Crywank started in 2009 with Jay Clayton attempting to do some folk-punk influenced acoustic music with no previous experience playing guitar. The first album "James is going to die soon" was inspired by a painful break up. Jay stated that "I wrote these songs out of frustration and sadness and they ended up making me feel a lot better, I hope they have a similar effect on you".
In 2012 Crywank released their second album 'Narcissist On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown'. Described as "a collection of paranoid songs mostly about me trying to understand my own sadness along with the concept of sadness as a whole. It was fueled by self help books and pot."
In late 2012 Dan Watson joined Crywank on percussion, and in early 2013 they released tour demos for their third album 'Tomorrow Is Nearly Yesterday And Everyday Is Stupid' which was released in October 2013.
In 2016 Jay and Dan began couch surfing to afford to be able to tour as much as possible. Over the next four years they performed over 500 shows in over 30 countries and released four albums.
Crywank announced their breakup following a world tour in 2019, alongside the album ‘fist me til your hand comes out my mouth’’ a huge departure in sound and the first release to include songwriting from Dan and explained the tense relationship between Jay and Dan that had developed over the years on the road.
Their breakup tour was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and the North American and European dates had to be rescheduled numerous times. During this time Jay was in a house fire, which led to the release of a solo Crywank album ‘Just Popping In To Say Hi’ that was written and recorded over three days.
Between 2022-2023 Crywank managed to continue their final tour and performed 100 shows in the USA and over 50 shows in the UK and Ireland, often with bass player Jules Noel (AKA Guard Petal). In 2024 it was announced that Crywank will no longer be breaking up and Jules would be joining the band.
The name Crywank comes from reclaiming a cruel nickname given to Jay during a period of depression. Jay has since said that if they knew how popular the band would have become they probably would’ve chosen a different name.
Me Me Me
Crywank Lyrics
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I try to formulate a song to make some good out of bad
The words I write they seem contrived, ashamed to share my cheesy lines
I scrunch the scrap a waste of time, a waste of thoughts in my head
The sets of songs that I forgot where all about my writers block
And all that's left to express is i've not got much to express
Self obsessed and hypercritical
Self-righteous but apolitical
I express myself and little else
I waste the day, I waste the evening, combing through words try to find meaning
It's just self-involved struggles with feelings, where do I go from that?
Each line written is lazy and boisterous, hard not to see my endeavours as pointless
Approach a project frustrated and joyless, get surprised when it's bad
But there is a truth that I've been evading, I mostly make things so you think I'm creative
I'm so shallow you see, that I have to build up a sense of identity
Self obsessed and hypercritical
Self abasing when over analytical
Self-righteous but apolitical
I express myself and little else
The song 'Me Me Me' by Crywank delves into the inner workings of the songwriter's mind, revealing their struggles with creativity and identity. The opening lines, "Destined to stay awake too long to contemplate where I've gone wrong," paint a picture of the songwriter deeply entrenched in self-reflection, trying to find meaning in their life and music. Despite their efforts to write meaningfully, they struggle with the fear of being seen as cheesy or fake, leading to a sense of frustration and pointlessness.
The chorus of the song, "Self obsessed and hypercritical, self abasing when over analytical, self-righteous but apolitical, I express myself and little else," further emphasizes the songwriter's internal struggles by acknowledging their own flaws and limitations. They recognize their tendencies towards self-obsession, over-analysis, and righteousness, but also accept that these traits are integral to their creativity and expression.
In the final verse, the songwriter acknowledges that their artistry is an attempt to construct an identity, emphasizing their shallowness and need for validation. As a whole, the song conveys a deep sense of self-doubt and uncertainty, while also highlighting the importance of creative expression as a means of self-discovery and self-expression.
Line by Line Meaning
Destined to stay awake too long to contemplate where I've gone wrong
I am unable to sleep as I try to figure out where I went wrong in life.
I try to formulate a song to make some good out of bad
I am attempting to create an uplifting song to bring out some positivity from my negative experiences.
The words I write they seem contrived, ashamed to share my cheesy lines
I am embarrassed about the inauthentic and melodramatic content of my lyrics.
I scrunch the scrap a waste of time, a waste of thoughts in my head
I tear up and throw away my song drafts, feeling like they are a waste of my time and thoughts.
The sets of songs that I forgot where all about my writers block
The songs that I abandoned were due to my inability to overcome writer's block.
And all that's left to express is i've not got much to express
I feel like I have very little to say or express through my music.
Self obsessed and hypercritical
I am overly focused on myself and constantly criticizing my own work.
Self abasing when over analytical
I am overly self-deprecating and self-critical when I analyze my own work.
Self-righteous but apolitical
I believe in my own talent but do not have any political or social agenda in my music.
I express myself and little else
My music is mostly just a reflection of my own emotional state and experiences, with little relevance to others.
I waste the day, I waste the evening, combing through words try to find meaning
I spend hours upon hours searching for meaning in my writing, ultimately feeling unfulfilled.
It's just self-involved struggles with feelings, where do I go from that?
My music is overwhelmingly focused on my own struggles and emotions, leaving me unsure of where to go from there.
Each line written is lazy and boisterous, hard not to see my endeavours as pointless
I feel like my writing lacks substance and seems insincere, making it hard for me to justify my efforts.
Approach a project frustrated and joyless, get surprised when it's bad
I often start projects feeling discouraged and unhappy, then end up surprised when the final product turns out poorly.
But there is a truth that I've been evading, I mostly make things so you think I'm creative
I have been avoiding the truth that I mostly create music to appear creative and interesting to others.
I'm so shallow you see, that I have to build up a sense of identity
I am very superficial, to the point where I need to create a persona through my music to feel like I have a distinct identity.
Contributed by Charlie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.