The Posies began as a set of informal home recordings by Stringfellow and Auer, but soon became a full-fledged band. Those early demos were released as the album Failure (1988). Mike Musburger and Rick Roberts joined soon after, allowing the band to play its first live shows in Seattle and Bellingham. The four then moved into a house in Seattle's University District. The band's first full album was their major-label début Dear 23 (1990). It was produced by John Leckie and features lush orchestrations for the songwriters' literate, clever, melodic pop with occasional hard-hitting guitars.
The Posies' guitars hit even harder on their third and fourth albums, 1993's Frosting On The Beater and 1996's Amazing Disgrace. These two albums are the band's most succesful and are still widely regarded as classics in indie rock and 'power pop'.
The band's rhythm section underwent many changes over the years. During the recording of 'Frosting', Roberts left and was replaced by Dave Fox. During the 1994 European tour, Musberger left (new bassist: Joe Howard a.k.a. Joe Skyward), whole Brian Young took over on drums
The 'Amazing Disgrace line-up' also recorded album #5, Success (1998), which failed commercially. The Posies went on hiatus while the members concentrated on outside projects, including solo albums (Stringfellow, Auer) and projects such as Lucky Me, Skyward and Chariot, while Brian Young played drums in Fountains of Wayne. From 1997 to 2001, there was only sporadic Posies activity, although two live albums saw the light of day: an 'electric' one (Alive Before The Iceberg, 1999) and an 'acoustic' one (In Case You Didn't Feel Like Plugging In, 2000).
After a satisfying tour as a duo, Auer and Stringfellow brought the band back to active service, now with Darius Minwalla on drums and Matt Harris on bass. The new line-up recorded and released the studio albums Every Kind Of Light (2005) and the particularly well-received Blood/Candy (2010).
From 1993 onwards, Auer and Stringfellow also joined Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens as band members of 'power pop' legends Big Star, playing on many tours as well as the Big Star studio album, In Space (2005).
The years 2010-2016 were a particularly dark time for The Posies. Ayer and Stringfellow's association with Big Star came to an abrupt end when Alex Chilton died in 2010. The Posies' 2014 incarnation included Darius Minwalla on drums and Joe Skyward on bass, but disaster would strike: on May 21, 2015, Darius Minwalla died suddenly in his home in Vancouver, from unknown causes. On March 26th 2016, Joe Skyward passed away after a battle with cancer.
The Posies, however, re-emerged with a new album (their 8th), Solid States, set for an April 2016 release.
Everyone Moves Away
The Posies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if they did, they'de surely resurrect their trust
Promises were made to break and the family kept its end
And now your answer, my friend,
Is blowing in one head and out the other
But you will find yourself
You will recognize and realize
Even when you can't forget
From which everyone moves away, everyone moves away
Growing up in severed states of mind
Can cause you to to blind more than twice
And now we're hurt by the words we've never said
The wounds you never bled
Just aggravate your head until they've gone
But you will like yourself
You will verify and vocalize
Even when you can't forget
That when you stayed you, they betrayed you, inside the big nameless house
From which everyone moves away, everyone moves away
Try to wipe away the traces of people, places, childhood spaces
Etched upon your memory, like the way that we were raised
In our backyard we were left no time to think
The blood that turned to ink splelled neglect
Now there's no sun and the grass is overgrown
The sacred seed they've sown is utterly alone and scared to death
But you will free yourself
You will cut the cord and cauterize
And if you ever feel an urge
To look behind you, let this remind you
We both grew up in the same house
From which everyone moves away, everyone moves away
Everyone moves, everyone moves
Everyone moves away
The Posies's song Everyone Moves Away is a poignant and introspective reflection on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a dysfunctional family. The opening lines "Please forgive, for they know not what they've done / And if they did, they'de surely resurrect their trust" set the tone for the song, acknowledging the pain and hurt caused by the actions of those closest to us, but also recognizing that ultimately, forgiveness is the only way to move forward. The theme of broken promises and betrayal is a recurring motif throughout the song, as the singer confronts the emotional scars left by their childhood. Lines like "Try to wipe away the traces of people, places, childhood spaces / Etched upon your memory, like the way that we were raised" speak to the struggle of trying to come to terms with a traumatic past and moving on from it.
Despite the heavy subject matter, there is also a sense of hope and resilience in the lyrics. The repeated refrain of "But you will" serves as a comforting reminder that despite the pain and difficulty of the past, the singer will find a way to heal and grow. Lines like "But you will like yourself / You will verify and vocalize" and "But you will free yourself / You will cut the cord and cauterize" speak to the importance of self-love and self-acceptance in the face of adversity. Ultimately, the message of the song is one of empowerment and self-awareness, as the singer comes to terms with their past and looks towards a brighter future.
Line by Line Meaning
Please forgive, for they know not what they've done
As humans, we all make mistakes and sometimes hurt others unintentionally. We should forgive them because they didn't mean it.
And if they did, they'de surely resurrect their trust
If they were aware of how their actions were affecting others, they would try to make amends and regain the trust they lost.
Promises were made to break and the family kept its end
We often break our promises, and sometimes even families can't keep their promises due to various reasons.
And now your answer, my friend,
Is blowing in one head and out the other
The answer to your problem is not clear and keeps changing constantly, making it difficult to make a decision.
But you will find yourself
You will recognize and realize
Even when you can't forget
Even though it's hard to forget the past, you will eventually find yourself and understand your true identity.
The times they tried you, things denied you, inside the big nameless house
From which everyone moves away, everyone moves away
The house where you grew up has caused you pain and suffering due to the things that happened there, and now everyone has moved away from it.
Growing up in severed states of mind
Can cause you to to blind more than twice
Growing up with a divided mind can make you blind to the truth and make the same mistakes multiple times.
And now we're hurt by the words we've never said
The wounds you never bled
Just aggravate your head until they've gone
The pain caused by things that were never said and wounds that were never healed continue to hurt and affect us until we let go of them.
But you will like yourself
You will verify and vocalize
Even when you can't forget
Eventually, you will come to like and accept yourself for who you are, and express your true feelings even though it's hard to forget the past.
That when you stayed you, they betrayed you, inside the big nameless house
From which everyone moves away, everyone moves away
The people close to you, who you thought would stay loyal, betrayed you instead, and drove you away from the house you once called home.
Try to wipe away the traces of people, places, childhood spaces
Etched upon your memory, like the way that we were raised
We try to erase the memories of people, places, and childhood experiences that have hurt us, but they are etched upon our memory, and shape who we are today.
In our backyard we were left no time to think
The blood that turned to ink splelled neglect
Now there's no sun and the grass is overgrown
The sacred seed they've sown is utterly alone and scared to death
Growing up, we were so busy with daily tasks that we never had time to reflect and think, and our emotional pain was ignored, leading to a sense of neglect. Now, everything is dark and deserted, and we feel alone and hopeless.
But you will free yourself
You will cut the cord and cauterize
And if you ever feel an urge
To look behind you, let this remind you
We both grew up in the same house
From which everyone moves away, everyone moves away
You will eventually free yourself from the pain of the past and cut off any toxic connections, and if you ever feel tempted to look back, remember that we both grew up in the same house, which everyone left behind.
Everyone moves, everyone moves
Everyone moves away
Eventually, everyone moves away from their past and starts a new chapter in their lives.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JONATHAN PAUL AUER, KEN STRINGFELLOW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind