… Read Full Bio ↴Hepcat are a third wave ska band formed in southern California in 1989.
Their soulful harmonies and mellow rhythms were unlike those of contemporaries and more akin to musicians from the heyday of 1960s Jamaican ska, also referred to as the first wave.
Hepcat's debut album, "Out of Nowhere" was released in 1994 on New York-based ska label Moon Records. Two years later, they followed it up with "Scientific" on BYO Records. In 1998, after signing with Epitaph Records subsidiary HellCat Records, they released "Right on Time," scoring a modest hit with the swinging "No Worries" and scored a spot on the Vans Warped Tour. 2000 saw the release of "Push n' Shove," their first album without founding members Raul Talavera and Alex Désert, although the latter appears as a guest vocalist on two tracks.
The band went on indefinite hiatus after 2000, and no new material has surfaced since. Trumpeter Kincaid Smith formed Soul Traffic, a five-piece funk band. Drummer Scott Abels has played with the Rancid side project Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards and the southern California reggae act The Aggrolites. Vocalist Alex Desert has had a successful career in film and television, appearing in the movies PCU, Swingers, and High Fidelity; and the television show Becker.
In early 2004, a remastered version of Out of Nowhere was released with two additional bonus tracks, an early version of "Nigel" and "Club Meditation," both of which appeared on their first single. Occasionally, Hepcat reconvenes to play a few shows a year in the California area. Often, this lineup is that which performed on "Scientific."
They take their name from a term for a 1940s-50s jazz musician.
I Can’t Wait
Hepcat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, when he comes to play
Girl, if I'm so bad
Why don't you go his way?
Aw, but there's nothin' like your lovin'
Can't wait to hear you say
There ain't no one can move me
Baby, if I cause you pain
Why don't you go his way?
It's all right, if tonight should be the last
It's all right, you're already in my past
It's all right, go ahead and come home late now
It's all right, girl it's all right
Can't take it anymore
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Oh, the way you mess around
(Yeah, yeah)
Oh baby, I can't stay
(No, no)
With the way you put me down
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Aw, but there ain't nothin' like your lovin'
Can't wait to hear you say
There ain't no one can move me
In this whole world like you do
Baby, if I cause you pain
Why don't you go his way?
Baby, if I cause you pain
Why don't you go his way? Yeah
It's all right, if tonight should be the last
It's all right, you're already in my past
It's all right, go ahead and come home late now
It's all right, girl it's all right
Can't wait to hear you say
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
From a thousand miles away
(Yeah, yeah)
Don't want your love to roam
(No, no)
Why don't you come back home?
(Yeah, yeah, yeah)
Because there's nothin' like your lovin'
Can't wait to hear you say
There ain't no one can move me
In this whole world like you do
Baby, if I cause you pain
Why don't you go his way?
Baby, if I cause you pain
Why don't you go his way? Yeah
The lyrics of Hepcat's song "I Can’t Wait" is all about the complexity of loving someone who puts you down - a toxic relationship. The first verse starts with the persona's partner treating him like a jerk, yet he can't help but wait for her because there's no one else that can move him in this world. He questions why she doesn't go to the other guy, indicating insecurity that she might be leaving him for someone else. We then hear his plea to her to come back to him as there's nothing like her love, and we can surmise that's the reason he's holding on because even though she's putting him down, he can't help it because he loves her so much.
The song's repetitive chorus alludes to the complexity of the toxic relationship. The persona almost wants her to go to the other guy because he's tired of being hurt, but deep down, he can't help waiting for her and hoping that she would come back. The song overall highlights the conflicting emotions that come with being in a toxic relationship - the pain, the confusion, and the love that keeps one hanging on.
Line by Line Meaning
Go on and treat me like a jerk
Even if you treat me badly, it's okay because I still love you.
Well, when he comes to play
When he tries to win you over, why don't you go with him instead?
Girl, if I'm so bad
If I'm such a terrible person, why are you still with me?
Why don't you go his way?
If you don't want to be with me, why don't you choose him instead?
Aw, but there's nothin' like your lovin'
Despite everything, I can't help but love your affection.
Can't wait to hear you say
I'm excited to hear you tell me that you love me.
There ain't no one can move me
No one else can make me feel the way you do.
In this whole world like you do
There is no one else in the world who can make me love them like you do.
Baby, if I cause you pain
I know that I may hurt you sometimes.
It's all right, if tonight should be the last
Even if tonight is our last night together, it's okay.
You're already in my past
No matter what happens, you will always be a part of me and my history.
It's all right, go ahead and come home late now
Even if you come back late, it's okay because I'll still accept you.
Can't take it anymore
I'm at the end of my rope and I can't handle it anymore.
Oh, the way you mess around
I can't stand the way you play with my feelings.
Oh baby, I can't stay
I can't continue to be with you if you keep hurting me.
With the way you put me down
When you belittle or insult me, it makes me feel terrible.
Can't wait to hear you say
Even though I'm hurt, I still want to hear you say that you love me.
From a thousand miles away
Even if we're far apart, I still want to hear you say you love me.
Don't want your love to roam
I don't want your love to wander or drift away from me.
Why don't you come back home?
Please come back to me and stay with me.
Because there's nothin' like your lovin'
Your love is unique and special to me, and I can't find it anywhere else.
Baby, if I cause you pain
I know I might not be perfect and may hurt you sometimes.
Why don't you go his way?
If you're not happy with me, maybe you should give him a chance instead.
Yeah
An exclamation used to convey strong emotion or emphasis.
Writer(s): David Christopher Murray, Greg Lee
Contributed by Sydney R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.