1996-2001: Hollywood Records years
In 1995 the band signed to Hollywood Records, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. 1996 saw the release of their first album, Destruction by Definition. Its blend of punk rock and ska brought the national attention in the midst of the mid-1990s punk rock mainstream revival. The single "No Face" became a minor hit on modern rock radio stations and the album was supported through extensive touring across the United States. They released a follow-up in 1998 entitled Battle Hymns, which continued their ska punk style while incorporating more aggressive elements of hardcore punk, with nearly all of its songs lasting under two minutes in length.
Following the release of Battle Hymns Grant left the band. He went on to play with numerous groups including Thoughts of Ionesco, The Vandals, face to face, and Telegraph before finding a permanent position in the Alkaline Trio. He was replaced by Erin Pitman for some touring before new permanent drummer Ryan Vandeberghe joined. In 2000 this lineup released The Suicide Machines, a more pop rock oriented effort that moved away from the ska influences of their earlier releases. They received some radio and video play for the single "Sometimes I Don't Mind" and performed on the Warped Tour that Summer. In 2001 they released Steal This Record, which continued their exploration of pop punk style while mixing in elements of their earlier ska punk and hardcore albums.
2002-2005: Side One Dummy years
Following touring in support of Steal This Record bassist Nunley left The Suicide Machines to start his own band, Blueprint 76, and was replaced by Rich Tschirhart. The band also ended their contract with Hollywood Records, fulfilling their contractual obligations by releasing the compilation album The Least Worst of the Suicide Machines. They then moved to the independent label Side One Dummy Records. Their next album A Match and Some Gasoline, released in 2003, found the band abandoning the pop experimentations of their previous two albums and returning more to the ska punk and hardcore styles of their earlier years. They also began to explore sociopolitical themes in songs such as "Did You Ever Get a Feeling of Dread?" and "Your Silence," which were critical of President George W. Bush's administration, its response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They toured internationally in support of the album and again performed on the Warped Tour.
In 2005 the band released the album War Profiteering is Killing Us All, which continued their political themes by openly attacking the Bush White House, the continuation of the Iraq War, and conservative Republicanism. Navarro also launched his own record label, Noise Riot Records, and released On the Eve of Destruction: 1991-1995, a compilation of the band's early EPs, singles, and demos.
2006: Breakup and post-Suicide Machines activity
In 2006, while touring in support of War Profiteering is Killing Us All, the band abruptly broke up. Explanations given by the band members for this included Vandeberghe's desire to take a break from touring, which he did while friend Steve McCrumb filled for a performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on May 11. A tour of Mexico had been planned to follow this, and Navarro had suggested that the band perform its final shows that Christmas. However, interpersonal tensions came to a head after the Troubadour show when Lukacinsky refused to finish the tour. Lukacinsky himself further elaborated that the band had been planning to break up for some time.
Following the band's breakup, Navarro and Vandeberghe continued working with Left in Ruin, a band they had started as a Suicide Machines side project and had worked on and off with for almost 6 years. Vandeberghe also joined the new band Hifi Handgrenades. Lukacinsky, meanwhile, started his own band Bayonetting the Wounded. Navarro is currently fronting Hellmouth. Tschirhart is in The A-Gang.
Too Many Words
The Suicide Machines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the same old things
The same things you've heard
A thousand times before
I can't listen no more
It's just the way of things
It's the way we think Buy
We gotta stand our ground
Start to give, re-assess the way we live
We're not the first and won't be the last
to spend too much time living in the past
It seems we work all day and accomplish nothing
Where to go from here,
'Cause I can't sit around and just blow off another year
It seems we're growing old, and still doing nothing
When is there too much talk, too many words
About the same old things
The same things you've heard
A thousand times before
I can't listen no more
It's just the way of things
It's the way we think
We gotta find some new ideas to express the way we feel
We gotta stand our ground
Start to give, re-assess the way we live
Don't know what's going through your mind
Got the will, but just not enough time
I'd like to think I've been a good friend to you
Got a choice to make
'Cause I can't go through life living with this hate
It seems we're growing old, still missing something
When is there too much talk, too many words
About the same old things
The same thing you've heard
A thousand times before
I can't listen no more
It's just the way of things
It's the way we think
We gotta find some new ideas to express the way we feel
We gotta stand our ground
Start to give, re-assess the way we live
The lyrics of The Suicide Machines's song "Too Many Words" express frustration and exhaustion over the constant repetition and redundancy of conversation. The singer implies that people talk about the same things over and over again without any forward motion or new ideas. They express a desire for change and evolution, for people to find new ways to communicate their feelings and for individuals to re-examine their lifestyles. The line "We're not the first and won't be the last to spend too much time living in the past" highlights the fact that this type of stagnation is not new, and people have struggled with it for a long time.
The repetition of the line "When is there too much talk, too many words" throughout the song emphasizes the frustration felt by the singer. It also implies a hopelessness in the face of constant repetition and lack of progress. The idea of "missing something" in the final verse suggests a feeling of emptiness or lack of purpose, further emphasizing the need for change and new ideas.
Line by Line Meaning
When is there too much talk, too many words
When do we reach a point where there is an excess of talking and words?
About the same old things
Discussing the same things as always
The same things you've heard
Going over topics that have already been talked about before
A thousand times before
Repeated so often it has lost its significance
I can't listen no more
I am unable to keep hearing such discussions
It's just the way of things
This is how the situation is
It's the way we think
This is how we generally perceive things
We gotta find some new ideas to express the way we feel
It is essential to come up with fresh concepts to express our emotions
We gotta stand our ground
We need to stand firm in our beliefs
Start to give, re-assess the way we live
Begin providing and examining the way we lead our lives
We're not the first and won't be the last
We aren't the only ones who have faced these challenges and won't be the last
to spend too much time living in the past
To dwell on past events long after they have passed
It seems we work all day and accomplish nothing
We labor diligently but achieve nothing noteworthy
Where to go from here,
What direction to take henceforth
'Cause I can't sit around and just blow off another year
I am no longer willing to recklessly waste another year
It seems we're growing old, and still doing nothing
We are ageing, but our situation is still stagnant
Don't know what's going through your mind
Unsure about what thoughts you are processing
Got the will, but just not enough time
Have the desire, but insufficient time to accomplish our goals
I'd like to think I've been a good friend to you
Believe that I have been a loyal companion to you
Got a choice to make
Need to make an important decision
'Cause I can't go through life living with this hate
I refuse to live my life with this negative emotion
It seems we're growing old, still missing something
Although we are getting older, something significant is still absent
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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