Initially a tongue in cheek "fake jazz" combo, drawing on punk rock and no wave as much as jazz, The Lounge Lizards have since become respected for their creative and distinctive sound.
Former members include Evan Lurie, Marc Ribot, Steven Bernstein, Tony Scherr, Oren Bloedow, Arto Lindsay, John Medeski, Erik Sanko, Anton Fier and Jane Scarpantoni.
Where Were You
The Lounge Lizards Lyrics
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Somebody's bound to not show up on time; it′s just gonna happen.
Well, first of all they're musicians,
And they think they know they're supposed to come late.
D′you know you′re paying for a rehearsal and you got like two hours
Where everybody can make it and they gotta
Come on time or you're not gonna get anything done.
And you gotta...
S′like Dougie, man, he's always late.
Y′know, we thought about tyin' a rope to him and
Reelin′ him in whenever we needed him but, ah...
Ay, someone said that would be inhumane to do somethin' like that.
And then EJ, he's got a whole ′nother story y′know it's like um...
EJ, y′know we're waitin′ for him to come to rehearsal an' he comes
For the last five minutes y′know - or
Usually if he's just, if he's not gonna...
If he′s gonna be late he′s not gonna come at all y'know.
You call him on the phone after rehearsal, s′like "where were you"?
He says "um, ah you know,
Was just gettin' high an′ I just didn't feel like comin′".
An' how can you get mad after somebody says somethin' like that?
You just gotta go for it y′know.
So I run into this friend of mine on the way to rehearsal, right.
An′ this guy says "um, how you doin?" An' I like this guy,
An′ I says "why'd you step on my?
" An′ I say "yeah but I got rehearsal".
He says "man, you know,
You were just gettin' kinda like too
Uptight; too responsible, you know, like ".
An′ so I take offence to this an' so I say "
OK ass, I'm sorry if I′ve been a drag" you know?
So I go over to his house right and there′s a party goin' on;
There′s a band playin' in the other
Room and they sound kind of incredible.
An′ I run into this girl Felicia,
Y'know I haven′t seen in a long time - and I like this girl a lot
Y'know, an' she′s bein′ friendly to me
In a way she hasn't been before you know.
She was "awww nawwwh".
So this party′s happenin', everybody′s havin' a good time.
An′ I'm thinkin' that they′re pumpin′
Oxygen into the room or somethin' like that.
I look into one of them closets and its like filled with daffodils (?)
The guy in that room was beginning to smoke y′know.
An' I′m feelin' guilty about not makin′ it to rehersal by .
Man this sounds good y'know.
So listening to these guys play y'know it′s like geez...
Wonder who they are - must be people I know y′know.
So I was thinkin' about goin′ into the
Other room and sayin' "no I′m not gonna go".
An' this guy starts playin′ the trombone.
S'like god that sounds like Curtis;
I know it can't be Curtis ′cause Curtis is at rehearsal.
So I go check out;
See who it is - I gotta see who
These guys are - challengin′ my territory.
So I stick my head around the corner - I look into
The room and whadda ya know about that, look who it is.
It's the boys - it′s the boys and they're playin′!
Aaaay boys!
Yeah!
Oi!
Oiii!
So I start tellin' the guy next to me:
That′s my man up there - that's my man!
Look at that!
An' then one of ′em looks down and sees me.
And they just stop.
An′ they're lookin′ out at me.
An' I realise that not of of ′em has made it to rehearsal.
An' I′m here at this party feelin' guilty 'bout nothin′.
An′ they're up there playin′ y'know.
Well forget it - I mean who needs this?
I don′t need this. fire me or whatever, it doesn't matter.
You know what I mean?
See ya later.
The Lounge Lizards's song "Where Were You" is a spoken-word piece that tells the story of the band's frustrations with musicians who are consistently late or absent from rehearsals. The singer is exasperated with the lack of punctuality of some of the band members, and wonders how he can get them all together to rehearse effectively. The song is a humorous exploration of the difficulties of managing a large band, and the frustrations that accompany the creative process.
The lyrics are full of comical anecdotes about different band members, such as Dougie, who is always late, and EJ, who only turns up to rehearsals for the last five minutes. The singer despairs at their lack of commitment, but can't help but be impressed by the other musicians he encounters along the way. He ends up at a party where another band is playing, and is amazed by their talent. As he watches them, he realizes that none of his own band members have made it to rehearsal, and he feels guilty for being so hard on them.
The song captures the feeling of frustration that many creative people experience when they are trying to bring a project to fruition. It's a light-hearted look at the difficulties of working with other musicians, and the sometimes comical hijinks that come with trying to get everyone in the same room at the same time.
Line by Line Meaning
You know if you run a band that′s got eight guys in it,
It's a common occurrence for someone to not show up on time in a band with eight members.
Somebody's bound to not show up on time; it′s just gonna happen.
It's inevitable that someone will be late.
Well, first of all they're musicians,
Musicians tend to have a reputation for being late.
And they think they know they're supposed to come late.
There is an expectation in the music industry regarding tardiness.
D′you know you′re paying for a rehearsal and you got like two hours
The band is paying for rehearsal time and they have a limited amount of time to get work done.
Where everybody can make it and they gotta
This is the best time for everyone to be present and they should be on time.
Come on time or you're not gonna get anything done.
The band won't accomplish anything if everyone is not present and on time.
And you gotta...
It's crucial to be productive during this time.
Rehearse, you got new material, you know you got - whatever.
The band needs to rehearse and work on new material during this time.
S′like Dougie, man, he's always late.
Dougie is known for being consistently late.
Y′know, we thought about tyin' a rope to him and
The band has considered using force to ensure Dougie's timely arrival.
Reelin′ him in whenever we needed him but, ah...
Pulling Dougie in with a rope is not a feasible solution.
Ay, someone said that would be inhumane to do somethin' like that.
The band has considered using inhumane methods to get everyone on time.
And then EJ, he's got a whole ′nother story y′know it's like um...
EJ has a different issue that affects his punctuality.
EJ, y′know we're waitin′ for him to come to rehearsal an' he comes
The band is waiting for EJ to arrive at rehearsal.
For the last five minutes y′know - or
EJ shows up very late or just in time for the very end of rehearsal.
Usually if he's just, if he's not gonna...
EJ may not show up at all and there is no warning.
If he′s gonna be late he′s not gonna come at all y'know.
If EJ knows he'll be late, he may not come at all.
You call him on the phone after rehearsal, s′like "where were you"?
The band members often have to ask EJ why he was late or didn't show up to rehearsal.
He says "um, ah you know, Was just gettin' high an′ I just didn't feel like comin′".
EJ's excuse for being late is often that he was smoking and didn't feel motivated to come to rehearsal.
An' how can you get mad after somebody says somethin' like that?
It's difficult to be angry with someone who provides such a flimsy excuse.
You just gotta go for it y′know.
The band members have to improvise and make the most out of the time they have together.
So I run into this friend of mine on the way to rehearsal, right.
The singer meets a friend on their way to rehearsal.
An′ this guy says "um, how you doin?" An' I like this guy,
The artist has a positive opinion of the person they meet.
An′ I says "why'd you step on my?
The singer asks the person why they stepped on them.
"An′ I say "yeah but I got rehearsal"."
The singer explains that they are on their way to rehearsal.
He says "man, you know,You were just gettin' kinda like too Uptight; too responsible, you know, like ".
The person the singer meets believes they are too uptight and responsible.
An′ so I take offence to this an' so I say "OK ass, I'm sorry if I′ve been a drag" you know?
The artist gets upset and responds sarcastically.
So I go over to his house right and there′s a party goin' on;
The artist decides to attend a party instead of rehearsing.
There′s a band playin' in the other Room and they sound kind of incredible.
There is a band playing at the party and they are very talented.
An′ I run into this girl Felicia,
The singer meets a girl named Felicia at the party.
Y'know I haven′t seen in a long time - and I like this girl a lot Y'know, an' she′s bein′ friendly to me In a way she hasn't been before you know.
The artist reconnects with Felicia and feels a connection to her.
She was "awww nawwwh".
Felicia is affectionate towards the artist.
So this party′s happenin', everybody′s havin' a good time.
The party is lively and fun for everyone.
An′ I'm thinkin' that they′re pumpin′ Oxygen into the room or somethin' like that.
The singer wonders if there is something affecting the environment at the party.
I look into one of them closets and its like filled with daffodils (?) The guy in that room was beginning to smoke y′know.
The artist discovers a room filled with smoke and flowers.
An' I′m feelin' guilty about not makin′ it to rehersal by . Man this sounds good y'know.
The singer feels guilty about skipping rehearsal but enjoys the party and music.
So listening to these guys play y'know it′s like geez... Wonder who they are - must be people I know y′know.
The singer is impressed by the band and wonders if they are acquaintances.
So I was thinkin' about goin′ into the Other room and sayin' "no I′m not gonna go".
The singer considers leaving the party and not going to rehearsal at all.
An' this guy starts playin′ the trombone.
One of the band members at the party begins playing the trombone.
S'like god that sounds like Curtis; I know it can't be Curtis ′cause Curtis is at rehearsal.
The artist thinks the trombone player is someone named Curtis who is supposed to be at rehearsal.
So I go check out; See who it is - I gotta see who These guys are - challengin′ my territory.
The singer goes to investigate the band playing at the party and feels threatened by their talent.
So I stick my head around the corner - I look into The room and whadda ya know about that, look who it is.
The singer sees that the band playing at the party is actually their own band.
It's the boys - it′s the boys and they're playin′!
The artist is excited to see that their band is playing at the party.
Aaaay boys! Yeah! Oi! Oiii!
The artist cheers on their band members.
So I start tellin' the guy next to me: That′s my man up there - that's my man! Look at that!
The artist points out their band members and takes pride in their talent.
An' then one of ′em looks down and sees me. And they just stop. An′ they're lookin′ out at me.
One of the band members sees the singer and the band stops playing to stare at them.
An' I realise that not of of ′em has made it to rehearsal.
It dawns on the artist that none of their band members made it to rehearsal.
An′ I′m here at this party feelin' guilty 'bout nothin′.
The singer feels guilty about skipping rehearsal even though their band members are also absent.
An′ they're up there playin′ y'know. Well forget it - I mean who needs this? I don′t need this. fire me or whatever, it doesn't matter. You know what I mean? See ya later.
The singer becomes frustrated with the situation and considers quitting the band.
Writer(s): ERIK SANKO, JOHN LURIE
Contributed by Wyatt D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.