Toe to Toe

A lot of Kalnoky's songs deal with religious identity. For example, the album "Somewhere in the Between" is almost entirely about that subject -- being stuck somewhere between a believer and an atheist.

With the song "Toe to Toe", I think the subject matter is very much the same. I think the basic premise of the song is a dad (Kalnoky) talking to his son (Kalnoky's, whether he really has one or not) about being raised as a skeptic in a predominantly-Christian society.

Here's where I'll try to back that claim up...

He opens the song with...

"One day you will grow up and learn to lie, Just like your daddy did, When he told you 'no one ever really dies'"

Seems pretty obvious that he's referring to an afterlife; if Kalnoky doesn't believe in God (or at least Christianity), it's still possible/likely that he'll tell his son (whether he really has one, or is just pretending to have one in the song) that an afterlife exists; it's a white lie that could assuage his son's fear of death, or help comfort him if someone like a grandparent were to pass away ("it's okay, grandpa's in a better place now"). I think what he's saying though is that this is just a temporary belief he'll instill in his kid while he's young.

Then he continues,

"I hope that I'm not there when you realize That those with their nose in the air will never look you in the eye"

Some of the deeply-religious types out there (though certainly not all) have a bit of an arrogance to them. They're sort of pretentious, and exude the holier-than-thou mindset. I think he's struggling with the thought of his son encountering people like this and having to deal with their intolerance. The thought upsets him.

When we get to the chorus, we hear:

"And you will go toe to toe, Like David and Goliath, They will be Goliath, And you will throw the stone"

He's using the David and Goliath analogy ironically; in the Bible, David is the mythical Christian and Goliath is the opressor; but now, the roles are reversed. David is small, in the same way that atheists/agnostics represent only a small chunk the western world's population; Goliath is huge, much like Christianity is in western society (i.e. ~75% of people are Christians). For the former group, they're going to have to deal with holding minority opinions and maybe being "outcasts" for lacking the faith that those around them possess.

I'm reminded of "Down, Down, Down to Mephisto's Cafe", when he says, "They're coming after all of us with everything they've got / With the fury of a soldier who will answer to his God / So how will we fight? / All we have is logic and love on our side..." It's the same premise here. The stone being thrown here is metaphorical -- we'll defend ourselves by "attacking" them with logic and love.

Finally, we get to this...

"And I don’t care What you do with the little time everyone gets As long as you do the math, choose a path that will never hurt anyone else"

Ultimately, he's giving his son a message: use your judgement, form an educated decision, and follow whatever you truly believe. But whatever you decide to do, make sure you're tolerant and respectful to everyone you come across.

This again reminds me a lot of his lyrics from Mephisto's Cafe, when he says: "He said you'll never have to choose a side / It's rewarding but oh, the road is hard ... You can play the role of rebel / Just be sure to know your wrong from right".

In both sets of lyrics, he's saying the same thing: regardless of what you believe, you still need to have strong morals and hold yourself accountable for the way you act and the things you do.

Despite the title and first line, in don't think this is inherently about religion. I think its actually simpler than that and in relation more to cynacism and living an authentic life (a la sartre) vs an absurd one (a la camus). The latter is a more rooted in the idea of conforming to existence and the former more about being yourself.

The Song is clearly from the point of view of a mentor, maybe a mother or father advising their child. Both first and last verse are future tense. The child is david and the world is Goliath, so will they fight back or succumb to it.

The mentor in this instance being an agent of cynacism. They believe in due time, the world will overtake the child, a symbol of optimism and authenticity, and make them a liar living against their desires like them. They recount a tale of loss, a glimpse at authenticity that was the old man, and how even that hope falls to death and the quest of understanding leads to this loss of optimism.

They ultimately only have one hope, that they grow up a good person who brings no harm into the world. Under this interpretation, the mentors hope was rewarded and the person grew up authentic, honest and good, but they recognize this knowing full well that they themselves will never be able to give up on their mistrust and need to know why the good do good. Although admittedly its still open ended in that regards

Side note. I know this is all in my head, but personally I love to look at it as a father, son, grandfather dynamic with the characters. Its a common structure in parables and mythology, and fits well. The father giving advice to his son, his father being the old man who used to visit. I don't know if its intended but I like the idea.