Members of the Lawrence Arms have also played in The Broadways, Slapstick, Tricky Dick and Baxter.
The three musicians came together to form the Lawrence Arms in 1999. Although punk rock bands in their infancy generally start out by releasing EPs and 7" vinyl singles, the band members used their existing relationship with Asian Man Records to immediately begin recording a full-length album, a guided tour of chicago, which was released later that year. A second album, ghost stories, followed in 2000. Both albums focused heavily on the members' own stories of growing up and living in Chicago.
The band's next two releases were split EPs with other bands. The first, a split with Shady View Terrace, was released in 2000 and was their first release to be recorded by Matt Allison, who would continue to record and produce all of their subsequent releases. A second EP, Present Day Memories, was released in 2001 and was a split with The Chinkees.
The band's records and touring schedule had brought them to the attention of Fat Mike of NOFX, who signed them to his label Fat Wreck Chords in late 2001. Their first release on the label was a 7" vinyl single, part of the label's "Fat Club" series of 7" records. This was followed by the full-length album apathy and exhaustion, released in 2002. The album spawned the band's first music video, for the song porno and snuff films and they toured extensively with NOFX and other bands from the label.
Their next album was 2003's the greatest story ever told. Arguably their most ambitious album to date, it demonstrated the band members' continued growth as musicians and songwriters and included extensive footnotes to the lyrics detailing their many references to history, literature and pop culture. It also showed an evolution in the band's vocal style. Kelly had sung most of the vocals on their first album, while on subsequent releases he and McCaughan had split vocal duties almost equally from one song to the next, with Kelly's voice tending to sound more harsh and urgent while McCaughan's sounds more relaxed and melodic. With this release, however, the two began to move towards more of a duet style of singing which would feature prominently on their next album. Extensive touring following the album's release saw the band on the road for much of 2003 and 2004. They also contributed a song to the Fat Wreck Chords Rock Against Bush, Volume 2 compilation, leading up to the 2004 presidential election and became involved with the Punk Voter campaign.
In December of 2004 Kelly and Hennessy joined with fellow Chicago natives Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio (who had played with Kelly in Slapstick) and Todd Mohney, formerly of Rise Against, to form The Falcon, and released an EP on Red Scare. Meanwhile, with interest in the Lawrence Arms increasing and their EPs out of print, Asian Man Records planned a CD release of the band's EP tracks. The resulting compilation album, Cocktails & Dreams, was released on Asian Man in June of 2005 and included their songs from both EPs along with nearly all of their compilation tracks, rare songs and b-sides.
The Lawrence Arms re-entered the studio in October and November of 2005 and recorded the album oh! calcutta!, which was released on Fat Wreck Chords in March of 2006. It had an overall faster and more urgent feel to it than their previous album, and demonstrated another step in the development of their singing as Kelly and McCaughan shared vocals in a duet style on nearly every song. They filmed a music video for the song the devil's takin' names.
The Lawrence Arms spent most of 2006 touring extensively alongside bands such as NOFX, Alkaline Trio, The Draft, Lagwagon, and A Wilhelm Scream. The full-length debut by the Falcon was released that fall on Red Scare. In December, the Lawrence Arms embarked on their first headlining tour of Australia, also playing supporting shows with Frenzal Rhomb.
In March of 2007, guitarist Chris McCaughan released the debut album from his acoustic side project Sundowner, entitled four one five two.
The band toured again in 2007, with their side projects The Falcon and Sundowner as openers along with the recently reunited American Steel.
The 2010s saw minimal studio activity by the band, but for one album. 2014's Metropole was received well, and marked the band's first full-length in eight years. The band took another extended break in between albums again, taking six years before releasing their seventh album Skeleton Coast in 2020.
Brickwall Views
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Lawrence Arms's song "Brickwall Views" is about feeling lost, disconnected, and disillusioned with the world around you. The lyrics encourage the listener to be cautious with their actions, to not hurt others or let themselves get hurt too much in return. The lines "don't break too many hearts. don't take too many arrows in the chest" serve as a reminder to be mindful of others and yourself. The song acknowledges the difficulty of expressing oneself and offers a sense of shared experience - we all have moments when we feel at an utter loss for words.
The chorus, repeated twice throughout the song, speaks to the static nature of life in the face of personal change. The city stays the same, the days flood into months, and the nights stare into centuries. The lyrics "brickwall views demand uninspired afternoons" suggest a sense of being stuck, both physically and emotionally. The imagery of "empty rooms" without pictures to talk to reinforces the isolation and disconnection the song describes. Ultimately, the song is about searching for connection and meaning in a world that seems increasingly indifferent.
Line by Line Meaning
don't break too many hearts.
Be careful not to hurt too many people emotionally.
don't take too many arrows in the chest.
Try not to get hurt too much in life.
cry comfortably, let us all know what you're thinking.
Be honest about your feelings and share them with the people around you.
is there a gesture i could use to clearly express i'm at an utter loss for words?
Is there a way to show that I'm struggling to express myself?
is there a part of you that's torn? that's larger than life? that'll hold on for one more night?
Is there a part of you that is struggling but still holding on?
i've got a speech to make. followed by a big parade.
I have something important to say, and then everyone will celebrate.
northside. closed eyes. all charades go on forever.
The neighborhood is familiar, but people pretend and hide their true selves indefinitely.
hands tied with fools pride. in a slowly fleeing summer.
My ego is holding me back as time passes by.
just throw your hands up at the sky. no use trying to explain this.
Sometimes it's better to surrender and accept things as they are, rather than trying to rationalize them.
the clouds are mirrors. i'm disguised. i'm not all that entertaining.
The sky reflects my true self, and it's not impressive or exciting.
the city looks the same until you notice smaller changes. it still knows us all by name. it holds us close to its heart (now repeat)
The city may seem stagnant, but it's always changing in small ways. It still remembers and cares about its citizens.
all my hopes are unaligned. this diagnosis is self-designed.
My aspirations don't match my reality, and I'm the one who caused this mess.
empty rooms don't have pictures to talk to. brickwall views demand uninspired afternoons.
Solitude is lonely, and a boring surroundings can be mentally draining.
the days are flooding into months. the nights are staring into centuries.
Time feels endless and monotonous.
i've got some older pictures of people i see once every couple years. intrigued or unamazed. "you were so much different back in those days." and now this smile has a bitter curve. now these eyes are unenchanted.
I have memories of people I don't see often, and they've changed. Despite that, I try to smile, but it's forced and bitter.
and all we see is a faded image of what we used to be. how can we relate when we don't know a thing about each other anymore?
We're just a shell of our past selves, and we struggle to connect because we're not the same people anymore.
is there a gesture i could use to clearly express i'm at an utter loss for words.
I'm still struggling to express myself and communicate my thoughts.
Contributed by Dominic M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Nancy
Don't break too many hearts
Don't take too many arrows in the chest
Cry comfortably, let us all know what you're thinking
Is there a gesture I could use
To clearly express I'm at an utter loss for words?
Is there a part of you that's torn, that's larger than life?
That'll hold on for one more night
I've got a speech to make
Followed by a big parade
Northside, closed eyes
All charades go on forever
Hands tied with fool's pride
In a slowly fading summer
Throw your hands up at the sky
No use trying to explain this
The clouds are mirrors, I'm disguised
I'm not all that entertaining
The city looks the same
Until you notice smaller changes
It still knows us all by name
It holds us close to its heart
It holds us close to its heart
All my hopes are unaligned
This diagnosis is self-designed
Northside, dead eyes
All charades go on forever
Hands tied with past lives
In a slowly fading summer
Empty rooms don't have pictures to talk to
Brick wall views demand uninspired afternoons
The days are flooding into months
The nights are staring into centuries
I've got some older pictures
Of people I see once every couple years
Intrigued or unamazed
"You were so much different back in those days"
Now this smile has a bitter curve
And now these eyes are unenchanted
And all they see is a faded image of what we used to be
How can we relate?
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
Is there a gesture I could use to clearly express
I'm at an utter loss for words?
omgnotaflake
Brilliant, such an underrated band.
Ybor Steve Esquire III
I was a lucky guy when I discovered this albu, back in 2004-2005. What a great time in my life, I can't be thankful enough for all the amazing music and equally amazing shows I got to see in those days. Truly historic.
cheeseontoast14
I REALLY like this song, great rhythm more than anything!
Palace
Larry your arms still have the same impact like they did all those years ago.....my favorite chi town punk band of all time!
michael mangerson
Cory Vedin this^
LilKim2772
I haven't been able to quit listening to this song for almost 3 days. I love it so much.
kerplunk801
I love this song
Nancy
Don't break too many hearts
Don't take too many arrows in the chest
Cry comfortably, let us all know what you're thinking
Is there a gesture I could use
To clearly express I'm at an utter loss for words?
Is there a part of you that's torn, that's larger than life?
That'll hold on for one more night
I've got a speech to make
Followed by a big parade
Northside, closed eyes
All charades go on forever
Hands tied with fool's pride
In a slowly fading summer
Throw your hands up at the sky
No use trying to explain this
The clouds are mirrors, I'm disguised
I'm not all that entertaining
The city looks the same
Until you notice smaller changes
It still knows us all by name
It holds us close to its heart
It holds us close to its heart
All my hopes are unaligned
This diagnosis is self-designed
Northside, dead eyes
All charades go on forever
Hands tied with past lives
In a slowly fading summer
Empty rooms don't have pictures to talk to
Brick wall views demand uninspired afternoons
The days are flooding into months
The nights are staring into centuries
I've got some older pictures
Of people I see once every couple years
Intrigued or unamazed
"You were so much different back in those days"
Now this smile has a bitter curve
And now these eyes are unenchanted
And all they see is a faded image of what we used to be
How can we relate?
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
When we don't know a thing about each other anymore
Is there a gesture I could use to clearly express
I'm at an utter loss for words?
Rick Connolly
Don't wait too long to catch up with the lads you grew up with. Even if it was an ugly split. They may be just the mates you need when you are older...
phil75121
the second base cover of this song it just mind blowing XD