I believe this song is all about Thomas Kalnoky, now of the band Streetlight Manifesto. After leaving Catch 22 after their first album, their former lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter took a lot of heat from his old band, and they let him know it with this song.
"We've got the rhythm wrong. It sounds just like a Phish song" and " We've got the rhythm wrong. It sounds just like a Dead song" are both references to Tom's dissatisfaction with the band when they didn't express his musical visions the way he saw it and his criticisms.
"Policeman coming, so I'm running away, Badboy coming, so I'm running away, Richboy coming, so I'm running away" are all mocking Tom's lyrical stylings, which often had mafiaesque themes, as well as a dislike for the wealthy.
"So, brother say what you want. I never know what you want from me. I'm moving up, moving on. So, say goodbye, because I won't say goodbye to you" is expressing the band's dissatisfaction with Tom and his way of getting things across, and telling him that they can and have picked up and ran with the ball after his departure.
"'Cause you're playing by the rules of the game" is indeed probably a reference to their debut album, "Rules of the Game", as noted by Suculant J.
I believe this song is all about Thomas Kalnoky, now of the band Streetlight Manifesto. After leaving Catch 22 after their first album, their former lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter took a lot of heat from his old band, and they let him know it with this song.
"We've got the rhythm wrong. It sounds just like a Phish song" and " We've got the rhythm wrong. It sounds just like a Dead song" are both references to Tom's dissatisfaction with the band when they didn't express his musical visions the way he saw it and his criticisms.
"Policeman coming, so I'm running away, Badboy coming, so I'm running away, Richboy coming, so I'm running away" are all mocking Tom's lyrical stylings, which often had mafiaesque themes, as well as a dislike for the wealthy.
"So, brother say what you want. I never know what you want from me. I'm moving up, moving on. So, say goodbye, because I won't say goodbye to you" is expressing the band's dissatisfaction with Tom and his way of getting things across, and telling him that they can and have picked up and ran with the ball after his departure.
"'Cause you're playing by the rules of the game" is indeed probably a reference to their debut album, "Rules of the Game", as noted by Suculant J.