Socratic formed in 1999 and consists of Duane F. Okun, who sings vocals and plays the guitar, Kevin G. Bryan II who plays the guitar and sings back vocals, Vincent D'Amico who plays piano and also sings back vocals, Thomas Patrick Stratton who plays drums/percussion, and Louis Panico who plays the bass guitar and sings back vocals[1]. Bassist Adam Swider left the group in May 2006 to go back to college and Louis Panico joined the group in 2007, leaving his former band The Showcase.
Socratic were formerly signed to No Milk Records (also past home of Halifax), where they released their debut EP It's Getting Late in 2002. Also in February of 2002 one of Kevin's friends Daniel died. Kevin and Dan were both on the wrestling team at Seton Hall Prep and Kevin was an exceptional wrestler. After the wake Socratic played a concert at Birch Hill in honor of their dead friend. They started with an intro talking about Dan and throughout the show they talked about him. They also had the concert recorded and burned onto a cd for anyone that wanted a copy. In 2004, they were picked up by California record label Drive-Thru Records, who put out their first full-length, Lunch for the Sky, in 2005. The album was Produced by John Goodmanson (Hot Hot Heat, Sleater Kinney, The Blood Brothers) at Longview Farms Studio in rural Western Massachusetts. On December 5th, 2006, a free 5-track EP entitled Just Turn was made available for download from the band's Myspace and PureVolume profiles. Their next full length album entitled Spread The Rumors (produced by Mark Hoppus, current bassist of blink-182 and former vocalist and bass player for +44)[2] hit the shelves on May 6, 2008, featuring the song "Boy In A Magazine," their first single. They also made a video for May I Bum and Smoke and Boy In A Magazine in 2008.
Don't Say
Socratic Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one will realize that it just hides in me.
I don't say everything I want to.
I march to these drums that keep constant time.
Telling me which way to go and how to live
But I don't want to live on a line.
I don't say everything I want to.
I'd like if you said something about me
I'm good, I'm great, I'm perfectly straight.
I just don't say everything I want to.
She had a hard time taking compliments.
So I forced them down her throat like a fresh box of mints.
I sailed my ship and caught her a couple more.
I weighed them out and I brought them to the shore.
"Please kind sir these things I cannot pay you for.
Just use them today.
She might be gone tomorrow. Tomorrow."
In Socratic's song "Don't Say," the lyrics express deep and complex emotions that are commonly unspoken by many people. Starting with "I hid my love away and it's never coming out," the song portrays a sense of hiding and restraining oneself from expressing emotions that might make oneself vulnerable. The lyrics go on to say "No one will realize that it just hides in me" indicating that the emotions hidden away are not something that others can see, making it harder to express them. Later the singer says, "I don't say everything I want to," showing that there are things he wants to express but can't seem to bring himself to do so.
The song continues with "I march to these drums that keep constant time, telling me which way to go and how to live. But I don't want to live on a line." This highlights the idea that the singer feels like they are living a life that is dictated by societal norms, but they don't want to continue living like that. They want to break free and be true to themselves. The next verse says, "I'd like if you said something about me, besides how I look like I'm losing weight. I'm good, I'm great, I'm perfectly straight. I just don't say everything I want to." This portrays the yearning for validation and recognition beyond superficial aspects of one's appearance.
The latter part of the song talks about giving compliments and how someone might be gone tomorrow, so it's important to express these compliments and emotions while you can. Overall, the lyrics of "Don't Say" are about the struggle of expressing oneself and the fear of vulnerability that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
I hid y love away and its never coming out.
My love for someone is concealed deep within my heart and I fear it will never be revealed to anyone.
No one will realize that it just hides in me.
No one around me will be able to sense my love since it is subduing inside me.
I don't say everything I want to.
Sometimes I avoid expressing myself completely, holding back my true feelings.
I march to these drums that keep constant time.
There are some established patterns and routines that I follow, which dictate my course of action.
Telling me which way to go and how to live
These patterns present me with the pathway where I should place my feet and the strategies I ought to apply for leading life with ease.
But I don't want to live on a line.
Despite the guidelines and the set patterns, I don't wish for my life to be monotonous, I don't want to live in routine.
I'd like if you said something about me
I wish to hear some honest and noteworthy things about myself from others.
Besides how I look like I'm losing weight.
Other than the physical aspects, I want someone to recognize my uniqueness and appreciate me for who I am.
I'm good, I'm great, I'm perfectly straight.
Even though no one says it, I know deep inside that I'm a good person, I have a great heart and I'm a sincere individual.
She had a hard time taking compliments.
The woman I was interested in finds it difficult to accept compliments from others.
So I forced them down her throat like a fresh box of mints.
To make her realize her worth, I tried hard to make her see that she deserves to be complimented often, like fresh mints that need to be consumed.
I sailed my ship and caught her a couple more.
I made an effort to praise her more and tried to emulate her until I caught her eye.
I weighed them out and I brought them to the shore.
I analyzed my compliments, measured them against each other, then delivered them to her having confidence in my choices.
"Please kind sir these things I cannot pay you for.
The woman could not reciprocate my feelings even though the compliments were much appreciated.
Just use them today.
So, I urged her to utilize them right now in the present moment.
She might be gone tomorrow. Tomorrow."
Because one cannot predict their future, I urged her to reminisce on the present moment since it might not last forever.
Contributed by Sadie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.