Walter soon began working with a singer-songwriter who went by E and drummer Butch Norton as The Eels. After a promising debut, Walter left the band due to differences with E. He formed a short-lived band, Tely, who released a CD that was distributed on the internet. He was also in the touring band for the Ken Andrews solo project ON, though in the end the band saw little touring. Later he went on to form Abandoned Pools and recorded a solo album, Humanistic, in 2001. Humanistic actually features a couple of songs that were once performed by Tely, like "Start Over."
In 2002 they performed the theme song for the short-lived MTV animated series Clone High. Many of their songs can be heard in the background during the show.
Walter teamed up with drummer Bryan Head and guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme in 2004 to record "Armed to the Teeth," the follow up to Humanistic. In June of 2005, they released an EP, consisting of a few songs from the new album along with b-sides and demos, called The Reverb EP. This was followed by the full album in September 2005.
In January of 2006, Walter wrote in his blog that Universal Records had stopped promoting the album. However, he has included several song snippets on his MySpace and has said he is writing songs for a new album.
In March of 2010, Walter announced via Twitter that he would enter the studio to work on a third Abandoned Pools album after five years of hiatus.
In mid-May 2011, via the Abandoned Pools' MySpace page, two new songs, "Marigold" and "In Silence" from the upcoming album, "Sublime Currency" were made available for streaming and download, or iTunes, as well as a full length demo of the first album, "Humanistic." The third studio album was expected to be released in late 2011, but is now due out sometime in 2012. On Friday, January 27, 2012, the Abandoned Pools' Facebook page posted: "Announcement coming on Monday." (January 30th)
Suburban Muse
Abandoned Pools Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's no why
Only the sound of happy TV land
Cue the canned applause
Sidewalk fall through the cracks to China
Never get back
I'm nothing in these blues and laceless Velcro shoes
There used to be a reason why
We wrote the words across the sky
You and I will never die without a fight
My suburban muse
Green grass towering high
This white house, in it we'll die
A thousand tiny lies take the place of you
I've seen it too
In all the things you do
It lives inside of you
A parasite or two
I'm the king of ordinary things
They're killing me from inside out
I'll give it away
Between the cars on dusty streets
The cul de sac is where we meet
I crunch the leaves beneath my feet and curse this town
My suburban muse
The lyrics of "Suburban Muse" by Abandoned Pools are about the monotony and boredom of suburban life. The singer is observing the world around him and feeling disconnected from it. The blue sky is "holding down" because it's like a weight on his shoulders. There's no explanation for the emptiness he feels except for the ubiquitous and vapid entertainment of TV land. The canned applause is a symbol of how artificial and unfulfilling this world is. The singer feels like he's fallen through the cracks and can never come back up. He's stuck in a place where he feels like nothing in his blues and laceless Velcro shoes.
The singer used to have a reason why he believed in something but it seems like he's lost it. The words that used to mean something to him have faded away. However, he's still fighting to not let the dullness of his suburban life consume him entirely. His "suburban muse" is the inspiration that helps him keep going. She represents the beauty that he sees in the monotonous world swirling around him. Even though everything else is stagnant, his muse is the spark that keeps him going.
Overall, "Suburban Muse" is about how difficult it can be to find meaning in your life when you feel trapped in a repetitive and uninspiring environment. It's about seeing the same things around you day in and day out, and how that can wear you down. However, that spark inside that allows a person to keep going is still there if you search for it.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue sky us holding down
We feel trapped and weighed down by the endless blue sky, representing the monotony and lack of excitement in our lives.
There's no why
We can't find a reason or purpose for our existence in this suburban environment.
Only the sound of happy TV land
Our only source of entertainment and joy comes from the fake, manufactured happiness we see on television.
Cue the canned applause
We have become so numb to real emotions and experiences that even the applause on TV sounds fake and programmed.
Sidewalk fall through the cracks to China
The cracks in the sidewalk seem like bottomless pits, and we feel like we could fall through them and end up on the other side of the world.
Never get back
Once we fall through those cracks, we feel like we could never find our way back to where we started.
I'm nothing in these blues and laceless Velcro shoes
We feel insignificant and invisible in our bland, everyday attire - blue jeans and laceless Velcro shoes (which are often associated with the elderly).
There used to be a reason why
There was a time when we had a purpose or a goal, but it has since been lost in the monotony of suburban life.
We wrote the words across the sky
We used to dream big and have lofty aspirations, but now we can only gaze at the sky and reminisce about those days.
You and I will never die without a fight
We refuse to surrender and give up, even in the face of the overwhelming sameness and boredom of our lives.
My suburban muse
Our source of inspiration is this dull, uneventful suburban setting itself - it is the only thing we have to work with and try to make something out of.
Green grass towering high
The abundant, excessively green grass represents the superficial facade of suburban life, hiding the true boredom and dissatisfaction beneath the surface.
This white house, in it we'll die
We feel like we are trapped in this suburban house and that we will never escape or experience anything outside of it.
A thousand tiny lies take the place of you
The lies and illusions of suburban life - the perfect lawn, the white picket fence, the happy family - have replaced any sense of real connection or fulfillment in our lives.
I've seen it too
We are not alone in feeling this way, and many others in our community are also struggling with the emptiness of suburban life.
In all the things you do
The façade of suburban life permeates everything we do and see around us, from the lawns to the cars to the buildings.
It lives inside of you
The emptiness and dissatisfaction of suburban life have become a part of us, a constant presence in our lives.
A parasite or two
These feelings are like parasites, slowly draining us of our life force and will to live.
I'm the king of ordinary things
We have become experts in the mundane and the ordinary - the only things that exist in our suburban world.
They're killing me from inside out
The monotony and emptiness of suburban life are slowly suffocating us, eating away at us from the inside out.
I'll give it away
We are willing to sacrifice everything (our possessions, our reputation, our safety) if it means breaking free from the suffocating suburbs and finding some sort of meaning or purpose.
Between the cars on dusty streets
The only escape from the suburbs is through the deserted, dusty side streets - the side of town that is neglected and ignored by the shiny veneer of suburban life.
The cul de sac is where we meet
Even though our homes are separated by lawns and white picket fences, we are all stuck in the same endless loop of suburban life, always ending up in the same cul de sac.
I crunch the leaves beneath my feet and curse this town
The sound and sensation of the fallen leaves crunching beneath our feet is a reminder of the fleeting beauty and excitement of life, which is nowhere to be found in this dull suburb. We curse this town for trapping us here, and at the same time, we curse ourselves for being unable to escape it.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Johnny_Joestar_.
This one was a bit tricky but I think that it explores themes of disillusionment, existential angst, and the search for meaning within the mundane confines of suburban life. The lyrics depict a sense of suffocation beneath the facade of conformity and the struggle to break free from the monotony.
The opening lines, "Blue sky, holding us down / There's no whine, only the sound of / Happy TV land," set the tone by juxtaposing the idyllic image of a blue sky with the oppressive feeling of being held down. The reference to "Happy TV land" suggests a superficiality and artificiality that pervades suburban existence.
The imagery of falling through the cracks to China and never returning symbolizes a feeling of being trapped or lost in a place where escape seems impossible. The protagonist feels insignificant ("I'm nothing in these blues") and constrained by societal expectations ("with laceless Velcro shoes").
The repetition of "There used to be a reason why / We wrote the words across the sky" suggests a longing for a sense of purpose or meaning that has been lost over time. The suburban muse, once a source of inspiration and creativity, now feels distant and unattainable.
The lyrics also touch on themes of deception and self-deception, as the protagonist acknowledges the prevalence of "a thousand tiny lies" that replace genuine connection and authenticity.
The chorus, "I'm the king of ordinary things / It's killing me from inside out / I'll give it away," reflects a sense of resignation and a desire to break free from the confines of suburban life, even if it means sacrificing comfort and familiarity.
Overall, I believe it captures the disillusionment and yearning for something more profound within the banality of suburban existence. It speaks to the universal struggle to find meaning and authenticity in a world that often prioritizes conformity and superficiality.
@averyjenson
Literally every movie about high school could’ve used this song
@shadowwilson7282
You know how Hollywood is.
@toastedbread6315
Because of you im going to become a movie director use this song and put you on the end credits
@shadowwilson7282
@@toastedbread6315 Go for it! I bet it will rock 👍
@WoockerSocket
@@toastedbread6315 sketchy
@lifeisanightmare6298
OMG FRRRRRRR
@mr.rocketman.9098
This song makes me feel like everything is going to be alright
@luisecingelp5292
...
(Talking:)
Her senior year she joined jounior statesman club.
And worked hard as a member of the ramettes.
Each of these girls was deserving of the honor of Prom Queen.
@q8tenchi
So many underrated compositions out there, including this song
@kingsnivy
This song feels so sad yet at the same time hopeful