Their sophomore album "Worship and Tribute" was released in 2002 on Warner Bros. Records. Although it received some MTV airtime, a Grammy nomination and a peak at #82 on the Billboard top 200, "Worship and Tribute" was a departure from the debut and was met with mixed reviews from fans. Since then, Glassjaw went on a long hiatus, releasing the digital-only EP "El Mark" in 2005, a release that consisted of three unused songs from the "Worship and Tribute" sessions.
In 2005, all members spare Palumbo and Beck left the band for reasons which remain unclear. It is supposed that they left involuntarily. Ex-drummer Durijah Lang and ex-bass player Manuel Ragoonanan Carrero were soon inducted back into the band, so there was once again a functional lineup for playing shows. Indeed, the new four-piece Glassjaw played a handful of shows in Summer 2005. A new album was apparently in the works for a release in 2007, but never surfaced.
Daryl Palumbo also fronts electronic pop-rock band Head Automatica, and ex-Glassjaw drummer Larry Gorman also played for them; however, Gorman is no longer a member of the band for unknown reasons.
Ex-guitarist Todd Weinstock now plays in the similarly-styled band Men, Women, & Children.
After a two-year hiatus, the band played three shows in 2005, two at the now-defunct The Downtown in Farmingdale, NY, with proceeds going to charity, and a spot on The Used's tour at the Hammerstein Ballroom.
After some mysterious updates on their website, the 2007 Glassjaw tour had gone and ended, already hitting up spots including yet another venue in Farmingdale, NY, playing 2 shows in one day at The Crazy Donkey.
In an interview with Palumbo in the July, 2006 issue of AP magazine, he stated that the band were in the process of writing and recording new material for the next album, which they hoped to release in 2007. Palumbo hinted that there could be a unifying concept behind the album. In November, 2007, in the first Glassjaw interview in years, Beck revealed they had written "about eleven good songs -- seven i love, and four to six half-baked ideas we need to finish".
In an interview with Kerrang!, Palumbo stated that the new album should be released by "The end of this year or early 2009...I hope." Details emerged from The Grixer in May, 2008 that the album was "awaiting vocals" and "should be wrapped up and completed in the coming months". In a May, 2008 interview with Verse One magazine, Beck said: "Right now I’d just be happy to finish up this record. I’m sure if it’s not a giant pile of shit, we’d love to play it live. Exact dates, plans, don’t know yet." In a June, 2008 interview conducted by Glassjaw.net, Beck stated, "As far as I am personally concerned, there will be a release well before the end of the year."
On August 6–8, 2010, the band released a 7" vinyl single for "All Good Junkies Go to Heaven" spraypainted green and pink on either side of the vinyl at the UK's Hevy Fest. This is the first official Glassjaw release since 2005's El Mark EP[/album. On August 8, 2010 via MerchDirect, "All Good Junkies Go To Heaven" became available for purchase. Within hours of availability, the vinyl had sold out. Shortly thereafter, in addition to the launch of the single, a "one-take" live video of their 2008 song "You Think You're (John Fucking Lennon)" was posted on the official Glassjaw website. On September 8, Glassjaw announced the release of another vinyl single for release on September 9, 2010 for the song "Jesus Glue", as well as a digital download for "All Good Junkies Go To Heaven" in various formats. On September 23, GlassJaw posted a video for the song, "Stars", a reworked version of "Star Above my Bed", a fan favorite. As they did with "Junkies" and "Jesus Glue," October 10 saw the release of yet another vinyl, "Natural Born Farmer" and the digital release of "Jesus Glue."
At 11:11AM on January 11, glassjaw.com began streaming a studio recording of "Gold". The website's background was changed to a live band photo with the text "coloring book, the extended play. available exclusively at venue. gratis." After the first concert on their 2011 tour, February 13, 2011, the new EP Coloring Book was given away free to each fan that attended the concert. Glassjaw played two shows in the UK, at the London HMV Forum (March 30) and the Cardiff Solus (March 31), with support from Napalm Death and also headlined Soundfest (June 10), playing alongside other artists such as Brother Ali, Del the Funky Homosapien and If He Dies He Dies. The band also played the Radio 1 / NME Stage at Reading and Leeds Festival in August 2011.
Glassjaw played their first and only scheduled show so far in 2012 in support of Rise Against's Endgame tour. It was the only show Glassjaw opened for them on the tour. A Day To Remember, The Menzingers, Architects, Touché Amoré, and Title Fight are also supporting selected dates. Glassjaw have been added to the Sonisphere festival line-up and will perform Worship & Tribute in its entirety during their set. However, it was announced on March 29, 2012 via Sonishere's website that the festival was cancelled due to issues in setting up the festival. As a result, the band have scheduled a date at New York's Irving Plaza to play the album in its entirety. The band have also been announced to be playing Hevy Festival 2012, alongside acts such as Converge, Rolo Tomassi and Will Haven. This will mark Glassjaw's second time playing at the festival, and the first since headlining it in 2010.
On December 1st, 2017, after 15 years, Glassjaw finally released their anticipated third LP, "Material Control".
Babe
Glassjaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By larger being devoured,
Leaving only me to improve.
Weep.
Don't fucking weep.
Your weak eyes cry tears of the week.
Weep.
It's a sacrilegious ceremony.
New flavor of the week.
Nothing's sacred in the faces of the soulless
(that you're made into).
You're raptured by a guilty stifle down.
"And what I'll do
Is mess you up and lie to you."
Look at you
You know it's true.
It's a field trip to Hollywood Babylon.
But
I'm
Not
Coming.
No.
The lyrics to Glassjaw's song "Babe" are quite enigmatic and can be open to interpretation. The first verse seems to be about becoming someone new by distancing oneself from a toxic relationship, represented by the imagery of excluding light and washing one's hands of the other person. The phrase "larger being devoured" could symbolize overcoming the other person's influence and becoming one's own person. The tone is somewhat defiant and self-assured, as if the singer is challenging the other person to catch up with them rather than mourning the end of the relationship.
The chorus takes a much darker, sarcastic turn. The use of the imperative "weep" suggests a cruelty or sadism, as if the singer is enjoying seeing the other person cry. The lines "your weak eyes cry tears of the week" and "catch up with the sheep" imply that the other person is weak and conformist. The final line, "new flavor of the week," could be interpreted as a commentary on the fickle nature of relationships in modern society, where people are always looking for the next best thing.
The final verse is more cryptic, with lines like "nothing's sacred in the faces of the soulless" and "you're raptured by a guilty stifle down" creating a sense of unease and mystery. The repeated phrase "look at you, you know it's true" could be seen as taunting or gaslighting, as if the singer is trying to convince the other person of something they don't believe. The final line, "it's a field trip to Hollywood Babylon, but I'm not coming," could be interpreted in a number of ways - perhaps the singer is rejecting the superficiality of Hollywood, or maybe they are avoiding a situation where they would have to interact with the other person again.
Overall, the lyrics to "Babe" are complex and multifaceted, creating a sense of tension and drama through their use of conflicting tones and images.
Line by Line Meaning
I exclude light and wash my hands of you.
I am disconnecting myself from you by turning away from everything that connects us.
By larger being devoured,
Leaving only me to improve.
The larger entity that consumed us has left only me to pick up the pieces and move forward.
Weep.
Cry.
Don't fucking weep.
I do not want to see your tears.
Your weak eyes cry tears of the week.
Your tears are not strong, they are emotional and unnecessary.
Catch up with the sheep.
Join the majority rather than standing out.
It's a sacrilegious ceremony.
The mass following of something new is treated as if it were a religious ceremony, but it is blasphemous.
New flavor of the week.
The current trend that everyone is following.
Nothing's sacred in the faces of the soulless
(that you're made into).
In adapting to the soulless society, you lost all sense of morality and respect for the sacred.
You're raptured by a guilty stifle down.
You are consumed by the guilt of being stifled and restricted.
"And what I'll do
Is mess you up and lie to you."
I am going to manipulate and deceive you.
Look at you
You know it's true.
You know very well that I am lying.
It's a field trip to Hollywood Babylon.
We are taking a trip to a place where everything is fake and superficial.
But
I'm
Not
Coming.
No.
I am not going to participate in the inauthenticity of the trip to Hollywood Babylon.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BECK, PALUMBO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind