Additional Info:
Under the name Arm of Roger, Grandaddy recorded a joke album entitled The Ham and its Lily in 2002.
A.M. 180, which was released as a single, is featured prominently in the British film 28 Days Later.
On the 27th January 2006, Jason Lytle confirmed that the band would split following the release of their final album, Just Like The Fambly Cat.
Jason Lytle has since toured the US as a solo artist, playing Grandaddy songs from the last album and others. He is said to plan a solo career of new material.
On March 2, 2012, Grandaddy announced their reunion with news of a headline slot at the End of the Road Festival in Dorset, England on 2 September. Further dates are expected.
Derek Spears
Grandaddy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
wearing nothing but some cut-offs and a muscle shirt.
and at 5 AM the donut girls came quietly to work.
when they slid the trays and banged the bowls,
you woke up with a jerk.
32 ounce soda to start the day off right.
every now and then remembering little things about last night.
hold on, take 5, check out the fox in the corvette
he spent all the money on an ornate waterbed,
it had a carving of a tiger right above his head.
and he's embarassed of the fact that he works at pizza shack,
he says he made 90K a year before he hurt his back.
and the money his sister owes him, his cousin has, but he's in jail.
there's all these checks that should be arriving
any day now in the mail.
but mysteriously the checks won't show
and the sticky boombox by the door
will end up getting sold once more,
for a lot less than before.
The lyrics of Grandaddy's song Derek Spears paint a picturesque scene of a man seemingly down on his luck in his daily life. The song begins with a description of Derek sleeping on the curb beside the Yogurt Hut, with nothing but a muscle shirt and cut-offs for clothing. The tranquility of the morning is disturbed by the arrival of the donut girls to work. Derek wakes up to the sound of trays being slid and bowls being banged, and decides to start his day off with a 32 ounce soda.
The narrative then moves on to the description of Derek's possessions - he spent all his money on an ornate waterbed with a tiger carving above his head, and he is embarrassed to work at the Pizza Shack. He claims to have earned $90K a year before he hurt his back. However, the money that his sister owed him is with his cousin who is in jail, and the checks that should be arriving any day now have mysteriously failed to appear. The song ends with the sticky boombox by the door being sold again for a lot less than before.
The song portrays a sense of defeat and hopelessness that can be felt by anyone who has struggled in their lives. It is an invitation to the listeners to empathize with the struggles of others, and be grateful for what they have in their own lives.
Line by Line Meaning
you slept right by the yogurt hut on a painted curb,
You slept on the street, near the yogurt shop, on a painted curb.
wearing nothing but some cut-offs and a muscle shirt.
You were only wearing shorts and a tank top.
and at 5 AM the donut girls came quietly to work.
The donut shop opened early, and the workers arrived quietly.
when they slid the trays and banged the bowls,
The workers made noise as they put out the trays and bowls.
you woke up with a jerk.
You woke up suddenly and abruptly.
32 ounce soda to start the day off right.
You began your day with a large 32 ounce soda.
every now and then remembering little things about last night.
You occasionally remembered small details from the previous night.
hold on, take 5, check out the fox in the corvette
You paused and took a break to admire a beautiful woman in a Corvette.
then you said, "you know it don't get any better than that."
You expressed contentment with the current moment.
he spent all the money on an ornate waterbed,
Someone spent all their money on a fancy waterbed.
it had a carving of a tiger right above his head.
The waterbed had a decorative carving of a tiger above it.
and he's embarassed of the fact that he works at pizza shack,
The person is ashamed of their job at a pizza place.
he says he made 90K a year before he hurt his back.
They claim that they used to make a high salary before getting injured.
and the money his sister owes him, his cousin has, but he's in jail.
The person's cousin has the money that their sister owes them, but is currently in jail.
there's all these checks that should be arriving any day now in the mail.
The person is expecting several checks to arrive soon.
but mysteriously the checks won't show
The expected checks have not arrived, and it is unclear why.
and the sticky boombox by the door
The old boombox by the door
will end up getting sold once more,
Will be sold again
for a lot less than before.
For a significantly lower price than the previous sale.
Contributed by Maria D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
chrisjhart221138
I love Grandaddy and Jason Lytle, but I'd never heard this one before. - It is really beautiful, thanks for posting it.
Claude Alain
une pure merveille!
joanne berrt
this is so cool jason i do so hope your living the dream the high life,you so deserve it man your a musical genius live long, and longer jerome you must be a proud man love and respect to you
Kirk
This was also on the El Caminos in the West single, of which there were two versions. "Derek Spears" was on the version that had a sea of hamburgers on the cover. I used to own the other version of the single, which had the instrumental "My Little Skateboarding Problem" on it, but I got rid of it years ago in a bout of stupidity. Doh!
kekes
;(