The appearance of Egerton and Alvarez marked a turning point for the Descendents and their allied band ALL; for the first time, drummer Bill Stevenson found himself alongside players with the same manic, obsessively-correct technical virtuosity as he. Egerton's guitar playing is marked by a dexterity, precision and inventiveness rarely equalled in the pop-punk genre. This virtuosity was immediately evident on songs like Iceman, Schizophrenia and Van from the Descendants 1987 album "All". Egerton has continued to refine and develop his style in each subsequent release by consciously adopting lashings of retro-rock riffage and slurred soloing to balance the near-scientific quality of his playing.
In 2006, Egerton began recording for a new project, featuring former ALL vocalist Scott Reynolds. To date, the new band have released one song, Sunny Disposition. They have performed live only once, under the moniker 40 Engine in Tulsa, Oklahoma in August 2006.
When They Roam
Stephen Egerton Lyrics
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Airing all your personals to all ears
Think you're stranger for divulging your privates
For everyone to hear
There's nothing sacred, no discretion
No secret unknown
And listening to all the white noise makes me feel so alone
On the horrific planet that they roam
Resounding zombies lacking any threshold
Yeah, it's a chorus of tweakers
In a world sans interval or tone
Sewn together but they're always alone
They roam
There's always some transmission sounding in your head
Recharging your diminished ambitions, archive the stress
Calenders and sound reminders, forget to forget
You only had a couple hours of sleep but somehow you overslept
But it's a champion's weekend
In the apocalypse they all compete
Sheepish clones eat the creative meek
Yeah, it's a chorus of speakers
In a world without originals
You cannot hear the individuals
When they roam
Cause nothing's safe, there's no discretion
No secrets unheard
And listening to all the white noise makes me feel so unheard
Yeah it's a punisher's weekend
On the horrific planet that they roam
Resounding zombies lacking any threshold
Yeah, it's a chorus of tweakers
In a world without originals
You cannot hear the individuals
When they roam
The song "When They Roam" by Stephen Egerton is a commentary on modern society's over-sharing culture and the constant noise that fills our heads. Egerton sings about the lack of privacy and anonymity in our world, where personal information is readily available to anyone who cares to listen. He describes the feeling of being overwhelmed by the constant stream of white noise and meaningless chatter, which leaves him feeling disconnected and alone.
The opening lines of the song set the tone for the lyrics that follow. Egerton sings, "Hello, I can't quite hear you/Airing all your personals to all ears/Think you're a stranger for divulging your privates/For everyone to hear." Here, he is questioning why people feel the need to share so much personal information in such a public way. He suggests that this kind of behavior creates a sense of alienation, as people lose touch with what is truly sacred and personal in their lives.
In the chorus, Egerton continues this theme of disconnection and isolation. He sings, "And it's a punisher's weekend/On the horrific planet that they roam/Resounding zombies lacking any threshold/Yeah, it's a chorus of tweakers/In a world sans interval or tone/Sewn together but they're always alone/They roam." Here, he is painting a picture of a world where people are so desensitized to the constant noise and stimulation around them that they feel like zombies, lacking any real connection or purpose.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, I can't quite hear you
I can't hear what you're saying clearly
Airing all your personals to all ears
Sharing personal information with anyone who will listen
Think you're stranger for divulging your privates
Feeling like an outsider for sharing intimate details
For everyone to hear
Making private information public
There's nothing sacred, no discretion
No secrets are kept or respected
No secret unknown
There are no secrets left
And listening to all the white noise makes me feel so alone
Hearing all the noise and chaos makes me feel isolated
And it's a punisher's weekend
The weekend is unpleasant
On the horrific planet that they roam
In this terrible world they live in
Resounding zombies lacking any threshold
Mindless people with no limits or self-control
Yeah, it's a chorus of tweakers
A group of people who are constantly fidgeting or tweaking
In a world sans interval or tone
In a world without rest or stability
Sewn together but they're always alone
Connected to each other, but still isolated
There's always some transmission sounding in your head
There's always noise or distraction
Recharging your diminished ambitions, archive the stress
Trying to regain motivation and forget about stress
Calenders and sound reminders, forget to forget
Trying to stay organized and remember everything, even things you'd rather forget.
You only had a couple hours of sleep but somehow you overslept
Feeling exhausted despite not getting enough sleep
But it's a champion's weekend
The weekend is a success
In the apocalypse they all compete
In this terrible world they try to outdo each other
Sheepish clones eat the creative meek
Unimaginative people dominate over creative individuals
Yeah, it's a chorus of speakers
A group of people shouting over each other
In a world without originals
In a world where everyone is the same
You cannot hear the individuals
Individuals are not heard or valued
When they roam
When people wander aimlessly without a clear purpose
Cause nothing's safe, there's no discretion
There's no safety or privacy
No secrets unheard
No secret remains secret
And listening to all the white noise makes me feel so unheard
Hearing all the meaningless noise makes me feel like my voice is not heard
Contributed by Aaliyah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.