Inward Eye is a 3-piece rock band of brothers from Winnipeg, Manitoba consisting of Dave (bass/vocals, 22), Kyle ( guitar, 20 ) and Anders (drums, 18) Erickson. Despite their young age they've have been playing together for over 7 years. Their energetic sound is reminiscent of the Jam, the Kinks, and the Who but at the same time remains fresh and modern. At the heart of Inward Eye is their live show that blows away audiences, without fail, every time they play.
Glen Willows, responsible for discovering Remy Shand (Motown/Universal) and Rob James of McMaster & James (VIK/BMG), has been working with the band for two years now. First looking at them as a writing project, he quickly realized that they could write just fine on their own - so he produced two demos for the band, and put together a promo package that led to the involvement of producer Arnold Lanni (Simple Plan, Our Lady Peace, Finger Eleven) and Rob Lanni of Coalition Management (coalitionent.com).
Inward Eye struck the Lannis as having a classic rock sound and maturity that belied their age. Arnold says "It sounded like a bunch of veteran musicians doing songs they wrote in the Sixties." Add to this charisma and youthful good looks and you can see why so much interest has already been generated for a band so young.
Currently considering offers from several labels, the plan for Inward Eye is to get their remarkable stage show in front of as many people as possible. Now signed with Ralph James of The Agency Group they've already played with Billy Talent, Danko Jones, Urge Overkill and Tegan and Sara, now they plan to tour throughout the rest of this year and much of the next, culminating in an album late summer/early fall 2006. With Anders' showmanship, Kyle's spastic guitar outbursts, and Dave's command of the audience, Inward Eye is bringing back fun and spontaneity to rock shows.
Holdin' On
Inward Eye Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Driving down the road that lies, a piston running every line.
I was young and strong, but dying. I landed on the pavement dying.
All along, I was wrong. Now I am broken. I am gone.
All along, all along, I blew my time so I had to go.
All along, all along, yeah!
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, no, I don’t want your pity.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, now I remember I was wrong.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, yeah.
Feel me, dead, to know me when the summer seemed to never end.
Laugh until the daylight broke. I never thought I’d be that joke.
You say the time was only blood to me, and I was just a memory.
What hurts the most? You feel me close. But I’m not here. Yeah, I’m just a ghost.
All along, all along, I blew my time so I had to go.
All along, all along, yeah, yeah!
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, my glory days are gone.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, no, I don’t want your pity.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, tell you, I remember I was wrong.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, yeah.
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!
I gotta let you go. I said I gotta let you go!
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, my glory days are gone.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, no, I don’t want your pity.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, tell you, I remember I was wrong.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, yeah.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, my glory days are gone.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! I keep holding on, but I know those days are gone.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! They’re gone. They’re gone. They’re gone. They’re gone.
But I, I keep holding on.
The lyrics to Inward Eye's "Holdin' On" are about regret and the feeling of having missed your chance in life. The singer says that they were "always running blind" and never thought they'd need more time. They were driving down the road of life "a piston running every line," but they were young and strong and dying inside. Then they landed on the pavement and died.
The chorus repeats the phrase "All along, all along, I blew my time so I had to go" several times. The singer seems to be acknowledging that they wasted their time and therefore had to leave. They reminisce about their "glory days" being gone and say they don't want anyone's pity. They are holding on to the memories of their past, but also acknowledging that they were wrong and that they can't change what's happened.
The second verse talks about the singer being a joke, and that time was only blood to them. This seems to suggest that they were so focused on achieving their own goals that they didn't value the people around them. They say that what hurts the most is that people feel them close but they're not really there - they're just a ghost.
Overall, the song seems to be about missed chances and regret. The singer knows they were wrong in how they lived their life, but they're still holding on to their memories and wanting to be remembered.
Line by Line Meaning
I was always running blind. I never thought I’d need more time.
I lived my life recklessly without any regard for the future. I didn't think I needed more time to make something meaningful of my life.
Driving down the road that lies, a piston running every line.
I was constantly moving forward, driving down the road of life with energy and determination.
I was young and strong, but dying. I landed on the pavement dying.
Despite being young and physically able, I was emotionally or spiritually broken, and my life just seemed to be falling apart.
All along, I was wrong. Now I am broken. I am gone.
I now realize that everything I had believed and lived for was wrong. I feel completely broken and lost, and it's as if a part of me has died.
All along, all along, I blew my time so I had to go.
I wasted my time and didn't make the most of my opportunities, and now I must pay the price for my mistakes.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! Holding on, my glory days are gone.
I cling on to the memories of my past successes and happiness, but they are now long gone and out of reach.
Holding on, no, I don’t want your pity.
I don't want to be pitied or sympathized with. I just want to deal with my own struggles in my own way.
Holding on, now I remember I was wrong.
I'm starting to realize the gravity of my mistakes and how they've led me to this point of despair.
Feel me, dead, to know me when the summer seemed to never end.
I feel like a hollow shell of my former self, and people can only really understand me when things were simpler and happier in the past.
Laugh until the daylight broke. I never thought I’d be that joke.
I used to be carefree and have fun, but now I'm the one people are laughing at because of my downfall.
You say the time was only blood to me, and I was just a memory.
You suggest that my time spent with someone was meaningless, and that I am now just a memory of the past.
What hurts the most? You feel me close. But I’m not here. Yeah, I’m just a ghost.
What's most painful is that people can sense my presence or memory, but I am not actually there for them. I am just a haunting memory of my former self.
I gotta let you go. I said I gotta let you go!
I need to let go of the past and move forward with my life.
Hoo, hoo, hoo! They’re gone. They’re gone. They’re gone. They’re gone.
My glory days of happiness and success are completely out of reach and no longer exist.
But I, I keep holding on.
Despite all of my struggles, I still have hope and a desire to make something of my life.
Contributed by Emily G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.