The band began as an acoustic freak-folk solo project Hop Along, Queen Ansleis in 2004, during Frances Quinlan's senior year in high school. The album Freshman Year was released in the summer of 2005. Three years later, in 2008, drummer Mark Quinlan (Frances Quinlan's brother) joined the project, followed by bassist Tyler Long in 2009. In light of the new formation, the name was shortened, possibly to better reflect the change from solo project to full band. Thus far, Hop Along has released one EP, Wretches, in 2009, and one full-length LP, entitled Get Disowned, which was released on May 5, 2012 to a highly positive critical response from independent music press. During the this time, Joe Reinhart (Algernon Cadwallader) was added on second guitar. In October 2014, Hop Along signed to indie rock label Saddle Creek Records, releasing Painted Shut in 2015.
Hop Along's third album Bark Your Head Off, Dog was released in 2018, incorporating strings and more varied instrumentation, as well as a brighter, more expansive sound.
Waitress
Hop Along Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His photo when you walked
Into the restaurant
And my heart just sunk
Your friend looked over from the bar
She must've known, who I was
The worst possible version of what I'd done
As, seating couples
By the time it's old
A face will have been seen
One and a half
Million times
One million times
I don't know why I worry, I mean
Maybe she didn't recognize me
Call you enemy
'Cause I'm afraid of
What you could call me
The world's gotten so small and
Embarrassing
By the time it's old
My face will have been seen
And I'll share a very
Common poverty
It's a very common kind
Common kind, common kind
It's a very common kind
It's not that I am worried
I just wish you and your friends would leave
We've long since closed now
Still you and some others, stick around
You and some others stick around
You and some others stick around
We've long closed now, still
You and some others stick around
You and some others stick around
You and some others stick around
In "Waitress," Hop Along's lead singer Frances Quinlan sings about running into someone from her past while working as a waitress at a restaurant. The opening verse describes the emotion Quinlan feels upon recognizing the person from a photo: "Realized I knew you from his photo when you walked into the restaurant/And my heart just sunk." She is embarrassed about who she was when she knew this person and is anxious about how she is perceived. As she serves couples in the restaurant, she tries to listen in on the conversation between the person and their friend. In the chorus, Quinlan muses on the idea that our faces are seen so many times in our lives, and the memories and emotions that accompany those views. She ends the song by wishing the person and their friends would leave the restaurant, but they end up sticking around long after it's closed.
Line by Line Meaning
Realized I knew you from
I recognized you from the photo of your ex-boyfriend and me in your profile on social media
His photo when you walked
I saw a photo of him and me together when you walked into the restaurant
Into the restaurant
You walked into the restaurant
And my heart just sunk
I felt sad and anxious when I saw you
Your friend looked over from the bar
Your friend saw me and recognized me
She must've known, who I was
She probably knew that I was the person who hurt you
The worst possible version of what I'd done
I did something really bad to you
As, seating couples
While I was seating couples (doing my job as a waitress)
I tried to listen
I tried to listen to your conversation with your friend
By the time it's old
Years from now
A face will have been seen
People will have seen my face
One and a half
1.5
Million times
Many times
One million times
Many times (repeated for emphasis)
I don't know why I worry, I mean
I'm not sure why I'm anxious, because
Maybe she didn't recognize me
Perhaps your friend didn't recognize me after all
Call you enemy
Think of you as my enemy
'Cause I'm afraid of
Because I'm scared of
What you could call me
What you might call me (as a result of what I did to you)
The world's gotten so small and
The world feels so small, and
Embarrassing
I feel embarrassed
By the time it's old
Years from now
My face will have been seen
People will have seen my face
And I'll share a very
And I'll have the same
Common poverty
Lack of social status or respect
It's a very common kind
This is a very common situation
Common kind, common kind
Repeated for emphasis
It's not that I am worried
It's not that I'm anxious
I just wish you and your friends would leave
I want you and your friends to go away
We've long since closed now
The restaurant has been closed for a while
Still you and some others, stick around
You and some others are still here
You and some others stick around
You and some others are still here (repeated for emphasis)
We've long closed now, still
Even though the restaurant has been closed for a while,
You and some others stick around
You and some others are still here
You and some others stick around
You and some others are still here (repeated for emphasis)
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Christine Frances Quinlan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Youngzay1FTW
I was just going thru my old yt playlists and I found this song again after 5 years and I just keep wondering how could anyone forget about this gem and others not even had heard this beauty of a song before im just glad I came across it at a young age shows I had great taste from the start so as the rest of you thanks Hop Along
ellescer
Oh dude I'm totally with you, brings back so many memories of 2015/16.
I.Hold.Vertigo
These lyrics are seriously top notch. I've known people who have dealt with similar personal life shit that seeps into the workplace. Frances nailed it.
stueduk
Phenomenal track, Francis's vocals are nothing less than sublime.
Christian Francisco
ive been playing this on repeat for 4 days straight. what the hell kind of magic is this.
Evan Beckstedt
I'm seriously so happy I discovered this! I was listening to Spotify and this came on. I can't get enough of this album now!
CaptainFicus
Best vocal performance ive ever heard honestly
Michae Pearl
One of the very best rock songs in many years. Working-class angst in her voice and lyrics: a very common kind of poverty.
Fawn Astral Vital
ever hear The Gits?
Cristobal HM
Whatever they do with their voice at 1:15 is the best shit ever. Goose bumps.