The band consists of Adam Gardner and Ryan Miller on guitar and vocals and Brian Rosenworcel on percussion. Multi-instrumentalist and backup vocalist Joe Pisapia played with the band from 2003-2010. Luke Reynolds took Pisapia's place to tour with the band for their 2010 album, Easy Wonderful, and has remained with the band since. The band is noted for its catchy, poppy melodies, and the distinctive hand-drumming on percussion. They are also known for their humor, including a joke album released in 2003, The Meowstro Sings: Guster's Keep It Together, wherein the lyrics are replaced with (off-melody) meowing.
The band has released eight studio albums which are, in chronological order, Parachute, Goldfly, Lost and Gone Forever, Keep It Together, Ganging Up On the Sun, Easy Wonderful, Evermotion, and their most recent, Look Alive, which was released on January 18th, 2019. In addition, they have released a total of eleven live albums, spanning the years 2003-2015.
The Prize
Guster Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since I have been away
It's the first time
But it's different, I'm afraid
Where's the boy
So happy to be near it all?
He's lost in the travel
[Chorus:]
Cry for me
Cry for him
Cry for the answer
Cry because it's done
Cry for the feeling
Cry for the youth
All for the prize
Through different eyes
The promise that you have made forgets
See it as you may
Deny it while you can
Search for the reason
As you to beg to understand
[Chorus]
Come and go - don't get pulled into the light
Come and go - wouldn't believe it if you tried
Come and go - It's as useless as it
You can go the end, we know
You can go the end, we know
I won't tell you anything, so far away you are from me
(You can go the end, we know)
I won't tell you anything, so far away you are from me
(You can go the end, we know)
I won't tell you anything so far away
(You can go the end, we)
Know
[Chorus]
My, my, swear it's been a lifetime
Since I have been away
It's the last time
But, somehow, it's all the same
Where's the boy?
The lyrics of Guster's song The Prize paint a picture of a person who has been away from familiar surroundings for a long time and is now coming to terms with the changes that have taken place during their absence. The opening line, "My, my how things have changed since I have been away," sets a reflective tone for the rest of the song. The singer is discovering that even though it's the first time they've experienced this absence, it feels different to them, which is causing them to feel apprehensive. They're missing the boy who was once happy to be near it all but has since become lost in travel, leaving behind only a small part of them that's struggling to make sense of everything that has happened.
The chorus of the song is a call for the listener to cry for various things, including the singer, the boy they once knew, the answer to why things have changed so much, and the lost feeling of youth. The prize that they're all crying for is likely to be some form of recognition, as if something they once held so dear has now been taken away from them. The second verse encourages the listener to see the promise they once made while denying it, and the reason for why things have changed is still up for interpretation. The final bridge suggests that there's no use fighting the inevitable, and that it may be best to just come and go and not get pulled into the light.
Line by Line Meaning
My, my how things have changed
The singer is surprised by how much has changed since they were last present.
Since I have been away
The singer has been absent for some time.
It's the first time
This is the first time since the singer has been away.
But it's different, I'm afraid
The artist is afraid that the situation has changed and they will not be able to adapt to it.
Where's the boy
The artist is looking for a version of themselves that they used to be.
So happy to be near it all?
The boy was happy to be close to the world and all it had to offer.
He's lost in the travel
The boy has become lost in the experience of traveling and seeing new things.
Little part of me so small
The current version of the artist feels disconnected from the boy they used to be, like that part of them is now small and insignificant.
Cry for me
The artist is asking someone to cry on their behalf.
Cry for him
The artist is asking someone to cry for the boy they used to be.
Cry for the answer
The singer is asking someone to cry because they don't have an answer to their current situation.
Cry because it's done
The artist is asking someone to cry because their time away is over and they can't go back to the way things were.
Cry for the feeling
The singer is asking someone to cry because of the way they're feeling.
Cry for the youth
The singer is asking someone to cry for the youth they used to have.
All for the prize
All of these emotions and feelings are for the prize: the experience of living and growing.
Through different eyes
The artist is looking at their situation from a new perspective.
The promise that you have made forgets
Someone has made a promise, but they've forgotten it or not kept it.
See it as you may
The singer is telling someone to look at the situation however they want to.
Deny it while you can
The singer is warning someone that they won't be able to deny the situation forever.
Search for the reason
The artist wants someone to search for the reason behind their emotions.
As you beg to understand
The artist is asking someone to try to understand their emotions.
Come and go - don't get pulled into the light
The artist is warning someone not to get too caught up in temporary experiences.
Come and go - wouldn't believe it if you tried
The singer is saying that some experiences are so unique that you wouldn't believe them if you hadn't lived them.
Come and go - It's as useless as it
The artist is saying that certain experiences are useless and don't have much value.
You can go the end, we know
The singer is saying that the person they're talking to can go to the end of their journey, but it won't change anything.
I won't tell you anything, so far away you are from me
The singer is saying that they can't share their experiences with the person they're talking to because they're too far removed from them.
(You can go the end, we know)
The singer is repeating their earlier statement to emphasize the point.
My, my, swear it's been a lifetime
The artist feels like they've been gone for ages.
Since I have been away
The artist has been absent for a long time.
It's the last time
This will be the last time the singer is away.
But, somehow, it's all the same
Despite the passage of time, things feel familiar to the singer.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: JAKE MILLER, LAURA KATE BETTINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paracosmic
First comment!!
And this song is pretty cool uvu