Several of Streetlight's members were already well known among the New Jersey ska community for their roles in past ska bands from that area, most notably Catch 22's Tomas Kalnoky, James Egan, Mike Soprano, and Josh Ansley, as well as One Cool Guy's Stuart Karmatz, Pete Sibilia, Dan Ross, and Chris Paszik.
The band's first album, Everything Goes Numb, was released on August 26, 2003, and was distributed by Victory Records. They headlined their first ever show at Rutgers University on December 9, 2003 in front of a sold out audience.
The line-up has gone through several changes since the band's conception and currently consists of Matt Stewart on trumpet, Mike Brown on alto and baritone saxophone, Jim Conti on alto and tenor saxophone, Tomas Kalnoky on guitar and lead vocals, Pete McCullaugh on bass guitar, Karl Lyden on trombone, and Chris Thatcher on drums.
Though the band has enjoyed little mainstream commercial success, they have received acclaim in alternative music circles, and their debut album is currently in Interpunk.com's top 100 items, over 2 years after its release. In addition, they regularly sell out their live shows, and their first few shows at Rutgers and The Stone Pony not only sold out, but had people coming from as far as Minnesota and Canada. Their second album, a reworking of Catch 22's Keasbey Nights was released on March 7, 2006.
Streetlight Manifesto's third album, entitled Somewhere in the Between came out on November 13, 2007. Rumors also have it that the band is currently working on a series of 8 albums entitled "The 99 Songs of Revolution" in co-operation with Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution, a side-project of singer Tomas Kalnoky slated for release in early 2009.
On November 17, 2009, the band's website announced that "99 Songs of Revolution: Volume One" has been ready for release for quite some time but "some record labels are just plain horrendous." They are also in the process of arranging a tour for 2010 but will spend some time in the studio until they have "a few records to release."
The first album of 99 Songs of Revolution was released on March 16, 2010. On this CD, the band covered songs by artists such as The Postal Service, Radiohead, and NOFX.
Band Members:
Mike Brown - Baritone Sax
Karl Lyden - Trombone
Jim Conti - Tenor Sax
Matt Stewart - Trumpet
Chris Thatcher - Drums
Tomas Kalnoky - Guitar, Vocals
Pete McCullaugh - Bass
www.streetlightmanifesto.com
A Moment Of Silence
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They show up to the party but they're never asked to dance
The losers the liars the bastards the thieves
The cynicists, the pessimists and those that don't believe in nothing
I never met a loser that I didn't see eye to eye with, I declare
I stare into your eyes
But you look right past me into the air
What's it like to stand in your shoes?
To have never felt the belt of somebody's abuse?
I take the bottle and I tip it to all my heroes that have passed
Alas, you have left us but your stories they will last
Uninspired by the recruiting call
Independent we stand
Independent we fall
So tell me: how long do you think you can go before you lose it all?
Before they call you bluff and watch you fall?
I don't know but I'd like to think I had control
At some point but I let it go and lost my soul
Sit tight but the revolution's years away
I'm losing faith and I'm running low on things to say
So I guess I have no choice but to regurgitate
The tired anthem of a loser and a hypocrite
Oh! to have died that night I realized it wouldn't last!
Our days were numbered and the reaper tipped the hourglass
The final mayday of our sinking ship had come and passed
Oh! to the west, you don't know what it is you're running from
And everybody's laughing loud
Your last chance to make your mother and father proud
Oh, oh, oh
A moment of silence please for those who never get the chance
They show up to the party but they're never asked to dance
The losers the liars the bastards the thieves
The cynicists, the pessimists and those that don't believe in nothing
They said "a pox
Upon your house
Upon your family and everyone you knew
And everyone you'll ever meet"
I bet they think we wish we joined when we could
But we do what we want we don't do what we should
Now everybody's laughing because they're thinking they in on something I don't get
Don't forget
I connect and I read every word you said
Like a child who believes he was wronged
If you hate me so much then stop singing my songs
So tell me: how long do you think you can go before you lose it all?
Before they call you bluff and watch you fall?
I don't know but I'd like to think I had control
At some point but I let it go and lost my soul
Sit tight but the revolution's years away
I'm losing faith and I'm running low on things to say
So I guess I have no choice but to regurgitate
The tired anthem of a loser and a hypocrite
Oh! to have died that night I realized it wouldn't last!
Our days were numbered and the reaper tipped the hourglass
The final mayday of our sinking ship had come and passed
Oh! to the west, you don't know what it is you're running from
And everybody's laughing loud
Your last chance to make your mother and father proud
Oh, oh, oh
The lyrics of "A Moment of Silence" by Streetlight Manifesto speak about the marginalized and underrepresented members of society who continuously have to struggle for acceptance and recognition. The song begins with the plea for a moment of silence for those who never get the chance, referring to people who always seem to be on the sidelines, never being asked to participate. The reference to the party suggests the broader society that welcomes only those who fit into the ideal paradigm of normalcy. The song lists those who are typically considered outcasts, including losers, liars, bastards, and thieves, that society has excluded from the mainstream.
The refrain of the song asks what it is like to stand in the shoes of someone who has never felt the belt of someone's abuse. The second verse takes an introspective look, providing a glimpse into the band's perspective, stating their affinity for losers who they seem to understand. The middle section of the song is a conversation about control, and the question of how long individuals can go without losing control. When the revolution is years away and individuals are running low on things to say, then they have no choice but to regurgitate old songs, which have lost their relevance.
Line by Line Meaning
A moment of silence please for those who never get the chance
Let's take a moment of silence for those who never had an opportunity in their lifetime.
They show up to the party but they're never asked to dance
They attend all parties but never get a chance to be a part of the fun.
The losers the liars the bastards the thieves
Those who are considered losers or are known to lie, steal or do unethical things.
The cynicists, the pessimists and those that don't believe in nothing
People who are cynical or always pessimistic and those who don't believe in anything.
I never met a loser that I didn't see eye to eye with, I declare
I can relate to any loser because I see myself in them.
I stare into your eyes
I look deeply into your eyes.
But you look right past me into the air
You don't even acknowledge my presence or pay attention to me.
What's it like to stand in your shoes?
I wonder what it's like to be in your life and experience what you have gone through.
To have never felt the belt of somebody's abuse?
I wonder what it's like to have never been physically or emotionally abused by someone.
I take the bottle and I tip it to all my heroes that have passed
I raise my bottle to pay respect to all my heroes who are no more.
Alas, you have left us but your stories they will last
Even though you are not with us anymore, your stories will be remembered forever.
Uninspired by the recruiting call
I am not inspired by the call to join a cause or movement.
Independent we stand
We stand alone and don't depend on anyone else.
Independent we fall
We fall alone and don't receive any help from anyone else.
So tell me: how long do you think you can go before you lose it all?
How long do you think you can survive before everything collapses?
Before they call you bluff and watch you fall?
Before they expose your deception and watch you fail?
Sit tight but the revolution's years away
Be patient because the revolution is still years away.
I'm losing faith and I'm running low on things to say
I am losing hope and don't know what to say anymore.
So I guess I have no choice but to regurgitate
I have to repeat the same thing again and again because I have nothing else.
The tired anthem of a loser and a hypocrite
The old and unpopular message of someone who is a loser and also a hypocrite.
Oh! to have died that night I realized it wouldn't last!
Oh, how I wish I had died the night I realized that it wasn't going to last!
Our days were numbered and the reaper tipped the hourglass
Our time was limited and we were running out of it.
The final mayday of our sinking ship had come and passed
Our ship was sinking and the last call for help had already been made and gone unanswered.
Oh! to the west, you don't know what it is you're running from
Oh, those in the west, you don't know what you are running away from or leaving behind.
And everybody's laughing loud
Everyone is laughing out loud.
Your last chance to make your mother and father proud
This is your final opportunity to make your parents proud of you.
They said "a pox
They (people) said "a curse
Upon your house
Upon your family and everything related to you.
And everyone you knew
And everyone you know.
And everyone you'll ever meet"
And everyone you will ever meet in the future.
I bet they think we wish we joined when we could
I am sure that they think that we regret not joining when we had the chance.
But we do what we want we don't do what we should
We do what we like and not necessarily what is expected of us.
Now everybody's laughing because they're thinking they in on something I don't get
Everyone is laughing because they think they are part of something that I don't understand.
Don't forget
Don't forget.
I connect and I read every word you said
I am connected and I read every word you spoke or wrote.
Like a child who believes he was wronged
Like a child who thinks he has been mistreated or treated unfairly.
If you hate me so much then stop singing my songs
If you really don't like me, then stop listening to my music.
Oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: STEVE BOGARD, BRETT BEAVERS, DIERKS BENTLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind