State of Mind - Goin' Away (1967)

This band was created in 1965 in Wilmington, Delaware by four sophomores attending William Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware. The following year, one of its members was swapped out, thus creating the line-up which played on both of their released singles. There was Paul Murtagh (rhythm guitar, keyboards, and vocals), Jim Booth (lead guitar and vocals), Bill Smallbrook (drums), and Bill Sayers (lead singer and bass guitar).

The group’s first release was a single featuring “Move” (written by the entire group) b/w “If He Comes Back” (written by Paul Murtagh). It was recorded at Virtue Studios in Philadelphia and released by the local Chavis Records. The single topped out at number ten on the local charts, generating enough popularity to garner radio play in Philadelphia.

The song heard below was the B-Side on the group’s follow-up single, released in the fall of 1967 and featuring the A-Side “Make You Cry.” Both sides of this single were written by Jim Booth and featured more complex harmonies than their initial release. Although the band had high hopes for its release, the single unfortunately failed to achieve the same success as its predecessor.

With the majority of its members intending to go off to college after high school, Bill Sayers decided to leave the band and join another local group, the Phabulous Pharaohs, in an effort to more seriously pursue a musical career. Although the group attempted to fill Sayers’ void, the magic had gone. The band splintered apart before its members graduated high school and they never reunited.



State of Mind - Goin' Away (1967)

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Lyrics:

I’m goin’ away
I may be back another day
Gone like the wind
I’m like a drifter looking in

I’m going away come tomorrow
Ain’t no reason for me to stay
So goodbye, I have no sorrow
I’ll be gone, goin’ away
I’ll be gone, goin’ away

Hey, you just can’t see
What this freedom means to me
Oh, I’m sorry I put you on
Girl, tomorrow I’ll be gone

I’m going away come tomorrow
Ain’t no reason for me to stay
So goodbye, I have no sorrow
I’ll be gone, goin’ away
I’ll be gone, goin’ away

I’m going away come tomorrow
Ain’t no reason for me to stay
So goodbye, I have no sorrow
I’ll be gone, goin’ away
I’ll be gone, goin’ away