Near its inception, Sleeping At Last's amateur debut album, Capture, was noticed by Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who helped expose the music to the major-label world. Soon after, the band signed to Interscope Records and released 2003's Ghosts , their first official full-length album. Two independently-released full-length records followed: 2006's Keep No Score and 2009's Storyboards . In between the writing and recording of albums, the band has established a reputation for a pitch-perfect live show, successfully headlining several U.S. tours and sharing the stage with such artists as Switchfoot, Yellowcard, Something Corporate, Billy Corgan's Zwan, Alanis Morrisette, Lifehouse, and Phantom Planet, just to name a few. The creative process has always been protected, as the band self-produced each record, working with respected mixers such as John Goodmanson and Alan Moulder.
After the departure of drummer Chad O'Neal in 2011, the remaining duo embarked on the ambitious Yearbook project, in which O'Neal and Perdue released three songs on the first of every month in individual EPs. After its completion, all EPs were compiled into an LP and published independently. However, upon the final release of the Yearbook series, Perdue stepped down from the duo, leaving Ryan O'Neal a solo artist under the group's pre-existing moniker.
On December 10, 2012, O'Neal announced his largest project to date: the Atlas series, a three-part project approaching the themes of the origins of the universe and human development. Similar to 2011's Yearbook compilation, each set of new songs would be released as individual EPs until each part's completion, at which time the compilation of songs would be released as an LP. Up to now, 2014's Atlas I and 2019's Atlas II remain as stellar examples of O'Neal's accomplishments as a solo independent artist. Production on Atlas III is in progress, and its first two songs, "Overture III" and "Awake" have been released as singles.
Besides the Atlas series, O'Neal has kept busy with other projects, including three albums of covers commissioned by ABC's "Grey's Anatomy", in which Sleeping At Last has appeared a whopping 77 times. Sleeping At Last also produced the scores for the documentaries Many Beautiful Things (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and charity:water's The Spring (Original Score). Finally, O'Neal has released multiple singles surrounding significant astronomical events, published as a compilation in 2020 under the title of Astronomy, Vol. 1.
Sleeping At Last has long been a beacon shining brightly on behalf of independent artists. In the ever-changing climate of the music industry, the quest for a successful independent career seems evermore difficult to attain. From his new home in L.A., O'Neal pursues this challenge relentlessly through his commitment to musical integrity in his songwriting, and in this way nurtures a unique and personal relationship with his listeners. He has remained true to the things that brought him to music in the first place: his love of melody and the power of words. His music and lyrics emerge from a place that is honest, raw, and spiritual: Says Ryan, "Our faith is a big part of who we are, but we have always intended our music to be for anyone that cares to listen, no matter who they are or what they believe in. Everyone hears a song in a different light."
In keeping with this, Ryan's lyrics ask every important question that occurs. While he promises no fast, sure answers, he somehow always offers hope as the consistent, overarching theme.
Hit or Miss
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is how the waiting game is played.
A thousand moving parts keep score
Inside the watch we can't ignore.
So let's hurry, let's hurry up and wait.
Much too tired to try,
On an island in between
The coasts of hit or miss.
Are we settlers or are we natives of this land?
Only time will tell
On which pedestal we were meant to stand.
So let's hurry, let's hurry up and wait.
So let's hurry, let's hurry, hurry up and wait.
Every cloud above's full of splattered paint,
Every seed below lies patiently in wait.
But a watched kettle never boils,
A watched tree never grows.
May we have our tea in the forest,
May we reap all that we sow.
So let's hurry, so let's hurry, hurry up, hurry up and wait.
So let's hurry, hurry up, hurry up, hurry up and wait.
The lyrics of Sleeping at Last's song "Hit or Miss" portrays the different facets of waiting, which is an inevitable part of life. In the opening lines, the song talks about the paradoxical nature of waiting, where one has to hurry up and wait with patience. The line "A thousand moving parts keep score inside the watch we can't ignore" highlights the complexity of the waiting game and how it's not an easy task to keep up with it.
The song then goes on to explore the feeling of fatigue and stubbornness that often accompanies waiting. The lines "Much too tired to try, much too stubborn to quit" suggest the weariness that settles in when things don't go as planned. The metaphor of being on an island in between the coasts of hit or miss alludes to the uncertainty and ambiguity that comes with waiting. The song questions whether we are settlers or natives of this land and implies that only time can tell where we stand.
In the later parts, the song talks about the different elements of nature that also wait- clouds that wait to rain and seeds that wait to grow. The lines "May we have our tea in the forest, may we reap all that we sow" emphasize the hope that comes with waiting and the anticipation of a future harvest. The song concludes by reiterating the importance of patience and urging us to hurry up and wait.
Line by Line Meaning
Hurry, hurry up and wait
The waiting game requires patience and anticipation, but also promptness when the time comes.
Is how the waiting game is played.
Waiting involves two opposing behaviors of hurry and patience, which must be balanced to succeed.
A thousand moving parts keep score
The complexities of life are constantly tallying points and calculating outcomes, making it hard to predict success or failure.
Inside the watch we can't ignore.
These complexities are ever-present and unavoidable, much like the ticking of a watch heard in the background.
Much too tired to try,
Exhaustion can cause a lack of motivation to put forth effort and take risks.
Much too stubborn to quit,
Despite feeling tired, the determination and resoluteness of one's character prevents them from giving up entirely.
On an island in between
Stranded in a state of limbo, neither experiencing great success nor complete failure, but in a purgatory-like existence somewhere in between.
The coasts of hit or miss.
Success or failure are the opposite shores, and individuals must navigate the treacherous seas of uncertainty to reach either destination.
Are we settlers or are we natives of this land?
Unsure if we are newcomers, just learning the ways of the world, or if we are natives, born with innate knowledge and understanding.
Only time will tell
The only way to know for sure is to experience the passage of time and learn from our successes and failures along the way.
On which pedestal we were meant to stand.
Life will determine our worth and where we belong, depending on the outcome of our efforts, but ultimately our destiny is determined by fate.
Every cloud above's full of splattered paint,
The sky, much like life, is full of unpredictable and random occurrences that often don't make sense or seem chaotic.
Every seed below lies patiently in wait.
Despite the chaos above, there is order and harmony below with things patiently awaiting their time to grow and thrive.
But a watched kettle never boils,
Constantly monitoring progress can be counterproductive and slow down the process, as growth needs time and space to occur naturally.
A watched tree never grows.
Even with the best intentions and efforts to nurture growth, it takes time and patience for nature to take its course.
May we have our tea in the forest,
Let us take the time to enjoy the journey, to find peace and tranquility in the midst of the chaos, and revel in the natural beauty of life.
May we reap all that we sow.
Put forth the effort, take the risks, and trust that hard work will lead to a bountiful harvest as we reap the rewards of the seeds we planted.
Contributed by John J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.