A performance by The Milk Carton Kids is a quiet and intricate affair. The duo have enjoyed intently listening audiences across the country and abroad in their respective solo careers, but an even greater sense of urgency and demand of attention is palpable now that they've come together as The Milk Carton Kids. Their songs are written together, but you won't know there is more than one author. Their history together spans only one short year, but you won't know that either. They stand close together when they play, facing each other and using microphones instead of plugging their guitars in. And if they looked more alike, they'd fool you that they were brothers.
Their songs disguise the youth of the members of the band. Befittingly, so do the old guitars they play and old clothing they wear. But to be sure, The Milk Carton Kids have something new to present: harmonies & minimalist instrumentation which are a clear reference to times passed, but with an eye intently on the future; a perspective on coming-of-age in the eye of a present-day storm; and the chronicling of an American struggle for simplicity, at least musically. To present it they use two guitars and two voices, they labor over the arrangements, they record themselves live, and they release their music on their own label, and for free.
As solo artists they have 10 releases between them. As a band their career is off to an auspicious start. Starting from a highly regarded position among their peers, they've opened for the art-piano-pop critical darling Vienna Teng, Grammy nominated friend and fan Sara Bareilles, and now will take to the entire U.S. and Canada this summer supporting one of the consummate songwriters of their generation, Joe Purdy. Despite the decision to stick to acoustic guitars in their own show, both Ryan and Pattengale are multi-instrumentalists and will also comprise Purdy's backing band, joining him on bass, pedal steel guitar, piano, and harmonies.
Their first collaborative release, RETROSPECT, is a live album due out March 15th, 2011, that represents the culmination of the past year of live performance. A collection of songs from each of their solo careers, written separately but reinterpreted and performed as the duo now called The Milk Carton Kids, RETROSPECT will be released under the name "Kenneth Pattengale & Joey Ryan".
The first official release of The Milk Carton Kids, entitled PROLOGUE, comprised of original songs written by the duo for this project. It was released in 2011 on their own Milk Carton Records.
Milk Carton Kid
The Milk Carton Kids Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing's familiar when I walk through my door
So I thank the heavens or who's ever in charge
This don't feel like home anymore
I don't feel the pain I once did
One day it just vanished like a milk carton kid
or your rooftop set free in a the hurricane wind
Home was just a broken heart
A driveway to park a car
A memory of a dream long since in discard
So you won't be surprised
'Bout the joy in my heart
This don't feel like home anymore
I no longer feel such a shame
Since the day she stood beside me at a football game
And I knew that I loved her before I knew her name
I no longer feel such a shame
Home was just a broken heart
A driveway to park a car
A memory of a dream long since in discard
So you won't be surprised
At the joy in my heart
That this don't feel like home anymore
This ain't no time for regret
To witness without mercy but neither to forget
If we keep looking backwards, it'll break our necks
This ain't no time for regret
This ain't no time for regret
The Milk Carton Kids’ “Milk Carton Kid” is a poignant reflection on the journey of love and heartbreak. The song’s first verse observes the feeling of alienation and displacement that can come from returning home after a significant change has occurred. The singer notes that “nothing’s familiar” when they walk through their door anymore, acknowledging the sense of loss and change that can come with major life transitions. The singer then thanks “the heavens or who’s ever in charge” for this shift, suggesting a sense of acceptance and understanding that the changes of life are often beyond our control.
The second verse shifts to a focus on the singer’s own personal growth and healing. The metaphor of the milk carton kid – a child whose image is printed on a missing person’s poster – is used to illustrate the sudden disappearance of pain that the singer has experienced. Like a child who’s missing person’s poster is suddenly taken down because they’ve been found, the singer’s pain disappeared without warning or explanation. The joy in the singer’s heart – at both the disappearance of pain and the growth of love – is contrasted with the sense of brokenness that once characterized the idea of “home” for them.
The chorus returns with the refrain that “this don’t feel like home anymore,” a statement that can now be understood in the context of both displacement after changes and the singer’s personal growth. The final verse reinforces the idea that it is important to move forward without regret, rather than getting stuck in the past. Looking backwards too much can “break our necks”, suggesting that the singer has learned the importance of staying present and focused on the opportunities in front of them.
Line by Line Meaning
This don't feel like home anymore
The feeling of being home has faded away and everything seems unfamiliar.
Nothing's familiar when I walk through my door
Things that were once familiar have now become strange and unknown.
So I thank the heavens or who's ever in charge
Grateful for whoever is responsible for the changes that have occurred and for getting rid of old experiences.
I don't feel the pain I once did
Feeling relief from the pain that was once felt.
One day it just vanished like a milk carton kid or your rooftop set free in a the hurricane wind
The pain was sudden and completely disappeared just like a missing child on a milk carton or a rooftop during a hurricane.
Home was just a broken heart, a driveway to park a car, a memory of a dream long since in discard
The concept of home was just a place where a broken heart was left to rest, a place to park a car, and memories of a dream long forgotten or discarded.
So you won't be surprised 'Bout the joy in my heart
Feeling excited and happy about the newfound freedom and changes.
I no longer feel such a shame
Not feeling guilty or ashamed anymore.
Since the day she stood beside me at a football game
Since the day when the love of his life stood beside him at a football game, he realized he loved her even before he knew her name.
This ain't no time for regret
It's not the time to dwell on the past and be consumed by regret.
To witness without mercy but neither to forget
To experience and observe things without showing mercy but not forgetting what has happened.
If we keep looking backwards, it'll break our necks
If we keep dwelling on the past, it will harm us and prevent us from moving forward.
This ain't no time for regret
Once again stating that it's not the time for regret and reflecting on the past.
Contributed by Peyton E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@almahmudtaha7641
This don't feel like home anymore
Nothing's familiar when I walk through my door
So I thank the heavens or who's ever in charge
This don't feel like home anymore
I don't feel the pain I once did
One day just finished like a milk carton kid
All your rooftops set free in a the hurricane wind
I don't feel the pain I once did
I no longer feel such a shame
Since the day she stood beside me at a football game
And I knew that I loved her before I knew her name
I no longer feel such a shame
This ain't no time for regret
To witness without mercy but neither to forget
If we keep looking backwards, it'll break our necks
This ain't no time for regret
This ain't no time for regret
@gray1897
Thank you
@kenmusicman7061
This is unbelievably beautiful.
@ray-of-august
This is so aesthetic in undescribable way!!!!
@remyleedrums
to this day i cannot thank you both from what you have saved me from.
@lamlalatoyabam9028
Beautiful ❤❤❤
@dustanhalliday8600
Amazing!
@robertosolito1276
Dedicato a Putin...