In 1995, Jeff Rosenstock began playing with Joe Werfelman together and started The Arrogant Sons of Bitches. By 1996, the two had spent time writing and finding members for their band. At this time they recorded The Arrogant Sons of Bitches Demo Tape on tape but never released it. At this time they also began playing shows in their friends' basements and bedrooms.
Patric Santiago and Chris Valentino joined the band and the Greatest Hits Tape (1996) was made to play the Rockfest, at a local church. They were denied and instead played a show in Jeff Rosenberg's backyard with members of Taking Back Sunday, Bomb the Music Industry!, The Matt Kurz One, and Sevenwiser.
In 1997, Chris Baltrus joined playing bass and Joe Vazquez to play drums after Patric Santiago left the band because of a conflict with other members of the band who break into his house to get amplifiers. His parents were furious and forced him to quit.
In 1998, Joe Vazquez was replaced with Bryan Cohen and ASOB records the Integrity Tape in Joe's garage. Dave Dickerman joined on trombone and Bryan Cohen left the band. They began playing places like Q-Zar, Scotty Dee's Coffee Shop, and an outdoor festival with Post-Emo Indie Rock innovators, Inside. John DeDomenici then stepped in on drums and the band began planning their first album. They payed $1000 for 12 songs.
Mike Costa replaced John DeDomenici on drums. They recorded Built to Fail which was planned to be released by Zach and Breaking the Law Records, however, due to conflicts the band decided to self release it.
In 1999, ASOB started branching out, playing shows with Channel 59, Sprout, Microwave Orphans, Who Cares, WCF, Edna's Goldfish, Catch 22, The Toasters, and Step Lively. Arty's Taxi's member, Eric Bucello who plays the trumpet, and subsequently joined the band. In August, the band recorded "Fuck You" for a Runaway Records compilation with the Jestrebzki Family. They also started work on their new full-length, Pornocracy.
By 2000, the band entered the studio and finished up in June. It featured JT from Sprout. Soon after, Chris Baltrus left the band for college and Joe Bove from Arty's Taxi joined. They played a CD release show with Racecar Breakup.
In 2001 ASOB recorded "Built to Fail Motherfucker" for a compilation and began touring that summer. Many members quit and the remnants of ASOB played a show in upstate New York on a driving range with a new band featuring members of Shabooti. Joe Rosenstock stated to his girlfriend, "If this band ever gets big, I want you to kill me." The band ended up being Coheed and Cambria.
Rosenstock began writing new material and was to open a show for Thursday, but it fell through. A new roster was drawn up that included Tim Ruggeri (Channel 59/WCF/Tall Hannds), Jon Rossman (Everyone Else), and Chris Taylor but this also fell through. Mike, Baltrus, Dave, and a few members of the High School Football Heroes and Premarital Sax play with ASOB.
In 2002, ASOB tried to re-record Built to Fail unsuccessfully. They recorded an Arrogant Sons of Bitches 7'' that was never released. They did a CD release show for All the Little Ones Are Rotting and played a battle of the bands at The Downtown winning fourth place. They landed a deal with Kill Normal Records. They also played a Halloween show and did ska covers of Taking Back Sunday songs.
A year later, in 2003, ASOB re-released their EP with videos, a live set, and much more. They opened for Bowling for Soup and Count the Stars. They toured out to the west coast, and JT from Sprout joined full time. They played outside of the Idaho Warped Tour, and the next day played inside a hip-hop tent electrically. They stayed on Warped Tour and played to 3000 people in New York. Joe Werfelman was kicked out of the band.
Three Cheers for Disappointment was finished being written and they recorded with AJ Quashee, but the recording didn't go well and was scrapped. Sean Qualls was auditioned on guitar. Joe Bove had a panic attack on stage and leaves bass, giving Sean the spot on bass.
Afterward, the band recorded some more and started working on releasing a "Complete Discography". The band later got on Streetlight Manifesto shows that feature Big D and the Kids Table.
The band finally began recording Three Cheers for Disappointment at Moontower Studios in Boston, Massachusettes with Steve Foote. After it was finished, the band booked a tour, ordered merch, talked to record labels, and replaced Sean Qualls with James Lynch on bass. The band took a break in September.
In October, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches played two last shows at Mr. Beery's - one all ages, one 18+. Shortly afterward, Jeff Rosenstock started Bomb the Music Industry!, Sean started Bashi-Bazouk, JT started his solo project, Mike Costa started his solo project and Dave registered to finally go to college.
In 2005, they finish Three Cheers for Disappointment and in 2006, the band plays three shows in the Northeast in support of it.
In 2007, they play their last show and officially break up.
In 2012, the Arrogant Sons of Bitches reunite for one last show at the Warsaw in Brooklyn, New York.
Last On My List
The Arrogant Sons of Bitches Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
i wish they took me instead, you were nothing
short of all the things i'll never be
you would never be bitter like me
you solved my problems like it was your job
i never thought that one day you'd be gone
or i'd tell you how much late night talks
bad times for everyone today
i only wish this could be your hand across the page
and i only wish this could be a song for you sing
and i only wish that it was me in the car that day
and i only wish that i said goodbye before you went away
then you could tell me how to get through these days
miniature golf cannot be played
once the seasons change and end this summer holiday
i knew the sun would shine again
i didn't know that this one was your last
the summer started off me pacing in a room
feeling comfort only seconds long
hoping passersby were you
not-so-distant memories
i cried that night cause they took you too soon
hard times for everyone today
i only wish this could be your hand across the page
and i only wish this could be a song for you sing
and i only wish that it was me in the car that day
and i only wish that i said goodbye before you went away
like everybody else
i have my own shit list, and
i want to you to know that
you were at the bottom of it
little technicalities and
indescribabilities and
i can put my finger on it
now i'm in this fucking van
5000 things i won't forget
your face
move on
again
goodbye
how i long to share eternal life with you, and (repeated)
i only wish this could be your hand across the page
and i only wish this could be a song for you sing
and i only wish that it was me in the car that day
and i only wish that i said goodbye before you went away
then you could tell me how ...
to get through these days
if we had just another day
we'd have a ball instead of pissing it all away
three cheers for all those summer days
hey hey yeah
The song "Last On My List" by The Arrogant Sons Of Bitches is an emotional piece about the loss of a close friend. The opening lines reveal the singer's desire to release their anger and frustration by breaking something. However, they quickly backtrack and express regret that their friend had to die instead of them. The singer recognizes that their friend possessed qualities that they themselves lack, particularly a lack of bitterness. They reflect on the fact that their friend was always there for them, and they regret never having expressed how much their support meant to them. The chorus of the song is a repeated wish of what the singer would have done differently if they had known their friend's death was imminent. The song ends with the singer expressing a desire to share eternal life with their friend.
Overall, the song is a poignant reflection on loss and regret. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's mourning process, from the initial shock to their eventual acceptance of their friend's absence.
Line by Line Meaning
i wish i could be mad and break something
I feel so angry and helpless, I wish I had a way to release it.
i wish they took me instead, you were nothing
I wish I could have saved you from death because my life feels less important without you.
short of all the things i'll never be
I feel like I lack everything I wanted to be, and it makes me feel worse.
you would never be bitter like me
You were always kind and happy, and it hurts me that I couldn't be the same.
you solved my problems like it was your job
You were always there to listen and help me, and I feel like I lost a part of myself when you died.
i never thought that one day you'd be gone
I never imagined that you would leave me so soon, and it hurts me to think about it.
or i'd tell you how much late night talks
I wish I could have told you how much our conversations meant to me, especially those at night.
really did mean everything to me
Those late night talks were everything to me, and I miss them terribly now that you're gone.
bad times for everyone today
Life is difficult for everyone right now, and it's hard to deal with your absence on top of everything else.
i only wish this could be your hand across the page
I wish you were here to hold my hand and comfort me as I struggle with my grief.
and i only wish this could be a song for you sing
I wish I could write a song for you to show you how much you mean to me, but I can't find the right words.
and i only wish that it was me in the car that day
I wish I could have been with you when you died, to comfort you and say goodbye.
and i only wish that i said goodbye before you went away
I wish I had the chance to say goodbye, to tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me.
then you could tell me how to get through these days
I wish you were here to give me advice, to help me cope with my grief and find a way to keep going.
miniature golf cannot be played
The world feels less joyful and less enjoyable now that you're not here to share it with me.
once the seasons change and end this summer holiday
It feels like the end of an era now that summer is over and you're not here to share it with me anymore.
i knew the sun would shine again
I know that eventually things will get better, but it's hard to believe that right now with you gone.
i didn't know that this one was your last
I didn't know that you would leave me so soon, and it's hard to accept that I'll never see you again.
the summer started off me pacing in a room
I spent the summer trapped in my own grief, unable to move past the pain of losing you.
feeling comfort only seconds long
Even when I find a moment of peace, it's fleeting and quickly replaced by the pain of your absence.
hoping passersby were you
Sometimes I see someone who looks like you, and for a moment I think you're still alive and with me.
not-so-distant memories
Memories of you are always with me, and they feel both close and very far away at the same time.
i cried that night cause they took you too soon
I cried myself to sleep that night because I couldn't believe they took you away from me so soon.
hard times for everyone today
It feels like everything is falling apart, and I don't know how to hold on without you here with me.
like everybody else
Even though we're all grieving, it feels like I'm alone in my pain, and it's hard to bear.
i have my own shit list, and
I have my own issues and problems to deal with, and it's hard to add your loss to the list.
i want to you to know that
I want you to know how much you meant to me, and how much your loss hurts me.
you were at the bottom of it
It's hard to admit, but I was angry at you for leaving me, and it felt easier to blame you than to accept your loss.
little technicalities and
There are so many small details and things I miss about you, and they feel overwhelming in their absence.
indescribabilities and
There are also larger things I'm struggling to describe, feelings and emotions that are hard to put into words.
i can put my finger on it
Despite how difficult it is to articulate my grief, I can feel it deep within me, like a physical sensation.
now i'm in this fucking van
I'm on the road, but it feels like I'm going nowhere, and the emptiness inside me is suffocating.
5000 things i won't forget
There are so many memories of you that I'll always cherish, and I don't want to ever forget them.
your face
I miss your smile, your laugh, and the way your face used to light up when we were together.
move on
I know I have to find a way to move forward, but it's hard to imagine a life without you in it.
again
I keep reliving the moment you left, and it's like experiencing the pain of your loss over and over again.
goodbye
I never got a chance to say goodbye, and it's something that will always haunt me.
how i long to share eternal life with you, and (repeated)
I wish we could have had more time together, and it feels like the time we had was too short.
if we had just another day
If we had more time together, even just a little bit, it would mean everything to me.
we'd have a ball instead of pissing it all away
We would have had so much fun, and it hurts to think about all the things we'll never get to do together now that you're gone.
three cheers for all those summer days
I'm grateful for the memories we made together, and I'll always cherish those summer days we spent together.
hey hey yeah
Even though you're gone, I'm still here, and I'm going to keep living and keep remembering you.
Contributed by Lila H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.