Several of Streetlight's members were already well known among the New Jersey ska community for their roles in past ska bands from that area, most notably Catch 22's Tomas Kalnoky, James Egan, Mike Soprano, and Josh Ansley, as well as One Cool Guy's Stuart Karmatz, Pete Sibilia, Dan Ross, and Chris Paszik.
The band's first album, Everything Goes Numb, was released on August 26, 2003, and was distributed by Victory Records. They headlined their first ever show at Rutgers University on December 9, 2003 in front of a sold out audience.
The line-up has gone through several changes since the band's conception and currently consists of Matt Stewart on trumpet, Mike Brown on alto and baritone saxophone, Jim Conti on alto and tenor saxophone, Tomas Kalnoky on guitar and lead vocals, Pete McCullaugh on bass guitar, Karl Lyden on trombone, and Chris Thatcher on drums.
Though the band has enjoyed little mainstream commercial success, they have received acclaim in alternative music circles, and their debut album is currently in Interpunk.com's top 100 items, over 2 years after its release. In addition, they regularly sell out their live shows, and their first few shows at Rutgers and The Stone Pony not only sold out, but had people coming from as far as Minnesota and Canada. Their second album, a reworking of Catch 22's Keasbey Nights was released on March 7, 2006.
Streetlight Manifesto's third album, entitled Somewhere in the Between came out on November 13, 2007. Rumors also have it that the band is currently working on a series of 8 albums entitled "The 99 Songs of Revolution" in co-operation with Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, a side-project of singer Tomas Kalnoky slated for release in early 2009.
On November 17, 2009, the band's website announced that "99 Songs of Revolution: Volume One" has been ready for release for quite some time but "some record labels are just plain horrendous." They are also in the process of arranging a tour for 2010 but will spend some time in the studio until they have "a few records to release."
The first album of 99 Songs of Revolution was released on March 16, 2010. On this CD, the band covered songs by artists such as The Postal Service, Radiohead, and NOFX.
Band Members:
Mike Brown - Baritone Sax
Karl Lyden - Trombone
Jim Conti - Tenor Sax
Matt Stewart - Trumpet
Chris Thatcher - Drums
Tomas Kalnoky - Guitar, Vocals
Pete McCullaugh - Bass
www.streetlightmanifesto.com
We Will Fall Together
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, what a terrible day that was, he realized he'd wasted all his
Time was ticking by, and he'd been left behind
And as the clock tick-tocked, his heart did stop and everything he had was fucked
And we know not what we do (Can you hear them call?)
Will we ever make it through?
As they watch us fall from the sky to the ground to the sea
Woe is me, woe is me, no one will save you now
We can only look away (Away!)
We'll not be victims there'll be no victims of to speak
And only then will we be free
and up will rise the meek
And when we fall we will fall together
No one will catch us, so we'll catch ourselves
And where we roam, we will roam forever
No one will understand what we meant
The beaten and the bruised, forsaken, the abused
Oh what a glorious day we'll have rising up and claiming all our dues
The day will come as sure as the ever-setting sun
All of those that self-impose will find themselves so indisposed
And we know not what we do (Can you hear their call)
Will we ever make it through?
As they watch us fall from the sky to the ground to the sea
Woe is me, woe is me, no one will save you now
We can only look away (Away!)
We'll not be victims there'll be no victims of to speak
And only then will we be free
and up will rise the meek
And when we fall we will fall together
No one will catch us, so we'll catch ourselves
And where we roam, we will roam forever
No one will understand what we meant
Now, with the lines drawn in the wet sand
You need to tell us where you stand
Sitting waiting watching rotting everything they warned us of is true
Now, tell me what we're all supposed to do
They're coming after all of us with everything they've got
With the fury of a soldier who will answer to his God
So how will we fight?
All we have is logic and love on our side
And when we fall we will fall together
No one will catch us, so we'll catch ourselves
And where we roam, we will roam forever
No one will understand what we meant
The song "We Will Fall Together" by Streetlight Manifesto is a hopeful yet somber look at the end of the world, with a focus on the idea that all individuals will eventually die and that no one will be left behind. The first verse introduces the listener to a man who had become obsessed with the afterlife, only to realize that his life had passed him by. As the clock ticked, his heart stopped and his world fell apart. The second verse expands on this idea and speaks to the idea that we are all at risk of the same fate, with the chorus coming in to offer hope that we will all fall together and no one will be left behind.
The end of the world is a recurring theme throughout the song, with the lines drawn in the wet sand referencing the idea that there is a clear dividing line between those who will survive and those who will not. The verse that follows this speaks to the idea that we must decide where we stand and how we will fight for our survival. The final chorus reiterates the idea that we will all fall together and that no one will understand what was meant by our lives.
Overall, "We Will Fall Together" is a poignant and powerful song that speaks to the inevitability of death and the importance of coming together as a community in the face of great adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
I once knew a guy obsessed with the afterlife
I knew a man who thought a lot about what happens after we die
Oh, what a terrible day that was, he realized he'd wasted all his
One day he realized that he had wasted his entire life
Time was ticking by, and he'd been left behind
He was getting older and felt like he had missed out on things
And as the clock tick-tocked, his heart did stop and everything he had was fucked
He died feeling like his life was a failure
And we know not what we do (Can you hear them call?)
We often act without understanding the consequences of our actions. Can you hear the voices of those who have suffered because of our actions?
Will we ever make it through?
Will we be able to navigate the difficulties and challenges we face?
As they watch us fall from the sky to the ground to the sea
As we endure hardships and come crashing down
Woe is me, woe is me, no one will save you now
There is no one who can rescue us from our current situation
We can only look away (Away!)
We can only avert our gaze and pretend that the problem doesn't exist
We'll not be victims there'll be no victims of to speak
We won't be passive in the face of difficulty, we won't allow ourselves to be victimized
And only then will we be free and up will rise the meek
Only by standing up for what is right and not allowing ourselves to be victimized can we truly be free. Those who have been oppressed will rise up and be victorious
And when we fall we will fall together
When we encounter hardship and challenges, we will do so as a community
No one will catch us, so we'll catch ourselves
We can't rely on others to rescue us, we need to take responsibility for our own lives
And where we roam, we will roam forever
We will continue to persevere, even if we have to keep moving
No one will understand what we meant
Others may not understand us or what we're going through, but that doesn't diminish the validity of our struggles
The beaten and the bruised, forsaken, the abused
Those who have suffered, been abandoned, and mistreated
Oh what a glorious day we'll have rising up and claiming all our dues
There will be a day where those who have suffered will triumph and take what is rightfully theirs
The day will come as sure as the ever-setting sun
There will be a day when justice is served, just as surely as the sun sets
All of those that self-impose will find themselves so indisposed
Those who limit themselves and don't believe in their own power will find themselves unable to achieve their goals
Now, with the lines drawn in the wet sand
Now that our challenge is clearly defined and we can see where we stand
You need to tell us where you stand
Choose a side, make a decision
Sitting waiting watching rotting everything they warned us of is true
If we don't take action, everything we've been warned about will come to pass
Now, tell me what we're all supposed to do
Now that we see the challenge before us, we need to come up with a plan and take action
They're coming after all of us with everything they've got
Those who would oppress us are coming at us with full force
With the fury of a soldier who will answer to his God
They are fighting with all the righteous indignation of a soldier who is convinced they are doing God's work
So how will we fight?
How will we resist and fight back against oppression?
All we have is logic and love on our side
Our only weapons are reason and love
Contributed by Annabelle H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.