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.
Spit Shining Shit
The Lawrence Arms Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my mistakes and how I keep 'em
So close to me, so that I'll never, never forget
I can't get anywhere
Shedding tears over these bottles
Celebrating my life at the bottom
Of the barrel of a barrel so rotten
Fuck this, fuck this, I'm out, I'm out
Of bullshit to cry about
You can pass these fuck you's around
I'll be dead and gone when this shit hits the ground
Tell me why, why, why, why, why
I even tried, tried, tried tonight
I should just let it die
'Cause I'm so tired of waiting for this shit to shine
I was asleep, dreaming about palm trees
Then I woke up to lonely city streets
I heard the voices echoed in the back rooms
And I had to run around the corner to the barstools
Where I was shedding tears over these bottles
Celebrating my life at the bottom
Of the barrel of a barrel so rotten
And I've forgotten
How to light this fire
I've forgotten how to tow this wire
I've forgotten
What this was like before I started stopping
Tell me why, why, why, why, why
Do I even try, try, try tonight?
I should probably let it die
And I'm tired of waiting for this shit to shine
I am tired of waiting
I am tired of waiting
This is my life, this is my time
It's time to take it
This is my life, this is my time
This is my life, this is my time
This is my life, this is my time
Time, time, time, time, time
The Lawrence Arms's song "Spit Shining Shit" is a melancholic but powerful representation of the struggles of addiction and self-doubt. The lyrics convey a sense of helplessness and despair as the singer grapples with regret, and the guilt of not being able to overcome their addictions. The lines "I was awake, dreaming about sleeping // And my mistakes and how I keep 'em // so close to me, so that I'll never, never forget // I can't get anywhere" articulately convey the feeling of being stuck in a cycle of addiction and the despair that comes with it.
Throughout the song, we hear the singer oscillating between feeling defeated and wanting to escape the grip of their struggles. The lines "Fuck this, fuck this, I'm out, I'm out // Of bullshit to cry about // You can pass these fuck you's around // I'll be dead and gone when this shit hits the ground" reveal a defiance that is borne out of frustration and exhaustion. The singer is tired of feeling sorry for themselves and is ready to break away from the addiction that has been holding them down.
Towards the end of the song, the lyrics "This is my life, this is my time // It's time to take it" are a powerful anthem of self-empowerment. Although the singer is still struggling, the lines show a determination to take control of their life and move in a different direction. The song ends with the repeated echoes of "time," signifying that there is no time to waste if one wants to achieve change.
Overall, "Spit Shining Shit" is a poignant look at addiction and the journey towards recovery. The lyrics are deeply introspective and honest in their representation of the complexities of addiction and the difficulty of overcoming it.
Line by Line Meaning
I was awake, dreaming about sleeping
I was restless, thinking about the things I'm avoiding
And my mistakes and how I keep 'em
I can't let go of my past errors
So close to me, so that I'll never, never forget
I hold on to my mistakes as a warning for the future
I can't get anywhere
My regrets are holding me back
Shedding tears over these bottles
I'm drinking to avoid my problems
Celebrating my life at the bottom
I'm clinging to the little that I have left
Of the barrel of a barrel so rotten
I'm stuck in a cycle of despair
And I've forgotten what this like before I started stopping
I don't remember what it was like to be happy
Fuck this, fuck this, I'm out, I'm out
I've had enough, I'm done
Of bullshit to cry about
I'm tired of feeling sorry for myself
You can pass these fuck you's around
I don't care about anyone else's opinions anymore
I'll be dead and gone when this shit hits the ground
This pain will follow me even after I'm gone
Tell me why, why, why, why, why
I can't understand why I bother
I even tried, tried, tried tonight
I made an effort and it feels pointless
I should just let it die
It's time to give up
'Cause I'm so tired of waiting for this shit to shine
I'm exhausted from trying to make things better
I was asleep, dreaming about palm trees
I briefly imagined a paradise
Then I woke up to lonely city streets
Reality hit me hard
I heard the voices echoed in the back rooms
I'm reminded of the people I've lost
And I had to run around the corner to the barstools
I went to drink to forget
How to light this fire
I can't find the motivation I need
I've forgotten how to tow this wire
I'm struggling to keep everything together
Do I even try, try, try tonight?
I question whether or not to keep going
I should probably let it die
It's probably best to give up
And I'm tired of waiting for this shit to shine
I'm exhausted from trying to make things better
I am tired of waiting
I've lost the energy to hope
This is my life, this is my time
It's up to me to change my situation
It's time to take it
It's time to make a change
Time, time, time, time, time
I need to act fast
Contributed by Lillian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.