Hot Water Music is a Gainesville, Florida punk outfit known for Chuck Ragan… Read Full Bio ↴Hot Water Music is a Gainesville, Florida punk outfit known for Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard's raspy vocals, as well as their searing Jawbreaker-esque guitars on earlier albums. The act first formed in 1993, and their first record, Finding the Rhythms, was released on No Idea and Toy Box records. Many fans commonly refer to Hot Water Music as the abbreviation, HWM. The name Hot Water Music comes from a Charles Bukowski book.

HWM recorded an album with their good friends and mentors Leatherface for the first volume of the BYO split series. They also recorded with Alkaline Trio for a split LP on Jade Tree shortly thereafter.

In 2001, Hot Water Music signed with Epitaph Records and released the record A Flight and A Crash, and went on to release two more records with Epitaph, Caution and The New What Next.

In addition to their full length albums and the two aforementioned split releases, Hot Water Music have also released 5 other EPs and split albums: Push for Coin (1995 - demo tape), Eating the Filler (1995- Toybox Records), Hot Water Music vs. Discount (New American Dreams) and Colors, Words, and Dreams (2002 - split with The Casket Lottery, Second Nature Recordings).

In 2005 the band took a hiatus as vocalist Chuck Ragan wanted to spend more time with his family. Soon after, the rest of the band formed The Draft, and released their debut record, In A Million Pieces, September 12, 2006 on Epitaph Records, along with various 7" vinyl records on No Idea. Ragan has opted for a solo-acoustic act with No Idea records, releasing a monthly vinyl to prelude a full studio album, as well as two live discs. As for Hot Water Music, No Idea is getting ready to release a b-sides disc later this year.

Members of Hot Water Music have been in various side projects, including Crows/artist], Rumbleseat and Blacktop Cadence

On October 22, 2007, music website Punknews.org reported that a reunion of the band is currently in the works.

The band kicked off their reunion tour with a "secret show" at Common Grounds in their hometown of Gainesville, Florida on January 18, 2008 to be followed by shows in Orlando, Florida, Sayerville, New Jersey and two sold out shows in Chicago, Illinois.
After that, they played at the Groezrock festival in Meerhout, Belgium in May 2008.

During 2009 Hot Water Music played a bunch of concerts in the U.S. plus a short German tour in November.

Since 2010, the band has continued to tour, write and record new music including 2012's album Exister and 2017's Light It Up. In November 2017 Chris Wollard announced that he was taking a break from the band to focus on his health. The band continued to play previously booked shows with The Flatliners' Chris Cresswell and Chris DeMakes of Less Than Jake filling in for Wollard at several dates.

As of their 2019 25th anniversary tour, Cresswell was still filling in for Wollard on guitar and vocals. Cresswell also played guitar and backing vocals on their 2019 Shake Up The Shadows EP.

The Traps
Hot Water Music Lyrics

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I said alright, cause you never know,
You never find what you want if you stay too close.
I headed out in the morning rain,
Past all the stands on the side of the old highway.
But they don't need to know
We see the ones waiting to greet you.
All of the guns kinda give 'em away.
It ain't no fun lookin' in the rear view

On another run to remember my name.
Not holding on, or letting go.
Just trying to find a little piece of what I don't know.
It's all the same really anyway.
We never bend till we feel like we're 'bout to break.
But they don't need to know
We see the ones waiting to greet you.
All of the guns kinda give 'em away.
It ain't no fun lookin' in the rear view
On another run to remember my name.
But it won't be long.
Move right along
Like you've been here before.
There's nothing to see
But what we leave.
Ashes on the floor.
But they don't need to know
We see the ones waiting to greet you.
All of the guns kinda give 'em away.
It ain't no fun lookin' in the rear view

On another run to remember my name,
With everyone just counting the greys.

Overall Meaning

The Traps by Hot Water Music is an emotional song about self-discovery and leaving your past behind to uncover your true self. The opening lyrics set the tone for the music as lead singer Chuck Ragan describes the journey he's about to embark on. "I said alright, 'cause you never know, you never find what you want if you stay too close," is a message that suggests it is crucial that you keep moving forward, no matter how difficult it may seem. He then talks about how he left in the morning rain and passed all the stands on the side of the old highway, indicating that he's moved beyond the mundane and the commonplace.

In the chorus, Ragan reiterates that it's not about what other people think or what the world sees. "But they don't need to know, We see the ones waiting to greet you. All of the guns kinda give 'em away. It ain't no fun looking in the rearview/On another run to remember my name," suggests that the journey he is taking is a personal one, and while he's aware of people watching him or trying to stop him, he's undeterred by their presence, and his mission is to create a name for himself. In the second verse, he talks about how he's not holding on or letting go; he's looking for a little piece of what he doesn't know. It's a journey of discovery, and it's all the same anyway, whether he succeeds or not.

The chorus repeats as he states that "It won't be long, move right along/like you've been here before. There's nothing to see but what we leave/ashes on the floor". Ragan acknowledges that living life is like trying to find your way through an unknown path. It's only when you've been through the struggles that you'll be able to appreciate what you've left behind. The final line ends with the reminder that everyone is counting the greys. The grey, which could be a metaphor for the difficulties in life or choices that one has to make, is something that everyone struggles to come to terms with. Thus, it is essential to create a name for yourself and find your way in life.

Line by Line Meaning

I said alright, cause you never know,
I'm okay with whatever happens because life is unpredictable.

You never find what you want if you stay too close.
Sometimes you need to venture out of your comfort zone to discover what you truly desire.

I headed out in the morning rain,
I left in the morning despite the unpleasant weather conditions.

Past all the stands on the side of the old highway.
I passed by a lot of vendors on the side of the road.

But they don't need to know
There are people watching me, but they don't need to be aware of my actions.

We see the ones waiting to greet you.
We notice the people who are eagerly waiting to receive us.

All of the guns kinda give 'em away.
The presence of firearms reveals that some people may have ill intentions.

It ain't no fun lookin' in the rear view
It's not enjoyable to constantly look back and reflect on the past.

On another run to remember my name.
I'm on another journey to create a name for myself.

Not holding on, or letting go.
I'm trying to find a balance between holding onto my past and moving forward.

Just trying to find a little piece of what I don't know.
I'm searching for something that is unknown to me.

It's all the same really anyway.
Despite the differences, everything is essentially the same.

We never bend till we feel like we're 'bout to break.
We don't give up until we're pushed to our limits.

But it won't be long.
Change is coming soon.

Move right along like you've been here before.
Just act natural and keep moving forward.

There's nothing to see but what we leave.
The only thing that remains after we're gone is what we leave behind.

Ashes on the floor.
Only ashes remain on the ground.

With everyone just counting the greys.
People are only concerned about getting older and nothing else.

Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: CHARLES ALLEN RAGAN, CHRISTOPHER JAMES WOLLARD, GEORGE REBELLO, JASON WILLIAM BLACK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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