Line #17 Music/MeWithoutYou


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mewithoutyoucurrentlineup_9.jpeg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Their lineup from 2012 to 2022. Clockwise from the left: Greg Jehanian, Brandon Beaver, Rickie Mazzota, Aaron Weiss, and Mike Weiss.]]
3
4	->''"We'll be like torches!\
5	We'll be like torches,\
6	With whatever respect,\
7	Our tattered dignity demands,\
8	Torches together, hand in hand"''
9	-->--'''"Torches Together"'''
10
11	mewithoutYou (capitalization just-so) is an AlternativeRock Band from UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} formed in 2001. Their lineup has shifted around [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/bh7ig78u5vjuwoiwluuwjahaj81y5dw.png many times]] throughout their tenure, but from 2012 to their ultimate disbandment they had five principle members: Aaron Weiss (vocals), Michael Weiss and Brandon Beaver (guitars), Greg Jehanian (bass guitar), and Rickie Mazzotta (drums).
12
13	They're best known for their [[SpokenWordinMusic spoken word vocals]], introspective lyrics, and almost hookless instrumentation. Their songs often explore philosophical and spiritual themes, or view personal circumstances through a spiritual lens; [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]] to literature and [[AsTheGoodBookSays scripture]] as well as quotes from spiritual teachers are ubiquitous throughout their body of work. AnimalMotifs are also very common.
14
15	Describing their genre is [[GenreBusting a difficult task]], even during their first few albums. They started out as PostHardcore with ''[A→B] Life'', with uniquely spoken vocals, and gradually shifted into more experimental territory with ''Catch for Us the Foxes'' and ''Brother, Sister'', the latter of which featured some [[FolkMusic Folk]] influences as well. Their fouth album, ''It's All Crazy!", was almost entirely Folk, while their next three worked to marry the two styles together. Although the band initially came to prominence within evangelical Christian circles, they do not consider themselves to be ChristianRock.
16
17	Their last concert was performed on August 20, 2022, [[BookEnds back in Philadelphia]].
18
19	!!Discography
20	!!! Long Plays
21	* ''[A→B] Life'' (2002)
22	* ''Catch for Us the Foxes'' (2004)
23	* ''Brother, Sister'' (2006)
24	* ''It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright'' (2009)
25	* ''Ten Stories'' (2012)
26	* ''Pale Horses'' (2015)
27	* ''[A→B] Live''[[labelnote:*]] A LiveAlbum released for the [[MilestoneCelebration fifteenth anniversary]] of ''[A→B] Life'' [[/labelnote]] (2018)
28	* ''[Untitled]'' (2018)
29	!!! Extended Plays
30	* ''I Never Said That I Was Brave'' (2001)
31	* ''Other Stories''[[labelnote:*]] Two songs that pick up from where ''Ten Stories'' left off [[/labelnote]] (2013)
32	* ''East Enders Wives''[[labelnote:*]] Six versions of the third track from ''Ten Stories'' [[/labelnote]](2014)
33	* ''Pale Horse': Appendix''[[labelnote:*]] A combination of alternate versions of tracks from ''Pale Horses'' and original songs [[/labelnote]] (2016)
34	* ''untitled EP'' (2018)
35
36	----
37
38	!!mewithoutYou provides examples of the following tropes:
39
40	[[foldercontrol]]
41
42	[[folder:A-I]]
43	* AdaptationExpansion: "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie" adds narrative and thematic embellishment to the original [[Literature/AesopsFables fable]].
44	* AnAesop: "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie", as a retelling of [[https://fablesofaesop.com/the-fox-and-the-crow.html an actual fable]] from [[Literature/AesopsFables the man himself]], fittingly relays the same message, while also stressing the importance of letting go of one's pride and ego.
45	** ''It's All Crazy!'' as a [[CentralTheme whole]] stresses the importance of [[TurnTheOtherCheek forgiveness]], [[OdeToSobriety self-control]], spiritual tranquility, and the omnipresence and love of God.
46	* AlbumClosure:
47	** From ''Brother, Sister'', "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" is a gentle, lullaby-like tune with peaceful, epiphanic lyrics contrasting with the musical intensity and harsher, self-deprecatory words that comprise most of the previous tracks.
48	*** This was also the track that they ended all of the shows on their [[GrandFinale "Farewell Tour"]] with.
49	** From ''It's All Crazy!'', "Allah, Allah, Allah" reemphasizes and concludes the album's themes of the omnipresence of God and [[TurntheOtherCheek the necessity of forgiveness.]]
50	** From ''Ten Stories'', "All Circles" is a SingleStanzaSong whose one lyric more or less summarizes the previously explored philosophical concepts.
51	** From ''Pale Horses'', "Rainbow Signs" is a thundering finale that narrates the [[Literature/BookofRevelation Biblical]] [[EndoftheWorldAsWeKnowIt apocalypse]] the rest of the album has been leading to. Its conclusion also contains something of a SurprisinglyHappyEnding that provides a measure of closure to the emotional turmoil resulting from the album's [[GriefSong heavy subject matter.]]
52	** "Break on Through (to the Other Side) [pt. Two]" acts as this not just to ''[Untitled]'', but to the band's entire discography, emphasizing the singer's journey and desire for spiritual enlightenment, but also their peace with not having all the answers.
53	* AlbumIntroTrack: "Pale Horse" is a brief, quiet track that details the emotional and spiritual questions which permeate the rest of ''Pale Horses''.
54	* AlbumTitleDrop:
55	** In "Seven Sisters": "Please '''Catch for Us the Foxes''', in the vineyard, the little foxes".
56	** Done obliquely in "O Porcupine":
57	----> ''You say Judas is a '''brother''' of mine?\
58	Oh, but '''sister''' in our darkness a light shines''
59	** In "Allah, Allah, Allah": "Everywhere we look, '''it's all crazy, it's all false, it's all a dream, it's alright''', everywhere we look".
60	** The exact phrase "pale ''horses''" doesn't show up in the titular album, but "pale ''horse''" does appear in the titular AlbumIntroTrack, "Red Cow", and "Rainbow Signs".
61	* AllMenArePerverts: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in "Fig with a Bellyache", where the singer admits that from his perspective, men only pretend to listen to women while actually being concerned with [[UnusualEuphemism "sailing their birth canal"]].
62	* AllThereInTheManual: Physical copies of their music usually come with lyric booklets, though [[ManualMisprint they don't always match what's actually sung]]. The booklet for ''Pale Horses'' in particular also contains what seem to be [[TheAnnotatedEdition the lyricist's annotations, embellishments, and explanations that couldn't fit into the original songs.]]
63	* AnimalMotifs:
64	** The foxes in "The Soviet" represent the singer's insecurities and emotional struggles in a relationship, [[AstheGoodBookSays referencing a verse]] from the Literature/SongOfSongs from which the album it's from [[LiteraryAllusionTitle derives its name.]]
65	** Almost every one of the various animals that show up in ''[[ConceptAlbum Brother, Sister]], [[ConceptAlbum It's All Crazy!]]'' and ''[[RockOpera Ten Stories]]'' have some kind of thematic significance or [[AnAesop important character flaw.]]
66	** The [[Literature/BookofRevelation Pale Horse]] mentioned throughout ''Pale Horses'', acting as both [[GrimReaper an avatar of death]] and the herald of the apocalypse.
67	* ArcSymbol: Circles tend to be referenced throughout their discography as symbols of both relationships and spiritual journeys.
68	* ArmorPiercingQuestion: One is posed to the listener in "New Wine, New Skins".
69	-->''[[BecauseDestinySaysSo "God's will" or "come what fortune gives"]]\
70	[[TheFatalist Or is this truly how you'd choose to live?]]''
71	* ArtisticLicenseGeography: The bridge in "Grist for the Malady Mill" seems to raise more questions than it answers with the locations it lists. It's likely referencing the journey of Fox and Bear, but if they're just leaving [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badger_Pass_(Pioneer_Mountains) Badger Pass]] in UsefulNotes/{{Montana}}, they should be nowhere within "three miles [of] [[UsefulNotes/{{Arizona}} Flagstaff]]".
72	* ArtisticLicenseReligion: "The Angel of Death Came to David's Room" gets a few details wrong with the Biblical narrative it seems to be relaying.
73	** In the Book of Chronicles, David [[FaceDeathWithDignity did not seem at all reluctant to die,]] with his [[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Chronicles+29&version=NIV last recorded words]] being a humble prayer that praised God and requested that his subjects remain forever loyal to Him.
74	** Additionally, David ''did'' in fact live long enough to tell Solomon "the things [he] learned", as he had already been chosen as the future king when he died.
75	** Lastly, Bathsheba outlived David, not the other way around.
76	* AsTheGoodBookSays: ''Tons''. See their ShoutOut [[ShoutOut/MeWithoutYou page]] for all the instances.
77	* BeastFable:
78	** "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie", "Goodbye, I" (specifically the second verse), and "The King Beetle on a Coconut Estate" from ''It's All Crazy!'' are this.
79	** ''Ten Stories'' is one for the most part, although some characters are human and it's [[MatureAnimalStory altogether darker]] than your typical [[Literature/AesopsFables Aesop]].
80	* BigCreepyCrawlies: In "August 6th" the singer relays facing down a robotic mantis large enough to have "legs on both highway sides".
81	* BigOMG: One is sang in "Messes of Men"; not as an expletive, but as an expression of reverence.
82	* BigNo: Shouted in "Gentlemen" at the end of the song.
83	* BitchInSheepsClothing: The singer in the appropriately named "Wolf Am I! (And Shadow)" sees himself as a literal example of this trope.
84	* BitingTheHandHumor: "Another Head for Hydra" references their at-the-time recorod producer [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Yip Will Yip]], more or less describing his accomplishments and awards as ultimately meaningless.
85	* BittersweetEnding: "Four Fires" acts as this to Rabbit's story. [[spoiler: Rabbit finally returns home only to find that his father has died while he was gone. Nonetheless, his mother is still there for him, and the song's final verse implies that there is no enmity between the two, and that Rabbit has come to terms with his loss.]]
86	** ''Ten Stories'' as a whole ends like this. [[spoiler: Elephant is executed by a mob, but [[ObiWanMoment dies completely at peace]].]] Rabbit is happy to be back home [[spoiler: in spite of his father's death]]. [[spoiler: Bear ends up [[HeroicSacrifice sacrificing himself]] for Fox.]] Tiger and Peacock are recaptured by the circus, but even confined, they're able to bond with one another and [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre recognize their own innate value]]. [[HeroOfAnotherStory Walrus]], meanwhile, successfully escapes and seems to have no difficulty in braving the wilderness. While [[CircusofFear the circus]] is still around, it's on its last legs as a result of the animals' desertion.
87	* BlackComedy: Bear's relaying of an [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial attempt]] to make conversation with his then-girlfriend is both disturbing and [[OpenMouthInsertFoot hilariously awkward]].
88	* {{Bookends}}:
89	** In ''Brother, Sister'', "Messes of Men" begins with the phrase "I do not exist" and "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" ends with it.
90	** In ''It's All Crazy!'', "Every Thought a Thought Of You" and "Allah, Allah, Allah" are the only songs to lack [[AnimalMotifs nonhuman]] [[GrimReaper characters]].
91	** In ''Pale Horses'', [[AlbumClosure "Rainbow Signs"]] incorporates the tune of [[AlbumIntroTrack "Pale Horse"]] in its first and final verses.
92	* {{Bowdlerization}}: "I Never Said That I Was Brave" from ''[A→B] Life'' changes the lyric "Come over and part your soft pink curtains" from the previous version of the song (on the titular EP) to "Come over and part your soft ''white'' curtains", presumably to avoid the sexual overtones the original line had.
93	* BreakupSong: ''[A→B] Life'' is almost entirely composed of these.
94	* BreadEggsMilkSquick:
95	** From "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie":
96	-->''I've got a walnut brownie brain\
97	And molasses in my veins\
98	Crushed graham cracker crust\
99	[[UnusualEuphemism My powdered sugar funnel cake cocaine!]]''
100	** From "East Enders Wives":
101	-->''Choir sang as the black birch fell\
102	Sorrow rang like a churchyard bell\
103	An axe to the trees, smoke for the bees\
104	[[{{Foreshadowing}} And all our dads die]]''
105	* BreatherEpisode: "Yellow Spider", "Orange Spider", and "Brownish Spider" are soft, simple tunes with whimsical lyrics, each placed at regular intervals in ''Brother, Sister'' to space out the more intense tracks.
106	* CallBack:
107	** This lyric in "Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt" is rephrased in "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" (''"And if she comes circling back, we'll end where we'd begun"'') and "Bear's Vision of St. Agnes" (''"As our hollowed lumber falls like water, ends where I start"'').
108	---->''[[Creator/JohnDonne "Thy firmness makes my circle just\
109	And makes me end where I begun"]]''
110	** "Four Fires" opens with the line "Dear seven sisters" and contains the phrase "bare, wandering feet", both of which reference "Seven Sisters" from ''Catch for Us the Foxes''.
111	** "The King Beetle on a Coconut Estate" reincorporates the lyric [[DareToBeBadass "Why not be utterly changed into fire?"]] originally used in "Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)".
112	** "Aubergine" is ''[[WordSaladLyrics probably]]'' a story about a fish learning that their romantic obsession with an eggplant is ultimately unjustified, calling back to "Bullet to Binary (Pt. Two)", in which the same lesson is learned by a bed of lettuce.
113	** The final line of "Four Fires" (''"Mama sing my favorite hymn, and remind me everyone is him"'') and by extension ''Ten Stories'' as a whole, calls back to the second verse of "Allah, Allah, Allah", the last song of ''It's All Crazy!''
114	---->''In everyone we meet (x6)\
115	Allah, Allah, Allah\
116	In everyone we meet''
117	* CentralTheme:
118	** ''[A→B] Life'': Being in despair as a result of a failed relationship and searching for God as a result.
119	** ''Catch for Us the Foxes'': [[DespairEventHorizon Depression, disillusionment, and despair]] with how meaningless everything feels, and with one's current direction in life, even to the point of [[DrivenToSuicide contemplating suicide]]. But even in the darkest times, keeping one's focus on God can keep you afloat.
120	** ''Brother, Sister'': An earnest, passionate search for spiritual truth often requires understanding and harmonizing [[DualityMotif opposite concepts]]. And hey, maybe you're finally able to move on from that [[CallBack disastrous relationship]] all those years ago?
121	** ''It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright'':
122	*** Letting go of your pride and ego. Fully surrendering to the will of God rather than trying to control what you can't.
123	*** God is everywhere and in ''everyone''. As such, [[AllLovingHero try to show kindness to everyone]].
124	*** [[TurnTheOtherCheek Forgiveness]] is a necessity to living a spiritual life, as is [[PassionIsEvil self-control]].
125	*** Many of our relationships our built on some measure of deceit, [[EgocentricallyReligious even those we have to God]]. All the same, we must love one another unconditionally.
126	** ''Ten Stories:''
127	*** The conflict between institutionalized life and true spiritual freedom, explored from the point of view of animals choosing between a safe captivity and a perilous liberty.
128	*** Undergoing hardship and [[IDieFree even death]] in a pursuit for spiritual truth is [[LibertyOverProsperity preferable]] to a comfortable but ultimately performative life dictated solely by authorities.
129	*** The power of self-sacrifice, both in its basic and [[HeroicSacrifice ultimate]] forms.
130	** ''Pale Horses'':
131	*** Death and apocalypses, both [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt universal]] and [[DespairEventHorizon personal]].
132	*** As the [[Literature/BookOfRevelation death of the old Earth]] is [[BirthDeathJuxtaposition juxtaposed with the birth of the new]], so too is loss juxtaposed with new beginnings.
133	*** [[CrisisOfFaith Where is God, anyways?]] [[GodIsDead Has He died?]] How can we know that any of this is real?
134	*** Technological hyperadvancement and the possibility of it leading to {{Dystopia}} and nuclear war
135	** ''[Untitled]'': Meaning and self-discovery.
136	* ConceptAlbum: ''Brother, Sister'', ''It's All Crazy!'', and ''Pale Horses'' each have strong thematic underpinnings and album-spanning motifs.
137	* CoverDrop: "O, Porcupine" references the [[https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a2744985540_10.jpg cover art]] of ''Brother, Sister''.
138	-->''Without a queen the locust swarm turned the ground to black\
139	Descending like a shadowy tower on a fish's back''
140	* CrossReferencedTitles: From ''Brother, Sister'', the song titles "In a Market Dimly Lit" and "In a Sweater Poorly Knit" rhyme.
141	* CrisisOfFaith:
142	** "Fox's Dream of the Log Flume" involves Bear facing one.
143	** The crisis in "Birnam Wood" is less of "Is there a God? and more "Is God good?"
144	* DareToBeBadass:
145	** "Torches Together" is a rousing call for spiritual unity and transformation, which makes the rest of the album somewhat [[{{Irony}} ironic]] given how hopeless it feels at certain points.
146	** The lyrics "Why not be utterly changed into fire?" in "Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)" and "Why not be crushed to make wine?" in "Son of a Widow" also emphasize this to a smaller extent.
147	** "Why not be utterly changed into fire?" is [[CallBack repeated]] in the final refrain of "The King Beetle on a Coconut Estate".
148	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Pale Horses'' is this to ''Ten Stories'', and to their entire discography as a whole. Not only is the tone significantly grimmer due to its apocalyptic motif and a healthy dose of RealitySubtext, it pushes the envelope in terms of content with some tracks. Fittingly, the album cover is colorless and the instrumentation for the tracks is composed purely of guitar, bass, and drums when every album post-''Foxes'' had included nonstandard instruments.
149	* DeathSong:
150	** "The Angel of Death Came to David's Room" has [[Literature/BooksOfSamuel King David]] singing one of these.
151	** "Elephant in the Dock" is one for Elephant.
152	** [[spoiler: "Bear's Vision of St. Agnes" ends up becoming one for Bear.]]
153	* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Using animals, especially exotic animals, as part of a circus performance is seen far more negatively today than it would've been in 1878, emphasizing the general depravity of the Circus in ''Ten Stories''.
154	* DespairEventHorizon: A common theme throughout much of their discography, but especially in ''Catch for Us the Foxes'' and ''Pale Horses''.
155	* DontFearTheReaper: The titular angel in "The Angel of Death Came to David's Room" seems like a pretty chill guy.
156	** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] by [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter Death]] in "Blue Hen", who outright [[EvilGloating gloats]] about his [[TheProblemWithFightingDeath inevitable victory.]]
157	* DistractedByTheSexy: The singer in "The Soviet" admits to being this.
158	* DoubleEntendre: The lyric "From the frying pan of the celibate man to the fires of the premature" in ''D-Minor'' either means Aaron wasn't emotionally ready for intimacy, or that he wasn't [[SpeedSex ''physically'' ready]].
159	* DoubleMeaningTitle: The name of the band itself. Depending on whether or not the "you" is capitalized, it could refer to feeling abandoned by a friend or lover, or to feeling abandoned by {{God}}.
160	** "Carousels" could refer to a common ride in fairs like the one the singer wistfully wishes was in-town, or to a cyclical journey that he admits he'd be on without having God as his guide.
161	** "Nine Stories" refers to the number of recollections Owl and Walrus swap as well as an [[HumanLadder acrobatic tower]] seen by the latter in [[UsefulNotes/{{Morocco}} Tangier]].
162	* DreamSequence:
163	** "Fox's Dream of the Log Flume" involves one, as the title suggests.
164	** "Dorothy" is mostly about a dream Aaron ostensibly had, while a similar dream is also relayed in the final verse of "Rainbow Signs"; both involve a flashback to Aaron's past.
165	* DrivenToSuicide: Explored in "Tie Me Up! Untie Me!", "Seven Sisters", and ''Carousels'' in ''Catch for Us the Foxes'' and "Mexican War Streets" in ''Pale Horses.''
166	* DrosteImage: Referenced in "Tortoises All the Way Down".
167	-->''[[MadnessMantra While all hiding inside our painting-of-a-house-hung-up-inside- that same-painted-house-which-ever-implies-another-painted-house-inside lives]]''
168	* DualityMotif: ''Brother, Sister'' has this in its title, [[SolarAndLunar cover art,]] and in the lyrical references in many of its tracks, e.g. the sea and land, water and dryness/fire, darkness and light, and [[SolarAndLunar the moon and sun.]]
169	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: ''I Never Said That I Was Brave'' and ''[A→B] Life'' are far louder, angstier, and rawer than the more melodic and introspective tracks the band is generally well known for, both in terms of lyrics and instrumentation.
170	* EitherOrTitle: "Julia (or, ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses)"
171	* EgocentricallyReligious: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in "Every Thought a Thought Of You"; it's easily missed given [[SongOfPrayer the song's otherwise upbeat lyrics.]]
172	-->''When they swear their love is real\
173	They mean I like the way you make me feel\
174	(No one here to believe but You)\
175	There's no one here to believe but You''
176	* ElementalMotifs:
177	** ''Brother, Sister'' is strongly associated with water. Most of its songs mention water in some form or another, with the only songs that ''don't'' being the [[BreatherEpisode trilogy of spider-themed songs]], [[SequelSong "Nice and Blue, (Pt. Two)"]], and "In a Market Dimly Lit". Narratively, the songs frequently reference spiritual recovery and [[HealItWithWater healing]], while also expressing the unstable and tumultuous position the singer finds himself in (e.g. "Messes of Men" draws parallels to sailing on a stormy sea). Appropriately, the tracks run the gamut from quiet calmness to tempestuous anger and frustation. And lastly, the album cover depicts a tower on a fish's back, which combined give the image of a sailboat.
178	** Most of the songs in ''It's All Crazy!'' mention and/or are named after plants of some kind, especially in the context of agriculture. Appropriately, they frequently encourage [[FriendToAllLivingThings universal kindness]] and living a carefree life. The album cover is fittingly verdant, standing as a rather stark contrast to those that came before it.
179	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: "[[GrimReaper The Angel of Death]] Came to [[Literature/BooksofSamuel David's]] Room".
180	* ExcitedEpisodeTitle: ''It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright''
181	* FadingIntoTheNextSong: Nearly every track on ''Ten Stories'', to the point where it can be jarring when an individual track from the album comes up on shuffle.
182	* FakeOutFadeOut: Played with in "We Know Who Our Enemies Are." The song ends with a riff that slowly fades out, only to fade back in, before abruptly ending.
183	* TheFinalTemptation: The last verse of "A Stick, a Carrot, & String" presents UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} with one, in the same vein as Film/TheLastTemptationOfChrist: to escape the crucifixion and to start a personal family of His own. [[ForegoneConclusion Naturally]], [[IncorruptiblePurePureness He refuses]].
184	* FoodPorn: The descriptions of sweets and baked goods at the beginning and ending of "The Fox, the Crow and the Cookie" fall into this.
185	* FoodSongsAreFunny: Both "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie" (whose plot involves stolen confections) and "Bullet to Binary, (Pt. Two)" ([[ItMakesSenseInContext which mostly involves a conversation between vegetables]]) are pretty humorous.
186	* {{Foreshadowing}}: In ''Ten Stories'', [[spoiler: both the Fortune Teller's prediction and Fox's dream come to pass]].
187	* FreakShow: The Circus in ''Ten Stories'' ends up resorting to one as a result of losing half of their animals in a train crash.
188	* FreudianExcuse: Mentioned in "Allah, Allah, Allah"
189	--> ''If your old man did you wrong\
190	If you old man did you wrong\
191	If your old man did you wrong\
192	Well maybe his old man did him wrong''
193	* GenreBusting: Is it post-rock? Is it folk pop? Is it indie rock? Is it hard rock? All these things and more, with a dressing of spoken-word lyrics.
194	** Adding to the stew of genres, their earlier work is in the post-hardcore genre.
195	* GenreShift: ''Catch for Us the Foxes'' moved away from their PostHardcore origins, ''Brother, Sister'' did the same while introducing some Folk influences, and ''It's All Crazy!'' is almost entirely composed of Folk. The rest of their discography starting with ''Ten Stories'' more or less merges Folk with the IndieRock sound they were originally known for, with ''Pale Horses'' in particular calling back to their hard-rock roots.
196	* GodIsDead: The idea is referenced in D-Minor, with Aaron musing that "This is not [[Literature/TheFourGospels the first time God has died]]"
197	* GoMadFromTheRevelation: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] in "Bethlehem, WV".
198	* GoshDarnItToHeck: In "Mexican War Streets", Aaron sings "To heck with all the drugs my parents did!", making it somewhat jarring when "Rainbow Signs" includes an actual PrecisionFStrike.
199	* GratuitousFrench: Used in both "Bullet to Binary" and "Dirty Air".
200	* GriefSong: "Dorothy". ''Pale Horses'' in general has an overtone of grief and sorrow throughout.
201	* GrimReaper: Present in "The Angel of Death Came to David's Room" and "Blue Hen", although they seem to have [[ContrastingSequelMainCharacter differing attitudes]] towards their line of work.
202	* GrimUpNorth: The main setting of ''Ten Stories'' is in the mountains of UsefulNotes/{{Montana}} in the middle of winter. Walrus goes further north to the Canadian border, [[SubvertedTrope but doesn't seem to have any problems acclimating to his new environment]].
203	* GruesomeGoat: The goat present in "A Stick, a Carrot, and a String" ''possibly'' represents {{Satan}}, given its unwillingness to celebrate the birth of Christ with the other animals.
204	* HarassingPhoneCall: The singer mentions doing this in "Gentlemen", presumably to an ex-lover.
205	* HiddenTrack:
206	** On the final track of ''[A→B] Life'', an acoustic rendition of "I Never Said That I Was Brave" plays following a long period of silence.
207	** On the final track of ''Pale Horses: Appendix", an instrumental begins following a long period of silence as well.
208	* HomesicknessHymn: Parts of "D-Minor" emphasize Aaron's willingness to return to Idaho to be with his wife, presumably while out on tours.
209	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Referenced in "In a Sweater Poorly Knit", presumably within the contexts of breaking off a relationship: "The trap I set for you seems to have caught my leg instead".
210	* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse: The Pale Horse (Death) and Black Horse (Famine) are referenced in [[AlbumIntroTrack "Pale Horse"]]. In [[AlbumClosure "Rainbow Signs"]], all four are indirectly referenced in the order that they appear in the Literature/BookOfRevelation.
211	* HumansAreBastards: Almost very human character in ''Ten Stories'' is shown to be incredibly spiteful and unsympathetic, even those that aren't part of the Circus, like the [[IntentionalHeartbreaker Fortune Teller]] and the [[TorchesAndPitchforks Mob]] that murders Elephant. The only exceptions are [[TheOneThatGotAway Bear's ex-lover]] and poor, poor [[TheGrotesque Julian]].
212	* HurricaneOfPuns: The onion-related puns in "Julian the Onion".
213	* InsecureLoveInterest:
214	** The singer in "Tie Me Up! Untie Me!" and "Wolf Am I! (And Shadow)" speaks to the beauty and purity of his lover while self-deprecating and describing himself as the opposite. In "Messes of Men", he pithily states [[Catch22Dilemma "I'd never want someone so crass as to want someone like me!"]]
215	** Bear in ''Ten Stories'' seems to feel this way towards Fox, likely as a result of a previous failed romance.
216	---->''I'm clearly not as handsome or caring as what you seem to want\
217	[[DeclarationOfProtection But I'll gladly walk you home\
218	Because those streets can be dangerous!]]''
219	[[/folder]]
220
221	[[folder:L-Z]]
222	* LamePunReaction: In "Fiji Mermaid," the singer quips, "Maybe there'll be a bakery hiring, we'll need a little dough to get by!" to which an audible groan is heard in the background (it's even printed in the lyric booklet).
223	* LastNoteNightmare: "Tortoises All the Way Down" suddenly transitions into frenzied, chaotic chanting backed by a booming guitar in the last forty seconds.
224	* LibertyOverProsperity:
225	** "Timothy Hay" uses [[AnimalMotifs wild and domestic rabbits]] to illustrate this point.
226	** Fittingly, it's one of the [[CentralTheme Central Themes]] of ''Ten Stories'', the album published directly after ''It's All Crazy!''
227	* LighterAndSofter: ''It's All Crazy!'' is on-the-whole significantly less intense than the previous three albums, both in terms of lyrical content and instrumentation. Many of the songs are outright joyful and enthusiastic, often imparting some form of [[AnAesop moral wisdom]] to the listener. The band's experimentation with nonstandard rock instruments also lend the album a more childlike, carefree sound.
228	* LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy: [[ZigzaggedTrope Zigzagged]] in ''Ten Stories''. The animals are clearly capable of talking to and forming normal relationships with humans, even living in human society and holding jobs (as shown by Bear and Rabbit), but at the same time, many of them (such as Walrus and Owl) seem to have no problem with living in the wild, and their being in human captivity isn't seen as unusual by anyone.
229	* LiteraryAllusionTitle:
230	** Albums:
231	*** ''[[Literature/SongOfSongs Catch for Us the Foxes]]''
232	*** ''[[Literature/BookOfRevelation Pale Horses]]''
233	** Songs:
234	*** "[[Literature/SlaughterhouseFive Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt]]"
235	*** "[[Literature/TheFourGospels Son of a Widow]]"
236	*** "[[Creator/CSLewis Elephant in the Dock]]"
237	*** "[[Literature/BookOfRevelation Pale Horse]]"
238	*** "[[Literature/BookOfNumbers Red Cow]]"
239	*** "[[Theatre/{{Macbeth}} Birnam Wood]]"
240	*** "[[Literature/BookOfGenesis Rainbow Signs]]"
241	*** "[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Julia]] ([[EitherOrTitle or,]] [[Literature/BookOfZechariah ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses]])"
242	*** "[[Literature/TheFourGospels New Wine, New Skins]]"
243	* LiveAlbum: ''[[https://mewithoutyou.bandcamp.com/album/a-b-live [A→B] Live]]''
244	* LongestSongGoesLast: [[AlbumClosure "Rainbow Signs"]] is the longest track of ''Pale Horses'' at six minutes.
245	* LyricalDissonance: "Bethlehem, WV" is a bright, airy-sounding track, but many of its lyrics are disturbing enough to border on WordSaladHorror.
246	* LyricSwap:
247	** The version of "We Know Who Our Enemies Are" sung in ''[A→B] Life'' changes a line from the version sung in ''I Never Said That I Was Brave'':
248	*** ''I Never Said That I Was Brave'': "All fevered and blistered, '''the whole world''' at stake"
249	*** ''[A→B] Life'': "All fevered and blistered, '''with nothing''' at stake"
250	** During live shows, Aaron would appropriately update the line "And I haven't even thought about killing myself in over five months" from "Tie Me Up! Untie Me!", making it either [[https://www.reddit.com/r/mewithoutYou/comments/3xk53m/comment/cy6ahcl/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 extremely concerning]] or a [[https://www.reddit.com/r/mewithoutYou/comments/ov75v6/comment/h77dfs8/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 massive]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/mewithoutYou/comments/wux1ed/comment/ilc8jen/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 relief]].
251	** [[https://www.reddit.com/r/mewithoutYou/comments/acrzv3/alternate_lyrics_from_live_shows/ Other lyrics]] have also been updated during shows, sometimes in response to current events, sometimes for humor, and often to reflect his shifting life circumstances or a new perspective on his own words.
252	* MadnessMantra:
253	** "It'll be alright" from "Gentlemen"
254	** "It never ends" from "C-Minor"
255	** The opening line to the final verse in "Tortoises All the Way Down" is essentially a sung description of a DrosteImage.
256	* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: "D-Minor" tastefully implies Aaron and his wife made love in a forest.
257	* MatureAnimalStory: ''Ten Stories'' is this, given both the overall bleakness of the narrative and the intellectual nature of its lyrics, which often involve esoteric philosophical and spiritual concepts.
258	* MechanicalAnimals/[[MechanicalInsects Insects]]
259	** In the {{Dystopia}} depicted in "Magic Lantern Days", android whales are mentioned; apparently Aaron got the idea from his newphew, Harvey.
260	** August 6th builds to the description of a [[BigCreepyCrawlies gigantic]] mechanized [[SlayingMantis mantis]] with [[RedEyesTakeWarning red glowing eyes]].
261	* MetalScream: Used to great effect in "[[https://youtu.be/0qoBVRoboc4?t=231 Julia (or, ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses)]]".
262	* MinisculeRocking: "[A]" and "[B]" from ''[A→B] Life'', "Yellow Spider", "Orange Spider," and "Brownish Spider" from ''Brother, Sister'', and "Dorothy" from ''Pale Horses'' are all under 2 minutes.
263	* MoodWhiplash: The final line in "Tie Me Up! Untie Me!" could become this during live performances as Aaron would [[LyricSwap change it]] according to how he was really feeling.
264	* MultilingualSong:
265	** "My Exit, Unfair", "The Dryness and the Rain", "Every Thought a Thought Of You", and "Bullet to Binary, (Pt. Two)" have sections sung in Arabic.
266	** [[Literature/TheFourGospels The final verse]] of "Dorothy" is in Hebrew.
267	* MythologyGag: "January 1979" begins with the singer describing a (presumable) car crash they saw. Three albums later, "February, 1878" opens with a circus train crashing.
268	* NewSoundAlbum: ''Its All Crazy! Its All False! Its All a Dream! Its Alright!'' is largely composed of FolkMusic; the guitar is mostly acoustic, the vocals sung rather than spoken our shouted, and the lyrics are much more upbeat.
269	* NoEnding: Unfortunately, ''Ten Stories'' doesn't have any kind of concluding song that explains what became of all the animals.
270	* NonAppearingTitle:
271	** ''I Never Said That I Was Brave'': "I Never Said That I Was Brave", "Flamethrower", "Dying is Strange and Hard", "We Know Who Our Enemies Are"
272	** ''[A→B] Life'': "Bullet to Binary", "The Ghost", "Gentlemen", "We Know Who Our Enemies Are", "I Never Said That I Was Brave", "Silencer"
273	** ''Catch for Us the Foxes'': "Disaster Tourism", "Seven Sisters", "The Soviet", "Carousels"
274	** ''Brother, Sister'': "Messes of Men",[[labelnote:note]] Although the phrase does appear in "O, Porcupine", later in the album [[/labelnote]] "Nice and Blue, (Pt. Two)"
275	** ''It's All Crazy!'': "Bullet to Binary, (Pt. Two)"
276	** ''Pale Horses'': "D-Minor", "Dorothy"
277	** ''untitled EP'': "Dirty Air"
278	* NonIndicativeName: "Break on Through (to the Other Side) [pt. Two]" isn't a sequel to any song that the band themselves had written, but to [[Music/TheDoorsAlbum a song]] by Music/TheDoors.
279	* ObfuscatingDisability: The tortoise in "Goodbye, I" feigns a broken leg.
280	* ObsessionSong: The songs in ''[A→B] Life'' are this combined with [[BreakupSong Breakup Songs]]
281	* [[OminousLatinChanting Ominous Arabic Chanting]]: "The Dryness and the Rain" makes use of this.
282	* TheOneThatGotAway: Aaron's ex-lover in ''[A→B] Life'', who also plays a smaller role in ''Catch for Us the Foxes''.
283	** Bear's former girlfriend in ''Ten Stories'' also qualifies.
284	* OneWordTitle: "Flamethrower", "Gentlemen", "Silencer", "Leaf", "Carousels", "C-Minor", "D-Minor", "Dorothy", "Fairfield"
285	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
286	** "Mexican War Streets" has Aaron expressing TranquilFury and bitterness rather than simple anger, both at the world and his own circumstances. One line in particular, presumably directed to either a past lover or the previously-mentioned [[UpperClassTwit "upscale"]] comes across as downright venomous.
287	---->''The sugar and the candles are gone\
288	You panic like a mouse when the lights go on\
289	[[{{Sadist}} I ADMIT IT WARMS MY HEART\
290	TO WATCH YOUR WORLD FALL APART!]]''[[labelnote:note]] Yes, it's in all-caps in the lyric booklet [[/labelnote]]
291	** "Birnam Wood" involves a genuine CrisisOfFaith from Aaron's point of view, a struggle that had up to that point not been personally explored (with the possible exception of Fox and Bear's trials in ''Ten Stories). The contrast between its chorus and, say, "O, Porcupine" is like night and day.
292	* OutOfGenreExperience: "Hebrew Children" from ''Pale Horses: Appendix'' is a hymn with minimal instrumentation, specifically [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Harp Sacred Harp]] [[https://sacredharpbremen.org/133-hebrew-children/ 133]].
293	* PhraseSaladLyrics: Much of the ''untitled EP'' and ''[Untitled]'' sound like this. There's usually some meaning to be gleaned, but it's difficult to know what's intentional and what's interpolated.
294	* PrecisionFStrike:
295	** According to [[https://www.popmatters.com/mewithoutyou-2644830196.html this article]], Aaron has sometimes altered the line "You'd be well inclined not to mess with me!" in "O, Porcupine" to "You'd be well inclined not to fuck with me!" during live shows.
296	** ''Pale Horses'' has two examples, both of which were the first and last time their music had any kind of profanity.
297	*** "D-Minor": "They repaired my fence those bastards, I can't go back home no more".
298	*** "Rainbow Signs": "Threw a mute curse at the [[UsefulNotes/{{Idaho}} Boise]] sky, for my fucked-up [[UsefulNotes/NapoleonBonaparte Napoleon]] St. Helena hairline".
299	* ProudPeacock: The peacocks referenced in "A Glass Can Only Spill What It Contains", who believe themselves to be totally free as a result of having the autonomy to wander the zoo they are nonetheless kept captive in.
300	** Peacock from ''Ten Stories'' is implied to be quite self-absorbed.
301	* RayOfHopeEnding: The final verse of "Rainbow Signs" acts as this, coming off the heels of a tumultuous and frightening description of the Biblical apocalypse while also capping off an album that is altogether quite grim. It relays a dream that Aaron had of his father, similar to the narrative presented in "Dorothy", only this one is a quiet, happy moment between the two that has a sense of peace and childhood innocence to it, implying that there is indeed hope for his future after all.
302	* RockOpera: ''Ten Stories'', which, as the title suggests, presents ten interconnected stories.
303	* RousingSpeech: "Torches Together", although it ends on a somewhat dour note.
304	* SarcasticTitle: [[ObsessionSong "Gentlemen"]] features the singer acting like anything but.
305	* {{Satan}}:
306	** Possibly present in the second verse of "A Stick, a Carrot, and a String" as a [[GruesomeGoat goat]] and referenced as a snake in the third.
307	** Also mentioned by name in "Dorothy", in which he [[KickTheDog taunts Aaron over the death of his father]].
308	* {{Scatting}}: Used in "Fig With a Bellyache".
309	* SecretPolice: Featured in the music video for "Julia (or, ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses)"; fitting given all of the Literature/NineteenEightyFour references in the song itself.
310	* SelfDeprecation:
311	** ''Literally'' every track in ''Catch for Us the Foxes'' involves the singer doing this at one point.
312	*** "Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)" even [[LampshadeHanging lampshades this]]:
313	----> ''[[{{Irony}} And who's ever heard of a singer criticized by his own song?]]''
314	** Also present in some tracks of ''Brother, Sister'' such as "Wolf Am I! (And Shadow)", though to a thankfully lesser extent.
315	* SequelSong: Ordered by the release of the first song.
316	** "Four Word Letter" in ''I Never Said That I Was Brave'' and "Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)" in ''Catch for Us the Foxes''.
317	** "Bullet to Binary" in ''[A→B] Life'' and "Bullet to Binary (Pt. Two)" in ''It's All Crazy!''
318	** "Nice and Blue" in ''[A→B] Life'' and "Nice and Blue (Pt. Two)" in ''Brother, Sister''.
319	** "January 1979" in ''Catch for Us the Foxes'', "February 1878" in ''Ten Stories'', and "9:27 a.m., 7/29" from ''[Untitled]''.
320	** "C-Minor" in ''Brother, Sister'' and "D-Minor" in ''Pale Horses''.
321	* ShoulderDevil: The concept is referenced in C-Minor, although given the spiritual nature of the band's lyrics, it's highly likely that the singer sees it as the [[{{Satan}} actual Devil]].
322	-->''Still there's a whisper in my ear\
323	The voice of loneliness and fear, and I say:\
324	"Devil, disappear!"''
325	* SiblingTeam: [[CaptainObvious Aaron Weiss and Mike Weiss are brothers]].
326	* SingleStanzaSong: "All Circles", the closing track from ''Ten Stories'', only contains the lyric "All circles presuppose they'll end where they begin, but only in their leaving can they ever come back 'round", with [[Music/{{Paramore}} Hayley Williams']] bridge paraphrasing it only slightly. Interestingly, the lyrics to this song are printed around the edge of the CD instead of in the lyric booklet.
327	* SlayingMantis: A [[BigCreepyCrawlies massive]], [[MechanicalInsects mechanized]] mantis is described as flipping cars in "August 6th".
328	* SolarAndLunar: ''Brother, Sister'' has this motif on its album cover. Additionally, the seventh track is called "The Sun and the Moon", and it isn't a NonAppearingTitle.
329	* SongOfPrayer:
330	** "Silencer", "Four Word Letter (Pt. Two)", and "In a Market Dimly Lit" all include sections where the singer speaks to God directly.
331	** The chorus of "Carousels" involves the singer directly crying to God and explaining that "If I didn't have [Him] as my guide, [[Literature/BookOfNumbers I'd still wander, lost in Sinai"]].
332	** "Every Thought a Thought Of You" is one entirely.
333	** "Birnam Wood" combines this with a CrisisOfFaith, with Aaron expressing his doubts, concerns, and questions to God in the chorus.
334	* SongStyleShift:
335	** "Bullet to Binary (Pt. Two)" starts as a fast-paced Folk Rock song but then transitions into a slower, repetitive worship song with significantly softer instrumentation.
336	** "Lilac Queen" begins soft with little instrumentation with almost whispered vocals before transitioning midway into a heavy, dramatic rock piece with louder vocals, harder guitar, and a fast-paced drumbeat.
337	** "Rainbow Signs" begins as a quiet, simple tune, suddenly ramps up to a thundering, explosive shouted chorus, and then dies back down to its original musical position just as quickly as it started.
338	** "New Wine, New Skins" also begins as a quite melody with minimalist instrumentation before transitioning halfway into a much harder, more energetic rock song.
339	* SpokenWordInMusic: Aaron Weiss's general style (there were always exceptions where he would sing normally, however) for the first three albums. ''It's All Crazy!'' changed this by having him sing for the most part, while ''Ten Stories'' and successive albums featured a blend of the two.
340	* StealthInsult: More specifically a Stealth Comeback in "O, Porcupine".
341	--> ''You say [[Literature/TheFourGospels Judas]] is a brother of mine?\
342	Oh, but sister in our darkness a light shines''
343	** In other words, "You think my betrayal of God makes Judas my brother? Maybe so, but as my sister, he's your brother as well. [[HumansAreFlawed We've all betrayed God at one point or another]]".
344	* StealthPun:
345	** From "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie": "Every rook and jay in the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corvidae Corvidae's]] been ravin'[[labelnote:*]][[DontExplainTheJoke Get it, raven?]] [[/labelnote]]about me too"
346	** From "Bear's Vision of St. Agnes": "We'll both be decked in Herringbone" - while herringbone is a type of fabric, it also refers to a pattern of wood flooring, often on, well, decks and patios.
347	* StepfordSmiler: According to the singer in "Silencer", his past lover did this.
348	--> ''She put on happiness like a loose dress\
349	Over pain I'll never know''
350	* SuddenlyShouting: Done in "C-Minor", "O, Porcupine", "Red Cow", "Rainbow Signs", and "Tortoises All the Way Down".
351	* SurrealMusicVideo:
352	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydHShCRfhxQ&ab_channel=MeWithoutYouVEVO The music video]] for "All Circles" can loosely be described as a {{Stop Motion}} Fantasy-version of [[Music/PearlJam Pearl Jam's]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDaOgu2CQtI&pp=ygUQZG8gdGhlIGV2b2x1dGlvbg%3D%3D Do the Evolution]]. It has some references to the narrative of ''Ten Stories'', but the overall story is quite incomprehensible.
353	** The music video for "Julia (or, ‘Holy to the LORD’ on the Bells of Horses)" features the band performing at a HighSchoolDance, à la ''Film/BackToTheFuture1'', when the abduction of one of the dancers at the hands of SecretPolice results in them fading out of existence on stage, much to the bafflement of their audience.
354	* TextlessAlbumCover: All of them excepting some versions of ''It's All Crazy!'' and ''Ten Stories''. Nonstandard singles/collections ''[[https://mewithoutyou.bandcamp.com/album/other-stories Other Stories]]'', ''[[https://mewithoutyou.bandcamp.com/track/cleos-ferry-cemetery Cleo's Ferry Cemetary]]'' and ''[[https://mewithoutyou.bandcamp.com/album/a-b-live [A→B] Live]]'' also avert this.
355	* TitleOnlyChorus: "Aubergine"
356	* TookALevelInCheerfulness: ''It's All Crazy!'' on a whole is this for the entire band. Compare the difference in tone in "Bullet to Binary" in ''[A→B] Life'' to "Bullet to Binary (Pt. Two)"; it's like night and day.
357	* TookALevelInKindness: "Nice and Blue (Pt. Two)" involves the singer learning to let go of and move on from the failed relationship mentioned in "Nice and Blue". While many of the lyrics are repeated, the singer's calmer tone indicates that he's come to terms with the pain of losing her, and rather than asking her to remember him at the end of the song, [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy he asks instead that she forget him.]]
358	* TragicHero: Most of the leading characters of ''Ten Stories'' fall into this, with the exceptions of [[MessianicArchetype Elephant]], [[HeroOfAnotherStory Walrus]], and [[TheGrotesque Julian]].
359	* TriumphantReprise: The acoustic version of "I Never Said That I Was Brave [[HiddenTrack hidden]] in the final track of ''[A→B] Life'' is much gentler in both vocals and instrumentation, while also rearranging the lyrics so that it ends on a much sweeter note.
360	* UntitledTitle: ''[Untitled]'' and the ''untitled EP'', [[CaptainObvious obviously]].
361	* UnusualEuphemism:
362	** Describing addictive sweets as "cocaine" in "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie".
363	** A significant portion of "Fig with a Bellyache" is made up of these.
364	* WanderlustSong: "Cattail Down" is a song about "Aaron's adventures in hitchhiking and train-hopping" [[https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/interviews/mewithoutYou2009.asp according to]] [[WordOfGod Mike]]. The lyrics are clearly about the band's life on the road, traveling from place to place whenever convenient.
365	* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: A major theme of "Nice and Blue (Pt. Two)", which reflects the changes in the singer's perspective since writing [[ObsessionSong "Nice and Blue".]]
366	* WarIsHell: "August 6th" seems to have this as a main theme, especially considering [[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki what event]] happened on the titular date.
367	* WeddingDeathJuxtaposition: A major motif in ''Pale Horses'' with respect to Aaron's spouse and father, respectively.
368	* WhamLine:
369	** "Tie Me Up! Untie Me!" has this due to the LyricSwap mentioned above.
370	** [[spoiler: "But Mama why [[TitleDrop four fires]] burning, why so quiet Father's room?"]] from "Four Fires". [[spoiler: It's the moment Rabbit realizes that the Fortune Teller's prediction was correct: his dad has died]].
371	* WholePlotReference: Rabbit's story is this to the [[Literature/TheFourGospels Parable of the Progidal Son]], only with a darker twist: [[spoiler: his father dies before he can return home.]]
372	* WildWilderness: The setting of much of ''Ten Stories'' takes place in the wilderness of UsefulNotes/{{Montana}} in the later years of the 20th century.
373	* WordSaladLyrics: "Fig with a Bellyache", "Aubergine", and "Watermelon Ascot" can border on this at times ("Watermelon Ascot" in particular makes a lot of obscure references to American culture and history). [[StealthPun Given that they all have produce in their titles...]]
374	* TheWorldIsJustAwesome: It's this realization that convinces Aaron in "Mexican War Streets" to not go through with his attempted suicide.
375	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: One of the main themes of "Cardiff Giant". Tiger and Peacock come to realize that they're magnificent, unique creatures, and that it's only the Circus which has convinced them that they're little more than slaves.
376	[[/folder]]
377	----
378	->''[[AlbumClosure I do not exist, only You exist...]]''

Context Music / MeWithoutYou