The band was originally conceived as a side project. The Weiss brothers and Kleinberg were playing together in another band called The Operation (who released one album, 2001's There Is Hope for a Tree Cut Down, on Takehold Records), but Aaron wanted to start another band to experiment with new sounds. After picking up Rick Mazzotta on drums and Ray Tadeo on bass, Kleinberg and the Weiss brothers released their first EP (I Never Said That I Was Brave) in 2001 and shortly thereafter signed to Tooth & Nail Records after a show at Cornerstone Festival the same year. An even earlier six song demo EP called Blood Enough For Us All has also surfaced, apparently having been recorded in 2000.
Around this time Tadeo had moved on, Daniel Pishock picked up as the bass player, and The Operation disbanded soon afterward. mewithoutYou's debut full-length album, A→B: Life, was released in 2002. The band garnered more attention for their sophomore release, 2004's Catch for Us the Foxes, which was produced by Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Fire Theft). In December of 2004 Pishock had made a decision to retire as the bassist for the band and former Operation frontman, Greg Jehanian, was selected to replace him. In 2005, mewithoutYou won mtvU's "Left Field" award for most original artist. Their third album, Brother, Sister, again produced by Wood, was released on September 26th, 2006. Their fourth album, it's all crazy! it's all false! it's all a dream! it's alright, produced by Dan Smith of Danielson, was released May 19th, 2009. Their fifth album Ten Stories, produced again by Dan Smith of Danielson, was independently released May 15th, 2012. Their sixth LP is set to be released in 2015 on Run for Cover Records.
mewithoutYou has released videos for "January 1979" and "Paper Hanger", from Catch for Us the Foxes, with the help of Red Van Pictures this past year, and one for "Bullet to Binary" from A→B: Life. They have recently released a video for "Nice and Blue, Pt. 2" from Brother, Sister, directed by Shane Drake. A video for "The Fox, the Crow and the Cookie" from It's All Crazy! has recently been released.
mewithoutYou is:
Aaron Weiss - Lead Vocals
Michael Weiss - Guitar
Brandon Beaver - 2nd Guitar
Greg Jehanian - Bass Guitar
Richard Mazzotta - Drums
Official homepage: http://www.mewithoutyou.com
http://www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou
East Enders Wives
mewithoutYou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our salt fire danced as our tea leaves dried
She hatched our plans in the atmospheric tides
Fortune Teller: Let's give up 'sacrifice' next Lent"
Rabbit: Eh, that joke's long since been spent!"
But as the Fool on the bagpipes played
Your thumb on my page at my tender age
East enders wives
Then hidden in the boxthorn vine
We grew old as the foxtail pine
Sheep in the fold gilding our gold
Sipping our milk and water lives
She packed our bags some arbitrary time
(by the time he wakes up I'll be gone)
Then waved like a flag from the White Star Line
(Queensland our next stop, he'll be gone)
Unmoored unwell though I seldom elegize
(you still see who I once was)
We've both been untrue but I'm still counting on you like an invisible rosary
And as the past and our plans are undone,
Slowly sank like the shipwrecked sun
Bridges and boats burning them both
Burned up the sky
Choir sang as the Black Birch fell
Sorrow rang like a church yard bell
An axe to the trees smoke for the bees
All our dads died.
The lyrics of mewithoutYou's song East Enders Wives seem to tell the story of a relationship that ends with one partner leaving abruptly. The first stanza sets the scene of where the couple met and how their relationship started with their shared love of tea and the atmospheric environment they were in. The second stanza is a conversation between the two partners about giving up "sacrifice" for Lent, but it's clear that the joke has already been spent. As the Fool plays the bagpipes and they sit in the shade, the partner's thumb is on the other's page "at my tender age". This phrase indicates that one partner was significantly younger than the other. The chorus then starts with the phrase "East enders wives", which could refer to the two partners who are married to each other and maybe even to their issues and struggles within society's expectations.
In the third stanza, the relationship seems to be falling apart. The partner who is leaving has packed their bags and will be gone before the other wakes up. They are leaving for Queensland in Australia, where they will start a new life without the other partner. The one left behind is not doing well and is lamenting their past and what their future will be without the other. This partner still counts on the leaving partner like an "invisible rosary", which could represent their faith or hope for their future. The final stanza is a bit more obscure and seems to talk about the loss of their fathers and the natural destruction of their surroundings as the Black Birch falls and smoke billows for the bees. The song seems to end on a note of sadness and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
We met by chance along the Roe River side
We happened to come across each other by fate, beside the river Roe
Our salt fire danced as our tea leaves dried
We let our campfire burn as we watched our cups of tea dry, while talking and enjoying our time together
She hatched our plans in the atmospheric tides
She came up with our ideas while feeling the changes in the air and the water around us
Fortune Teller: Let's give up 'sacrifice' next Lent"
A fortune teller suggests that we should abandon self-denial as a way of sacrificing for Lent
Rabbit: Eh, that joke's long since been spent!"
A rabbit responds with an indifferent remark, indicating that the joke has already run its course
But as the Fool on the bagpipes played
As the jester played the bagpipes
We kept cool in the parasol shade
We relaxed in the protective shade of our parasol
Your thumb on my page at my tender age
You held my book open while I was still young and impressionable
East enders wives
Women from the eastern part of the city
Then hidden in the boxthorn vine
We concealed ourselves in the dense growth of thorny vines
We grew old as the foxtail pine
We lived a long life like the foxtail pine tree
Sheep in the fold gilding our gold
Living a simple and content life with all that we have
Sipping our milk and water lives
Enjoying the small and simple things in our lives
She packed our bags some arbitrary time
She left and packed our bags at a random time
(by the time he wakes up I'll be gone)
She left before he wakes up, without saying goodbye
Then waved like a flag from the White Star Line
She waved goodbye as if she was sailing off on a ship from the White Star Line
(Queensland our next stop, he'll be gone)
She is moving on to the next place, and expects that he will not be there when she returns
Unmoored unwell though I seldom elegize
I feel lost and unhealthy, but I rarely mourn
(you still see who I once was)
You can still remember me as I used to be
We've both been untrue but I'm still counting on you like an invisible rosary
We both have been deceptive, but I still have hope and faith in you
And as the past and our plans are undone,
As our old memories and future goals fall apart
Slowly sank like the shipwrecked sun
Gradually declined like a ship sinking under the sunset
Bridges and boats burning them both
The connections and possibilities are taken away from both of us
Burned up the sky
The sky was obscured by smoke and flames
Choir sang as the Black Birch fell
A choir sang as the black birch tree fell down
Sorrow rang like a church yard bell
Sadness echoed like a bell ringing in a graveyard
An axe to the trees smoke for the bees
Cutting down the trees causes smoke that drives away the bees
All our dads died.
Both of our fathers passed away
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind