Ratboys are an indie rock band out of Chicago.  The band is led by Julia Steiner (guitar, vocals) and Dave Sagan (guitar).  Ratboys, despite having been active for some fourteen years, only recently came onto my musical radar screen.  There is a club that I frequent in Charlottesville, VA called The Southern Café and Music Hall.  The Southern, as it is known, posted a calendar recently which included an upcoming Ratboys show scheduled for November, 2024.  Intrigued by the name of the band, I decided to check them out.  I’m glad that I did.

About a year ago, in 2023, Ratboys released their fifth studio album, called The Window.  The title track, written by Steiner, is about her grandfather having to say his final goodbye to his wife through a window at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The lyrics are truly heartbreaking and the song can consistently bring me very close to tears.  A few of the  lyrics are actual words her grandfather said that day to his dying wife.  In the words of Steiner, “I wrote this song a few days after the death of my grandma in June, 2020.  She didn’t have COVID, but because of the pandemic my grandpa wasn’t able to visit her in person at the nursing home to say goodbye. He ended up standing outside her room and saying goodbye through an open window. A lot of the lyrics are direct quotes of things he said to her in those final moments.”  

The song starts out slow and beautiful, but builds up to a solid indie rock anthem.  (editor’s note; By the way, a band capable of this kind of hanunting melodicism should not be dubbed “Ratboys.” Just an aside opinion.) The remainder of the album is, for me, somewhat hit & miss but 100% worth checking out.  The video and lyrics are below, I hope you like it.

 The Window 

I walked across the green grass
To where I knew you laid
The way the sun was shining down
I only saw your shape
But, I need to tell you everything
Before it's too late
That I don't regret a single day
And you're so beautiful

So take this part of me
Last in the middle
Making sure to breathe
One more time

The window
I saw you through the window
We locked eyes and the window
Was open, felt the wind blow
I saw you through it

How could I have known that
You wouldn't come back home?
I sit down at the table
And I fiddle with the phone
I wish you were right next to me
Instead I'm alone
But, I'll always have the memories
Of our life together

So take this part of me
Last in the middle
Making sure to breathe
One last time

The window
I saw you through the window
We locked eyes and the window
Was open, felt the wind blow
I looked in, and I felt you with me
Yeah, I felt you with me
When you waved your hand
I felt you with me

Sue, Sue, you'll always be my girl
Sue, Sue, you'll always be my girl
Sue, Sue, you'll always be my girl
Sue, Sue

So take this part of me
Carry it with you
Wherever it leads
Don't be scared

The window
I see you through the window
And when I sleep, the window
You're here with me, the window
You're in my dreams

The window
I see you through the window
And when I sleep, the window
You're here with me, the window
You're in my dreams

I feel you with me
Yeah, I feel you with me
When I close my eyes
I feel you with me

JCE, or John to his friends, was born in 1963 in the Nation’s Capital.  He grew up in the VA suburbs of D.C.  His earliest musical memories are tied to a transistor radio with a single earphone that he carried everywhere listening to AM radio.  He has a wife of 32 years, and a grown daughter.  He leads a bit of a double life, working by day as the chief administrative officer of a VA county, and spending as many nights as possible listening to live rock n roll with his wife at any club that has a decent band within 100 miles or so of their house.