Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, he attended Loyola High School and McGill University. Roberts formed the band William in 1993. The band's name was changed to Northstar in 1996. Although the band gained some notice in independent rock circles, they couldn't break through to a national audience, and broke up in the late 1990s. Roberts' bandmate George Donoso went on to significant success in indie rock circles with The Dears, but Roberts struggled for several years afterward.
In 2000 Roberts began his solo career by independently releasing his first studio album, Brother Down. The album was largely unsuccessful but the title track would later go on to be re-recorded and re-released on a six-song EP titled The Inhuman Condition. The EP sold slowly at first, but by the summer of 2002 Roberts was all over the Canadian airwaves: his first single "Brother Down" had become one of the biggest Canadian hits of the year, and the follow up single "Don't Walk Away Eileen" quickly followed suit.
Roberts then signed to Universal Music, releasing his full-length debut, We Were Born in a Flame, in 2003. That album's singles, "Where Have All the Good People Gone?", "Hard Road", "Brother Down" and "Don't Walk Away Eileen", became major hits, especially in Canada.
The band's album Chemical City, produced with Joseph Donovan and released on April 11, 2006, got major radio play in Canada after its release, especially the single "The Gate".
The band's latest release, the album Love at the End of the World (May 20, 2008), included the song "Them Kids", which reached #1 on the Canadian indie chart (the R3-30), and also #1 on CFNY's Thursday 30 chart.
The band released the album Collider on May 10, 2011.
Them Kids
Sam Roberts Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The children of a dying breed
You never feel at home when you're
Just another mouth to feed
I wanna live in geological time
Because I'm still in my biological prime
If nobody listens then who's gonna hear?
You flip a man a quarter
Playing songs on his guitar
You're on a street corner
Feeling like a patron of the arts
And now the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
If nobody listens then who's gonna hear?
If nobody listens, will we disappear?
I just don't understand
Why the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
They're always on the phone and
They always gotta have control
And now the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
The golden years are under attack
(We're taking them back, we're taking them back)
The golden years are under attack
(We're taking them back, we're taking them back)
Looking for an original voice
But the beaten path leaves little choice
The melody that you thought you found
Reveals that she's been sleeping around
We were apostles, they were the high priests
We lived the hustle, the keepers of the back beat
We're under pressure to reconcile
Our point of view with contemporary style
It used to be that the kids were the ones
Who knew how to get off
It was a yell from the swamp
Now it's only coming out as a cough
I can't sell my songs so I'm
Gonna have to give them away
I can't sell myself since my hair
Started turning to gray
If nobody listens then who's gonna hear?
If nobody listens, will we disappear?
I just don't understand
Why the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
The high priests are calling
All disciples back to the fold
Because the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
The song "Them Kids" by Sam Roberts is a thought-provoking commentary on the changing times from the perspective of someone who remembers what it used to be like. The opening lyrics, "no one feels more alone than the children of a dying breed, you never feel at home when you're just another mouth to feed" depict a sense of disconnect and isolation from society. The desire to live in geological time, rather than biological time, speaks to a longing for a simpler era. The repeated refrain of "if nobody listens then who's gonna hear? If nobody listens, will we disappear?" highlights the importance of being heard and understood.
The song continues with a description of attempting to make a difference by flipping a man a quarter while he plays guitar on a street corner. The line "feeling like a patron of the arts" suggests a hopefulness and willingness to support artistic endeavors. However, the mood of the song changes when Roberts observes that "the kids don't know how to dance to rock and roll." He laments that the youth of today are more focused on their phones and control, rather than enjoying the thrill of dancing to a good rock song.
Roberts contrasts the past with the present by describing the "golden years" being under attack and needing to be taken back. He then reflects on the struggle for originality and the pressure to reconcile one's point of view with contemporary style. The final lines of the song express a resignation to the changing times, with the image of the yell from the swamp being reduced to a cough. The line "I can't sell my songs so I'm gonna have to give them away" suggests a desire to share one's art with others, regardless of financial gain.
Overall, "Them Kids" highlights the importance of artistic expression and being heard, even as the times change and technology dominates youth culture. It is a nostalgic and contemplative song that encourages listeners to appreciate the past while embracing the present.
Line by Line Meaning
No one feels more alone than
The children of a dying breed
Kids who belong to the generation facing extinction can be very lonely, as they cannot find others like themselves
You never feel at home when you're
Just another mouth to feed
Constantly feeling like a burden is always going to make kids feel like they don't belong
I wanna live in geological time
Because I'm still in my biological prime
The burden of expectation can be overwhelming, so some kids wish they could exist in simpler times, while they are still young and full of life
If nobody listens then who's gonna hear?
If nobody listens, will we disappear?
If there is no one out there to listen, to understand and to guide, then the kids and their culture might disappear entirely
You flip a man a quarter
Playing songs on his guitar
You're on a street corner
Feeling like a patron of the arts
Kids are often drawn to the arts, and will support buskers because they feel like they are contributing to something creative and artistic
And now the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
Older generations are concerned about the younger generation losing touch with their cultural history, and are worried that if the kids can't learn to dance to rock and roll, the culture will disappear
They're always on the phone and
They always gotta have control
And now the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
The instant gratification offered by cell phones has caused kids to become too reliant on technology and less interested in their cultural heritage, which includes things like rock and roll
The golden years are under attack
(We're taking them back, we're taking them back)
The golden years are under attack
(We're taking them back, we're taking them back)
Older generations believe that their cultural history is under threat, and are determined to reclaim it from the younger generations
Looking for an original voice
But the beaten path leaves little choice
The melody that you thought you found
Reveals that she's been sleeping around
Kids want to be unique and individual, but often struggle to break free from mainstream culture. Even if they think they've found something original, it's often just a variation on what has come before.
We were apostles, they were the high priests
We lived the hustle, the keepers of the back beat
We're under pressure to reconcile
Our point of view with contemporary style
Older generations were the pioneers of their cultural movement; the current generation now has the burden of maintaining that identity while also staying current in a rapidly changing world
It used to be that the kids were the ones
Who knew how to get off
It was a yell from the swamp
Now it's only coming out as a cough
Kids used to be full of rebellion and energy, but now they seem to be lacking the spirit of their predecessors
I can't sell my songs so I'm
Gonna have to give them away
I can't sell myself since my hair
Started turning to gray
Older artists are finding it increasingly difficult to stay relevant in a young person's game, and are struggling to figure out how to keep their art and their legacy alive
The high priests are calling
All disciples back to the fold
Because the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
Older generations are concerned that their cultural heritage is being lost, and need to bring their younger counterparts back to the fold so they can continue the legacy
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: SAM LEWIS ROBERTS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Eva Jacobson
Totally underrated
JK Richardson
They deserve more love
sidDkid87
quality, not quantity
Ron Carlson
Absolutely!!!
lazy lightning
Great band, used to dig them back in the early 2000's when I hauled steel to and from. Detroit
Michael Diaz
No one feels more alone than
The children of a dying breed
You never feel at home when you're
Just another mouth to feed
I wanna live in geological time
Because I'm still in my biological prime
If nobody listens then who's gonna hear?
If nobody listens, will we disappear?
You flip a man a quarter
Playing songs on his guitar
You're on a street corner
Feeling like a patron of the arts
And now the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
If nobody listens then who's gonna hear?
If nobody listens, will we disappear?
I just don't understand
Why the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
They're always on the phone and
They always gotta have control
And now the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
The golden years are under attack
(We're taking them back, we're taking them back)
The golden years are under attack
(We're taking them back, we're taking them back)
Looking for an original voice
But the beaten path leaves little choice
The melody that you thought you found
Reveals that she's been sleeping around
We were apostles, they were the high priests
We lived the hustle, the keepers of the back beat
We're under pressure to reconcile
Our point of view with contemporary style
It used to be that the kids were the ones
Who knew how to get off
It was a yell from the swamp
Now it's only coming out as a cough
I can't sell my songs so I'm
Gonna have to give them away
I can't sell myself since my hair
Started turning to gray
If nobody listens then who's gonna hear?
If nobody listens, will we disappear?
I just don't understand
Why the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
I said the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
The high priests are calling
All disciples back to the fold
Because the kids don't know
How to dance to rock and roll
jane doe
How are there so few likes on this?
sidDkid87
no accounting for taste
Monica Bruce
WTFr**kkkklkkkkkkKK?!?!?!?