Five-Eight is known for t… Read Full Bio ↴Five-Eight is a band from Athens, Georgia.
Five-Eight is known for their energetic live shows, but has recorded six Compact Discs since 1992. They have toured with REM (fall 2004) and have performed with Cheap Trick, The Ramones, Cracker, Pylon, and Seven Mary Three. The group is fairly prominent in the Athens/Atlanta market, and headlines an annual mental health benefit concert in Athens.
The band came together in 1988 in Athens, GA when The Reasonable Men disbanded. Before settling on the name Five Eight, at least one show was played under the name The Helgrammites.
The original three members of the band were Mike Mantione- vocals and guitar, Dan Horowitz- bass guitar, and Mike Palmatier- drums. In 1989, Palmatier' right leg was crushed in a work-related accident at the Armstrong and Dobbs lumberyard in Athens. His temporary replacement was Patrick Ferguson, the drummer for the LaBrea Stompers and Angle Lake, a band which also included Vic Chesnutt. Palmatier eventually became disillusioned and relocated to the Boston area.
Ferguson rejoined the band and was Five Eight's full-time drummer until 1998. After the release of 'I Learned Shut Up' guitarist Sean Dunn joined the band and was a full-time member after the recording of 'The Angriest Man' EP. During the years between 1992 and 1998, Five Eight toured extensively as a four-piece in the United States and Canada and often played as many as 200 live shows a year, exceeding that number for the years 1995-1997. Ferguson left the band in 1998 and was soon followed by Dunn. Ferguson was briefly replaced by former Bughummer, Little Red Rocket and The Runs drummer Scott Sosebee.
Mike Rizzi joined the band as drummer in 1999 and left the band in mid-2007. The band went on hiatus as Rizzi moved to Southern California to join Ghost Hounds. Ferguson rejoined the band to play "a few shows," in late 2007. He is now officially the full-time drummer for the group. Five Eight is currently writing a new album in Ferguson's recording studio in Athens. Their website has confirmed that a new album, entitled "Your God is Dead to Me Now" is scheduled to be released in 2010. For this album Sean Dunn has rejoined the group.
Criminal
Five Eight Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mark the spot
On the side of the road
Your spirit hits the air
Like jumping off into the quarries cold
Metal is twisted
Firebird is lifting off of the ground
Its tires are blistered
Oh ambulance you take your time
To take me from the scene of the crime
Often I'm left to pay to play
For the ride of my life
Oh, lady of the highway
Say your prayers for me
Cause I'm so deeply...
When I'm walking off to work
What comes to mind
With my hands in my pockets I left you lying
And now somewhere deep inside my head is the guilt
Of my imagination you know I'm
Deeply scared of dying that we die...
The song Criminal, by Five Eight, paints a vivid picture of a car crash, with the plastic flowers marking the spot where the accident occurred. The lyrics describe the fear of dying that permeates the scene, with metal twisted and the car's tires blistered. The singer is rescued by an ambulance, but there is a sense of melancholy and guilt as the victim contemplates his own mortality. You get a sense that the singer left the person who died behind and is haunted by the guilt and fear of dying that comes with that accident.
The lyrics speak of the fear of death and the aftermath of a tragic accident. The anxiety and guilt that come with a traumatic experience are palpable as the singer is rescued by an ambulance, leaving the scene of the crime behind. The use of plastic flowers suggests that the death was unexpected and that someone has brought something in memory of the departed. The verse about the singer walking off to work with guilt in his imagination speaks to the trauma that never fully leaves you.
Line by Line Meaning
Your plastic flowers
Your fake or artificial displays of affection
Mark the spot
Are a reminder of where things ended or went wrong
On the side of the road
In a place where memories are often forgotten or discarded
Your spirit hits the air
Your essence, whether good or bad, resonates beyond your physical presence
Like jumping off into the quarries cold
Going into the unknown, sometimes dangerous, with limited knowledge of what awaits you
Metal is twisted
The wreckage is a physical manifestation of the emotional toll taken
Firebird is lifting off of the ground
The car has become a symbol of freedom or escape, albeit fleeting
Its tires are blistered
The wear and tear of trying to outrun one's demons
So deeply scared of dying that we die
The fear of death can be so paralyzing that it limits the way we live our lives
Oh ambulance you take your time
The delay in getting help is an ominous sign that things are not going to end well
To take me from the scene of the crime
Attempting to escape from the consequences of one's actions
Often I'm left to pay to play
The cost of one's choices and behavior always catches up to them in the end
For the ride of my life
The wild experience that comes with pushing things to the limit
Oh, lady of the highway
The dangerous, seductive allure of the open road
Say your prayers for me
Acknowledging the risks involved and asking for protection
Cause I'm so deeply...
Fearful of what the future holds, and remorseful for the past
When I'm walking off to work
The mundane routine of everyday life, a stark contrast to the chaos and excitement of one's past
What comes to mind
Memories and regrets that continue to haunt the present
With my hands in my pockets I left you lying
The guilt and realization that one's actions have caused pain and suffering to others
And now somewhere deep inside my head is the guilt
The psychological toll that one's past can take on them
Of my imagination you know I'm
The internal battles and struggles that can only be understood by the individual
Deeply scared of dying that we die...
The fear of death and the consequences of one's past can consume and ultimately destroy them
Contributed by Nolan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.