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.
In The Meantime
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
At least one we're ready to hear.
No string of words will satisfy.
No simple equation to edify us
Here, in the meantime,
May questioning nurture life.
An impractical skill to have.
Still, we talk of our future 'til we have no voice;
We'll try to outsmart it with noise.
But here, in the meantime,
May the unknown harvest life.
We're conditioned to mourn our empty glass
Long before it ever poured out our past.
Though our patience is always in short supply,
We'll leave our farsighted worries behind.
Here, in the meantime,
In the gospel of nearsight,
May we learn to live a nourished life.
The lyrics of "In The Meantime" by Sleeping at Last talk about accepting the fact that sometimes there are no clear answers to life's questions. The lines "Maybe there's no answer here, At least one we're ready to hear" address the idea that some things in life may not have a clear explanation that we are ready or able to comprehend. The lyric, "No string of words will satisfy, No simple equation to edify us" means that there are situations in life that cannot be explained simply using words or equations. The songwriter seems to be asking their listeners to acknowledge that sometimes it's okay to be in the "meantime," the period of waiting for something to happen or a situation to resolve itself.
The second stanza of the song focuses on the fear of the unknown. It acknowledges that fear is illogical, but it's still difficult to overcome. People often talk about the future until they lose their voice, as if they can outsmart whatever might happen simply by being prepared for it. But the lyric, "May the unknown harvest life," seems to suggest that there is value in embracing the unknown, even if it scares us. The chorus again urges us to be present in the meantime, in the moments between one thing and the next.
The final stanza of the song refers to our tendency to focus on what we don't have, rather than what we do. We often mourn our "empty glass" even before it's empty, meaning we worry about what we might lose rather than enjoying what we have. The songwriter urges us to leave these worries behind, and to live in the present moment. The phrase "the gospel of nearsight" means that we should learn to see things up close, in detail, and appreciate the small things in life. The song concludes with the lyric "May we learn to live a nourished life," meaning that by appreciating the present we can find contentment and fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe there's no answer here,
Perhaps there is no solution to our problem or question.
At least one we're ready to hear.
Or maybe the answer exists, but we are not yet prepared to receive it.
No string of words will satisfy.
Merely speaking or hearing some words will not provide us with the fulfillment we seek.
No simple equation to edify us
And there is no straightforward formula that could enlighten or improve us.
Here, in the meantime,
However, for now, in this period of uncertainty,
May questioning nurture life.
We may find value in questioning our current situation and learning from it.
Fear is illogical math-
Fear is like a nonsensical equation that doesn't add up or makes sense.
An impractical skill to have.
It is not beneficial to possess a skill like fear.
Still, we talk of our future 'til we have no voice;
Despite this, we continue to talk incessantly about our future, until we are exhausted and have nothing more to say.
We'll try to outsmart it with noise.
And we attempt to overcome our fears by distracting ourselves with noise and busyness.
But here, in the meantime,
Yet again, in the meantime,
May the unknown harvest life.
Perhaps the unknown or uncertain aspects of our lives may be the source of cultivation and growth.
We're conditioned to mourn our empty glass
We are accustomed to grieving for what we lack or what we think we need.
Long before it ever poured out our past.
Even before we've emptied our past, or let go of our previous experiences.
Though our patience is always in short supply,
Despite our perpetual lack of patience,
We'll leave our farsighted worries behind.
We will forget our far-reaching concerns and anxieties.
Here, in the meantime,
Once again, in this interim period,
In the gospel of nearsight,
By embracing the present instead of constantly focusing on the future,
May we learn to live a nourished life.
Maybe we could learn to live a satisfactory and fulfilling life.
Contributed by Chloe S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Valentina
"In The Meantime" LYRICS♡
Maybe there's no answer here,
At least one we're ready to hear.
No string of words will satisfy.
No simple equation to edify us
Here, in the meantime,
May questioning nurture life.
Fear is illogical math-
An impractical skill to have.
Still, we talk of our future 'til we have no voice;
We'll try to outsmart it with noise.
But here, in the meantime,
May the unknown harvest life.
We're conditioned to mourn our empty glass
Long before it ever poured out our past.
Though our patience is always in short supply,
We'll leave our farsighted worries behind.
Here, in the meantime,
In the gospel of nearsight,
May we learn to live a nourished life.
Leonardo Gabriel
Tal vez no hay respuesta aquí
Al menos una que estemos listos para escuhar
Ningunas palabras nos satisfaceran
No hay una ecuación simple que nos edificara
Aquí, mientras tanto
Puede que este cuestionando vida alimentada
El miedo es una matemática ilogica
Una habilidad impráctica para tener
Aun asi, hablamos de nuestro futuro hasta que no tenemos voz
Intentaremos sobre llevarlo con ruido
Pero aquí, mientras tanto
Que lo desconocido coseche vida
Estamos condicionados a lamentar nuestro vaso vacio
Mucho antes de que derramara nuestro pasado
Aunque nuestra paciencia siempre esta en poco suministro
Dejaremos detrás nuestras preocupaciones
Aquí, mientras tanto
En el evangelio cerca de vista
Puede que aprendamos a vivir una vida alimentada
vanshika sharma
another masterpiece that only few of us will know......
my ears are blessed
Slytherin Queen
How can a single person create such beautiful music all by himself.. I'm seriously addicted to his songs.. I love sleeping at last❤️ Your music always releases all the tension from my head.😘 Lots of love from India😊
Larissa M
I am just in love with your songs... Can't stop listening to it! And the micro music videos are just amazing. I can really feel it.
Lots of love from Brazil ☆
Ladymusicc
"May the unknown harvest life". what a profound statement. we should all embrace this. I want this hanging in my house somewhere. How beautiful and life defining.
Blink4BLACKPINK
This video is so beautifully aesthetic, I'm crying.😢 I found Sleeping At Last a few months ago, I actually first listened to Turning Page on Twilight, and that song was just so beautiful, I had to find out who had sang it. I'm so glad I did, because now I listen to Sleeping At Last all the time. I have never listened to a band that is so aesthetic and soft. I used to be in a really dark place, on the verge of committing suicide, but when I found Sleeping At Last, everything in my life started to make sense, with their music, I got courage to admit that I was utterly broken, I got help, and now I listen to their music when I'm just quietly sitting in my room, thinking about things or when I'm watching the rain, they really helped me start to really appreciate how beautiful life really is. Their beautiful music really saved my life.
Lucy H
i really love your music. it's truly beautiful and i love listening to it at night when im outside because it makes me feel connected to my surroundings and nature and idk how to explain it but its such a beautiful feeling. please never stop making music!
Rim R.
I can't believe this, this is too perfect, no human can create such a good song like that! Only legend can ;)
Venissa Timbreza
My favorite band and I love that you keep creating !
Marianne
love it 😍 damn why are your songs always so good
Bruna Lima
My depression is cured!!! ❤