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
Failing/Flailing
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I don't have a disease
And you say you've got the answers
But I've made no inquiries
And you're failing
Bailing
Good God, motherfucker, now I see you flailing
I see you flailing
I see you flailing away
I know it's hard, but so are you
And so am I and we'll pull through, together, together
And I said that it's been years, but I still fear
That someone dear will leave me here forever, forever
And I said, hey, you've got to keep trying
You've got to keep holding onto what you've got
Because what you've got it sure ain't a lot
And hey
Everyone's falling down
Everyone's holding out for what you've got
But what you've got, it sure ain't a lot
And you act like it is, but you know that it's not
And even if it was, would you ever give it up?
If I told you what you had was really nothing?
Nothing?
Nothing?
Yes, it's nothing
Nothing at all
So you say your life's a bore
And I can't quite disagree
If you judge your life by the pieces of shit that inhabit your TV
Because they stand so proud, and they talk too loud
And every other word is a lie
I've found that everyone who is anyone is a waste of time
A waste of time
I know it's hard, but so are you
And so am I and we'll pull through together, together
And I said that it's been years but I still fear
That someone dear will leave me here forever, forever
And I said, hey, you've got to keep trying
You've got to keep holding onto what you've got
Because what you've got it sure ain't a lot
And hey
Everyone's falling down
Everyone's holding out for what you've got
But what you've got, it sure ain't a lot
And you act like it is, but you know that it's not
And even if it was, would you ever give it up?
If I told you what you had was really nothing?
Nothing?
Nothing?
Yes, it's nothing
Nothing at all
Nothing
You won't say nothing
You don't say nothing
And that's just fine
Nothing
You won't say nothing
You don't say nothing
And that's just fine
[Repeat: x3]
Sticks and stones may break my bones
But names will never hurt me
And it's been years, but still I fear that someday they'll desert me
Oh, it's hard, I know
When it's time to stand alone
And no one understands you
The lyrics of Streetlight Manifesto's song Failing Flailing talk about the struggle of life and the fear of losing loved ones. The song starts with the artist being skeptical about someone who claims to have a cure and answers but never asking for them. The term "failing, bailing" is a phrase used to describe someone who is failing at their job and trying to escape it. The artist is conveying that they can see the person struggling to keep up the facade and is now failing at it.
In the next section, the artist says that life is hard for them too, and they can relate to the struggle. Fear of losing someone forever is something that the artist fears even after years, and they want to hold on together. The artist mentions that they have to keep trying and holding on to what they've got. Because compared to others, what they have may not be a lot. The artist says that everyone is holding out for what they have, but it's not much, and they should accept it.
In the last section, the artist talks about how words can hurt but the fear of being left alone is far worse. The artist realizes that at times, one may have to stand on their own, and people may not understand them. Finally, the artist concludes by saying that it's okay if someone doesn't understand them, as they won't say anything, and that's just fine.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you've got the cure
You claim to have a solution to my problems
But I don't have a disease
But I am not suffering from any sickness
And you say you've got the answers
You claim to have all the answers
But I've made no inquiries
But I haven't asked you for any help
And you're failing
You are not succeeding
Bailing
Giving up
Good God, motherfucker, now I see you flailing
I can see you struggling to keep up with reality
I see you flailing
I can see you struggling to cope with life
That's right I think I do
I have a good understanding of your situation
I know it's hard, but so are you
I understand life can be difficult, but so are you and I
And so am I and we'll pull through, together, together
We both will get through this tough time by supporting each other
And I said that it's been years, but I still fear
Although it's been a while, I am still scared
That someone dear will leave me here forever, forever
That someone important in my life will abandon me forever
And I said, hey, you've got to keep trying
You must keep putting in effort to succeed
You've got to keep holding onto what you've got
You must not lose what you already have
Because what you've got it sure ain't a lot
As it seems, you don't have a lot to your name
And hey, everyone's falling down
Everybody faces setbacks in life
Everyone's holding out for what you've got
People have expectations from you
But what you've got, it sure ain't a lot
But, in reality, you don't have much
And you act like it is, but you know that it's not
You pretend like you have achieved a lot, but you know you haven't
And even if it was, would you ever give it up?
Even if you had everything, would you be willing to let it go?
If I told you what you had was really nothing?
What if I told you that you don't have anything to begin with?
Nothing? Nothing? Yes, it's nothing
It's true, you don't have anything of significant value
So you say your life's a bore
You claim that your life is uneventful
And I can't quite disagree
I can't argue with that
If you judge your life by the pieces of shit that inhabit your TV
If you measure your lifestyle based on what you see on TV
Because they stand so proud, and they talk too loud
The celebrities on TV behave arrogantly and excessively
And every other word is a lie
Most things said on TV are dishonest or false
I've found that everyone who is anyone is a waste of time
I have concluded that most people considered significant are not worth your time
Nothing. You won't say nothing.
You don't have anything to say
You don't say nothing
You don't speak much
And that's just fine
And that's okay
Sticks and stones may break my bones
Physical harm can heal
But names will never hurt me
Words won't hurt me
And it's been years, but still I fear that someday they'll desert me
I am still afraid that someday, people will abandon me
Oh, it's hard, I know when it's time to stand alone
I understand how difficult it is when you have to go through things alone
And no one understands you
Nobody truly understands your problems
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind