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
In a Sweater Poorly Knit
mewithoutYou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
little moses drifts downstream in the Nile
a fumbling reply, an awkward rigid laugh
I'm carried helpless by my floating basket raft
your flavor in my mind swings back and forth between
sweet rhan any wine and bitter as mustard greens
light and dark as honeydew and pumpernickel bread
the trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead!
as you plow some other field try and forget my name
see what harvest yields, and, supposing I'd do the same
I planted rows of peas but by the first week of July
they should have come up to my knees
but they were maybe ankle high
take the fingers from your flute to weave your colored yarns
and boil down your fruit to preserves in mason jars
but now the books are overdueand the goats are underfed
the trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead!
you're a door-without-a-key, a field-without-a-fence
you made a holy fool of me and I've thanked you ever since.
if she comes circling back we'll end where we'd begun
like two pennies on the train track the train crushed into one
or if I'm a crown without a king, if I'm a broken open seed
if I come without a thing, then I come with all I need
no boat out in the blue, no place to rest your head,
the trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead!
I do not exist only you exist
The song "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" by mewithoutYou is a vivid and powerful exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of human relationships. The lyrics paint a picture of a narrator who is struggling to come to terms with the end of a relationship and is caught in a trap of their own making. The opening lines describe the singer's sense of vulnerability and helplessness as they drift down the river like little Moses in a basket. The metaphor suggests that the singer is not in control of their destiny and is at the mercy of powerful forces beyond their control.
The language used in the song is rich and evocative, with a powerful sense of imagery and symbolism. The flavor of the relationship swings back and forth between sweet and bitter, and the trap that the singer sets for their former partner seems to have backfired, catching the singer themselves instead. The final lines of the song suggest a deep sense of humility and acceptance, as the singer recognizes that they are not the only one who exists and that their former partner has their own complex inner world.
Overall, "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" is a moving and lyrically complex exploration of love, loss, and redemption. It is a testament to the power of music to convey the depth and richness of human emotion and experience.
Line by Line Meaning
in a sweater poorly knit and an unsuspecting smile
I am putting on a facade of happiness, pretending to be content with my situation.
little moses drifts downstream in the Nile
I feel like I am helpless, like I am just going with the flow instead of taking charge of my life.
a fumbling reply, an awkward rigid laugh
I don't feel like I am always able to articulate my thoughts well or express my true feelings, which can lead to awkwardness.
I'm carried helpless by my floating basket raft
I feel like I am just floating along with life, not really in control of where I go or what I do.
your flavor in my mind swings back and forth between sweet rhan any wine and bitter as mustard greens
My feelings towards you are complicated, swinging between love and hate, sweet and bitter, but I can't get you out of my head.
light and dark as honeydew and pumpernickel bread
Our relationship is a mix of good and bad, light and dark, like the contrast between honeydew and pumpernickel bread.
the trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead!
Even though I thought I had everything under control, it turns out I am the one who has been trapped and hurt in this situation.
as you plow some other field try and forget my name
I want you to move on from me, focus on something else, and forget about our relationship.
see what harvest yields, and, supposing I'd do the same
I want you to experience things without me, see what other opportunities are out there, and assume that I am doing the same.
I planted rows of peas but by the first week of July they should have come up to my knees but they were maybe ankle high
I tried to create something meaningful or rewarding, but it hasn't turned out how I expected, and it's not as fulfilling as I hoped.
take the fingers from your flute to weave your colored yarns and boil down your fruit to preserves in mason jars
Make something beautiful or useful out of what you have, like how you might use your fingers to create a beautiful song or weave something, or use fruit to make preserve that is both beautiful and functional.
but now the books are overdue and the goats are underfed
Things are starting to pile up and become overwhelming, like how I've let tasks like returning books to the library fall behind or haven't taken good care of my responsibilities.
you're a door-without-a-key, a field-without-a-fence
You are someone who is mysterious or hard to figure out, someone who doesn't fit into neat categories or descriptions.
you made a holy fool of me and I've thanked you ever since.
You have helped me see things in a new perspective, even if it has been humbling, and I appreciate it.
if she comes circling back we'll end where we'd begun like two pennies on the train track the train crushed into one
If we try to reinvent our relationship and come back together, it will probably end up in the same place as before, not able to really move forward or progress.
or if I'm a crown without a king, if I'm a broken open seed if I come without a thing, then I come with all I need
Even if I feel like I am missing something, that I am broken or incomplete, I still am enough on my own, with all the potential I need.
no boat out in the blue, no place to rest your head
I feel lost, like I am stranded in the middle of nowhere, without direction or a place to call home.
the trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead!
I am still struggling with the consequences of my actions, finding myself hurt or trapped by something I thought I could control.
I do not exist only you exist
I am questioning my own validity, wondering where I fit in, and whether I am really seen or heard. Meanwhile, you are the one who seems to have everything together and be in the spotlight.
Contributed by Violet V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.