Streetlight Manifesto- "The Big Sleep"

Streetlight Manifesto- "The Big Sleep"
http://plyrics.com/lyrics/streetlightmanifesto/thebigsleep.html

Streetlight Manifesto is an American ska band from East Brunswick Township, New Jersey under the creative leadership of Tomas Kalnoky. They have been considered by many as ska punk and 3rd wave ska. They released their first album, Everything Goes Numb, which was distributed by Victory Records, on August 26, 2003. The band headlined and sold out their first concert at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey on December 9, 2003.

"Streetlight Manifesto -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 14 Oct. 2009. .


I first heard this work in the high school. What drew me to the song were the powerful lyrics coupled with fast beats. I selected this work because of the message it brings across to the listener and because of the weight of the lyrics.
I believe that there are several subjects to the song. The first subject is the singer, Thomas Kalnoky, and the second subject is American society. The song is expressing the inner feelings of the singer Thomas. He expresses his feelings of dislike and empathy for the failing American society and the rise of false-individuality. He speaks of the way he questions his own life because of the falsity of society before him. Thomas also works in comments about an important woman in his life, never refering to her by name. In the end, the best interpretation of the works of Streetlight Manifesto comes from within. Each and every song carries a message, but leaves room for personal interpretation and application. Thomas uses metaphors in most of his songs to get his points across in a more easily understood way. However, at the same time, his metaphors sometimes hide the message.
I believe that the art in this piece shines through its lyrics. I consider this song to be an emotionalist piece because of the emotions it stirs up within its listeners. It is amazing how simple song can make us feel a certain way.

My questions to the class:
1- Does this song create an emotional response in you? If so, what?
2- Do the messages in the song come across easily, or not?