The band's first record, Fatboy (1992), established the band as a favorite of the same 1990s scene that became popular through bands such as the Dave Matthews Band, Phish, and Widespread Panic. moe. has toured with the 1997 Furthur Festival, appeared at Woodstock '99, have played in Central Park, were the opening band for The Allman Brothers and The Who, and performed at Radio City Music Hall on New Years Eve 2006 and 2007.
They also host the annual festival moe.down at Snow Ridge Ski Area in Turin, NY. Started in 2000, the festival runs for three days and occurs every Labor Day weekend. The festival has attracted a wide variety of musical talent. Acts range from newer bands just emerging onto the scene (such as Tea Leaf Green, Nellie McKay and Raq) to big name acts and jam rock staples, such as Les Claypool, Blues Traveler, and Mike Gordon (of Phish fame); to pop rock icons, such as Leo Kottke, The Flaming Lips, The Violent Femmes; and most recently, Perry Farrell. Each year, the amount of moe.down attendees has steadily increased. moe.down I attracted around 3,000 people while moe.down VI in 2005, had attracted close to 7,000.
During an interview, guitarist Al Schnier was asked to describe moe. for those who have never heard their music: "It's an amalgamation of a wide variety of the history of rock, all regurgitated and recycled through the eyes, ears, hands, whatever of the guys in our band and all of that with a sense of adventure, a sense of humor, also a constant desire to push the envelope. All in this arena of taking chances, improvising live, and making things up on the spot."
Their official site can be found at www.moe.org
Gone
moe. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Were it the other day
I fell asleep, now she's gone away
So won't you tell me all the secrets
that I need to know
Before I go and throw it all away
Before I go and throw it all away
Or I could have done
Well I don't know, but she'd still be here today
If I just changed my old perspectives or my attitude
Or the things I do
Well maybe she'd have never gone away
Chorus (done twice):
I am done, take me home [al. & Chuck]
She gave up a long time ago [Rob]
Take the time, take the time [al. & Chuck]
It's a shame he's the last to know [Rob]
So I'll just sing another song about the love and loss
to get my point across
Bestowing words of wisdom on the way
Unless you'd rather hear another one about the rain
or the singer's pain
and the important things that he has to say
Chorus (twice)
Bridge x 4: Rob on lead
(parts are sung simultaneously)
They were happy in another place
(Turn back the hands of time [Al and Chuck] )
Always thought they'd get by [all]
Woke one morning, and he heard her say
(Turn back the hands of time [Al and Chuck] )
Why'd I waste all of my time. [all, only Rob on last refrain]
instrumental (Chuck solo)
Bridge x 4
Verse 1
Multiple repeats of Chorus
The song Gone by moe. is a nostalgic ballad that ponders the things that could have been done to save a relationship. The song opens with an enigmatic line, "Listen sister have you heard about the holiday?" which casts a sense of confusion and missing out that the singer is feeling. He then reveals that he fell asleep and his lover has gone away while he was asleep. He requests his sister to reveal the secrets he needs to know before he throws it all away. He regrets not doing something differently and believes that if he had, his lover would still be with him.
The chorus serves as a refrain, highlighting the acceptance of the singer's fate. He is done and wants to be taken home, while the others mention that she had given up a long time ago. They suggest taking the time to do the right thing as it's a shame he's the last to know. In the bridge, they mourn the missed opportunity and remark that they had thought they would get by. The singer hears his lover say, "Why'd I waste all of my time" and realizes that he too has wasted his chance.
The song has a melancholic quality that evokes the feeling of loss and regret. It reflects on the missed chances and the importance of making the right choices before it's too late. The song leaves a lingering sense of longing, wanting to go back and correct the mistakes that led to the relationship's end.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen sister have you heard about the holiday
Have you heard about this event that happened recently?
Were it the other day
It happened recently
I fell asleep, now she's gone away
I wasn't paying attention and now she's not here anymore
So won't you tell me all the secrets that I need to know
Can you give me advice and guidance to help me understand what went wrong?
Before I go and throw it all away
Before I make a mistake that could ruin everything
Maybe there's a couple things that I should have done
Perhaps there were a few things I could have done differently
Or I could have done
Or something I missed
Well I don't know, but she'd still be here today
I'm not sure what exactly, but if I did it differently, she might still be here
If I just changed my old perspectives or my attitude
If I had changed the way I saw things or my outlook on life
Or the things I do
Or the actions I take
Well maybe she'd have never gone away
Perhaps she would have stayed if I had acted differently
I am done, take me home [al. & Chuck]
I am finished and ready to go home
She gave up a long time ago [Rob]
She stopped caring a while ago
Take the time, take the time [al. & Chuck]
Take a moment to reflect and consider your actions
It's a shame he's the last to know [Rob]
It's unfortunate that I'm only realizing this now
So I'll just sing another song about the love and loss
I'll use music to express my feelings of love and heartbreak
to get my point across
In order to make myself understood
Bestowing words of wisdom on the way
Sharing advice and knowledge with others as I go
Unless you'd rather hear another one about the rain
Unless you prefer a more typical, sappy love song
or the singer's pain
Or a ballad that focuses on my personal struggle
and the important things that he has to say
And the lessons I've learned
(Bridge x 4):
The following lines are part of the bridge, which repeats four times
They were happy in another place
There was a time when they were happy
(Turn back the hands of time [Al and Chuck] )
This is being sung simultaneously with the previous line
Always thought they'd get by [all]
They believed they could overcome any obstacle
Woke one morning, and he heard her say
One day he woke up and she told him
(Turn back the hands of time [Al and Chuck] )
This is being sung simultaneously with the previous line
Why'd I waste all of my time. [all, only Rob on last refrain]
Why did I invest so much of my life into something that wasn't right for me?
(instrumental (Chuck solo))
This section is a solo by Chuck on an instrument
Verse 1
This section is the first verse
Multiple repeats of Chorus
The chorus is repeated multiple times throughout the song
Contributed by Max A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.