The Get Up Kids were viewed throughout their existence as a prototypical emo band, having been major players in the Midwest emo movement of the mid-1990s.[4] However, like many early emo bands, The Get Up Kids sought to dissociate themselves with the term, as it was considered dismissive to be seen as an "emo band."Years later, guitarist Jim Suptic even apologized for having the influence they did on many of the modern third-wave emo bands, commenting that "the punk scene we came out of and the punk scene now are completely different. It’s like glam rock now . . . If this is the world we helped create, then I apologize.”
Influential Kansas City five piece, The Get Up Kids, return in January 2011 with a new studio album,There Are Rules – the band’s fifth full-length collection, and the first on their own Quality Hill Records imprint.
Seven years after what looked to be their final album Guilt Show, with the group disbanding a year later in 2005 after 10 years of constant touring, The Get Up Kids returned to the studio in 2009, sparked by a spur-of-the-moment decision to start writing songs together again, made while they were rehearsing to promote the tenth anniversary edition of their breakout album ‘Something to Write Home About’.
The first fruits of these new recordings was ‘Simple Science’, released in April 2010 - an EP that burst, unannounced, into the Billboard Top 200. But that was just a taste – a precursor to the full-length album, which Alternative Press magazine, upon hearing a whisper of its existence, placed on their “most anticipated…” list.
The band re-convened at their Black Lodge studio in Eudora, KS at various times in 2010 to complete the recordings, and so ‘There Are Rules’ came to be - twelve new songs that will prove to be both surprising, and familiar. The result is a collection of songs that are fresh and inspired, created by a band that has been given new life and isn’t looking back. In some fashion, the new tracks mark a return to the early days of The Get Up Kids, when they formed fifteen years ago above a drum store in downtown Kansas City. The recording involved lots of analog 2” tape – live takes and a feel for the unexpected. Long time producer Ed Rose was once again seated behind the mixing desk, and the band even turned to Chicago luminary Bob Weston, who recorded their debut, Four Minute Mile, to master the album. “This record came together really organically. We'd throw out an idea and if it didn't work after 30 minutes we'd scrap it and move on to another one. We all wrote together really spontaneously and then fleshed it out with Ed in the studio," says Matt Pryor.
At the same time, ‘There Are Rules’ marks a new chapter for The Get Up Kids, as they return to their independent roots, forming their own label – Quality Hill Records – and reigniting the DIY spirit that originally launched the band onto the worldwide stage. Says Pryor, “"We had a really great relationship with Vagrant but we felt that with the proverbial rebirth of the band we wanted to start our own label. Do everything ourselves like we did in the beginning." And as to naming the imprint? "Quality Hill is a historic neighborhood in Kansas City. It's not far from where we first formed the band. It seems like an appropriate name for the label." And of course, echoing their formative years, there is a 7” single involved. That 45 would be ‘Automatic’ – a limited edition release due in January 2011.
And so, after touring across four continents to sold out crowds too many times to count, after becoming a crucial part of what has been called the “second wave of emo” in the 90’s along with bands like Braid and The Promise Ring and influencing a list of bands as long as your arm, after 15 years, 4 acclaimed studio albums, a collection of rarities, a live record, numerous 7"s and EPs the Kansas City five piece – Matthew Pryor on vocals and guitar, Rob Pope on bass, Jim Suptic on guitars and vocals, James Dewees on keyboards and Ryan Pope on drums - are excited to unveil ‘There Are Rules’ in 2011, proving that the final chapter for The Get Up Kids has yet to be written.
Close to Me
The Get Up Kids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've made myself so sick,
I wish I'd stayed
Asleep today,
Thought this day would never end
Never thought tonight could ever be
So close to me
Just try to make it work,
I feel the fear
Before you're here,
Make the shapes come much too close,
Pull my eyes out,
Hold my breath and wait,
'Til I shake
But if I had your faith,
I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure,
That your hand on the door was a dream
I've waited hours for this,
I made myself so sick
I wished I'd stayed
Asleep today
Never thought this day would end,
Never thought tonight could ever be
So close to me,
But if I had your faith,
I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure,
That your hand on the door was a dream
The Get Up Kids' song "Close To Me" is a beautiful yet melancholic song that explores the singer's feelings of anxiety and fear towards intimacy. The song begins with the singer expressing their struggle with the wait for a moment of intimacy, which has made them feel sick. The singer wishes they hadn't woken up on this day and that they could stay asleep instead. The idea of time feels interminable, and the singer wants the day to end. However, the idea of the night brings a sense of comfort to the singer; the night feels like it could be close to them.
The song's lyrics then suggest that the singer struggles with reconciling their fear of intimacy with the desire for it. They ask the person they are addressing to try and see in the dark, to work towards making the relationship work. However, the singer feels deeply anxious when the other person is present, and their fear is so intense that pulling their eyes out and holding their breath feels like the only way to cope. The singer longs for the other person's faith in the relationship, which would make them feel safe and allow them to create a clean relationship. The song, at its core, is about the singer's struggle to embrace intimacy, their fear of it, and their yearning for it, all at the same time.
Line by Line Meaning
I've waited hours for this,
I've been anxious and impatient for this moment.
I've made myself so sick,
I've been worrying so much that it's taken a toll on my mental health.
I wish I'd stayed
I regret being awake and not sleeping through the day.
Asleep today,
I wish I could have slept through the entire day.
Thought this day would never end
It feels like this day never ends and I've been waiting for it to be over.
Never thought tonight could ever be
Tonight seemed so far away, and now it's here.
So close to me
It's a surreal feeling that something I've been waiting for is finally here.
Just try to see in the dark,
I'm trying to navigate through my fears and uncertainties.
Just try to make it work,
I'm trying to make things right despite the difficulties.
I feel the fear
I'm feeling scared.
Before you're here,
Before you arrive.
Make the shapes come much too close,
I'm feeling uneasy as things seem to be getting too overwhelming.
Pull my eyes out,
I'm trying to keep my eyes peeled despite the fear.
Hold my breath and wait,
I'm keeping quiet and patiently waiting.
'Til I shake
I'm anxious and scared until I'm physically shaking.
But if I had your faith,
If I had your trust and belief in me.
I could make it safe and clean
I could make everything okay and free from harm.
If only I was sure,
If I had the assurance I needed.
That your hand on the door was a dream
If only I could be assured that everything I'm going through is just a dream and not real.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
John Doe
"Close To Me"
I've waited hours for this
I've made myself so sick
I wish I'd stayed asleep today
I never thought that this day would end
I never thought tonight could ever be
This close to me
Just try to see in the dark
Just try to make it work
feel the fear before you're here
I make the shapes come much too close
I pull my eyes out
Hold my breath
And wait until I shake
But if I had your faith
Then I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure
That my head on the door was a dream
I've waited hours for this
I've made myself so sick
I wish I'd stayed asleep today
I never thought that this day would end
I never thought tonight could ever be
This close to me
But if I had your face
I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure
That my head on the door
Was a dream
*Originally recorded by "The Cure." I prefer this rendition.
Axael Lopez
've waited hours for this
I've made myself so sick
I wish I'd stayed asleep today
I never thought that this day would end
I never thought that tonight could ever be
This close to me
Just try to see in the dark
Just try to make it work
To feel the fear before you're here
I make the shapes come much too close
I pull my eyes out
Hold my breath
And wait until I shake
But if I had your faith
Then I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure
That my head on the door was a dream
I've waited hours for this
I've made myself so sick
I wish I'd stayed asleep today
I never thought that this day would end
I never thought that tonight could ever be
This close to me
But if I had your face
I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure
That my hand in the door
Was a dream
Lee Spence
One of the best cover songs EVER!!!!! I was soooooo young when this cover came out. Still great 20 years later
Lee Spence
@Have a nice Dai it came out on a CD hopelessly devoted to you. It was a bunch of bands covering love songs. I think I bought it for 3 dollars.
Have a nice Dai
We had it awesome if we’re close in age like I imagine we are (I wanna guesstimate +- 7yrs... I was pretty young when this came out. Early high school, I think, maybe late middle school. I may have been 12-14... I can’t find the actual year they did this cover. Google says 2009, but they use the date it was first published on YouTube I think... it most certainly came out before 2009). Kids these days don’t know the kinds of shows (“concerts”) they missed.
Have a nice Dai
Wow it’s actually been 20 years?? Holy crap I’m old. Everything hurts, everything they say is true about what happens after 30... and worsens with every year 😂😩😭
brandant2012
this song reminds me of of a girl I once knew many years ago, a young lady at the time, she loved this song and shared with me beautiful music and this one was the top of her list. This song sings about not having the strength, well aparently I did not when I was only 13. Now I'm almost 29... boy you sure change in life.. strength comes with time!!!!!!!
louisaruth
This song is a time machine to high school! It's off the album Eudora, which I figure is named after this tiny town outside of Lawrence not far from Kansas City. I'm so happy to be living in the Get Up Kids' neighborhood after I listened to them so much back in the day.
Cmonkey1980
Man, Ryan's drums are just insane on this song.
Petr Gamester
I love The Cure and their original version. But I also love Get Up Kids and I think they made pretty great cover.
Sir Megallot
I was 15 when something to write home about came out... although I don't listen to them often they hold a special place in my heart.
Melissa Rose
the only band i would trust to cover a cure song and pull it off purfect!!!