Sadly the band split but check out Straight Lines
2004 - 2009 (years ap… Read Full Bio ↴Sadly the band split but check out Straight Lines
2004 - 2009 (years approx)

Born in the same scene that has produced the likes of Kids In Glass Houses and The Blackout, it can be a double edged sword seeing your friends causing in a stir in the UK’s underground circuit, you can either get jealous and resentful about it, or it can spur you on to give it 100%. For this Pontypridd five piece it could only be the latter. Meet Said Mike.

The next 18 months were spent gigging the South Wales circuit, a previous stomping ground for Lostprophets, Funeral For A Friend, Bullet For My Valentine and The Automatic, and sharing the stages with the likes of Enter Shikari and Get Wape. Wear Cape. Fly. Upon returning from a four week jaunt of the UK at the end of 2006, the band were greeted with the news that they had won a vote to appear at the Taste Of Chaos at Cardiff’s CIA, alongside Taking Back Sunday and Alexisonfire, a clear indication that they were starting to reap the rewards for their continued hard work.

At the turn on 2007, Said Mike were starting to fill the venues they’d opened just a year earlier, and had began work on their debut EP. Keeping it in the family, the effort was produced by Todd Campbell, Dane’s brother, in their home studio. The obviously musically inclined brothers no doubt have their dad, Phil, guitarist of the legendary Motorhead, to thank for kick starting their interest.

The result is this Stop The Clocks, a five track offering bursting at the seams with their hook-laden, genre-hopping rock stylings.

According to frontman, Tom Stop The Clocks is inspired by and touches on subjects such as bullying, love, relationships, drug abuse, frustration, but also enjoying life to the max and partying. The key thing he says is “it’s all done with a positive feel. We write about things that go on in our lifes, and without a doubt go on in many other young people's lives. We don’t write songs about how shit life is for us, because we’ve all had decent up bringings, but that doesn't mean you can't have problems either,” he adds.

Mind Over Muscle
saidmike Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

And there's a fight under city night skylights, and there's a fight (and somebody's got to go) and there's the ones who are very much bigger, they want a fight (and the whole world's got to know) and as boys we always got picked on, but now's our time (and somebody's got to go) we'll find our feet, we'll find our feet right now, we'll find our feet (and somebody's got) surround surround surround surround me (what you gotta do just to stay alive).

Stop trying to be, you will rise and fall, it's not the be all and end all.

Surround surround surround surround, try to make things better.

And there's a fight under city night skylights, and there's a fight (and somebody's got to go) one look in the wrong direction will set it off (and somebody's got to go) and compromise isn't an option, it's in their eyes (somebody's got to go) we'll raise the roof, we'll raise the roof right now, we'll raise the roof (and somebody' got)

You will rise, you will fall, it's not the be all and end all.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Mind Over Muscle" by saidmike speak to the struggles of standing up for oneself and fighting back against those who seek to intimidate or bully. The song begins with the image of a fight breaking out under the city night sky, and the urgency with which somebody needs to win. The "ones who are very much bigger" represent the powerful, dominant forces that want to control and harm others. Yet, the song offers hope that in such moments, we can find our voice and fight back.

The song speaks to the experience of being picked on as a child, and the resilience needed to overcome such trauma. It encourages us to "surround" ourselves with support and to use our minds to overcome physical challenges. In some ways, the song can be seen as a call to action for marginalized communities to unite and fight for their rights to exist safely in the world. The repeated references to "somebody's got to go" create a sense of urgency and pressure to take action.

Overall, the lyrics of "Mind Over Muscle" are powerful and empowering. They speak to anyone who has felt the weight of societal oppression and encourage us to use our minds and strengths to overcome it.

Line by Line Meaning

And there's a fight under city night skylights, and there's a fight (and somebody's got to go) and there's the ones who are very much bigger, they want a fight (and the whole world's got to know) and as boys we always got picked on, but now's our time (and somebody's got to go) we'll find our feet, we'll find our feet right now, we'll find our feet (and somebody's got) surround surround surround surround me (what you gotta do just to stay alive).
The city skyline is witness to a brawl, where someone has to come out victorious. The bigger ones are craving for it since they want to make a statement. As kids, they were bullied but this is their moment of redemption. They'll fight for survival, forming a circle around themselves.

Stop trying to be, you will rise and fall, it's not the be all and end all.
Stop trying too hard to be perfect. You'll have your ups and downs but that doesn't define everything.

Surround surround surround surround, try to make things better.
Form a circle around yourself, try to improve things around you.

And there's a fight under city night skylights, and there's a fight (and somebody's got to go) one look in the wrong direction will set it off (and somebody's got to go) and compromise isn't an option, it's in their eyes (somebody's got to go) we'll raise the roof, we'll raise the roof right now, we'll raise the roof (and somebody' got)
A single glance in the wrong direction can trigger the fight. There's no room for compromise because their determination is evident in their eyes. They'll raise the roof to achieve victory.

And there's a shout from the city night skylight, and there's a shout (somebody's got to go) use your mind, your mind over muscle to get you through (and somebody's got to go) and as boys we always got picked on, and as boys ( somebody's got to go) we'll find our feet, we'll find our feet we'll find our feet right now, we'll find our feet.
The city skyline echoes with a battle cry, using your mental strength to succeed. As kids, they were always at the receiving end but they'll gather their strength to overcome the current challenge and succeed.

You will rise, you will fall, it's not the be all and end all.
You'll have your share of successes and failures, but it's not the end of everything.

Contributed by Arianna V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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