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Everybody's Going Away

from Everybody's Going Away by The Late Joys

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There was a week back in June when I helped an old friend load out what was left of his furniture that was still sitting in his ex's place. They'd split, and my friend couldn't find a job in Austin, so he planned to move back to Kentucky where at least he had family. He'd rented a truck that morning and we moved out a sofa, artwork and other bits and pieces. I said goodbye to him and drove off as the day grew warmer. Later that night, Michelle called him to say her goodbye. She was sad, but then we figured we'd see him again in the future. Or we told ourselves this, though neither of us seriously believes we'll be going to Kentucky. Will he come back to visit Austin? I don't know. It seems unlikely.

That same week I helped an intrepid French family we know store their remaining possessions in a rental facility near our neighborhood before they took off in a used RV to tour the world for three years. Some things they gave to me to store at home while they were away: large dark boxes to tuck away in the closet not to see the light of day until their return years hence.

As I drove to work I thought, "Everybody's going away," and immediately the idea for a song started forming. Michelle and I talked later and we agreed that quite a number of our closest friends had upped and left town in recent years, with still more planning to go. Everybody was going away! I told her I already had the chorus to a new song.

It didn't take long to write the rest. The first two verses tell the brief stories above. The third is a litany of people we've known who've moved away from Austin, in all likelihood never to return (and that list doesn't cover even close to half of them!). The last person mentioned is our dear friend, Don, who, having fought off cancer seven times, opted to take a journey of a different kind. He succumbed to the disease on his own terms, peacefully in his bed. We miss him.

We miss all our friends who have left.

It's funny that while I can recall the moment the song began to come together in my head -- another one that formed as I drove along on Austin's highways in my red truck -- I cannot remember how I wrote the music. I can vaguely recall strumming my acoustic guitar and the chords appearing in an acceptable order; or, rather, my hands shifting to form a progression of chords that made sense and fit the words. The chorus came first, of course. Then I made a conscious decision to keep the verses simple, and I guess that was that. I wrote the song in a matter of days.

A couple of minor notes: I hadn't expected to keep the "oh-oh-oh" part between choruses and verses, which appeared out of the blue as I sang an early demo of the song, but once I did it, it stuck. And, slyly, I put in a little play on words for the part about Don. I thought he'd get a kick out of it.

Originally posted on The Late Joys (sadly neglected) blog, January 12, 2009. Read it here: latejoysblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/how-i-wrote-song-everybodys-going-away.html

lyrics

Everybody's going away
Though some of them say they'll be back some day
But I've seen people leave here before
And when they go they don't come back no more, oh

You drove the rental truck to get the settee the morning muggy
When you packed up all you could carry to move from Austin to Kentucky
And later on that night when Shel called up to say goodbye
You spoke a while, she dried her eyes as she imagined you'd meet up in time

Everybody's going away
Though some of them say they'll be back some day
But I've seen people leave here before
And when they go they don't come back no more, oh

I helped you stow some things you couldn't carry in the RV
When you packed up your little army to take a trip around the world
And in your wanderings will you forget the ones you left
The words unsaid the secrets kept that wait on foreign shelves 'til you return

Shezhad's for New York City, on to London, maybe Karachi
Tom and Robin to Colorado, Liz a Costa Rican farm
The Aernes live in Oregon, the Sewell-McCann's are in Vermont
And what of those who must embark on life's last journey, how we'll miss you, Don

Everybody's going away
Though some of them say they'll be back some day
But I know we won't see them again
So raise a glass to all our absent friends

credits

from Everybody's Going Away, track released June 12, 2009
Robi Polgar: guitar, vocals
Patrick Lopez: bass
Andy Macleod: drums
Shane Lewis: trumpet

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Alta Vista Recording, Austin, Texas with the help of Tom Johnson and Colin McDonald.
Words and music by Robi Polgar.

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The Late Joys Austin

With influences that include The Beatles, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, The Jam, The Clash and a slew of '80s and '90s Brit-pop guitar-based trailblazers, The Late Joys put on a high-octane show that's groovy, melodic and infused with fun.

The Late Joys play infectious sonic confections with literate lyrics, catchy melodies and unabashedly progressive political sensibilities. ... more

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