Regarding the band's name, Adams stated that he "suggested the Cardinals because it was my high school football team". Initially, The Cardinals consisted of Ryan Adams, Brad Pemberton, JP Bowersock, Catherine Popper, and Cindy Cashdollar. The band toured in 2004 and recorded Cold Roses. Cashdollar left in 2005 and was replaced by Jon Graboff.
The band toured worldwide without Cashdollar to promote Cold Roses, and during this period returned to the studio to record their second album, Jacksonville City Nights. Bowersock left after the album was recorded, and was replaced by Neal Casal.
In 2006, Popper left the band and was replaced by Chris Feinstein prior to a European tour in 2006. In 2007, The Cardinals joined Ryan Adams to record his new album, Easy Tiger, and the album's producer, Jamie Candiloro, was added to the lineup on piano. Follow the Lights appeared later in the year, once again produced by Candiloro. The album, Cardinology, was released in October 28, 2008; III/IV followed in 2010.
On December 15, 2009, bassist Chris Feinstein died. A posthumous EP, Class Mythology, featuring Feinstein was released on April 16, 2011
Band members:
Ryan Adams – vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica and banjo (2004–2009)
Brad Pemberton – drums and percussion (2004–2009)
Neal Casal – guitar, piano and vocals (2005–2009)
Jon Graboff – pedal steel, mandolin, guitar and vocals (2005–2009)
Chris Feinstein – bass guitar and vocals (2006–2009); died December 15, 2009
Catherine Popper – bass guitar, vocals and piano (2004–2006)
J. P. Bowersock – guitar (2004–2005)
Cindy Cashdollar – steel guitar, lap steel, guitar and vocals (2004–2005)
Jamie Candiloro – piano and keyboards (2006-2007)
www.myspace.com/ryanadamsandthecardinals/
No
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No feeling, on and on and on and on...
Go under and go down again and on and on...
No pressure, no talk
No heartbeat, R-E-S-P-O-N-S-E
I go under and go down again and on and on....
Something that was making me feel good is not
Something is wrong, something is wrong
Something that was making me feel good is not
Is not, is not, is not...
Nobody understands and it's all I got
No violence profound...
As violence, I act out against myself
When I go under and down again and on and on...
No wonder I fell
Nobody was underneath me there to catch me
When I go under and down again and on and on...
Something is wrong, something is wrong
Something that was making me feel good is not
Something is wrong, something is wrong
Something that was making me feel good is not
Is not, is not, is not...
Nobody understands and it's all I got
So liar, stand up
So liar, stand up
Stand up
The lyrics of No by Ryan Adams & The Cardinals represents a feeling of emptiness, hopelessness, and despair. The repetition of phrases like 'no silence, no sound' and 'no pressure, no talk' points out to the lack of any emotion or feeling in the singer's life. The phrase 'Something is wrong' repeated throughout the song indicates a sense of confusion, where the singer is unsure of what's wrong with them. He feels that something is not right, and the things that once made him happy no longer do. He tries to find comfort by going under, but there's nothing to catch him, and he falls into the cycle of despair once again.
The lyrics also show the darker side of the human psyche, where the singer acts out against himself, hurting himself in the name of violence. He's trapped in his own thoughts, and no one understands him. It's as if the singer is talking to himself, trying to make sense of his emotions and life. However, he feels like a liar who is pretending everything okay. The last phrase, 'so liar, stand up, stand up' tells him to face his demons and stand up to overcome them.
Overall, the song is about hopelessness and despair in the face of emptiness, and the struggle to find a way out.
Line by Line Meaning
No silence, no sound
There is no peace, no calmness
No feeling, on and on and on and on...
There is no sensation, just a repetition of emptiness
Go under and go down again and on and on...
Sinking into despair and repeating the pattern
No pressure, no talk
There is no urgency, no conversation
No heartbeat, R-E-S-P-O-N-S-E
There is no pulse, just a robotic reaction to the world
I go under and go down again and on and on....
Drowning further and further with each passing moment
Something is wrong, something is wrong
There is an unexplainable issue that needs to be addressed
Something that was making me feel good is not
What once brought joy and happiness no longer does
Is not, is not, is not...
Emphasizing the loss and the feeling of being stuck
Nobody understands and it's all I got
Feeling alone with this problem and unable to escape it
No violence profound...
There is no outward display of aggression
As violence, I act out against myself
The violence is internalized and directed towards oneself
When I go under and down again and on and on...
When the despair takes over and repeats itself
No wonder I fell
It's no surprise that everything fell apart
Nobody was underneath me there to catch me
No one was there to help or support during the fall
So liar, stand up
Confronting oneself and taking responsibility for the problems
So liar, stand up
Repeating the call to action
Stand up
Taking action to change and overcome the issues at hand
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RYAN ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind