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.
Sea of Japan
Earl Greyhound Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you're given to shouting girl stand up proud
One's my limit so help me God
One's my limit so help me God
Once you've given it up it's gone
One's my limit, said one's my limit
Sea of Japan
Speak no further to me I'm taking a stand
I can't understand you, no
On with the show, they're making us leave
Woke up alone about a quarter to three
Go to the boat we travel by sea
I hear a voice from where the stowaway's keep
She said, can I get some relief?
Laugh girl don't cover your mouth you know it's the same release
I know what you're doing you're making me plead
No one's my limit you'd quit it if you were true Japanese
A moment of mercy for the Japanese Sea?
No, once you've given it up it's gone and don't make believe
I'm not fooling you it's true I'm a merman's dream
You've got no control of what you're saying to me
You want to disclose
Please listen to me lay of the land Sea of Japan
Speak no further to me I'm taking a stand
I can't understand you, no
Why Ayayo?
The lyrics of Earl Greyhound's song Sea of Japan seem to be telling a story about a person's journey on a boat or ship traveling through the Sea of Japan. The first verse encourages someone to be confident and not hold back their laughter or voice. The second verse seems to involve a conversation between two people, one of whom is setting their limits regarding sexual encounters, while the other is trying to push past those limits. The chorus features the singer asking someone to listen to them and take a stand, seemingly frustrated by the other person's actions and unable to understand them.
The third verse brings the story back to the journey on the boat, where the singer wakes up alone and hears a voice from below deck asking for relief. The singer seems wary of the person making the request, feeling as though they are being manipulated or taken advantage of. The final chorus repeats the plea for the person to listen and take a stand, as the singer still cannot understand their actions.
Overall, the lyrics of Sea of Japan suggest themes of control, boundaries, and manipulation in personal relationships, against the backdrop of a physical journey through the sea.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't cover your mouth girl laugh out loud
Express yourself freely and without reservation, do not stifle your emotions
If you're given to shouting girl stand up proud
Do not be afraid to assert yourself, show confidence in your words and actions
One's my limit so help me God
I have a personal boundary which I will not cross, and I swear by my faith to uphold it
Once you've given it up it's gone
Once something is given away or taken, it cannot be retrieved or undone
Please listen to me lay of the land
Focus your attention on what I am saying about this situation
Sea of Japan
Referring to the body of water located between Japan and Korea
Speak no further to me I'm taking a stand
I have made my position clear and do not wish to discuss it further
I can't understand you, no
I do not comprehend or agree with your perspective
On with the show, they're making us leave
The current situation is moving forward despite our desire to stay
Woke up alone about a quarter to three
I was alone and awake during the early hours of the morning
Go to the boat we travel by sea
We will board a vessel to proceed our trip across the Sea of Japan
I hear a voice from where the stowaway's keep
I hear a voice coming from where unauthorized passengers hide during travel
She said, can I get some relief?
She asked if she could have some assistance or assistance
Laugh girl don't cover your mouth you know it's the same release
Laugh freely and do not hold back, as it provides a sense of release and relief
I know what you're doing you're making me plead
I understand your intent, which is to make an emotional appeal to me
No one's my limit you'd quit it if you were true Japanese
I have no personal limits, unlike someone who adheres to traditional Japanese values would
A moment of mercy for the Japanese Sea?
A request for leniency or forgiveness for any wrongdoing committed against the Sea of Japan
No, once you've given it up it's gone and don't make believe
Once something is lost or given away, it cannot be regained through pretending
I'm not fooling you it's true I'm a merman's dream
I am not lying, it is a fact that I am the embodiment of a fantasy or impossible desire
You've got no control of what you're saying to me
You are not able to regulate or restrain what you are communicating to me
You want to disclose
You have a desire to reveal or divulge something
Why Ayayo?
Unknown, may be a nonsensical or personal reference
Contributed by Adalyn Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.