The Gaslight Anthem’s music embraces many elements of blues, classic rock, and punk rock. The band has described their sound as “Bruce Springsteen singing for a Cure cover band, with a tinge more aggression.” The group’s fondness for Springsteen, a significant influence on their music, is celebrated by fans and critics alike. Representative of such views, one critic wrote, “The Gaslight Anthem are like something out of speculative fiction: this is what pop music would be if Springsteen hadn’t listened to his producer, let the Ramones record ‘Hungry Heart,’ and launched the C.B.G.B.’ers into megastardom.”
The band released its first LP, Sink or Swim, in 2007 through XOXO Records, and toured with many reputable bands, including Against Me!, The Draft, Dead to Me, and Fake Problems.
The Gaslight Anthem’s second release, a 4-song EP entitled Señor and the Queen, was released on January 29th, 2008 by Sabot Productions.
Their second full-length, The ‘59 Sound, was released on August 19, 2008 on Side One Dummy Records. The album debuted at #70 on the Billboard top 200. It was produced by Ted Hutt, who has produced albums for The Bouncing Souls, Flogging Molly, and MxPx.
On August 6, 2008 they became the first band to ever appear on the cover of Kerrang! magazine without the publication having previously written a single word about them.
In Fall 2008, the band toured with Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, and Thrice.
On December 9, 2008, the Gaslight Anthem made their television debut on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, performing the song the “The ‘59 Sound.” On January 30, 2009, they appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman, again playing “The ‘59 Sound.”
Their third full-length, American Slang, was released on June 15, 2010, on Side One Dummy Records. The Bring It On Songfacts reports that it finds the band moving away from the fictional lyrics and '50s-inspired sound of their previous records.
In 2010 they appeared on the main stage at the Reading and Leeds festivals in the UK along with Arcade Fire, The Libertines and Modest Mouse.
Their fourth full-length, Handwritten was released on July 23, 2012 in the UK, and on July 24 in the US. The lead single, "45", was aired for the first time worldwide as Zane Lowe's Hottest Record in the World on April 30, 2012 on BBC Radio 1 and was released on iTunes on May 8, 2012. Handwritten was called by The Rolling Stone their "biggest sounding, most straightforward album"
State of love and trust
The Gaslight Anthem Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I busted down the pretext
Sin still plays and preaches
But to half an empty court, oh
And the signs are passing
Grip the wheel, can't read them
Sacrifice receiving the smell
That's on my hands, hands, yeah
And I listen for the voice inside my head
Nothing. I'll do this one myself
Lay her down as priest does
should the Lord be a counting?
Will be in my honor, make it pain, painfully quick, oh
Promises are whispered in the age of darkness
Want to be enlightened like
I want to be told the end, end, yeah
And the barrel shakes aimed, oh, directly at my head
Help me, help me from myself
And I listen, for the voices inside my head
Nothing, I'll do this one myself
Uh huh, huh, oh
Myself, myself
Hey, na, na, na, na, hey, that's something
Hey, na, na, na, na, hey, that's something
Hey, na, na, na, na, hey, that's something
Want to back, back it away, hey, hey, yeah
And I listen
Nothing, I'll do this one myself
Oh, and the barrel waits, trigger shakes
Aimed at my fucking head off
Won't you help me, help me from myself
State of love and trust, and a
State of love and trust, and a
State of love and trust, and a
State of love and, yeah
The Gaslight Anthem's song "State of Love and Trust" is a raw and powerful track that explores the complex themes of sacrifice, sin, and self-reflection. The lyrics conjure up vivid images of a person in turmoil as they struggle with their inner demons and come to terms with their own mortality. The opening line, "As I busted down the pretext," suggests that the singer is breaking free from some kind of facade or falsehood and confronting the truth head-on. However, despite this sense of liberation, the song remains steeped in darkness and uncertainty, with lines such as "the signs are passing/grip the wheel, can't read them" hinting at a lack of control and direction in the face of life's challenges.
Throughout the song, there are allusions to religion and faith, particularly in the line "should the Lord be a counting?/will be in my honor, make it pain, painfully quick." Here, the singer seems to be grappling with the idea of judgment and punishment, and is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve some kind of absolution or enlightenment. The final section of the song, with its repeated refrain of "State of love and trust," suggests a kind of spiritual resolution or acceptance, but it's unclear whether this is a positive or negative outcome.
Line by Line Meaning
State of love and trust
A state where one is trusting and loving.
As I busted down the pretext
As I broke down the false claims.
Sin still plays and preaches
Evil is still present and influencing people's belief systems.
But to half an empty court, oh
But only to a few people who are not interested or in attendance.
And the signs are passing
And the signals are going unnoticed or unclear.
Grip the wheel, can't read them
Grab onto the steering wheel, but unable to decipher the signals around me.
Sacrifice receiving the smell
Giving up something in exchange for the consequences or repercussions.
That's on my hands, hands, yeah
The responsibility and guilt of the consequences is solely mine.
And I listen for the voice inside my head
I listen to my own conscience and intuition within me.
Nothing. I'll do this one myself
There is no guidance, I have to rely on myself for this one.
Lay her down as priest does
I am laying down my own beliefs and morals, like a priest would do in a ceremony.
should the Lord be a counting?
If there is a God, is He keeping score of our mistakes and sins?
Will be in my honor, make it pain, painfully quick, oh
If there is a God, He will punish me quickly and severely for my mistakes, as a way to honor me.
Promises are whispered in the age of darkness
People make promises even in times of uncertainty and fear.
Want to be enlightened like
I want to be aware and have knowledge of the truth.
I want to be told the end, end, yeah
I want to know what will happen in the future, how things will turn out.
And the barrel shakes aimed, oh, directly at my head
And a gun is being aimed directly at me, causing me fear and apprehension.
Help me, help me from myself
Assist me, save me from my own thoughts and fears.
Myself, myself
It's just me, alone with my own thoughts and fears.
Hey, na, na, na, na, hey, that's something
Hey, that's interesting, that's unique.
Want to back, back it away, hey, hey, yeah
I want to take a step back and retreat, I need a break from all this.
Oh, and the barrel waits, trigger shakes
Oh, and the gun is still aimed at me, the trigger ready to be pulled.
Aimed at my fucking head off
Aimed at my head, could kill me in an instant.
State of love and trust, and a
A state of trust and love continues.
State of love and trust, and a
A state of trust and love continues.
State of love and trust, and a
A state of trust and love continues.
State of love and, yeah
A state of love continues.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Eddie Jerome Vedder, Jeffrey Allen Ament, Mike Mccready
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Regular Guy
They need more guitarists.
Dan Lebron
And..more cowbell.
Dan Lebron
That tele is beautiful.wonder how much?
Dan Lebron
ROFL.
AcrylicGoblin
They need more cowbell!!!
luis
kkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
Juan Francisco Farré Abelenda
Man, you need balls, big balls, to cover this songs, and this cover is pretty sicks.
Richard Keyser
Gaslight has big balks brother
The Rock'n'Roll Millennial
That was brilliant. The singer seems to have taken the MTV Unplugged version to heart. Some of the vocal mannerisms in his performance, I can recognize as mimicking (that's a very negative word, but I mean it positively) Vedder's delivery.
Ben Chambers
brilliant cover of one of the greatest songs of all time.