Wells is the collaborative work of Miles R. Waltuck and Stephanie H. Shih, … Read Full Bio ↴Wells is the collaborative work of Miles R. Waltuck and Stephanie H. Shih, a team spread distantly (though sometimes nearer than not) across the East Coast. Since the summer of 2007 Wells has haltingly gathered together to record a song at a time, each in a single night. The melodies that emerge from the Waltuck family basement are sweet and fun, good for both falling asleep and waking up to. Increasingly, the pair passes itself off as musicians who actually know how to play the instruments they are playing, though listeners ought not be fooled.

Wells is also the recording project of Chicagoans Chris Howaniec and Zane Ranney, both members of now-defunct folk-rock band World's First Flying Machine. This Wells plays mid-to-downtempo rock, drawing from its influences in psych rock, slowcore, ambient and early-'90s emo. Chris Howaniec is the songwriter, arranger, vocalist and producer, playing all parts on their two EPs ("Wells" and "Feel Bad") except the drums, which Zane Ranney is infinitely better at.

Wells is also also the name of a former four-man group from Charlottesville, VA that disbanded in January 2006.

how many mics
Wells Lyrics

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Don't think a hassle can't happen at this hour
You never know what will happen
When someone is so completely deprived of happiness and power
But I was living on a sacrifice
I told myself over and over
Never, never, can I have a vision for myself or of myself

Who could've waited just to take my life?

Send your telephone call, I'm waiting on your word

But how many little songs (are there) to rescue?
How many lives sleep dormant in sore beds still?
You wanted it and I did it, you warned me then I lived it
Now I'm never going to be able to change my ways

How many people did he kill?
How many lives were not that right?
How many warnings did he give?
How many sacrificed their lives?

I would've taken your secrets and held them for the rest of time
But it was hard for me to fake it, though I couldn't have said why
You could've waited then, I wasn't right
But, a hard will to love you wouldn't have saved my life

How many people did he kill?
How many lives were not that right?
How many waters did he kiss?
How many sacrificed their lives?

I was waiting just to sacrifice
Never, never, can I have a vision for myself or of myself
I wanted to be saying what you would've hated me for
For the rest of my life instead of waiting for your word to go ahead and live
But if you knew that it was happening, you could've simply said the word "why"
You could've said "why" and we would've had ourselves instead of this mess
This precipice
It's hard, and unfair, and I can't take these lies
How many lies?

How many people did he kill?
How many lives were not that right?
How many warnings did he kiss?
How many sacrificed their lives?
How many people did he kill?
How many lives were not that right?
How many waters did he kiss?
How many sacrificed their lives?

I was waiting for the rest of time
You were waiting for a greater sign than the waste they call their lives

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Wells's song "How Many Mics" convey a sense of desperation and despair. The opening lines suggest that danger can strike at any time, and there is no way to predict what might happen to someone who is deprived of happiness and power. The singer then reflects on the sacrifices they have made in their own life, and the inability to have a vision of themselves outside of that sacrifice.

The chorus of the song poses a series of questions about the impact of violence and wrongdoing on society. The first stanza of the chorus asks how many songs or lives it takes to make a difference, while the second stanza asks how many people were hurt or sacrificed in the process. The verses that follow explore the singer's relationship with someone who may have been the cause or victim of such violence. The singer laments that they could have kept the secrets of this person but found it hard to do so, and also expresses regret for not being able to change their ways.

The final lines of the song suggest that while the singer was waiting for a sign to move forward in life, someone else was waiting for something greater. This highlights the contrast between different perspectives on what truly matters in life and the sometimes tragic consequences that arise from these differences.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't think a hassle can't happen at this hour
Anything can happen at any time, including bad things

You never know what will happen
The future is uncertain and unpredictable

When someone is so completely deprived of happiness and power
People who are unhappy and powerless can be unpredictable and dangerous

But I was living on a sacrifice
I was sacrificing my own happiness and well-being for someone else

I told myself over and over
I repeated this to myself many times

Never, never, can I have a vision for myself or of myself
I cannot imagine or desire a better life for myself

Who could've waited just to take my life?
Someone might have been waiting for an opportunity to kill me

Send your telephone call, I'm waiting on your word
I am waiting for someone to give me instructions or permission

But how many little songs (are there) to rescue?
How many songs can make a difference and help people?

How many lives sleep dormant in sore beds still?
How many people suffer in silence and remain unnoticed?

You wanted it and I did it, you warned me then I lived it
You asked me to do something and I did it, even though you warned me it would be risky

Now I'm never going to be able to change my ways
I have become stuck in my ways and unable to change

How many people did he kill?
How many victims did he have?

How many lives were not that right?
How many lives were negatively affected?

How many warnings did he give?
How many times did he warn others about the danger?

How many sacrificed their lives?
How many people died or suffered as a result?

I would've taken your secrets and held them for the rest of time
I could have kept your secrets safe and never revealed them

But it was hard for me to fake it, though I couldn't have said why
It was difficult for me to pretend and I didn't know why

You could've waited then, I wasn't right
You could have been patient with me, but I wasn't ready

But, a hard will to love you wouldn't have saved my life
Even if I had loved you more, it wouldn't have saved me from danger or death

I was waiting just to sacrifice
I was willing to make sacrifices for someone else

I wanted to be saying what you would've hated me for
I wished to speak my mind, even if it would upset you

For the rest of my life instead of waiting for your word to go ahead and live
I wanted to live my life on my own terms and not wait for someone else's permission

But if you knew that it was happening, you could've simply said the word 'why'
If you had known what was going on, you could have asked why

You could've said 'why' and we would've had ourselves instead of this mess
If you had questioned what was happening, we could have avoided this situation

This precipice, It's hard, and unfair, and I can't take these lies
This difficult situation is challenging, unjust, and unbearable for me

How many lies?
How many falsehoods have been told?

You were waiting for a greater sign than the waste they call their lives
You wanted something more meaningful and significant than the mundane existence that most people lead

Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
Written by: THOMAS KRELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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