Everywhere But On

Album: Everywhere But On (2019)
Charted: 48
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Everywhere But On" tells the story of a guy who just can't let go of a lost relationship. He's moved "everywhere but on" to forget his ex - from Savannah, Georgia to Long Beach, California, and from the Mississippi Delta to Santa Fe, New Mexico. No matter how many miles he puts between him and former lover, he can't erase her from his mind.
  • For Stell, the song recalls a time in his life when he was trying to make a go of his music career, never spending more than three nights in a row in the same place. He dropped several personal details into the lyrics in order to connect his own story with that of the heartbroken character in the song.

    My mail's still going to mama's house
    'Cause I'm still long gone trying to figure out
    Who I am without you and why I still think about you
    Just buying my time making ends meet


    Stell was on the road so often before he moved to Nashville that he had all his mail delivered to his mother back in Arkansas.
  • Stell wrote the song with Paul Sikes and Lance Miller. It was Sikes who suggested a title of, "I've Moved Everywhere But On." The singer told The Boot that once Sikes threw that title out, they moved straight onto the chorus. "We knew what we wanted the song to do, and we wrote it fairly quickly," he said, "and when we had it done, we thought, man we had something we really we were really proud of."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.