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.
Recovering Opposable Thumbs
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are we just the mulch and kindling that accrues?
Can we recover from this?
I've seen expressions in department stores.
I've smelled regression wafting up from these shores.
This is not a celebration of slipping through some crack.
This is sloth and devastation and we're the resulting trash.
Count all your fingers tonight.
And believe what you find!
(I'm sick of making small talk in this rotting chow line.)
Can we recover?
We cover our heads and run for the gutter!
Toby Keith's horses and Toby Keith's men
Finally put us all in our place.
It's a wonderful hug when there's so much MORE to love,
When there's steaks and hearts jammed in your face.
This is the fucking slop line and we're scratching with our hooves.
How much of evolution must we finally disprove?
Count all your fingers tonight.
I can't believe what we find.
Can we recover?
We cover our heads and we run for the gutter!
Dear Mother,
I'm sorry. There was nowhere left to run.
We fought and we fought until our bullets ran out,
And they took us one by one.
Dear Mother,
I'm sorry. We had just barely begun.
This will be the last letter from your only son.
Yeah I do not believe!
Recover as one
The Lawrence Arms's song Recovering the Opposable Thumb talks about the bleak state of humanity, and questions if there is any hope left for us. The lyrics pose the question- are we just disposable waste that accrues, or can we recover from this? The expression ‘mulch and kindling’ signifies that we are disposable commodities, and the comparison of humans to trash reflects the absolute despair of the singer. The song dives into a mixture of themes, such as social justice and the environment, touching upon the impact of regression on society.
The lyrics are especially powerful when the singer says that the situation is not a celebration of slipping through some crack. He emphasizes that this situation is in fact an outcome of devastation and sloth. The line “Toby Keith's horses and Toby Keith's men” is a satirical jab at Toby Keith, an American singer known for his pro-war stance. The phrase "finally put us all in our place" reflects the singer's frustration with the political system and all the people who supported the unjust war.
The chorus emphasizes the desperation to recover, to overcome the situation, and to run for the gutter, a place where individuals might seem to be hiding from their problems. In the end, the song takes the form of a letter expressing the despair that one of the soldiers feels, apologizing to his mother for their failure to fight for what they believed in.
Line by Line Meaning
Is there any hope for us, or are the rumors true?
Are we capable of change or are we doomed by our faults?
Are we just the mulch and kindling that accrues?
Have we become nothing more than waste waiting to be destroyed?
Can we recover from this?
Is there a way for us to move past our failures and improve?
I've seen expressions in department stores.
I've witnessed the superficial nature of consumer culture.
I've smelled regression wafting up from these shores.
I've sensed the backwardness pervading our society.
This is not a celebration of slipping through some crack.
This is not a small victory over adversity, but rather a lamentation of our current state.
This is sloth and devastation and we're the resulting trash.
This is the product of our laziness and destruction, and we are responsible for it.
Count all your fingers tonight.
Take stock of what you have before it's too late.
And believe what you find!
Accept the reality of your situation.
(I'm sick of making small talk in this rotting chow line.)
(I'm tired of pretending everything is okay when it clearly is not.)
Can we recover?
Is it possible for us to turn things around?
We cover our heads and run for the gutter!
We hide from our problems instead of facing them head-on.
Toby Keith's horses and Toby Keith's men
The establishment that we thought would save us.
Finally put us all in our place.
Ultimately failed us, leaving us to fend for ourselves.
It's a wonderful hug when there's so much MORE to love,
We celebrate things that don't really matter while ignoring larger problems.
When there's steaks and hearts jammed in your face.
When we're distracted by superficial pleasures.
This is the fucking slop line and we're scratching with our hooves.
This is the disgusting reality we're living in, and we're struggling to survive.
How much of evolution must we finally disprove?
How much longer will it take for us to wake up and realize the damage we're doing?
Dear Mother,
A plea to the one who brought us into this world.
I'm sorry. There was nowhere left to run.
We've exhausted all possible means of escape.
We fought and we fought until our bullets ran out,
We tried our best but ultimately failed.
And they took us one by one.
Our enemies overtook us and destroyed us.
Dear Mother,
Once again, asking for forgiveness and sympathy.
I'm sorry. We had just barely begun.
We were not able to accomplish what we set out to do.
This will be the last letter from your only son.
Acknowledging that this may be the end of the line for us.
Yeah I do not believe!
Expressing doubt in the possibility of recovery.
Recover as one
The only way we can recover is by working together as a collective.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind