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
Oh Me
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I swear that we had it but everyone wouldn't agree
That we never had a thing
Our dying words will be exaggerations
Of what we said and what we did
The ticking of the clock
Eventually it stops
[Chorus]
Oh me oh my
Goodness gracious what a lie
Where everyone's running around like they don’t have a clue
What they will do
Now that it’s through
And the ending is in sight
Oh my goodness me oh my
It's late and it's time to say goodnight
Oh my goodness me oh my
Our disease
Though feasibly easily curable I will agree that it’s not something we overfeed
The truth will be told
The lies will unfold
And anything anyone ever ignored will come back up to settle old scores
The writings on the wall
Says eventually we fall
And even Romans know
That everything (everything) everything (everything) goes
[Chorus: x2]
The song Oh Me by Streetlight Manifesto appears to be a commentary on human nature and how it leads us to deceive ourselves and each other in order to avoid confrontation with uncomfortable truths. The opening verses describe a sense of frustration at not being able to convince others of something that the singer believes to be true. This feeling is compounded by a sense of impending mortality, with the idea that our last words will be exaggerations of our accomplishments and relationships. In the chorus, the singer voices the sense that everyone is running around aimlessly, unaware of what to do now that their illusions have been shattered. The lines “oh me oh my / goodness gracious what a lie” express the singer’s feeling that they have been living a lie and that everyone around them has been as well. They call attention to the fact that the end is in sight, and that it is time to say goodbye.
The second verse returns to the idea of disease, which in this case refers to a kind of emotional and social sickness. The singer acknowledges that this condition is curable, but also recognizes that it is not something that they themselves can overcome entirely on their own. The lines “the truth will be told / the lies will unfold” suggest that there is no escaping from the reality of our choices and actions, and that everything we ignore will eventually catch up to us. The repeated refrain “everything goes” is a reminder that nothing lasts forever, and that even the most powerful things will eventually fall.
Line by Line Meaning
Woe is me
I am upset and distressed about our situation
I swear that we had it but everyone wouldn't agree
I truly believe that we had something good, but others do not see it the same way
That we never had a thing
Others believe that our relationship was not real
Our dying words will be exaggerations
When we are close to death, our memories and words may become distorted and exaggerated
Of what we said and what we did
Our memories will likely focus on the things we said and did during our time together
The ticking of the clock
Time is passing us by
Eventually it stops
Eventually, time will run out for us all
Oh me oh my
Expressing surprise or shock
Goodness gracious what a lie
Expressing disbelief or frustration about a falsehood
Where everyone's running around like they don’t have a clue
Others seem to be acting aimlessly or cluelessly
What they will do
They do not know what actions to take
Now that it’s through
Now that our relationship is over
And the ending is in sight
The end of our relationship is near
Our disease
Our relationship problems
Though feasibly easily curable I will agree that it’s not something we overfeed
Although our relationship issues are fixable, we have not put in enough effort to resolve them
The truth will be told
Eventually, the reality of our situation will be revealed
The lies will unfold
The falsehoods we have told will become evident
And anything anyone ever ignored will come back up to settle old scores
Neglected problems and grievances will resurface and need to be addressed
The writings on the wall
Indications of what is to come are evident
Says eventually we fall
All good things must come to an end eventually
And even Romans know
Historical figures are aware of this truth
That everything (everything) everything (everything) goes
All things come to an end eventually, no exceptions
It's late and it's time to say goodnight
It is time to end things and say goodbye
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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