The band’s first full-length album, Soft Targets, was recorded in Los Angeles and Brooklyn in 2005. However, they were loathe to release the album without a permanent drummer—tellingly, a constant snag since EG’s inception. Taking a leap of faith, Matt and Kamara vowed to play a gig every week until their dream drummer found them. One fateful evening, a gig at Brooklyn’s Southpaw brought them a friend in guitar player Kirk Douglass (of The Roots). Douglass became a fan and brought his friend and Gold Crowns bandmate Ricc Sheridan to gigs for the next few weeks. Ricc says, “I awoke from a dream one night, and knew that this was my band.” A rockneck-inducing jam confirmed that the band had found its holiest trinity. They hit the ground running with Big Ricc Sheridan on drums, and the world has been rocking their faces ever since!
Released in October 2006, Soft Targets earned loads of fans and critical acclaim from publications including The New Yorker, SPIN, Rolling Stone, Brooklyn Vegan and Pitchfork. Even more so, the band’s live show quickly drew heaps of attention and gained a steady reputation among critics and fans alike as a veritable rock-n-roll wrecking ball. Earl Greyhound toured relentlessly for the next two years all over the US, Canada and Japan, and autumn 2007 was spent playing theatres as openers for the band’s good friend Shooter Jennings as well as Soundgarden and Audioslave’s Chris Cornell.
Back And Forth
Earl Greyhound Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cast the first stone
Don't show your hands to me I know where you've been
You say you was borderline
Outcast and concubine
Mixed up your friends and mine and did what you did
Yeah me I was holding out
Lest you should come around
Still I am lonely and I can't find my coat can't cross back to shore
And in case you care what I think
Hell I'm back and forth
I can't tell which one's worse yet
Growing cruel to each other
Or stand crying there's no other
I was lonely
Passed my way home
Don't put your glass to me you know what this is
You say you was always right
Mixed up but more the wise
Sipped down your holy wine and did what you did
Yeah me I was waiting on
The chance that you'd come around
Then I took over and I did what I did
Still I am lonely and I can't find my coat can't get up off the floor
And if you care what I think
Hell I'm back and forth
I can't tell which one's worse yet
Growing cruel to each other
Or stand crying there's no other
I get so mixed up so sad I can't tell which one's worse
I'm hoping that you'll come back home this time
It's the same hasn't changed
I still can't explain why I feel so ashamed
I don't care so much now baby I don't want to complicate it
I only want you there to see that I love you when I forget about me
Hell I'm back and forth
I can't tell which one's worse yet
Growing cruel to each other
Or stand crying there's no other
Hell I'm back and forth
I can't tell which one's worse yet
Growing cruel to each other
Or stand crying there's no other
Earl Greyhound's "Back and Forth" is a song about a tumultuous relationship, where both partners have hurt each other in the past and struggle with trust and vulnerability. The lyrics suggest a pattern of repeatedly hurting and forgiving each other, never quite finding a stable footing in the relationship. The first verse describes the singer's past reluctance to commit to his partner, but eventually sobered up and took the plunge. However, despite his efforts, he still feels lonely and unable to fully connect with his partner. The second verse flips the script, with the partner taking the lead in the relationship but ultimately experiencing the same struggle with loneliness and confusion.
The chorus highlights the singer's frustration and inability to determine the root cause of their problems. He desperately wants to move past their hurtful behaviors and connect on a deeper level, but they keep falling back into old patterns of cruelty and/or emotional distance. The final verse suggests his growing acceptance of the situation and a desire for a more simplistic vision of love, free of complications and self-centeredness.
Overall, "Back and Forth" encapsulates the complex, messy nature of human relationships and the difficulty of letting go of the past to fully embrace the present.
Line by Line Meaning
I was lonely
I felt alone and disconnected from others
Cast the first stone
Don't judge me because you are not perfect either
Don't show your hands to me I know where you've been
I don't want to see your mistakes because I already know them
You say you was borderline
You claimed to be on the edge between two different states of mind or behaviors
Outcast and concubine
You were both excluded from society and used for someone else's pleasure
Mixed up your friends and mine and did what you did
You crossed social boundaries and took actions without considering the impact on our relationship
Yeah me I was holding out
I was waiting and hoping for a better outcome or opportunity
Lest you should come around
In case you came back into my life
Then I grew sober and I did what I did
I became more clear-headed and made a decision
Still I am lonely and I can't find my coat can't cross back to shore
I am still alone and feeling lost without direction or protection
And in case you care what I think
If you are actually interested in my point of view
Hell I'm back and forth
I am constantly conflicted and changing my mind
I can't tell which one's worse yet
I don't know which option or situation is more unpleasant or hurtful
Growing cruel to each other
We are becoming increasingly unkind and harmful towards one another
Or stand crying there's no other
Or we remain stuck in a situation that is causing us pain and despair
Passed my way home
I went home or back to a familiar place
Don't put your glass to me you know what this is
Don't try to deceive me with false appearances or pretense
You say you was always right
You insist on being correct or having the upper hand
Mixed up but more the wise
You were confused but also experienced or knowledgeable
Sipped down your holy wine and did what you did
You pretended to be religious or pure but still acted in a questionable manner
Yeah me I was waiting on
I was still hoping and anticipating something positive
The chance that you'd come around
That you would reconcile with me or improve the situation
Then I took over and I did what I did
Then I became more proactive and made my own choices
Still I am lonely and I can't find my coat can't get up off the floor
I am still feeling isolated and powerless to change my situation
I get so mixed up so sad I can't tell which one's worse
I am confused and upset, unable to determine the lesser of two evils
I'm hoping that you'll come back home this time
I still want and need you to return to my life
It's the same hasn't changed
Our situation is still the same, despite my hopes and efforts
I still can't explain why I feel so ashamed
I am still unable to understand or justify my feelings of guilt or embarrassment
I don't care so much now baby I don't want to complicate it
I have become more indifferent and don't want to make things more difficult
I only want you there to see that I love you when I forget about me
I want you to know that I care for you more than myself, even when it is hard to do so
Contributed by Jeremiah N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mike Sirotnyak
Why they never got famous is a question I can't fathom, maybe tells me about how the industry works. Met them, they are great human beings, great music, what's the missing link?
CHRIS VAN DAMN
thank you