ArabyThis is probably the best of our "weird relationship" songs. Countless times, we've been asked how we came up with this name. (By the way, when we say "countless times," we mean "maybe twice.") Well, we wanted the title character to have an unusual name. And, as the lyrics suggest, the name "Araby" does indeed come from James Joyce. That's right, "Araby" is our very first pretentious literary reference! All them years of book-learnin' finally paid off. In Joyce's Dubliners, there is a very short story called "Araby." (Seriously, it's like four pages! Go ahead and read it; it only takes a few minutes. You can do it. Kevin read it, and he usually just reads Alan Moore comic books.) The song and the story are even linked thematically! Yikes, we must be some kind of geniuses.
This is the only love song we know which devotes an entire verse to They Might Be Giants. In fact, Ed couldn't resist referencing a couple of Giants songs musically during that verse. Can anybody identify them?
A few people who know us personally (now there's a lucky group!) have speculated about who Araby really is. Sorry, kids! Although some lines in the song are based on real people and events, others are completely made up, and as a whole Araby is pure fiction. Stop trying to figure out what makes us tick. We're an enigma.
"Araby" was written and first performed in 1998. It's fun to watch us play this song live, because during the verses, Kevin has little or no time to breathe. One night, he actually exploded. Many audience members have told us that they really relate to this song. We're thrilled that we have tapped into how messed up and confused you all are. Enjoy!
Araby (MP3 - 3.53MB)
[Greg Brady Wants Me Dead] [Araby] [An Axl Christmas]
[Coffee and Cartoons] [Roberta Is Strange]