Tally Hall consists of Rob Cantor (yellow tie, vocals & guitar), Joe Hawley (red tie, vocals & guitar), Zubin Sedghi (blue tie, vocals & bass), Andrew Horowitz (green tie, vocals & keyboards), and Ross Federman (gray tie, drums). Additionally, Casey Shea toured with the band in 2010 in place of Joe, wearing a black tie, and Bora Karaca, a close friend of the band widely considered the “sixth Tally” finally donned an orange tie and joined the band onstage for their summer 2011 tour.
The band released their debut album “Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum” in 2005 under the local Quack! Media label to great critical acclaim, before signing to Atlantic Records and re-recording the album in New York City with producer Chris Shaw for a 2008 re-release.
A multi-talented group with a passion for comedy and film as well as catchy tunes, Tally Hall created their very own Internet Show, which aired on their website in ten installments beginning in 2008. Tally Hall’s Internet Show (THIS) featured sketches, animation, parodies, music videos, and interviews, a hilariously inventive tour-de-force of off-kilter humor that has seen individual excerpts (such as “Natural Ketchup” and “Honk War”) go viral all on their own.
Tally Hall recorded their much-anticipated second album, “Good & Evil,” in fall 2009 with producer Tony Hoffer, but the release of the album was delayed multiple times due to undisclosed issues with Atlantic Records. In the meantime, the band continued to tour, playing shows with Rooney, Crash Kings, Jukebox the Ghost, and Skybox. At long last, in March 2011 it was announced that the album would be released on June 21st of that year under the band’s old Ann Arbor indie label, Quack! Media.
The band toured in support of Good & Evil during July and August 2011, but since then have been in a state of “hibernation,” as Rob Cantor has put it. No official announcement has been made regarding Tally Hall’s current status, but since 2011 many of the members have gone back to school and/or have been releasing their own solo musical projects. Andrew Horowitz has been putting out music under the name edu, and in 2012 Joe Hawley released the pseudonymous album Hawaii: Part II, produced by Bora Karaca and Ross Federman with contributions from Rob Cantor and Zubin Sedghi. In 2014, Rob released his solo album Not A Trampoline, featuring contributions from Bora, Andrew, and Ross, and he has also been producing a steady stream of popular viral videos on his YouTube channel.
Official Website
YouTube Channel
Tally Hall's Internet Show
Haiku
Tally Hall Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To write a haiku for you
Some things I just can't do
Maybe you're beyond
Ancient Asian poetry
Or maybe it's just me
To get this haiku just right
All night for you alright
I'm through!
Maybe this poem
Was lost in the sauce we spilled
That never got refilled
I've never thought much
Of formulaic verse anyway
And rhymes are not my fort–
I have been trying
To get this haiku just right
All night for you alright
I'm through!
I'm trying not to try too hard
But you're hard to write down right
So I pen these trite attempts
At haikus for you tonight
La da dee diddum
Lada da dum doo diddle
Dum doo la dee do
There that's sufficient
I wrote a haiku for you
Well I tried at least
And that's not so bad
I'm working here
Can that be said for you?
I'm trying not to try too hard
But you're hard to write down right
So I pen these trite attempts
At haikus for you tonight
Words don't work like Webster says
They trip me up all night
I'm just trying to write for you
But you're hard to write down right
The lyrics of Tally Hall's "Haiku" present the story of a person who is trying to write a haiku for someone they care about but is finding it challenging. The author explains how hard it is to write a haiku and how the poem might have been lost in the "sauce we spilled" that never got refilled. The lyrics also suggest that the person they're writing for might be beyond "ancient Asian poetry" or that maybe it's just the author who is not good at writing it. The author writes about their lack of confidence in writing poetry and how they're trying not to try too hard, but writing a haiku for this person is essential to them.
The lyrics of "Haiku" highlight the difficulty of writing poetry and how writing a haiku can be so challenging. The author explains how they tried all night to get the haiku right, but they were unable to do so. The lyrics are relatable and express the emotions one feels when they're trying to write something for someone they care about but can't seem to get it right. The use of "La da dee diddum lada da dum doo diddle dum doo la dee do" in the chorus is interesting as it breaks the pattern and introduces a playful, musical side to the poem.
Line by Line Meaning
I have been trying
I've been working hard to craft something special just for you
To write a haiku for you
I'm attempting to write a traditional form of Japanese poetry just for you
Some things I just can't do
Unfortunately, there are limits to my creativity and expression
Maybe you're beyond
Perhaps you're too advanced to appreciate this ancient art form
Ancient Asian poetry
I'm referring to the sophisticated, elegant poetry of Japan
Or maybe it's just me
It's possible that I'm the one who's not capable of writing a proper haiku
To get this haiku just right
I'm making every effort to perfect this haiku
All night for you alright
I've been doing this all night for you, just to please you
I'm through!
Finally, I've finished! I can move on from this task
Was lost in the sauce we spilled
My attempts at writing a haiku were sidetracked by a distraction, possibly drinking and spilling something
That never got refilled
We never bothered to replace the spilled liquid and continued on without it
Of formulaic verse anyway
I'm not a fan of writing poetry that follows strict rules or formulas
And rhymes are not my fort–
I'm not very good at crafting rhyming poetry
I'm trying not to try too hard
I don't want to overthink or force the writing process
But you're hard to write down right
Despite my efforts, it's difficult for me to capture your essence in words
So I pen these trite attempts
I'm writing these mediocre attempts at poetry for you
At haikus for you tonight
Specifically, I'm attempting to write several haikus just for you tonight
There that's sufficient
I've finally created a decent haiku for you
Well I tried at least
Even if my attempts at writing poetry weren't successful, I put forth effort
And that's not so bad
Trying and failing is better than not trying at all
I'm working here
I'm doing my best to create something special for you
Can that be said for you?
Do you put forth the same effort in our relationship?
Words don't work like Webster says
I'm struggling to find the right words to express how I feel
They trip me up all night
I keep stumbling and getting stuck in my attempts to write poetry
But you're hard to write down right
It's especially difficult to capture your essence in words, making poetry even more challenging
Contributed by Jordyn B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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