Rogue Wave is an alternative rock band from Oakland, California, formed in … Read Full Bio ↴Rogue Wave is an alternative rock band from Oakland, California, formed in 2002. They are headed by Zach Schwartz (aka Zach Rogue), who created the band after losing his job in the dot-com bust. Their first album was Out of the Shadow which was written, recorded and produced entirely by Zach Rogue (except the drums) - released privately in 2003 and finally re-released in 2004 on Subpop. In the autumn of 2004 they went on a national tour of the US, which lasted two years. They have been compared in the music press to The Shins. Their second album, Descended Like Vultures, was released in October of 2005. They are currently signed to Jack Johnson's label Brushfire Records having released 2 previous albums on Sub Pop).

They are also featured on the Stubbs: The Zombie Soundtrack doing a cover of Buddy Holly's "Everyday". A live version of their Out of the Shadow track, "Every Moment", appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Napoleon Dynamite. However, the song never appeared in the movie itself. In addition, the song "Eyes" was featured twice in the Ryan Reynolds movie Just Friends this fall, and the first episode of NBC's Heroes. The Fox show The O.C. has used Rogue Wave songs, "Publish My Love" (DLV) and "Interruptions" (10:1 EP) as well as included "Publish My Love" on The O.C. Mix 5, a collection of songs used in the show. Rogue Wave recently recorded an exclusive song for the new movie, "Spiderman 3".

Until very recently, the band lineup consisted of Zach Rogue (Vocals, Guitar), Pat Spurgeon (Drums, Samples, Guitar, Vocals), Gram Lebron (Keyboards, Guitar, Drums, Vocals) and Evan Farrell (Bass, Vocals). Farrell replaced original bassist Sonya Westcott in Autumn of 2004. Unfortunately, in December 2007, bassist Farrell passed away in a house fire. A link to the memorial paypal fund set up to help support the Farrell family can be found on the band's website www.roguewavemusic.com. Their new bassist is Patrick Abernethy.

Zach Rogue was previously a guitarist in the Bay Area band The Desoto Reds. Pat Spurgeon has played with bands Antenna, Stranded at the Drive In, Ramona the Pest, Brando, Steve Kowalski, and has also released solo work as The Phantom Drummer. Gram Lebron has been involved in the bands: Schrasj, Sad Like Crazy, Conundrum, Jessica Six, All Transistor and has also released solo work as Golden Gram. Evan Farrell has played with the following bands: Japonize Elephants, Mega Mousse, Amaldecor, Big Mule, Hunted Haunted Bazergahn Klezmorchestra, Grande Rouge, Kentucky Nightmare, and Mama HooHoo. Sonya Westcott was in the band Venus Bleeding prior to her time with Rogue Wave and is currently working on an album with her new project.

Most recently, Rogue Wave released Asleep At Heaven's Gate in September of 2007. They are currently wrapping up their US winter tour to start their European tour. They plan to tour the states again in April 2008.

Rogue wave is set to release a new LP in March of 2010 named Permalight.

Lullaby
Rogue Wave Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pulling the strings for centuries
any time that I’m on
you can sing on an on
when I spike, then I value
you could bid it up, bid it up
I don’t care as long as I fall
I don’t care, it’s the enemy
you little shit

as long as I fall, I don’t care
it’s the enemy

any creed or any color
he’s upset for what he did
you could sanitize the prince of visine
you could bid it up, bid it up
I don’t care as long as I fall
I don’t care, it’s the enemy
you little shit
as long as I fall, I don’t care
it’s the enemy

pulling the strings for centuries
playing a lullaby

flowers fall in all directions
it’s the tongue kiss
the joie de vivre
as we fell in and out of love
I thought about the century
I don’t care as long as I fall
I don’t care, it’s the enemy
you little shit
as long as I fall, I don’t care
it’s the enemy

pulling the strings for centuries
playing a lullaby

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rogue Wave's song Lullaby seem to be about someone who has been controlled and manipulated for centuries. The repeated line "pulling the strings for centuries" emphasizes this idea, indicating that there has been a long-standing force in this person’s life. The person doesn’t seem to care about being controlled, as long as they fall. It’s not clear what they fall into—perhaps a numbing oblivion or a complete surrender to the controlling force—but it’s clear that they don’t see it as a positive thing. The line “I don’t care, it’s the enemy you little shit” implies that the person feels like they’ve been betrayed by this force.

The next few lines are more confusing, with references to bidding up and sanitizing the prince of visine. It’s hard to say what these lines mean in the context of the song, but they continue the idea of being controlled and manipulated. The repeated line “I don’t care as long as I fall” continues to emphasize that the person is willing to give up control and fall into oblivion rather than continue to struggle against the controlling force.

The last stanza presents a bit of a contrast, with the lines “flowers fall in all directions” and “the joie de vivre”. It’s as if the person has a moment of clarity and realizes that there is more to life than being controlled. The line “I thought about the century” seems to imply that they are reflecting on their long history of being controlled, and perhaps wondering if they can break free. Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on power and control, and the ways in which people can become trapped in cycles of manipulation and surrender.

Line by Line Meaning

Pulling the strings for centuries
Someone has been controlling things for a very long time

any time that I’m on
Whenever I'm around

you can sing on an on
You can keep singing without stopping

when I spike, then I value
I only care about myself when I rise to success

you could bid it up, bid it up
You can keep raising the stakes

I don’t care as long as I fall
I'm okay with losing, as long as I'm falling in the right direction

I don’t care, it’s the enemy
I don't care what happens, as long as it hurts my enemy

you little shit
Insult directed at someone

as long as I fall, I don’t care
I'm okay with losing, as long as I'm moving forward

it’s the enemy
The person or group that I am against

any creed or any color
Regardless of their beliefs or ethnicity