The Casket Lottery are an indie-rock/midwest emo band from Kansas City, USA… Read Full Bio ↴The Casket Lottery are an indie-rock/midwest emo band from Kansas City, USA. Coalesce's Nathan Ellis (guitar/vocals) and Stacy Hilt (bass) founded the Casket Lottery in the year 1997 and composed a sound around crashing emo-tailored lyrics and heavy guitar work. They picked up drummer Nathan Richardson just in time for tours with Rainer Maria, Small Brown Bike, Sweep the Leg Johnny, and Waxwing. Several EPs and homemade releases were issued prior to the band's proper debut, Choose Bronze, on Second Nature Recordings in 1999. A year later, Moving Mountains was released, showcasing the Casket Lottery's growing sound. A third record, Survival Is for Cowards, coincided with a Coalesce reunion in spring 2002. A year later, the band collected a handful of oddities and rarities for Possiblies and Maybes, beginning a long hiatus.

The reactivated band released a new EP, a new split with hardcore band Touché Amoré in October 2012, and a new album entitled Real Fear on the No Sleep label in November 2012.

Thousand Oaks
The Casket Lottery Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Somewhere between here and then...oh my God, I'm gone. see me leaving. chasing the sea. the sea breeze pulls me across Kansas. the coast tonight feels like home to me. I should stay all my life. all I need is salt and pepper sands and a handful of my best friends.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Casket Lottery's song "Thousand Oaks" describe a feeling of restlessness and a desire to escape to a place that feels like home. The singer is caught between two places, represented by "here and then," and feels a sense of disconnect from their current surroundings. The mention of leaving and chasing the sea implies a longing for adventure and new experiences, while the idea of salt and pepper sands and best friends evokes a longing for simplicity and familiarity.

The line "the coast tonight feels like home to me" is particularly poignant, as the singer seems to have found a sense of belonging in this new, unknown place. It's possible that the song is about the search for identity and a sense of place in the world, as the singer grapples with conflicting desires and emotions. The repetition of the line "oh my God, I'm gone" implies a sense of both excitement and fear about what the future holds.

Line by Line Meaning

Somewhere between here and then...
In a state of confusion and uncertainty, caught between what was and what will be...

oh my God, I'm gone.
Overwhelmed by the suddenness of leaving, unable to process the emotions...

see me leaving.
Drawing attention to the act of departing, acknowledging the impact it is having on those left behind...

chasing the sea.
Fueled by a desire for exploration and adventure, following the call of the ocean...

the sea breeze pulls me across Kansas.
The natural world guides and motivates the journey, carrying the artist from one place to the next...

the coast tonight feels like home to me.
Despite being far from where he started, the singer finds comfort and familiarity in the new surroundings...

I should stay all my life.
The thought of settling down and making this new place a permanent home is tempting and alluring...

all I need is salt and pepper sands and a handful of my best friends.
The artist's idea of a fulfilling life is simple and grounded in the relationships he values most...

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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