Toh Kay is a solo project by Streetlight Manifesto, Bandits of the Acoutsic Revolution and former Catch 22 front man, Tomas Kalnoky. The project started with acoustic shows by Kalnoky, redoing streetlight/catch/BOTAR/Gimp songs. It was announced that Toh Kays first album (You By Me Vol.1) was to be released in November as a split with singer-song writer Dan Potthast. You By Me Vol.1 was released Novmber 15th, with 5 Toh Kay tracks (which are all covers of Potthast songs).
Toh Kay released his first full length "Streetlight Lullabies" through Pentimento Music Co. on November 22nd, 2011. Released along with the CD was an LP version and a 7" single of the song, "We Will Fall Together" on the A side and "Hooray For Me" (a Bad Religion cover) on the B side. The album can be purchased through The Risc Store - www.RiscStore.com
Watch it Crash
Toh Kay Lyrics
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Recanting all my aspirations and my fears
And when the sun came up that voice had disappeared
But it would linger on for years
It said "We can't just blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
And there ain't no turning back when our train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash (watch it crash)
And there ain't no right and wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
So mercy, mercy, mercy me
Praying for the death of a man I'll never meet
Though everyone will know the truth they'll still just make believe
Mercy mercy me
"We can't just blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
And there ain't no turning back when our train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash (watch it crash)
And there ain't no right and wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
So mercy, mercy, mercy me
Praying for the death of a man I'll never meet
Though everyone will know the truth they'll still just make believe
Mercy mercy me
That's all they came for, that's all they took
That's all we had to offer, only dirty looks
And when they realized we'd given all we could, that's when they finally understood
Mercy mercy mercy me
Haunted by the memories of things we'll never see
Guilty for the statements that we'll never get to speak
Mercy mercy me
"We can't quite blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
And there ain't no turning back when our train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
And there ain't no right and wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
Watch it crash
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
In "Watch it Crash" by Toh Kay, the singer wakes up alone with a whisper in their ear. The whisper recants the singer's aspirations and fears. Despite the voice disappearing by morning, its words linger on for years. It laments that we cannot blame everything on our mothers and take responsibility for our own actions. The chorus describes a train off its track with no way to turn back and nothing to do but watch it crash. The singer then prays for the death of a man they will never meet, expressing their frustration with the truth being ignored and people pretending. The song ends with the acknowledgement that they only had dirty looks to offer, haunted by memories they will never see and guilty for the statements they will never get to speak.
Line by Line Meaning
Last night I woke alone with a whisper in my ear (Whisper in my ear)
The singer is recalling a whisper in their ear that spoke of their aspirations and fears, which has haunted them ever since.
Recanting all my aspirations and my fears
And when the sun came up that voice had disappeared
But it would linger on for years
The whisper spoke of the singer's aspirations and fears. When the sun rose, the voice was gone, but the message stayed with them for many years.
It said "We can't just blame it on our mothers
Claim everything they did was always wrong"
The whisper told the singer that they can't solely blame their mothers for their problems and can't claim that everything their mothers did was wrong.
And there ain't no turning back when our train is off its track
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash (watch it crash)
And there ain't no right and wrong when we know it won't be long
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
When the course of events has gone awry, there's no way to change it, and all that can be done is to witness its collapse. And, when the end is approaching, and the right decision is uncertain, we can't do anything but let it happen.
So mercy, mercy, mercy me
Praying for the death of a man I'll never meet
Though everyone will know the truth they'll still just make believe
Mercy mercy me
The artist is filled with pity for everyone, including themselves, who are betrayed by a corrupt system. They wish for the end of the person who brought this suffering, although it would be useless.
That's all they came for, that's all they took
That's all we had to offer, only dirty looks
And when they realized we'd given all we could, that's when they finally understood
Mercy mercy mercy me
The people in charge have taken all that they can, still, people are only left with contempt instead of help. It's only when people have nothing left to give that the ones in power will understand their distress.
Haunted by the memories of things we'll never see
Guilty for the statements that we'll never get to speak
Mercy mercy me
The singer is anguished by the events that have gone past and all the things that should have happened but never did. They also regret the things that they weren't permitted to share.
Watch it crash
And there's nothing we can do but watch it crash
Reiterating the idea that when things have gone wrong, there's no way to stop it or fix it. All we can do is witness the result.
Contributed by Jacob T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.