The band's 2003 album Up All Night reached the top five of the Australian Albums Chart, achieving double platinum status and winning four ARIA Awards in October. Two further top five albums were issued, Sun Dirt Water in 2007 and Temptation in 2011. The Waifs have three top fifty singles, "London Still" (2002), "Bridal Train" (2004) and "Sun Dirt Water". The band supported Bob Dylan on his 2003 Australian tour and then his 2003 North American tour, including a gig at the Newport Folk Festival.
The Waifs founded the independent label Jarrah Records in July 2002, co-owned with fellow musician John Butler, and their common manager Phil Stevens, which handles their Australian releases.
The Waifs formed in August 1992 in Albany, Western Australia as a folk rock band. The Simpson sisters, Donna and Vikki (now Vikki Thorn), had formed a duo, Colours, in Albany to perform cover versions of Bob Dylan and Everly Brothers at local pubs. Their father, Jimmy Simpson, was a seasonal salmon fisherman at Cosy Corner beach and had bought Donna her first guitar when she was 15. In February 1992, 20-year-old Donna and her 16-year-old sister, Vikki headed off in a Kombi van to tour the state as Colours. Josh Cunningham, a Moruya farmer's son, had started playing guitar in 1987, he was touring Australia playing bass guitar for a band.] The Simpsons met 18-year-old Cunningham while Colours were playing twelve-bar blues in Broome. After a ten-minute jam session, Donna invited Cunningham to join Colours, Cunningham later recalled, "there was a connection that Donna felt that I felt as well ... it's always felt very much like a family to me and I felt instantly welcomed into that right from the very start". Upon return to Albany, Colours changed its name to The Waifs (initially styled as The WAiFS) with Cunningham on guitars, ukulele, mandolin, dobro and vocals, Donna on vocals, guitar and tambourine, and Vikki on vocals, harmonica and guitar. The Waifs used the Kombi van from 1992 to 1996 to travel to gigs across Australia.
Discography
The Waifs (1996)
Shelter Me (1998)
Sink or Swim (2000)
Up All Night (2003)
Sun Dirt Water (2007)
Live From The Union Of Soul (2009)
Temptation (2011)
Taken
Waifs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Love for the money that's my cash flow
No, I don't get scared when I walk alone
I have been on this beat enough to know
That when shit happens it is just your turn
So you deal with it and it happens everyday
I don't know quite where I belong
Walkabout - a very different kind
Walkabout - a very different place and time
I stand underneath street lights
Dreaming of the moon
It is rising in a desert
A life I never know
Taken away and now
I'm walking by myself
When you grow up in institutions
You make your friends but love you never know
So when I found my blood ran from the desert
I knew it was somewhere I had to go
I went to the people there
I lost and found myself on either side
Something deep down just don't feel right
So I walk about this country
And I walk about these streets
To find where my heart lies.
The lyrics of the song Taken by Waifs explore the theme of belongingness, identity, and feeling lost in the world. The song talks about how the singer feels like they don't quite belong anywhere and how they have learned to embrace that feeling. They perform on the streets at night and don't get scared walking alone because they have been on those streets long enough to know. The lyrics indicate that when bad things happen, it's just your turn, and you deal with it because it happens every day.
The song progresses to talk about the singer's journey to find themselves. They grew up in institutions where they learned to make friends, but they never learned about love. When they discovered that their blood ran from the desert, they felt a calling to go there. They went to the desert and lost and found themselves on either side, but something deep down still didn't feel right. So, they continue to walk about the country and the streets to find where their heart lies.
The song's lyrics are powerful and emotional, and they speak to the human condition of seeking acceptance, love, and belongingness. The singer's journey is one that many can relate to, and the song evokes strong emotions of sadness, hope, and courage.
Line by Line Meaning
Night time I stage my street show
I perform on the streets for money at night.
Love for the money that's my cash flow
My love for money is what drives me to perform.
No, I don't get scared when I walk alone
I am not afraid to walk alone.
I have been on this beat enough to know
I have been on these streets long enough to be familiar with them.
That when shit happens it is just your turn
Bad things can happen to anyone at any time, it's just the way life is.
So you deal with it and it happens everyday
You have to deal with life's challenges and difficulties every day.
I don't know quite where I belong
I'm not sure where I fit in or where my place is in the world.
So when they come I freely give myself away
When people come along, I give myself to them without hesitation.
Walkabout - a very different kind
I am wandering and exploring, but not necessarily aimlessly.
Walkabout - a very different place and time
I am searching for a different place and time than what I am used to.
I stand underneath street lights
I often stand under street lights, lost in thought.
Dreaming of the moon
I often dream about a different life than the one I have.
It is rising in a desert
That life I dream of seems far away, like a desert.
A life I never know
I have never experienced the life I dream of.
Taken away and now
That life I dream of was taken away from me.
I'm walking by myself
Now I am walking alone.
When you grow up in institutions
Growing up in institutions made it hard for me to know what love is.
You make your friends but love you never know
I made friends in institutions, but I never learned what love really is.
So when I found my blood ran from the desert
When I discovered my roots were in the desert, I knew I had to go there.
I knew it was somewhere I had to go
I felt drawn to the desert and knew I had to explore it.
I went to the people there
I visited the people of the desert and learned from them.
I lost and found myself on either side
I went through some ups and downs during my time in the desert, but ultimately found myself there.
Something deep down just don't feel right
Despite finding myself in the desert, something still doesn't feel quite right.
So I walk about this country
I continue to explore this country and search for where I truly belong.
And I walk about these streets
I wander these streets, still searching for my place and purpose.
To find where my heart lies.
I am hoping to discover where I truly belong and where my heart feels at home.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Phill Hart
Love it. LOVE it. Such a good message. We all get into that rut at some point where the day is just another day. But take it all in. It won't come around again. Pretty good advice - I think
goldfinger -999
20 odd years ago I met that girl splashing around on Cable Beach, this song is a time capsule for me….beautiful Broome
padraig sisk
Remember this band 1996 at the Clifton hill, Queens pde, Melbourne.