The group was formed in 1988 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by vocalist Daniel Greaves, guitarist Joey Serlin, bassist Pete Loewen and drummer Sammy Kohn. Serlin was a comic fan and named the group after the DC comic. They released their debut album, McLaren Furnace Room, in 1992. (The album was named for one of the band's rehearsal spaces, the furnace room of the McLaren Hotel in Winnipeg.) The single "Cracked" garnered the band significant airplay on rock stations, but was quickly eclipsed by the anti-spousal abuse anthem "Run and Hide", which became the band's breakthrough hit.
Loewen left the band, and was replaced by Ken Tizzard. The band's 1994 album In the Trees confirmed their place in Canadian rock with the hit singles "Boneyard Tree", "All Uncovered" and "Lusitana".
Their 1996 album Brand New Day was not as well-received by critics or audiences -- "Zoom", "Incarnate" and "Shut Up" were moderately successful singles, but none achieved the kind of success that the band's earlier singles had. 1998's Silent Radar was the band's return to commercial success, with the hit singles "Stereo", "Any Day Now" and "Brighter Hell".
Their 2001 album Slomotion saw the exit of Sammy Kohn and the remaining members experimenting with more industrial textures. As if prepared for a bad reception, the band also packaged the album with a second greatest hits disc. The album was, indeed, poorly received by fans and critics, with only the single "Absolutely Anytime" gaining any radio airplay.
The band subsequently broke up. Greaves went on to form Doctor with Rob Higgins, Tizzard joined Thornley, and Serlin appeared on Ryan Malcolm's debut album before forming his own new band, Redline.
In 2009, the band reformed and started touring again.
He's Gone
The Watchmen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I got up saw you sleeping
Yeah you were shaking
What am I to do I've lost my father now
Will I be alright yeah will I make it
You're still in my life today
You're still in my thoughts ok
You're still in my life
Who on God's great earth can take a life of strength and fire
And just start weeping from the outside in
What I'm thinking now I'm taking all the blame for
It's been relieving you leaving
You're still in my life today
You're still in my thoughts ok
You're still in my life today
You're still in my life today
I'm sad he's gone
How can I survive without my friend of mine
He was not perfect yet somehow perfect
What am I to do I've lost that part of me
Will I be alright yeah will I make it
You're still in my life today
You're still in my thoughts ok
You're still in my life today
You're still in my life today
I'm sad he's gone
Nothing's ever as bad as it seems to be
And I know I've been taken by my wicked dreams
Sad he's gone
The Watchmen's song "He's Gone" is a moving and poignant tribute to a lost loved one, likely a father or father figure. The song opens with the singer describing a dream in which they turned their head around and saw the person lying beside them, presumably their father, sleeping and shaking. This image is deeply unsettling, and sets the tone for the rest of the song as the singer struggles to come to terms with their loss.
The chorus repeats the refrain, "You're still in my life today, you're still in my thoughts okay," indicating that even though the person is gone, their memory and influence are still present in the singer's life. The second verse asks the poignant question, "Who on God's great earth can take a life of strength and fire and just start weeping from the outside in?" This suggests that the singer is grappling with feelings of anger and confusion about why their loved one was taken from them.
The final verse brings the song to a close with a heartbreaking plea for closure and reassurance: "How can I survive without my friend of mine / He was not perfect yet somehow perfect / What am I to do I've lost that part of me / Will I be alright yeah will I make it." Overall, "He's Gone" is a beautiful and haunting tribute to a lost loved one that will resonate with anyone who has experienced the pain of grief and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
Dreamt I turned my head around last night
I had a dream where I looked around and saw the world from a different perspective.
And I got up saw you sleeping
After that dream, I woke up and saw you sleeping.
Yeah you were shaking
You were trembling in your sleep.
What am I to do I've lost my father now
I am lost and don't know what to do because I have lost my father.
Will I be alright yeah will I make it
I wonder if I'll be okay without him or if I can survive this loss.
You're still in my life today
You may be gone, but you are still a part of my life and my memories.
You're still in my thoughts ok
I still think of you often and it's okay to miss you.
Who on God's great earth can take a life of strength and fire
Who has the power to take someone as strong and passionate as my father from this world?
And just start weeping from the outside in
It's hard to process the grief and sorrow that comes with this loss.
What I'm thinking now I'm taking all the blame for
I blame myself for what happened and it consumes my thoughts.
It's been relieving you leaving
Although it hurts, I know you are not suffering anymore and it brings a sense of relief.
I'm sad he's gone
Simply put, I am deeply saddened by the loss of my father.
How can I survive without my friend of mine
My father was not just a father, but also a friend, and I don't know how to go on without him.
He was not perfect yet somehow perfect
My father wasn't without flaws, but in my eyes, he was still perfect and irreplaceable.
Nothing's ever as bad as it seems to be
Despite how heart-wrenching this is, I know that things will eventually get better.
And I know I've been taken by my wicked dreams
Sometimes my thoughts and dreams can be too much to handle, and it feels like I am losing control.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Goddess
on Zoom
I would love to know the interpretation of this song.
I’m thinking it starts with his birth but now he is dying and he recalls how safe he was with his mother and she is smiling through the lights(in the starlight in heavens) and will carry him home because as he is on the earth her voice is a voice that he doesn’t love more(being the first loving voice he heard and will be the one that calls him to the other side or calls him home) .... calling to the other side of the river evokes the ferryman to me .....mid lyrics he said he’s done all he can met all he can and he is ready to let go