Toh Kay is a solo project by Streetlight Manifesto, Bandits of the Acoutsic Revolution and former Catch 22 front man, Tomas Kalnoky. The project started with acoustic shows by Kalnoky, redoing streetlight/catch/BOTAR/Gimp songs. It was announced that Toh Kays first album (You By Me Vol.1) was to be released in November as a split with singer-song writer Dan Potthast. You By Me Vol.1 was released Novmber 15th, with 5 Toh Kay tracks (which are all covers of Potthast songs).
Toh Kay released his first full length "Streetlight Lullabies" through Pentimento Music Co. on November 22nd, 2011. Released along with the CD was an LP version and a 7" single of the song, "We Will Fall Together" on the A side and "Hooray For Me" (a Bad Religion cover) on the B side. The album can be purchased through The Risc Store - www.RiscStore.com
Hokum All Ye Faithful
Toh Kay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
About the prophet with the perfect soul?
The heavenly bastard with his own slasher flick--
The greatest fairytale ever told
Weekly he receives
A kneeling ovation from a sleepy nation
They're swallowing the old routine, the holy saltine,
And backwash from the cup of salvation
They're saying we all sprung from some invisible man
And when he finished up, he took a little rest
And he's been resting ever since I guess...
Tell me, have you heard the one
About the young man who died for your sins?
You think he would've learned his lesson
Not to mess with us,
And yet they say he's gonna come again
He might've hit a ripe old age
If a disciple had not failed him
Broken, betrayed and lost, he lay alone on the cross
While the easter bunny pounded the nails in...
Tell me, have you heard the one
About the healer who could resurrect?
They say that when he rose from the dead
He had a flattened head,
Black boots and two bolts in his neck
Hokum all ye faithful,
That's the whole fable as I was told it
Honestly I'm half-way jealous of the gullible zealots
Who believe this unbelievable bullshit...
Toh Kay's Hokum All Ye Faithful is a satirical take on religion, questioning its stories and teachings. The song starts by questioning the existence of a "prophet with the perfect soul", who is nothing but a fairytale character, glorified by a nation that blindly follows the old routine and traditions, without questioning its validity. The next verse talks about the story of creation, where a creator created humans out of thin air, and then took rest. Toh Kay further ridicules the story by saying that the creator has been resting ever since, which questions the validity of an uninvolved creator who created humans just to rest.
In the next verse, Toh kay talks about the story of Jesus dying for the sins of humanity. He remarks that the story should have taught Jesus not to mess with humans, and yet, the story suggests that he will come again. The sarcasm in this line calls out the loopholes in religious stories, rendering them unbelievable. Toh Kay then goes on to mock the story of a healer who resurrects, by describing him as having "a flattened head, black boots, and two bolts in his neck".
The chorus of the song, "Hokum all ye faithful", is a satirical twist on "O come all ye faithful", a popular Christmas carol that calls on people to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Toh Kay's version calls on people to celebrate the stories and fables that are nothing but hoaxes and unreal, pointing out the irony of people blindly following religion without questioning its beliefs.
Overall, Hokum All Ye Faithful is a satirical and provocative take on religion, questioning its stories and teachings, and raising an important point about blindly following beliefs.
Line by Line Meaning
Tell me, have you heard the one
Asking if the listener has heard a fantastical story
About the prophet with the perfect soul?
Asking if the listener has heard of a religious leader with a flawless character
The heavenly bastard with his own slasher flick--
Describing this leader as both divine and morally questionable
The greatest fairytale ever told
Mocking the story's credibility
Weekly he receives
Stating that this leader is regularly praised
A kneeling ovation from a sleepy nation
Describing the followers as mindlessly submissive
They're swallowing the old routine, the holy saltine,
Suggesting that the followers blindly accept religious traditions
And backwash from the cup of salvation
Suggesting that their belief in salvation is misguided and overrated
Have you heard the legend sweeping the land?
Asking if the listener has heard another religious story
They're saying we all sprung from some invisible man
Mocking the idea of creation by an unseen deity
And when he finished up, he took a little rest
Making light of the idea of God resting after creating the world
And he's been resting ever since I guess...
Further mocking the concept of a deity who rests
Tell me, have you heard the one
Returning to the initial question for emphasis
About the young man who died for your sins?
Asking if the listener has heard the story of Jesus and his supposed sacrifice for humanity's sins
You think he would've learned his lesson
Suggesting that Jesus should have avoided martyrdom
Not to mess with us,
Implying that humans are too violent or dangerous to deal with
And yet they say he's gonna come again
Pointing out the unlikely idea of Jesus returning to Earth
He might've hit a ripe old age
Speculating that Jesus could have lived a long life if not for his crucifixion
If a disciple had not failed him
Blaming Jesus' death on one of his followers
Broken, betrayed and lost, he lay alone on the cross
Describing Jesus' suffering on the cross
While the easter bunny pounded the nails in...
Adding a silly and absurd detail to the story
Tell me, have you heard the one
Repeating the question again
About the healer who could resurrect?
Asking if the listener has heard the story of Jesus' resurrection
They say that when he rose from the dead
Describing the supposed resurrection miracle
He had a flattened head,
Adding a silly and untrue detail to the story
Black boots and two bolts in his neck
Adding more elements to the ridiculous description of Jesus' appearance
Hokum all ye faithful,
Directly addressing religious believers
That's the whole fable as I was told it
Admitting that this is just one interpretation of the story
Honestly I'm half-way jealous of the gullible zealots
Admitting that he envies people who can believe in such stories with total conviction
Who believe this unbelievable bullshit...
Condemning the absurdity of religious stories and beliefs
Contributed by Jack L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.