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
The Angel Of Death Came To David's Room
mewithoutYou Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Friend, it's time to go
DAVID:
Angel, no, I think you've come too soon!
ANGEL:
Sorry, friend, now put your hand in mine...
DAVID:
But, good Angel, don't I get a warning sign
ANGEL:
A sign? Come now, David!
Where's your Grandma gone?
And where's your Grandpa gone?
Their time came to go
DAVID:
But I slew Goliath with the sling and stone!
It's not my time to go
ANGEL:
And he'll be waiting for you
When we get back home
It's time to go - come now, David!
Where's your Mama gone?
And where've all your Aunts and Uncles gone?
Their time came to go
DAVID:
Can I tell Solomon the things I've learned
Before it's my time to go?
ANGEL:
I'm sorry, friend, that's none of my concern,
It's time to go - come now, David!
Where's Uriah gone,
Stranded on the battlefield,
The troops withdrawn?
His time came to go
Come now, David!
Where's Bathsheba gone?
And where've your binoculars and rooftops gone?
And the unexpected Baby-from-the-bath-night?
Their time came to go
Come now, David!
Where's every body going?
The song "The Angel Of Death Came To David's Room" by mewithoutYou features a conversation between David and an angel of death. The angel informs David that it's time for him to go and takes his hand, but David questions whether it's his time to go and asks for a warning sign. The angel dismisses David's concerns and reminds him that everyone, including his relatives and even Uriah who was betrayed by David, had their time to go. David becomes emotional and wishes to tell Solomon what he has learned before departing but the angel disregards him, stating that it's time to go regardless of what David wants. The song ends with the angel asking David where everyone is going.
The lyrics may be interpreted as a commentary on mortality and the inevitability of death. The conversation between David and the angel is an allegory for a person's struggle to accept their fate, with David questioning whether it's his time to go and wanting a warning sign. The angel, who represents death, reminds David that death comes for everyone and there are no exceptions. The references to David's relatives, Uriah, Bathsheba and their baby from the bath-night, reflect the idea that death is impartial and comes for all, no matter how powerful or virtuous they are.
Line by Line Meaning
Friend, it's time to go
The Angel of Death has come for David's soul
Angel, no, I think you've come too soon!
David thinks he still has more to do on Earth before he can leave
Sorry, friend, now put your hand in mine...
The Angel of Death insists that it's time for David to leave
But, good Angel, don't I get a warning sign
David hopes for a sign before he has to depart
Before it's my time to go?
David wants to know if he has to leave right away
A sign? Come now, David!
The Angel of Death reminds David that death comes for everyone
Where's your Grandma gone?
The Angel of Death reminds David of his loved ones who have already passed away
And where's your Grandpa gone?
The Angel of Death continues to remind David of his loved ones who have already passed away
Their time came to go
The Angel of Death explains that everyone has a time to leave this world
But I slew Goliath with the sling and stone!
David tries to argue that he still has work to do on Earth
It's not my time to go
David refuses to believe that it's his time to depart
And he'll be waiting for you
The Angel of Death reminds David that he'll be reunited with his loved ones who have already passed away
When we get back home
The Angel of Death refers to the afterlife as 'home'
It's time to go - come now, David!
The Angel of Death urges David to accept his fate and leave this world
Where's your Mama gone?
The Angel of Death reminds David of his loved ones who have already passed away
And where've all your Aunts and Uncles gone?
The Angel of Death continues to remind David of his loved ones who have already passed away
Can I tell Solomon the things I've learned
David wants to share his knowledge with his son before he leaves this world
Before it's my time to go?
David is worried that he won't have the chance to pass on his knowledge to his son
I'm sorry, friend, that's none of my concern,
The Angel of Death isn't concerned about what David wants to do before leaving this world
Come now, David!
The Angel of Death urges David to depart this world
Where's Uriah gone,
The Angel of Death reminds David of the people he has hurt in his lifetime
Stranded on the battlefield,
The Angel of Death refers to Uriah's death and how David was responsible for it
The troops withdrawn?
The Angel of Death reminds David of how he used his power to have Uriah killed in order to take his wife Bathsheba
His time came to go
The Angel of Death reaffirms that everyone has a time to leave this world
Come now, David!
The Angel of Death urges David to accept his fate
Where's Bathsheba gone?
The Angel of Death reminds David of his wife who has already passed away
And where've your binoculars and rooftops gone?
The Angel of Death refers to how David stole glimpses of Bathsheba from afar
And the unexpected Baby-from-the-bath-night?
The Angel of Death reminds David of his child who died as an infant
Their time came to go
The Angel of Death reaffirms that everyone has a time to leave this world
Come now, David!
The Angel of Death urges David to accept his fate
Where's every body going?
The Angel of Death refers to how everyone is headed towards death at some point in their life
Contributed by Keira O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.