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."
The Stairs
Family of the Year Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wasting time watching infomercials live on channel 9
Us and Billy Mays, nowhere else to rile
Stealing blankets, sleeping in a pile
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
On our door fucking step
Went to the house of some friends that I just met
Didn't feel okay so I bought some cigarettes
Tonight everyone's with everyone else getting it on
I'm alone asleep with my clothes on
Maybe still awake
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
About the neighbor's angry letter on our door step
On our door fucking step
Woke up with raccoon eyes and crackled face paint
From a night of campfires and MDMA
The sun comes over the hill in Joshua tree
Let's grab a bottle of wine, some of Jamesy's weed
If it's okay
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
About the neighbor's angry letter on our door step
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse to watch it come up
It comes up
The opening lyrics of Family of the Year's "The Stairs" provide a glimpse into the life of a group of people who don't adhere to typical sleeping patterns. Instead of sleeping in beds, they stay up all night and witness the sunrise. This is portrayed as something cathartic or even necessary for them - they have "nowhere else to rile" and so they end up stealing blankets and sleeping in a pile. The reference to Billy Mays and infomercials on channel 9 is a reflection of the monotony or blandness of their late-night activities.
The second verse expands on this idea of feeling out of sync with others, as the singer attends a gathering where they don't feel comfortable and ultimately ends up alone, still awake with their clothes on. The neighbour's angry letter on their doorstep seems to be a repercussion of their odd habits, although the lyrics suggest that they take some comfort in the fact that the sunrise is there for them, as if it's a natural occurrence that caters to their lifestyle. This sentiment is repeated in the chorus, where the sunrise is depicted as an excuse for their unconventional living.
In the last verse, the lyrics reference a night spent around a campfire while using MDMA, which is followed by waking up with "raccoon eyes and crackled face paint". Despite this, they still watch the sunrise in Joshua tree and plan to drink wine and smoke weed throughout the day. Again, the sunrise is conceptualised as something that exists for them, as if it's a necessary facet of their lifestyle.
Overall, "The Stairs" seems to be a meditation on a certain type of lifestyle - one in which sleep patterns are disregarded and drugs and alcohol feature heavily. The song portrays this in a somewhat ambivalent light; there's a sense of camaraderie in the way the group sticks together and embraces their night-owlish tendencies, but also a sense of displacement or discomfort that comes with being different from others.
Line by Line Meaning
Who sleeps in beds when you've got the sunrise
Why sleep when you can watch the beautiful sunrise?
Wasting time watching infomercials live on channel 9
Passing time by watching mindless TV on channel 9
Us and Billy Mays, nowhere else to rile
We are watching commercials because there's nothing else to do, just like Billy Mays
Stealing blankets, sleeping in a pile
Sharing blankets and sleeping together in a pile to keep warm
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
About the neighbor's angry letter on our door step
On our door fucking step
We stay up all night and justify it by enjoying the sunrise, trying to feel better about upsetting our neighbor with noise
Went to the house of some friends that I just met
Didn't feel okay so I bought some cigarettes
Tonight everyone's with everyone else getting it on
I'm alone asleep with my clothes on
Maybe still awake
After an awkward night at a new friend's house, I bought cigarettes and left early to find that everyone else went to hook up while I'm alone and possibly still awake
Woke up with raccoon eyes and crackled face paint
From a night of campfires and MDMA
The sun comes over the hill in Joshua tree
Let's grab a bottle of wine, some of Jamesy's weed
If it's okay
After a wild night of campfires and MDMA, we wake up with makeup smudged around our eyes and on our faces. We plan to enjoy the sunrise in Joshua Tree with wine and weed if it's permissible
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
About the neighbor's angry letter on our door step
We have an excuse to stay up all night and watch the sunrise, which makes us feel a little better about upsetting our neighbors
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse to watch it come up
It comes up
The sunrise was made for people like us who stay up all night to watch it, and it eventually appears
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CHRISTINA ELISABETH SCHROETER, JAMES EDWARD BUCKEY, JOE KEEFE, SEBASTIAN DAVID KEEFE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alec Gonzalez
Who sleeps in beds when you've got the sunrise
Wasting time watching infomercials live on channel 9
Us and Billy Mays, nowhere else to rile
Stealing blankets, sleeping in a pile
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
About the neighbor's angry letter on our door step
On our door fucking step
Went to the house of some friends that I just met
Didn't feel okay so I bought some cigarettes
Tonight everyone's with everyone else getting it on
I'm alone asleep with my clothes on
Maybe still awake
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
About the neighbor's angry letter on our door step
On our door fucking step
Woke up with raccoon eyes and crackled face paint
From a night of campfires and MDMA
The sun comes over the hill in Joshua tree
Let's grab a bottle of wine, some of Jamesy's weed
If it's okay
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse as to why we're still up
Just so we can feel a little bit better
About the neighbor's angry letter on our door step
They made the sunrise for people like us
So we have an excuse to watch it come up
It comes up
James Red
Still listening this 2020. One of my favorite bands 💞
Genmark Yepez
Likewise. They're under appreciated
Lia
This band is awesome, just heard Hero on the radio and decided to listen to some other songs of Family of the Year. Best decision of the week!
Ignacio Ortega
I´m a huge fan before boyhood; and I´m so happy many people disvover their music... they´re suach a great artists!
méi guānxi
same
Hannah Benton
Same here!!
I am not Bob Dylan
this band really know how to put us on the mood
sotblakling
Their songs always touch my heart deeply. Love them.
TheRuperWiper
I'm a student of architecture and this song gives a new meaning to my sleepless nights
Zahid Jisan
Hug! to yoy! here from architecture bg