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.
Uneven Odds
Sleeping at Last Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He fought tears as he spoke of your mother's health
I guess a part of him just couldn't return
Forgiveness is a lesson he cursed you to learn
As your guardian I was instructed well
To make sense of God's love in these fires of hell
No I don't expect you to understand
Maybe your light is a seed
And the darkness the dirt
In spite of the uneven odds
Beauty lifts from the earth
From the earth
From the earth
As the years move on these questions take shape
Are you getting stronger or is time shifting weight?
No one expects you to understand
Just to live what little life your mended heart can
You'll always remember the moment God took her away
For the weight of the world was placed on your shoulders that day
Maybe your light is the seed
And the darkness the dirt
In spite of the uneven odds
Beauty lifts from the earth
From the earth
From the earth
From the earth
From the earth
From the earth
You're much too young now
So I write these words down
"Darkness exists to make light truly count"
The lyrics to Sleeping at Last's song Uneven Odds explore the complex emotions of grief and loss, specifically surrounding the loss of a mother. The first verse recounts a conversation with the singer's father, who is struggling with his wife's illness. It's clear that the mother has passed away, and despite the father's sadness, there is a sense of anger towards the subject of the song. The father has somehow cursed the singer - perhaps by blaming them for the mother's death or holding them responsible for something - and the singer is struggling to come to terms with forgiveness.
The second verse seems to be addressed to the subject of the song, who is likely a child or young adult. The singer is a guardian or caregiver, tasked with helping the subject understand God's love in the midst of tragedy. Again, there is a sense of responsibility and pressure - no one expects the subject to fully understand the situation, but they are expected to somehow carry on and make the most of their life. The chorus offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that even in the midst of darkness, there is the potential for light and beauty to emerge.
Line by Line Meaning
I once knew your father well
The singer knew the person's father well.
He fought tears as he spoke of your mother's health
The person's father was emotional and upset discussing their mother's health.
I guess a part of him just couldn't return
The person's father was unable to fully recover from the grief of losing their mother.
Forgiveness is a lesson he cursed you to learn
The person's father wanted them to learn the lesson of forgiveness, even if it was difficult.
As your guardian I was instructed well
The artist was given instructions about being a guardian to the person.
To make sense of God's love in these fires of hell
The singer was tasked with helping the person understand why bad things happen in the world, even if it feels like hell.
No I don't expect you to understand
The singer does not expect the person to fully comprehend everything they are going through.
Just to live what little life your broken heart can
The artist wants the person to continue living their life, even if their heart is broken.
Maybe your light is a seed
The person's inner strength or positivity could be the start of something bigger.
And the darkness the dirt
Hardship or difficult experiences could be the fertilizer for growth and strength.
In spite of the uneven odds
Despite the difficulty of the circumstances, there is still potential for something beautiful to grow.
Beauty lifts from the earth
Out of hardship or darkness, something beautiful can emerge.
As the years move on these questions take shape
As time passes, the person may have questions or doubts about their experiences.
Are you getting stronger or is time shifting weight?
The person may wonder if they are moving past their pain or if it is just getting harder to bear with time.
You'll always remember the moment God took her away
The person will always remember the moment they lost their mother.
For the weight of the world was placed on your shoulders that day
The person had to bear a heavy burden after their mother's passing.
You're much too young now
The person is still young and has time to grow and learn.
So I write these words down
The singer is writing their advice or wisdom down for the person to read later.
"Darkness exists to make light truly count"
Difficult times make the good moments shine brighter and have more meaning.
Lyrics © Reach Music Publishing
Written by: Ryan O'Neal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind