The core members were Josh Clayton-Felt and Michael Ward who would play club dates in Los Angeles, California as a duo accompanied by programmed drums and bass. The band signed with Capitol Records in 1990, and released their first single on that same year on 7-inch vinyl. Their self-titled debut, School of Fish, was released in March 1991, followed by their first single, Three Strange Days. Also during the same year, they appeared on a KROQ concert disc called the Acoustic Christmas. Their second album, Human Cannonball, was released in 1993. The album did not sell very well and was not as successful as the self-titled album. Shortly thereafter, the band broke up.
Singer Josh Clayton-Felt died on January 19, 2000 at 32 of testicular cancer. In the six years after School of Fish, he had released solo albums entitled Inarticulate Nature Boy (1995), Felt Like Making a Live Record (1996), Beautiful Nowhere (1999), Spirit Touches Ground (2002), and Center of Six (2003).
Guitarist Michael Ward went on to play with John Hiatt and eventually became a member of The Wallflowers. Chad Fischer went on to form the band Lazlo Bane, most known for original opening credits of the TV show Scrubs. He also performed music in the Garden State movie soundtrack. Christopher MacDonald, who played bass with the band on tour, but did not play on any School of Fish recordings, records synthesizer space music under the name Telomere (label Evenfall).
Blackout
School Of Fish Lyrics
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I'm not showing up
Everyone's guilty but I'm not showing up
I never agreed to this
You tie my shoes together
If I was of no use to you
You'd lock me up forever
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
Dress up and hide the lies
Find a place in line
Nothing here is yours
Nothing here is mine
And if someone else decides
If it don't make any sense
They can clear their troubled minds
And all at your expense
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
Don't add up like some equation
There's not a road from your forehead
Getting lost is easier
With your eyes focused straight ahead.
Everyone's on trial and I'm not showing up
I give a guilty smile and walk away untouched
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
This is not a hospital
This is not a hospital
This is not a bowling station
The lyrics of the song "Blackout" by School of Fish speak about a sense of alienation and not agreeing to conform to societal norms. The song begins with the line "Everyone's on trial, I'm not showing up. Everyone's guilty, but I'm not showing up." The singer is illustrating their feelings of detachment from society and how society views them as "guilty." He refuses to appear in court as he does not agree with the proceedings. In the second verse, the singer describes how someone ties his shoes and implies that he feels controlled. He expresses that if he were not useful to the person who controls him, they would throw him away.
The chorus of the song, "This is not a hospital, this is not a bowling station," is repeated several times throughout the song, conveying how the singer does not feel like he belongs in the systems of society. The second half of the song implies that conforming to society's expectations is a losing battle. The singer talks about how dressing up and hiding lies will not get someone far in life. He adds that getting lost is easier when we don't focus too much on expectations, so it's better to keep our eyes focused straight ahead. The song then concludes with the singer walking away with a guilty smile and not getting impacted by society's expectations. The song overall speaks to the feeling of not wanting to be a part of a system that doesn't align with one's values or beliefs, leading to a feeling of isolation and detachment.
Line by Line Meaning
Everyone's on trial
There is a sense of judgmental atmosphere surrounding me
I'm not showing up
I am not willing to be a part of this judgmental game
Everyone's guilty but I'm not showing up
Although everyone is being judged, I refuse to be involved
I never agreed to this
I was not aware of the judgmental atmosphere
You tie my shoes together
You or the system are holding me back and limiting my ability to move forward
If I was of no use to you
If I am not able to meet your expectations or contribute to society
You'd lock me up forever
You would abandon me or disregard my existence if I am deemed useless
This is not a hospital
This situation or society is not meant for healing or fixing
This is not a bowling station
This situation or society is not meant for leisure or fun
Dress up and hide the lies
Pretend to be something you're not and conceal the truth
Find a place in line
Fit into the system and follow the crowd
Nothing here is yours
There is a lack of individuality and everything belongs to the system
Nothing here is mine
There is a sense of detachment and lack of ownership
And if someone else decides
If someone else has power over your life and decisions
If it don't make any sense
If the system or society's expectations do not align with reality
They can clear their troubled minds
They can force themselves to believe that their expectations are reasonable
And all at your expense
At the cost of your own well-being and freedom
Don't add up like some equation
Life cannot be solved with a formula or in a predictable way
There's not a road from your forehead
There is no set path for your life and no one can predict your future
Getting lost is easier
It is easier to let go of control and not worry about the future
With your eyes focused straight ahead
By focusing on the present and ignoring the unknown future
I give a guilty smile and walk away untouched
I am aware that I do not fit into the system's expectations, but I choose to smile and walk away without being affected
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JOSHUA B. CLAYTON-FELT, MICHAEL B. WARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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