Family Of The Year is considered to have a "feel good summer" sound. Statements around the web have been made such as "Immediately I was overtaken by the Beatles sounding, toe-tapping, move in my seat beat..." and "Although the band only has six members, it still seemed like there were a lot more bodies contributing to the musical goodness that is Family of the Year. Perhaps it’s just their soft harmonies, comforting guitar chords and melodies that just pull us into their world that make us think that. Whatever it is, we just know we’re fans."
I Played Drums On This
Family of the Year Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I rode from state to state
Listening to The Summer of '69
My brother he sang it, my daddy he drove
Through the hills of long-forgotten families
And broken down old homes
My brother played me cool music
My childhood stashed up deep and attached
To my big brother's place
Years ago he was my hero and like
That gets us to the night we went
We caught bugs, bright light stars, in tight-lidded jars
But I grew out of it
The brighter they are, the faster they burn
Oh, big brother you never did learn
You strangled all your options
You sucked out all their breath
Ken, you're high as a kite and you're as low as they get
You came to the west coast
On a Sunday
Robbed dear daddy blind
Tried to board a train back home
Sold your pass for cheap white lines
Daddy came and picked you up
The car was quiet then
His head hung like a white flag
On Monday you did it all again
The brighter they are, the faster they burn
Oh, big brother you never did learn
You strangled all your options
You sucked out all their breath
Ken, you're high as a kite and you're as low as they get
And in between the fighting
The pressure of yourself
The promise to get better stacked up on a dusty shelf
You miss the point completely
Self fulfill your sabotage
Father taught you how to fish
Instead you ate the fish he caught
The brighter they are, the faster they burn
Oh, big brother you never did learn
You strangled all your options
You sucked out all their breath
Yeah, you're high as a kite
The brighter you are, the faster you burn
Big brother you never did learn
You strangled all your loved ones
You sucked out all our breath
Ken, you're high as a kite and you're as low as they get
The song "I Played Drums On This" by Family of the Year tells a story of a dysfunctional family with a troubled and drug-addicted older brother named Ken. It starts with the singer reminiscing about his childhood, where he rode from state to state with his family, listening to music and catching fireflies with his brother. However, as time passed by, Ken's drug addiction worsened, and he began to rob and cheat his family, ultimately straining their relationships. The lyrics also reveal the family's failed attempts to help Ken, including their promises and pressures to get better, which all went in vain.
The song's chorus "The brighter they are, the faster they burn" refers to Ken's self-destruction, where he strangled all his options and sucked out all the breath from his loved ones, ultimately becoming as high as a kite and as low as they get. The song ends with the singer concluding that despite everything, Ken's family still loves him, and they will always be there to support him.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt tale of the challenges of addiction and how it affects not only the individual but their loved ones. It showcases the hopelessness of addiction and how tough it can be for families to deal with it.
Line by Line Meaning
In the winter when I was eight
The singer recalls a time in their childhood when they were eight years old.
I rode from state to state
The singer traveled between different states.
Listening to The Summer of '69
The singer listened to the song 'The Summer of '69' while they were traveling.
My brother he sang it, my daddy he drove
The singer's brother sang 'The Summer of '69' and their father was driving the car.
Through the hills of long-forgotten families
The family traveled through hilly areas where they came across old, abandoned homes.
And broken down old homes
They saw several homes that were in disrepair.
My brother played me cool music
The singer was introduced to new and popular music by their older brother.
So I threw out my old tapes
As a result, the singer got rid of their old music collection.
My childhood stashed up deep and attached
The memories of their childhood were deeply ingrained in them.
To my big brother's place
The singer's brother played a significant role in their childhood memories.
Years ago he was my hero and like
In the past, the singer's brother was their role model and someone they looked up to.
That gets us to the night we went
The singer transitions to a different moment in their life.
We caught bugs, bright light stars, in tight-lidded jars
The singer recalls catching bugs and stars in jars with their brother as a child.
But I grew out of it
As they got older, the singer lost interest in those activities.
The brighter they are, the faster they burn
This line suggests that the more intense a person's lifestyle or choices are, the faster it can lead to their downfall.
Oh, big brother you never did learn
The singer believes that their brother never fully understood this concept of intense living.
You strangled all your options
The singer's brother limited their own choices in life.
You sucked out all their breath
Their brother consumed all the energy and resources around them, leaving nothing for others.
Ken, you're high as a kite and you're as low as they get
The singer's brother, Ken, is depicted as someone who struggles with addiction, leading them to experience extreme highs and lows in life.
You came to the west coast
Ken moved to the west coast at some point in his life.
On a Sunday
Ken's arrival was on a Sunday.
Robbed dear daddy blind
Ken stole from their father.
Tried to board a train back home
Ken attempted to go back home on a train.
Sold your pass for cheap white lines
Ken sold his ticket in exchange for drugs.
Daddy came and picked you up
Ken's father had to come and retrieve him.
The car was quiet then
The journey back was a silent affair.
His head hung like a white flag
The singer's father appeared defeated and disappointed when he picked up Ken.
On Monday you did it all again
Despite being picked up and scolded, Ken continued his self-destructive behavior.
And in between the fighting
The singer reflects on a period of struggle and conflict.
The pressure of yourself
The pressure of trying to live up to certain expectations and standards.
The promise to get better stacked up on a dusty shelf
The promise made to oneself to improve was forgotten and pushed away over time.
You miss the point completely
The singer believes that Ken missed the larger lesson in life.
Self fulfill your sabotage
Ken was intentionally ruining his own life.
Father taught you how to fish
Ken's father taught him how to fish.
Instead you ate the fish he caught
Ken wasn't able to catch his own fish and relied on others for his survival.
You strangled all your loved ones
Ken's actions affected those closest to him.
Yeah, you're high as a kite
Ken is still struggling with addiction.
Big brother you never did learn
The singer reflects on how Ken never learned from his mistakes.
You sucked out all our breath
Ken's addiction consumed everyone's energy and resources around him.
Ken, you're high as a kite and you're as low as they get
The repeated line serves to reinforce Ken's current state of being and serves as the conclusion of the song as a whole.
Writer(s): LONG VANESSA JEANNE, KEEFE JOE
Contributed by Grayson A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.