student, and the two of them started a band with Nerissa's sister Katryna. David changed his last name to Nields after marrying Nerissa.
1994 proved to be a watershed year for the Nields, with the band changing from a three-piece folk group to a five-piece rock band. The new members of the band were Dave Chalfant (bass), who Katryna had met in college, and Dave Hower (drums), a friend of Dave Chalfant's. Dave Chalfant also produced the band's album released that year, Bob on the Ceiling, which was named for a friend of Katryna's. This album featured a mix of the acoustic material that the Nields had previously specialized in and a more rock-oriented sound that would become their trademark. With their new sound, the Nields received critical acclaim, and quit their day jobs to become full-time musicians.
Their 1995 EP Abigail, named for Katryna and Nerissa's sister, would be the last self-released Nields album. In 1996, they released Gotta Get Over Greta on the independent Razor & Tie record label. The album was re-released in 1997 with three bonus tracks on Guardian, a division of Elektra Records. The group felt that with a major-label deal, they were on the brink of superstardom: they had a considerable grassroots following, and a mailing list that had tens of thousands of names and was growing continuously.
Unfortunately, the group suffered a number of setbacks the next year. Guardian folded, leaving them without a record label, and their tour van (nicknamed Moby) was growing increasingly unreliable. While they needed a new van urgently, their financial situation made it impossible for them to afford one. To raise money for the van, they self-released an album called Mousse (the nickname for Dave Chalfant's sister Andromache) and held a special 'Jam for the Van' concert where they debuted that album. As a result of that concert, the Nields were able to purchase a new van, which they nicknamed Nessie. They were also able to secure a new label, Zoë, a division of Rounder Records. All Nields records released since, except one, have been released on that label. Over the next three years, the Nields released two more records (Play and If You Lived Here You'd Be Home Now), and in 1999 Katryna Nields and Dave Chalfant got married, becoming the second married couple in the band after Nerissa and David Nields.
Although the band enjoyed a moderate degree of success, they remained in the red fiscally due to the high expenses they incurred (salaries for the band members, salaries for their manager, maintaining their van, lodging, etc.). Furthermore, the group was getting older, and people wanted to settle down and start families. The limits of what could been done in a 3-minute pop song also rankled some, who wanted to explore deeper themes. The combination of these factors led to the band's breakup in 2001. Their 2001 album, released that same year, was a two-disc album titled Live From Northampton. Like their 1993 album, it was recorded at the Iron Horse Music Hall, and was self-released by the band. The band ceased in 2001.
During the mid-2000s, the band occasionally performed shows, and, from 2006, went on the release a series of albums.
Keys to the Kingdom
The Nields Lyrics
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I was making my way to the sea
I was making some money
for a ticket on a boat
When the keys to the kingdom
came to me
"No more will you walk as a stranger
No more will you travel alone
You've got the keys to the kingdom
Come on home."
You've got the keys to the kingdom, come on home
You've got the keys to the kingdom, come on home
No more will you be without your family
You've got the keys to the kingdom,
come on home
Take me back, take me back, take me way back
Take me back,take me back, take me way back
Take me back, take me back, take me way back
You've got the keys to the kingdom, come on home
I picked up my map and my compass
I left the money for somebody to find
I got everything I need to make that long journey home
I had the keys to the kingdom all the time.
I had the keys to the kingdom all the time.
I had the keys to the kingdom all the time.
I got everything I need to make that long journey home
I had the keys to the kingdom all the time.
Take me back, take me back, take me way back
Take me back,take me back, take me way back
Take me back, take me back, take me way back
I had the keys to the kingdom all the time.
The Nields's song "Keys to the Kingdom" is a spiritual ballad about finding one's way back home. The opening lines suggest that the singer was once lost, wandering alone in the desert, but with hard work and persistence, they earned enough money for a ticket on a boat. Just when they were about to set sail, however, something miraculous happened - the keys to the kingdom came to them. This represents a revelation, a sudden understanding of their true purpose and direction in life. The lyrics speak to the idea that we are all lost in some way, but there is always a way back home if we have the courage to seek it out.
The chorus repeats the idea that the singer now has the keys to the kingdom and can come home to their family. This represents a reconnection with the divine, with the universe, or perhaps simply with the people they care about. The repetition of the phrase "take me back, take me back, take me way back" suggests a longing for a simpler time or a past that is now out of reach. However, the singer realizes that they had the keys to the kingdom all along - meaning that the solution to their problems or the way back to their true selves was always within them.
Overall, the song is a hopeful reminder that it's never too late to find your way back home, and that sometimes the things we're searching for are right under our noses.
Line by Line Meaning
I was making my way through the desert
I was going through a tough time in my life, feeling lost and alone.
I was making my way to the sea
I was seeking some sense of relief or escape from my struggles.
I was making some money for a ticket on a boat
I was working hard to try to find a way out of my difficult situation.
When the keys to the kingdom came to me
Suddenly, I realized that I had what I needed all along to find my way back to where I belonged.
"No more will you walk as a stranger
I don't have to feel like an outsider anymore.
No more will you travel alone
I don't have to feel isolated and disconnected from others anymore.
No more will you be without your family
I have a sense of belonging and acceptance - a family - that I didn't realize I had before.
You've got the keys to the kingdom
I have the power and the ability to find my way back to where I belong.
Come on home.
It's time to come back to where I belong and find the love and acceptance I need.
Take me back, take me back, take me way back
I want to go back to a time when I felt secure and safe.
You've got the keys to the kingdom, come on home
I have the tools I need to find my way back to my true home and my true self.
I picked up my map and my compass
I started to take control of my own journey and find my way back home.
I left the money for somebody to find
I realized that material possessions and money weren't what I really needed to find my way back home.
I got everything I need to make that long journey home
I discovered that I had all the tools and strength I needed inside of me to make it back home.
I had the keys to the kingdom all the time.
I discovered that the power to change my life was inside of me all along - I just needed to find it and use it.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NERISSA NIELDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind