Kasher has a very close relationship with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. They grew up in Nebraska together, went to the same Catholic high school, Creighton Prep. It is rumored that Tim taught Oberst to play guitar. In the Bright Eyes song, "Nothing Gets Crossed Out" Oberst sings, "yeah Tim I heard your album and it's better than good. When you get off tour I think we should hang and black out together." (referring to the album Black Out by The Good Life, released in 2002 on Saddle Creek Records.) Furthermore, Oberst later sang backup on the song "Staying Alive," from Cursive's 2003 effort The Ugly Organ.
Kasher temporarily disbanded Cursive after the departure of guitarist Steve Pedersen (who left to pursue a law degree at Duke University. He now leads the Saddle Creek band Criteria). He married and moved to Portland, Oregon. According to interviews, Kasher went through a bitter divorce in 2000, which led to the regrouping of Cursive, as well as providing the inspiration for The Good Life album Black Out, and Cursive's Domestica.
The Good Life was originally planned to be a solo project. Kasher wanted to experiment with different types of lyrics and melodies. He released Novena on a Nocturn on Better Looking Records. He then recruited Ryan Fox, Roger Lewis and Stephanie Drootin into the band and released Black Out, Lovers Need Lawyers EP and Album of the Year.
Kasher created a another record with Cursive which was released in August 2006, entitled Happy Hollow. In 2009, Cursive released their latest effort, 'Mama, I'm Swollen'. The Good Life, despite a near breakup in late 2005, returned to the studio to release the album, 'Help Wanted Nights' in September 2007.
Under his own name, Tim Kasher recorded a song called "Stranger Than Strangers" which was released on a compilation CD called "My Favorite Songwriters." He released the solo album 'The Game of Monogamy' in 2010, and a follow-up disc of songs from that session called 'Bigamy', in 2011.
No Fireworks
Tim Kasher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a child, I became disillusioned.
We used to roll around like bear cubs.
Now, all we wrestle is with indifference
'til we both give in-did we both give in?
I thought love was supposed to spill from our hearts.
I can't feel it.
No lump in my throat, no butterflies
Fluttering around-I can't feel it.
I can't feel anything at all.
We spend the weekends on the couch.
Sure, we'd go out, but we're trying to save money.
We said we'd never grow complacent;
Oh, but it came on so easily.
I thought love was going to tear us apart.
I can't feel it.
No powder keg, no electrical charge,
No goosebumped skin, no hairs standing
Up on my arm-I can't feel it.
I can't feel anything at all.
We went back to the bar where we first met
And recreated the events from the booth to the bed.
And I couldn't feel anything at all.
I can't feel it.
No fireworks, no twinkling stars,
I can't feel it.
No, I could't feel anything at all
I can't feel it,
no butterflies fluttering around
I can't feel it.
No, I can't feel anything at all.
In Tim Kasher's song "No Fireworks," the singer expresses his disillusionment and disappointment with his current state of love or lack thereof. He compares their relationship to being like bear cubs, carefree and playful, but now all they do is wrestle with indifference until they both give in. He thought love was supposed to be overflowing from their hearts and make them feel alive, but instead, he feels nothing. No fireworks, no twinkling stars, no lump in his throat, or butterflies fluttering around. It's a feeling of numbness, and he can't seem to shake it off.
The song progresses, and the singer reminisces about how they used to go out and have fun. He recalls how they promised never to take each other for granted, but complacency crept in unnoticed, and they stopped trying. The chorus amplifies the feeling of numbness the singer is experiencing. He can't even feel the excitement of recreating the events that led to their first night together. The song ends with the singer admitting that he can't feel anything at all.
The lyrics to "No Fireworks" resonate with anyone who has ever been in a relationship that has lost its spark. It's a common struggle that most couples experience, and the song captures the feeling of disappointment and resignation perfectly. The song's melody is slow and mournful, adding depth to the profound sense of loss that the lyrics convey. Overall, "No Fireworks" is a poignant reminder that love takes work, and it's easy to lose sight of what's essential in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
When we were new I was like a child;
Back when our relationship was in its infancy, I was quite naive like a child.
Like a child, I became disillusioned.
Just like a child, I became disappointed with the grim reality of our relationship.
We used to roll around like bear cubs.
We used to be playful like bear cubs, but it's not the case anymore.
Now, all we wrestle is with indifference
The only thing we fight now is the mediocrity of our relationship.
'til we both give in-did we both give in?
We both succumbed to the indifferent state of our relationship, but did we really surrender?
I thought love was supposed to spill from our hearts.
I believed that love was supposed to be passionate and overflowing from our hearts.
I can't feel it.
However, I can't feel that passionate love anymore.
No fireworks, no twinkling stars,
There are no more sparks or extravagant displays of affection between us like the fireworks and twinkling stars.
No lump in my throat, no butterflies
There are no more butterflies in my stomach or lumps in my throat when I see my partner.
Fluttering around-I can't feel it.
The excitement I used to feel when I was around my partner has vanished, and I don't feel it anymore.
I can't feel anything at all.
I don't experience any form of love or desire anymore.
We spend the weekends on the couch.
We spend our weekends doing nothing much but lounging around on the couch.
Sure, we'd go out, but we're trying to save money.
Although we try to be spontaneous and go out, we restrict ourselves to save money.
We said we'd never grow complacent;
We agreed that we would never let each other become apathetic in the relationship.
Oh, but it came on so easily.
However, it is much simpler to fall into a state of complacency than we anticipated.
I thought love was going to tear us apart.
At one point, I believed that our passionate love would tear us apart.
No powder keg, no electrical charge,
Contrary to our passionate love from the past, there are no intense moments or sparks between us anymore.
No goosebumps skin, no hairs standing
There are no more physical reactions such as goosebumps or hair standing on end when we are together.
Up on my arm-I can't feel it.
The intense feelings I used to experience when I was with my partner have disappeared, and I don't feel them anymore.
We went back to the bar where we first met
To try and rekindle our lost passion, we decided to revisit the place where we first met.
And recreated the events from the booth to the bed.
We tried to reignite the spark between us by replaying the events that led us to our relationship, even going to bed together, but it was unsuccessful.
And I couldn't feel anything at all.
Despite trying to reignite our lost passion, I still didn't feel anything at all.
No fireworks, no twinkling stars,
The attempts to rekindle our lost passion were unsuccessful, just like the fireworks and twinkling stars that we used to share.
I can't feel it.
Despite trying to arouse each other's emotions, there was still no passion left to feel.
No, I could't feel anything at all
There were no feelings of love, lust, or passion remaining between us.
I can't feel it,
Despite trying everything, I still can't feel the spark anymore.
no butterflies fluttering around
There is no more exciting feeling in my stomach when I'm around my partner anymore.
I can't feel it.
I have lost all feelings of love and passion for my partner.
No, I can't feel anything at all.
The intense feelings of love and passion that I once shared with my partner are now buried deep and gone forever.
Contributed by Camilla G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ben Sandrock
tim kasher made the soundtrack to my teenage years and now he is writing the stuff that sums up my adult life....sad but true.
Becca MacDonald
Ben Sandrock can't agree more
Andrew Monroe
I just saw him perform this live two days ago and it was amazing, the recording really doesn't do it justice.
Christian Garibay
Met tim at schubas in Chicago..a very humble man to say the least.. cheers Tim thanks for a great show and a signed playlist
Bianca Valdez
Saw this live at the Mercury Lounge in NY. Amazing. He's super sweet in person.
AgentSmith92011
I listened to the first 25 seconds and was getting ready to comment that him singing it live with just guitar was better.. but then 0:33 changed my mind. I love them both now. This is beautiful music. Bad Bad dreams introduced me to Tim Kasher.
babieslostintime
This isn't much my thing, but it's pretty damn good.
cottonmouthsournote
@LaShnike dude, i saw this live along with pretty much the rest of the album and it was amazing.
Frances Dickerson
I love this song either way, but it's about 20 times better live.
Adrian Hernandez
+Frances Padilla yes