Following an unsuccessful spell in the mid-1990s as part of a band called Spoonful, in 1998 Hoge began touring the American south with guitarist Dan Baird (former of The Georgia Satellites). Hoge independently released his first CD, Live At The Exit/In, a live set recorded at the Nashville club. This drew some attention and that, and constant touring, led to the release Hodge's first studio album, Carousel. A record deal followed in early 2002 and his major label debut, Blackbird On A Lonely Wire, in 2003.
Hoge was involved in a scooter accident on August 20, 2008 after leaving a studio session for what would be his next album, "The Wreckage". Following numerous surgical procedures (mainly on his shattered femur/leg), Hoge made a full recovery.
His album "Number Seven" was released in 2011.
Hoge has made a career of writing and singing powerful songs about life’s cruel and dark turns. Not long ago, he fell victim to one such turn. As Hoge rode his scooter home from the studio, he was struck by an oncoming van that had veered into his lane. There were no skid marks. Launched off his bike, Hoge ended up bloodied, broken-boned, temporarily blinded, and near death. “[The accident] was like stopping a record as it spins,” says Hoge, who had been halfway through recording material for his new record before getting derailed. “It was like taking the needle and pushing it off the turntable.” For ten months, the accident sidelined Hoge. For ten months, it made him do something he hadn’t done in 18 years: stop the music. Larger matters dominated his life, like physical recovery and the well-being of his family. “People would say, ‘I bet you’re ready to get back to playing and writing.’ I’m thinking, ‘Playing or singing is not the issue right now. I’m ready to get back to walking.’”
His previous album, Draw the Curtains, had been a unanimous high-water mark in his career, a magnificent collection of rock, country, soul, blues, and folk. With a great band, good vibes, and clear skies overhead, Hoge felt like he was building something real as a career artist. Eight months after the incident he re-entered the studio in pursuit of that mission.. “Making The Wreckage opened me up in a different way,” says Hoge. “I felt a calmness, a purpose. Right now it feels like I’m getting to the core of what I want to do and why.”
The Wreckage listens like a record with a purpose. Having stared down his own mortality, Hoge has now rediscovered the simple joys of making good music. “It’s hard to explain, but I felt a certain serenity making this album,” he says. “It doesn’t come through in the songs, but the process has become easier, and I believe the songs flow with more confidence.”
When Hoge’s fans hear these songs, they’ll feel that resolve too. The Wreckage both curses life’s wrong turns and celebrates its triumphs. “I’ve always tried to make albums that have a good reason for every song, and for the sequence of those songs. On this album you get 40:18 of music, and hopefully you’ll want to hear the whole thing start to finish.”
The album was crafted with a depth of sound and musicality that breaks new ground for Hoge. Rugged, pulsating rock fuels “Just Like Me.” Spirited melody characterizes tunes like “Highway Wings” and “Even If It Breaks Your Heart.” The gruff ghosts of the barroom return on Hoge’s “Hard to Love,” as does the searing country roots rock of “Long Gone.” Ballads like “What Could I Do” and “The Wreckage” are rife with the sort of brooding melancholy you’d expect from a guy who has been to the edge and back. “‘The Wreckage’ is one of the favorite songs I’ve ever sung,” Hoge admits. “I couldn’t have sung this physically before the accident, because my voice just wasn’t suited to how quiet it is.”
“Even If It Breaks Your Heart,” his paean to rock and roll as life’s true calling, is another tune Hoge admires. “The minute we started recording it, it was one of those songs that drove itself. Everyone in the room understood the sentiment. There was magic in that moment you don’t get very often.”
Even though half of The Wreckage was written and most of it recorded after the crash, images of the episode are only discreetly woven into the fabric of the album, like streaks of red on a dark surface. That’s because Hoge would rather leave those lines, words, and phrases to interpretation.
Released one year almost to the day of his accident, The Wreckage is not, song by song, a celebration of life. The sentiments are too dark, his lyrics too biting, his voice brimming with moodiness. Risen from the ashes of Hoge’s own “wreckage,” the recording is an incredible achievement, hands-down his best work to date. And that is as good a cause as any for real celebration.
www.willhoge.com
I
Will Hoge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hope that we're less than halfway through the show
Hope that one day we could just fade off together
'Cause the saddest part of any true love is someone ends up alone
I'd rather be the one that's crying
I'd rather be the one that rides
In that long black limousine with half of a love inside
And spread 'em 'round back home
I'd rather be the one that's sleepin' in this quiet old house alone
Hope that I'm the last one to go
I can't stand the thought of you wearin' a black dress
Hugging your sisters and tellin' them you don't need them to stay
And the tears tattoo your face in that picture window
While our children and their children slowly drive away
I'd rather be the one that's crying
I'd rather be the one that rides
In that long black limousine with half of a love inside
I'd be the one to take the flowers
And spread 'em 'round back home
I'd rather be the one that's sleepin' in this quiet old house alone
Hope that I'm the last one to go
I'd rather be the one that's crying
I'd rather be the one that rides
In that long black limousine with half of a love inside
I'd be the one to take the flowers
And spread 'em 'round back home
I'd rather be the one that's sleepin' in this quiet old house alone
Hope that I'm the last one to go
In Will Hoge's song "I," the singer expresses his desire for their love to last and never end. He hopes that they are still years away from the ending and are less than halfway through the show that is their love story. The singer wants to fade off together, rather than ending up alone, which he believes is the saddest part of any true love. He would rather be the one that is left behind and crying, riding in the long black limousine with half of their love inside. The singer would take the flowers and spread them around back home, preferring to sleep in this quiet old house alone, with the hope that he is the last one to go.
The song is about the fear of losing someone you love and the pain that comes with it. The lyrics capture the sadness, loneliness, and regret that one feels when their loved one passes away. The song is a reminder that no matter how much we love someone, we all face the reality of our mortality.
Line by Line Meaning
Hope that we're still years away from the ending
I hope that our love story has a long way to go and does not end anytime soon.
Hope that we're less than halfway through the show
I hope that we have a lot more time together and our journey is just in the beginning stages.
Hope that one day we could just fade off together
I hope that we both leave this world together and don't have to experience the pain of one of us living without the other.
'Cause the saddest part of any true love is someone ends up alone
The hardest part of loving someone truly is to know that one day one of us will have to let go, leaving the other alone.
I'd rather be the one that's crying
I would prefer to be the one grieving over the loss of our love, rather than the one left behind.
I'd rather be the one that rides
I would rather be the one in the long black limousine accompanying our love, rather than watching from afar.
In that long black limousine with half of a love inside
I prefer to be beside our love's half with me, rather than the other half being without me.
I'd be the one to take the flowers
I want to be the one taking care of the funeral arrangements, rather than someone else doing it for our love.
And spread 'em 'round back home
I want to spread the flowers around their home, a place of our happy memories.
I'd rather be the one that's sleepin' in this quiet old house alone
I want to be the one who's sleeping all alone in our old house, rather than someone else experiencing our memories without me.
Hope that I'm the last one to go
I hope that my love outlives me, so I don't have to live without them.
I can't stand the thought of you wearin' a black dress
I can't bear the thought of my love wearing a black dress, mourning my death.
Hugging your sisters and tellin' them you don't need them to stay
It hurts me to think of you hugging your sisters while telling them you don't need them around as you mourn my death.
And the tears tattoo your face in that picture window
The image of you, with tears streaming down your face, looking out of the picture window, is heartbreaking.
While our children and their children slowly drive away
Watching our family drive away, carrying on without me, must be devastating.
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Will Hoge
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind