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 Littlest Things
Streetlight Manifesto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was a young boy little did I not believe,
I had a hole in my heart and I was looking for a piece that fit
The next time I was privy to
The dirty secrets, all the little hidden clues
And when I added it up, I knew a little by little won't do
Can anybody ever tell me something true?
Preferably something that no one can dispute
When everybody's spilling lifelong secrets
I'm betting safely I'm a man who will keep his
Despite his weakness
He'll take his secrets to the grave.
And we will leave it all
Don't ever leave anyone you love behind
So get your fill while you're alive
Don't you ever let them take you alive
And I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins
Don't listen to anyone telling you anything isn't true cause it's all relative
Though I know it'll never ever come to this
I have a secret
And the secret is there was a lie
That I told myself till it became the truth
Rest assured I have a plan b on my mind
If all the webs I weave should ever come and unwind
But I've got plenty of time
[Chorus]
I still believe
In mysteries
And all the lies
It never ends
And all their lame [?] are rotting in their ground
Our plan to never settle down
I took the medicine
But the pills won’t work
The pills they don’t do anything
But rearrange all the littlest things
And I know a little bit
But that bit won't do
The bit I know is irrelevant
So I guess this song is irrelevant too
The song "The Littlest Things" by Streetlight Manifesto touches on themes like secrets, lies, and the truth. In the first verse, the singer talks about meeting someone who tries to fill the hole in his heart. In the next verse, he talks about knowing all the dirty secrets and how uncovering them little by little won't work. The chorus questions our ability to tell something true that no one can dispute, while everyone keeps spilling lifelong secrets.
The song then goes on to talk about not leaving someone you love behind and not letting anyone take you alive. The singer then talks about not knowing where the lies end and the truth begins, and how it's all relative. He then reveals that he has a secret, which he has turned into the truth. The song ends with the singer saying he still believes in mysteries and lies but acknowledges that the little bit he knows is irrelevant.
Overall, the song is about the difficulty of finding the truth and how secrets and lies can shape our understanding of the world around us. It also touches on the consequences of keeping secrets and the importance of not leaving someone you love behind.
Line by Line Meaning
The first time that he came to me
When I first discovered this secret
I was a young boy little did I not believe
I was naive at the time
I had a hole in my heart and I was looking for a piece that fit
I was searching for something to fill me emotionally
The next time I was privy to
The next time I found out more
The dirty secrets, all the little hidden clues
The undisclosed untrustworthy information
And when I added it up, I knew a little by little won't do
I realized that knowing bits and pieces isn't enough
Can anybody ever tell me something true?
Is there any reliable source of information?
Preferably something that no one can dispute
Something that's proven and not questionable
When everybody's spilling lifelong secrets
When everyone is disclosing their secrets
I'm betting safely I'm a man who will keep his
I trust myself that I won't reveal what I know
Despite his weakness
Despite being tempted to tell
He'll take his secrets to the grave.
I'll never reveal what I know
And we will leave it all
I'll keep the secret forever
Don't ever leave anyone you love behind
Value the people you care about and never neglect them
So get your fill while you're alive
Enjoy life to the fullest
Don't you ever let them take you alive
Don't let anyone control or manipulate you
And I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins
It's hard to differentiate lies from the truth
Don't listen to anyone telling you anything isn't true cause it's all relative
Don't trust anyone who claims the truth is relative
Though I know it'll never ever come to this
Even though it's unlikely to happen
I have a secret
I know something that isn't disclosed
And the secret is there was a lie
The secret is that someone was lying
That I told myself till it became the truth
I convinced myself of this lie until I believed it
Rest assured I have a plan b on my mind
I have a backup plan in case things go wrong
If all the webs I weave should ever come and unwind
If my secrets ever become exposed
But I've got plenty of time
I'm not in a rush for this plan B
I still believe
I'm still hoping
In mysteries
In unknown things
And all the lies
And all the things people don't want to reveal
It never ends
There's always something hidden
And all their lame [?] are rotting in their ground
The deceitful people got what they deserved
Our plan to never settle down
Our plan to not stay in one place for too long
I took the medicine
I tried to fix the problem with medication
But the pills won’t work
It didn't make any difference
The pills they don’t do anything
The medication was ineffective
But rearrange all the littlest things
It managed to create some small changes
And I know a little bit
I still hold some information
But that bit won't do
But it's not enough
The bit I know is irrelevant
This information has no significance towards anything
So I guess this song is irrelevant too
So this song has no real meaning or value
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jesse Garza
The first time that it came to me,
I was a young boy, little did I not believe.
I had a hole in my heart and I was looking for a piece that fit.
The next time I was privvy to,
The dirty secrets, all the little hidden clues.
But when I added it up I knew a little but a little won't do.
Can anybody out there tell me something true?
Preferably something that no one can dispute.
When everybody's spilling life long secrets,
I'm betting safely on the man who will keep his.
Despite his weakness, he'll take his secrets to the grave.
And we will leave it all.
(Don't ever leave anyone you love behind)
Go get your fill while you're alive.
(Don't you ever let them take you alive)
I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins.
Don't listen to anyone telling you anything isn't true,
It's all relative.
Though I know it'll never ever come to this,
I have a secret, and that secret is,
There was a lie that I told myself 'til it became the truth.
And rest assured I have a plan B in my mind,
If all the webs I weave should ever come unwind,
But I've got plenty of time.
Can anybody out there tell me something true?
Preferably something that no one can dispute.
When everybody's spilling life long secrets,
I'm betting safely on the man who will keep his.
Despite his weakness, he'll take his secrets to the grave.
And we will leave it all.
(Don't ever leave anyone you love behind)
Go get your fill while you're alive.
(Don't you ever let them take you alive)
I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins.
Don't listen to anyone telling you anything isn't true,
It's all relative.
I still believe in mysteries,
And normal lives in memories.
And though they're laying my body in the ground,
I plan to never settle down.
(I took the medicine, but the pills won't work.
The pills they don't do anything, but rearrange all the little things.
And I know a little bit, but that bit won't do.
The bit I know is irrelevent, so I guess this song is irrelevent too, oh.
Madelene Reim
The first time that it came to me
I was a young boy, little did I not believe
I had a hole in my heart
And I was looking for a piece that fit
The next time I was privy to
The dirty secrets
All the little hidden clues
And when I added it up
I knew a little, but a little won’t do
[Chorus:]
Can anybody out there tell me something true?
Preferably something that no one can dispute
When everybody’s spilling lifelong secrets
I’m betting safely on the man who will keep his
Despite his weakness
He’ll take his secrets to the grave
And we will leave it all behind
Don’t ever leave the one you love behind
So get your fill while you’re alive
Don’t you ever let them take you alive
And I don’t know where the lies end
And the truth begins
Don’t listen to anyone
Telling you anything is the truth:
It’s all relative
Though I know it’ll never ever come to this
I have a secret. And that secret is:
There was a lie that I told myself
Until it became the truth
But Rest assured, I have a plan B on my mind
If all the webs I weave
Should ever come and unwind
But I’ve got plenty of time
[Chorus]
And I still believe in mysteries
And all that lies, in reverie
And though they’ll lay my body in the ground
I plan to never settle down
And I took the medicine
But the pills won’t work
The pills they don’t do anything
But rearrange all the littlest things
And I know a little bit
But that bit won’t do
The bit I know is irrelevant
So I guess this song is irrelevant too
Jesse Garza
The first time that it came to me,
I was a young boy, little did I not believe.
I had a hole in my heart and I was looking for a piece that fit.
The next time I was privvy to,
The dirty secrets, all the little hidden clues.
But when I added it up I knew a little but a little won't do.
Can anybody out there tell me something true?
Preferably something that no one can dispute.
When everybody's spilling life long secrets,
I'm betting safely on the man who will keep his.
Despite his weakness, he'll take his secrets to the grave.
And we will leave it all.
(Don't ever leave anyone you love behind)
Go get your fill while you're alive.
(Don't you ever let them take you alive)
I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins.
Don't listen to anyone telling you anything isn't true,
It's all relative.
Though I know it'll never ever come to this,
I have a secret, and that secret is,
There was a lie that I told myself 'til it became the truth.
And rest assured I have a plan B in my mind,
If all the webs I weave should ever come unwind,
But I've got plenty of time.
Can anybody out there tell me something true?
Preferably something that no one can dispute.
When everybody's spilling life long secrets,
I'm betting safely on the man who will keep his.
Despite his weakness, he'll take his secrets to the grave.
And we will leave it all.
(Don't ever leave anyone you love behind)
Go get your fill while you're alive.
(Don't you ever let them take you alive)
I don't know where the lies end and the truth begins.
Don't listen to anyone telling you anything isn't true,
It's all relative.
I still believe in mysteries,
And normal lives in memories.
And though they're laying my body in the ground,
I plan to never settle down.
(I took the medicine, but the pills won't work.
The pills they don't do anything, but rearrange all the little things.
And I know a little bit, but that bit won't do.
The bit I know is irrelevent, so I guess this song is irrelevent too, oh.
davepicklebeen
this band is amazing, as i get older i listen to more streetlight and less everything else
Kill me pls
Tomas is a god
Branden Knowles
They're my favorite band ever. Jersey repping for life
Brett Mahoney
davepicklebeen and then there's Phish
Parker DeRosier
I've been listening to them my whole life. Streetlight is love, Streetlight is life.
Herman Manly
Kinda prefer the Toh Kay version, just because I love the chorus (the end bit in this) sooo much
It's genious writing and it's so fun to sing along to
costco calibrator
@Matthew Shoemaker Agree! There’s also something about this version’s ending that even though the Toh Kay version uses the chorus’ lyrics more, the way it’s done in the Streetlight version is more... wistful? Haunting? That I just really like.
costco calibrator
I love the Toh Kay version too, but the energy of the horns esp in the chorus is a part of what really keeps me coming back to this version
Matthew Shoemaker
Honestly I feel that the tempo and production of the Streetlight version expresses the desperate and frantic attempts to make sense of this fucked up existence more effectively than the Toh Kay version is able to, while the tempo change at the end serves as an important contrast which highlights the unresolved nature of what's driving him mad during the majority of the song. I think both are important parts of getting this message across.