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
The Big On & On Sleep
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How can you laugh when you know that it hurts your friends?
We've all been there once but you never left
This is me coming back back to get you out
To say goodbye to make amends
I'm not leaving this place
Unless I'm leaving with you
You're the only person with a half decent heart here
Until it's gone, gone, gone
Gone, gone, gone
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, yeah
Na, na, na
And you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me
Na, na, na
And if you go, I'll be gone
And you'll be left alone to live your life, as you please
But someday you'll agree that I was always meant for you
You were always meant for me and you will see: that you're impossible
You're impossible
Me and Mr. Dylan on the ride home
We had a heart to heart about life
But neither him or me could decide for ourselves if we wanted to outlive that night
Like two children on the playground of the unconfessed souls
Abandoned by our mothers and our lovers and our foes
If only we were brave enough to live the lives we stole
What a wonderful world this could be!
Na, na, na
And you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me
Na, na, na
And if you go, I'll be gone
And you'll be left alone to live your life, as you please
But someday you'll agree that I was always meant for you
You were always meant for me and you will see: that you're impossible
You're impossible
So how many more examples until we break?
How many sacrifices must we make?
Because we've all been there once before
And it looks like we've returned once more
Is this the beginning or the end?
The last two soldiers on the battlefield
Survivors of the war
They aim at one another while their mothers beg the lord
"if you're listening, I'm missing him
So somehow bring him home
How did it come to this?"
So the soldiers lift their rifles
They're aiming at the head
They think of their first love before they take their final breaths
And some where in the distance they hear something someone said: "how did it come to this?"
And as you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me, yeah
Na, na, na
And you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me
Na, na, na
The song "The Big On & On Sleep" by Streetlight Manifesto is a ballad about a broken relationship and the desire to make amends. The first stanza addresses the question of why we cry when we know the outcome of a situation, and why we laugh when it hurts our friends. The singer acknowledges that they have been in a difficult situation before and that they are coming back to try and make things right with the person they are addressing in the song. The lyrics indicate a sense of regret and a desire to start anew.
The song goes on to describe a conversation between the singer and Bob Dylan on a ride home. They discuss life and the fear of living it to its fullest potential. The lyrics suggest that the singer and Dylan are like children on a playground, abandoned by their loved ones and unsure of their place in the world. These lines convey a sense of longing and vulnerability, indicating that the singer wants to take control of their life but is unsure of how to do so.
The final stanza tells the story of two soldiers on a battlefield who are the only survivors of the war. They aim their rifles at one another, but before they take their final breaths, they think of their first loves. The song ends with the repeated lines of "And as you close your eyes for the big sleep, I hope you think of me," emphasizing the theme of regret and the desire for reconciliation.
Overall, "The Big On & On Sleep" is a poignant ballad about relationships, regret, and the desire for redemption. The lyrics convey a strong sense of longing and vulnerability, as well as a desire to make amends and move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do we cry when you know how the story ends?
Why do we feel emotions for situations that we know will end badly?
How can you laugh when you know that it hurts your friends?
How can you find humor in things that cause pain to the people close to you?
We've all been there once but you never left
We've all experienced difficult situations, but you have never escaped it.
This is me coming back back to get you out
I'm returning to finally rescue you from this situation.
To say goodbye to make amends
I'm saying goodbye to reconcile with you before I leave.
I'm not leaving this place
I don't plan on leaving this place.
Unless I'm leaving with you
Unless we leave together.
You're the only person with a half decent heart here
You're the only person in this place with any level of kindness.
And I know you will put it to use
I'm confident that you will use your kind nature appropriately.
Until it's gone, gone, gone
Until the kindness is no more, no more, no more.
Gone, gone, gone
No more, no more, no more.
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, yeah
No more, no more, no more, no more, no more, yeah.
Na, na, na
Repetitive phrase for emphasis or to fill the melody.
And you close your eyes for the big sleep
You're closing your eyes for the final sleep.
I hope you think of me
I hope you remember me.
And if you go, I'll be gone
If you leave, I'm also leaving.
And you'll be left alone to live your life, as you please
You will be alone to live your life as you see fit.
But someday you'll agree that I was always meant for you
Eventually, you'll realize that we were meant to be together.
You were always meant for me and you will see: that you're impossible
You and I were always destined to be together, and you will realize that you were the only one for me, but you have been impossible.
Me and Mr. Dylan on the ride home
I was with Bob Dylan on the drive home.
We had a heart to heart about life
We had a significant conversation about life.
But neither him or me could decide for ourselves if we wanted to outlive that night
Neither Bob Dylan nor I could decide if we wanted to live beyond that night (both recognizing the fragility of life).
Like two children on the playground of the unconfessed souls
We were like children on a playground, playing on the fears and desires of each other's souls.
Abandoned by our mothers and our lovers and our foes
We both felt abandoned by those close to us in life.
If only we were brave enough to live the lives we stole
If we were courageous enough to take the lives we want, not the lives we are dealt with.
What a wonderful world this could be!
The world could be an incredible place if we chose to live fulfilling, true lives.
So how many more examples until we break?
How many more instances of difficulty until we can no longer handle it?
How many sacrifices must we make?
How many more personal sacrifices do we need to make?
Because we've all been there once before
We've all experienced this before.
And it looks like we've returned once more
It seems we've found ourselves in the same place once again.
Is this the beginning or the end?
Is this the starting or concluding chapter?
The last two soldiers on the battlefield
The only two survivors on the battlefield.
Survivors of the war
The sole survivors the war.
They aim at one another while their mothers beg the lord
They lay their sights on each other as their mothers pray for their safety.
"if you're listening, I'm missing him
"If you're listening Lord, I'm missing my son.
So somehow bring him home
Please bring him back to me.
How did it come to this?"
How did we end up in this situation?
So the soldiers lift their rifles
The soldiers raise their weapons.
They're aiming at the head
They're targeting each other at a fatal point.
They think of their first love before they take their final breaths
They reflect on their first love before taking their last breaths.
And some where in the distance they hear something someone said: "how did it come to this?"
They hear someone asking how they ended up in this event.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chuckmeow
Why do we cry when you know how the story ends?
How can you laugh when you know that it hurts your friends?
We've all been there once but you never left,
This is me coming back to get you out,
To say goodbye, to make amends.
I'm not leaving this place
Unless I'm leaving with you.
You're the only person with a half decent heart here,
And I know you will put it to use.
Until it's gone, gone, gone.
Gone, gone, gone.
Gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, yeah.
And you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me.
And if you go, I'll be gone,
And you'll be left alone to live your life, as you please,
But someday you'll agree that I was always meant for you,
You were always meant for me and you will see: that you're impossible.
You're impossible.
You're impossible.
You're impossible.
Me and Mr. Dylan on the ride home,
We had a heart to heart about life.
But neither him or me could decide for ourselves
If we wanted to outlive that night.
Like two children on the playground of the unconfessed souls,
Abandoned by our mothers and our lovers and our foes.
If only we were brave enough to live the lives we stole,
What a wonderful world this could be!
And you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me.
And if you go, I'll be gone,
And you'll be left alone to live your life, as you please,
But someday you'll agree that I was always meant for you,
You were always meant for me and you will see: that you're impossible.
You're impossible.
You're impossible.
You're impossible.
So how many more examples until we break?
How many sacrifices must we make?
Because we've all been there once before,
And it looks like we've returned once more.
Is this the beginning or the end?
The last two soldiers on the battlefield,
Survivors of the war.
They aim at one another while their mothers beg the lord.
"If you're listening, I'm missing him,
So somehow bring him home.
How did it come to this?"
So the soldiers lift their rifles,
And they're aiming at the head,
They think of their first love before they take their final breaths.
And somewhere in the distance they hear something someone said:
"How did it come to this?"
And as you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me.
And as you close your eyes for the big sleep
I hope you think of me.
@JoeytheJoeyX3
"The last two soldiers on the battlefield
Survivors of the war
They aim at one another
While their mothers beg the Lord
'If you're listening, I'm missing him
So somehow bring him home'
How did it come to this...?"
It always gets me, each and every time. I love a band that can manage to choke me up.
@howichangeyoutubehandle
around 10 years ago my friend basically dragged me to one of their shows when we were teenagers, turned out to be one of the best live performances I've seen in my life. Thanks T.
@thegoodobserver
That's awesome! Similar situation here. I was a senior in highschool and the year was 2008. I didn't know the band but I knew my friends were going to a concert and I wanted to go. To this day it's the best live show I've ever seen! Then one day I showed it to my little bro and he loved it. We sang all the songs loud AF as we barreled down the road. What a wonderful life!
@kwynndavidson9653
Dude I saw catch 22 lol got into a skank pit lol my BFF punched this guy in the face who was roughing up this girl in a moshpit lol
@kwynndavidson9653
Elk Grove vfw concert but it was metal
@prometheusprime2004
Same in 2014 with a girlfriend
@johnnybananas1058
@@kwynndavidson9653 thats dope lol i always described the crowd at these shows as "over-aggressive friendliness" and that story fits it to a T cheers bud
@flora5090
It's 210 NAs if anybody's wondering
@Khelvaster
You're the greatest for counting.
@MegaMetalDemon
Im a massive metalhead 95% of the time i listen to metal, but i love ska to, i saw these guys at pops on wednesday, hands down one of the best shows i think ive seen, and ill ever see, they are so good live, if you get the chance, go! You will remember it forever! Everyone was singing songs before they were even out, people were in to them, and they were into their songs, the entire crowd was like a mosh pit, it was AMAZING!!!
@benslagter760
Jesus, this has been one of my favorite songs for 14 years.