Toad the Wet Sprocket was formed in 1986 at San Marcos High School just outside of Santa Barbara, California, when singer-songwriter Glen Phillips was just a 14-year-old freshman, and the other members were 17-year-old juniors. The band drew its name from the Eric Idle monologue "Rock Notes" on Monty Python's Contractual Obligation Album from 1980. Their first public appearance was at an open-microphone talent contest in September 1986 (which they lost).
Toad the Wet Sprocket's first album came out in 1989. Named Bread and Circus, it was their first effort for Columbia Records, who had signed them out of high school. The album spawned the singles "Way Away" and "One Little Girl," which made the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, but did not receive much attention.
The follow-up, Pale, was released in 1990 and saw their sound mature. Featuring the singles "Jam" and the Modern Rock Chart hit "Come Back Down," the album was still not a massive success.
The band finally achieved fame with their third album, Fear (released in 1991), which became the band's first RIAA certified platinum album. Also, the singles "All I Want" and "Walk on the Ocean" reached the top twenty on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1994, after years of heavy touring, the band released their follow-up to Fear, Dulcinea. This album spawned the hit singles "Fall Down", which reached #1 on the US Modern Rock charts as well as #5 on the Mainstream Rock chart, as well as "Something's Always Wrong", which also charted. This album was also certified platinum by the RIAA.
A compilation album of b-sides and rarities, In Light Syrup, was released in 1995; it included the single "Good Intentions", which was featured on the soundtrack for the television show Friends. Largely due to the strength of the single, this compilation was certified as a gold album in 2001.
The release of Coil in 1997 acted much like a follow up to 1994's Dulcinea. Featuring a more electric, rock sound, it contained the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock hit "Come Down", as well as the radio hit "Crazy Life" (which did not chart). The album, despite the success of "Come Down" as a single, failed to reach any sales benchmarks.
Toad the Wet Sprocket formally broke up in July 1998, citing creative differences. Since breaking up, the band performed together in 2002 at a Rape Crisis Center benefit and opened up for Counting Crows. In 2006 they began touring the United States as a band in small-venue, short-run tours each summer.
In 2009, bassist Dean Dinning said Toad the Wet Sprocket was now something each member considered an active project, and though they had not released a new studio album since 1997 and only did small summer tours, they no longer considered themselves "broken up". In May 2010, the band gathered at a California studio to begin re-recording some of their older hits for licensing reasons. Columbia Records owns the masters to the band's albums. Therefore, the band makes little money from them, so to be able to make a living off their own talent again, they made these re-recordings with the goal of having them used in film and TV.
On December 7, 2010, Toad the Wet Sprocket released their first new studio track in 11 years. The holiday track "It Doesn't Feel Like Christmas", a cover of a Sam Phillips original, was posted on their official site, available via Bandcamp, for free download just in time for the holidays, along with a new message on their site: "We're that band that did 'Walk on the Ocean', 'All I Want', 'Something's Always Wrong', and "Fall Down'. The one with the weird name. We're back from a long slumber and look forward to saying hello some time. Keep in touch…" The band had recently signed a deal with Primary Wave to handle their back catalog and any future releases, and on December 11, 2010, the band mentioned, both on stage and in an offstage YouTube interview, that they are currently writing songs for their first new studio album since 1997's Coil. In addition, they began playing two new songs, "Friendly Fire" and "The Moment", which were being worked on for the new album.
On April 12, 2011, Toad the Wet Sprocket released a new greatest hits album titled All You Want in digital and disc form via their official website. The 11-track CD includes brand new studio versions of their hits. The band does not have access to some of the versions they did for Columbia Records in the '90s. However, they did regain full control of the songs from their first two albums, and they planned to re-release them in remastered form on their own label, Abe's Records, following the release of their upcoming studio album.
On March 22, 2013, it was announced via Toad the Wet Sprocket's Facebook page that recording of the new album had been completed. The album was produced and mixed by Mikal Blue at Revolver Studios in Thousand Oaks, California. On June 5, 2013, the band announced the first new single in 16 years on Rolling Stone's website titled "New Constellation". An album of the same name was released on the band's own Abe's Records on October 15, 2013. The band marketed the new album via the crowdsourcing website Kickstarter. The band initially set a fundraising goal of $50,000, expecting it to take about two months to raise that amount. Instead, fans contributed more than $50,000 in less than 20 hours. When the Kickstarter campaign finally came to a close, they had raised a total of $264,762.
In 2014, Toad the Wet Sprocket resumed touring and opened a number of shows for Counting Crows. They showcased some of the new material from New Constellation, the Kickstarter-funded album, including "California Wasted" and the album's title track while playing a number of their earlier hits. During summer 2015, the band went on tour with fellow '90s acts Smash Mouth and Tonic. The band released an EP called Architect of the Ruin on June 16, 2015.
In 2018, Toad the Wet Sprocket announced that they had reissued their albums fear and Dulcinea on a deluxe remastered vinyl LP available through their online store. The same year, they also released a limited deluxe 5-LP box set of colored vinyl for their albums fear, Dulcinea and Acoustic Dance Party.
In a January 2020 interview with ChicagoNow, Glen Phillips stated that "Toad has started recording again." In addition, he confirmed the band's first official lineup change, and that drummer Guss had left the band on good terms. Previous occasional touring member Josh Daubin replaced Guss.
On September 25, 2020, they released a new song entitled “Starting Now”, followed by another new song "Old Habits Die Hard" on October 23rd, from their upcoming album, set to be released in 2021.
There's another band with the same name:
2. Toad The Wet Sprocket was an NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) band active from the mid-70s to 1982. They released two singles, "Pete's Punk Song" and "Reaching the Sky", before their breakup. Their song, "Blues in A", was included on Metal for Muthas compilation (1980).
Come Down
Toad The Wet Sprocket Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was lucky to live, don't need to win
Forgave myself and if that's a sin
It's not enough you'd even know it
You did right to call my bluff
'Cause I won't say when I've had enough
And I worked so hard to need this stuff
And you tried so long to just ignore it
Won't you come down where I am
Words are hidden, understand
I won't repeat myself again
I will not repeat myself again
It's another promise D.O.A.
And despite my every hope there is no truth
Behind my best intentioned oath
Won't you come down where I am
Words are hidden, understand
Won't you come down
Been away to long, I know I have
Won't you come down, help me stand
There is healing in your hands
Won't you come down where I am
Words all leave me
Been away too long
I know I've been away too long
I know I have
The song "Come Down" by Toad The Wet Sprocket is a powerful reflection on personal struggles and the need for connection and understanding. The opening lines "Open up and let me in, I was lucky to live, don't need to win, forgave myself and if that's a sin, it's not enough you'd even know it" speak to the singer's desire for self-acceptance and the need to be understood by the person they are addressing. The following lines "You did right to call my bluff, 'cause I won't say when I've had enough, and I worked so hard to need this stuff, and you tried so long to just ignore it" suggest a conflict between the desire to be understood and the singer's inability to express themselves honestly.
The chorus "Won't you come down where I am, words are hidden, understand" emphasizes the need for the other person to come closer and truly listen to what the singer is trying to communicate. The repetition of "I won't repeat myself again, I will not repeat myself again" hints at frustration and the sense that the singer's words are falling on deaf ears. The lines "And despite my every hope there is no truth, behind my best intentioned oath" add complexity to the singer's struggle, suggesting a tension between what they want to say and what they believe to be true.
Overall, "Come Down" is a poignant exploration of isolation, inner turmoil, and the power of human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Open up and let me in
Please be open to me and allow me into your life
I was lucky to live, don't need to win
I consider myself fortunate to be alive, so I don't feel the need to always win
Forgave myself and if that's a sin
I've learned to forgive myself, but if that's a mistake, then so be it
It's not enough you'd even know it
I've tried my best, but it doesn't seem like it's been enough for you to notice
You did right to call my bluff
You were correct to challenge me, because I tend to hide when I'm struggling
'Cause I won't say when I've had enough
I have a hard time admitting when I'm overwhelmed or need help
And I worked so hard to need this stuff
I've put in a lot of effort and time to achieve what I have, so it's important to me
And you tried so long to just ignore it
You've been attempting to overlook my struggles for a while
Won't you come down where I am
Can you please come to where I currently am, physically and emotionally?
Words are hidden, understand
I have trouble expressing myself, but I hope you can still comprehend me
I won't repeat myself again
I won't say the same things repeatedly - this is my attempt to be clear
I will not repeat myself again
I'm being serious that I won't repeat myself or play games anymore
It's another promise D.O.A.
I've made false promises before and I hope this one doesn't end up being another failure
And despite my every hope there is no truth
Despite my best wishes, my situation doesn't seem to be getting better or more truthful
Behind my best intentioned oath
Even though I made a promise with good intentions, I understand it may not be enough
Been away too long
I've been gone or distant for too long
Won't you come down, help me stand
Please assist me and support me - I feel like I'm falling and can't stand on my own
There is healing in your hands
I truly believe you can help heal me and make me whole again
Words all leave me
I have trouble finding the right words to say, especially in this situation
I know I've been away too long
I'm aware that I've been gone or absent for too long and I'm sorry for that
I know I have
I'm acknowledging that I've made mistakes and I'm willing to work on them
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TODD B. NICHOLS, GLEN RICHARD PHILLIPS, DEAN V. DINNING, RANDEL S. GUSS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
D.R.
True story about meeting this amazing group.
It was when this album was released, and they were touring. I saw them in Denver, CO with a friend. We were right up front.
They began playing and by the third song my left ear was ringing with pain. The lead singer stopped, walked to the backstage, came back to the frontstage and bent down to hand me something. Everyone thought it was a guitar pick. It wasn't. It was ear plugs. A simple, kind gesture. ❤
After the show, my friend who worked at 92.5 radio in Denver got us back stage passes.
I bought a shirt, etc. We went back and said, "Hi" and introduced ourselves. Then, the lead singer (I apologize I forgot his name atm) said to me, "Sometimes there's just a tune that gets to me, too. I saw you standing there plugging your ear with your hand/finger." He then autographed my shirt and drew little ear plugs! I still own the shirt and won't wear or wash it.
They were all so amazing and down to earth guys. 🙌
edit: word
23D1998
Open up and let me in
I was lucky to live, don't need to win
Forgave myself and if that's a sin
It's not enough you'd even know it
You did right to call my bluff
'Cause I won't say when I've had enough
And I worked so hard to need this stuff
And you tried so long to just ignore it
Won't you come down where I am
Words are hidden, understand
I won't repeat myself again
I will not repeat myself again
It's another promise D.O.A.
And despite my every hope there is no truth
Behind my best intentioned oath
Won't you come down where I am
Words are hidden, understand
Won't you come down
Been away to long, I know I have
Won't you come down, help me stand
There is healing in your hands
Won't you come down where I am
Words all leave me
Been away too long
I know I've been away too long
I know I have
Jason Callahan
Almost 25 years old. Still one of the best songs I've ever heard.
CPW1109
I haven’t listened to this in forever. I remember I was like 12 when this came out. I’ve missed this song.
ROBERT NIX Alternative Rock/Pop Artist
I agree Jason,I liked it when it came out and I like it even more today.
LucidsheL Music Production Company
Also, one of the best ALBUMS ever written… and I totally agree, this song is absolute perfection.
Whatz Poppin
I agree!!!
Kathrin Evans
Hard agree!!!!!!!
Critter
TOAD is one of those rare bands that have SO many really good songs!
Amungees
Critter literally all of their songs are jams! This one is the best, but that’s my opinion
Maluki Ngulo
Wierd thing is, I only knew them for "Something's always wrong" but didn't know so many songs playing on the radio when I was a kid were by them. Lol.
Front Row & Backstage on Substack
If I had the talent to have just written "All I Want," I could die happy!