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.
Hickey Avenue
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We ain't trying very hard but we've got that fucking bark
We talked the talk, packed up the shit where the fuckers would be feeling it
If they could hear the epithets and the rejoinders that we spit
We talk a lot and now we're feeling fine
We talk a lot, yeah, we've got nothing but time
And baby you don't know what it's like
So let's keep rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cause we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes, it only rots away
We talk a lot but no one's listening
We've been over this before
Now it's happening again
Now we're squawking with them crows
We hang on wires and watch the city and its busy days below
We talk a lot, it's the only thing we know
It's time to ride all goddamn day and night
What have you got? I want to melt down with time
I'm scratching out my insides
So let's keep rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cause we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes, it only rots away
What are we doing here? Nothing
That's what killing me
That's what's fucking killing me
So now we're rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cause we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes and we've forgotten what this used to be like
The Lawrence Arms's song Hickey Avenue is a powerful depiction of boredom and disillusionment with life. The lyrics describe a group of friends who are simply talking a lot without really going anywhere or making an effort to change their lives. They're stuck in the same old routine, spending time in crappy cars, restaurants and bars, and engaging in witty banter that ultimately amounts to nothing. The repetition of "we talk a lot" reinforces the sense of stagnation and stasis, and the line "nothing changes, it only rots away" drives home the idea that these people are stuck in a cycle of sameness and decay.
Despite the bleakness of the lyrics, there's a sense of camaraderie and shared experience between the friends. They've got that "fucking bark," which suggests a kind of toughness or rebelliousness, and they're able to find solace and comfort in each other's company. They're also aware of their own limitations and shortcomings, as evidenced by the line, "we talk a lot but no one's listening." Ultimately, though, the song is a cri de coeur about the deep frustration and restlessness that comes with feeling trapped in a life that isn't going anywhere.
Line by Line Meaning
We talk a lot in crappy cars and restaurants and shitty bars
We frequently converse in subpar locations such as low quality vehicles, eateries, and drinking establishments.
We ain't trying very hard but we've got that fucking bark
We are not putting forth great effort, yet we possess an assertive and forceful nature.
We talked the talk, packed up the shit where the fuckers would be feeling it
If they could hear the epithets and the rejoinders that we sp
We confidently spoke our minds and prepared ourselves to face any consequences that may arise, whether it be through our scornful language or witty retorts.
We talk a lot and now we're feeling fine
We talk a lot, yeah, we've got nothing but time
And baby you don't know what it's like
We engage in prolonged conversation and currently feel content with the amount we have spoken. We have an abundance of time to continue talking, and the listener may not fully comprehend or relate to our feelings.
So let's keep rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cause we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes, it only rots away
Let's depart from this unpleasant place since we have been going through the same monotonous routine repeatedly with no variation or improvement, only causing decay.
We talk a lot but no one's listening
We've been over this before
Now it's happening again
Now we're squawking with them crows
We hang on wires and watch the city and its busy days below
We talk a lot, it's the only thing we know
We frequently talk, yet nobody pays attention or listens to what we say. We are experiencing a recurring situation where we are ignored. We compare ourselves to the noisy crows, as we watch the hustle and bustle of city life from above. Talking is the primary way we communicate with others.
It's time to ride all goddamn day and night
What have you got? I want to melt down with time
I'm scratching out my insides
We need to spend endless hours riding around aimlessly to occupy ourselves. We want to experience the passage of time and feel it intensely. Emotionally, we are struggling and feel like we need to escape.
What are we doing here? Nothing
That's what killing me
That's what's fucking killing me
We are existing here without purpose, and that lack of direction is draining us emotionally and causing us distress.
So now we're rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cause we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes and we've forgotten what this used to be like
We are leaving this dismal place since we have been continuously exposed to a parade of mundane days, and there is no variation or difference. We have forgotten what it feels like to experience anything different.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
WoeBoeT
I can't sit still listening to this, the energy is still there
The waiting certainly paid off!
Emad Zia
seriously the best song on this cd, and the best song i've heard in a long time.
Nemanja Lomić
Great song!
woovids
new favorite, buying this album tonight
badfella511
We talk a lot in crappy cars and restaurants and shitty bars
We ain't trying very hard but we've got that fucking bark
We talked the talk, packed up the shit where the fuckers would be feeling it
If they could hear the epithets and the rejoinders that we spit
We talk a lot and now we're feeling fine
We talk a lot, yeah, we've got nothing but time
And baby you don't know what it's like
So let's keep rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cuz we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes, it only rots away
We talk a lot but no one's listening
We've been over this before
Now it's happening again
Now we're squawking with them crows
We hang on wires and watch the city and its busy days below
We talk a lot, it's the only thing we know
It's time to ride all goddamn day and night
What have you got? I want to melt down with time
I'm scratching out my insides
So let's keep rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cuz we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes, it only rots away
What are we doing here? Nothing
That's what killing me
That's what's fucking killing me
So now we're rolling out of this shitty yellow light
'Cuz we've been trolling through this endless parade of identical days
Nothing changes and we've forgotten what this used to be like
Sebastian Chlebecek
I'll listen to this next time skatin' !!!! \m/
Mitchell Gonzalez
Joe Strummer sounds great in this song
decadepast decadepast
Rock.