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.
@slm49 I'd say that the old man's way of fitting into this story is by being his belief. To clarify myself, the old man himself is actually Christianity, until he grows to not believe in God anymore. When he says: "'Till the day that he stopped coming by, and I missed his company'". I think that's him referring to how Christianity slowly left his lifestyle, and he missed being able to believe and love something.
@slm49 I'd say that the old man's way of fitting into this story is by being his belief. To clarify myself, the old man himself is actually Christianity, until he grows to not believe in God anymore. When he says: "'Till the day that he stopped coming by, and I missed his company'". I think that's him referring to how Christianity slowly left his lifestyle, and he missed being able to believe and love something.
@slm49
"Someday I will find you and stop on by
And you'll say: "How've you been"
And I'll say: "I've been fine"
But we will both know that it's a lie
Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right"
What does that bit mean?
@slm49
"Someday I will find you and stop on by
And you'll say: "How've you been"
And I'll say: "I've been fine"
But we will both know that it's a lie
Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right"
What does that bit mean?
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on...
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on the contrary I think the singer decided that, despite his staunch agnosticism, there are advantages to believing little lies about the afterlife.
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on...
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on the contrary I think the singer decided that, despite his staunch agnosticism, there are advantages to believing little lies about the afterlife.
@slm49 I think the old man, whether a metaphor for Christianity or an actual old man, spending time with Kalnoky then eventually passing away and being missed reminds me of a certain verse from Three of Us:
@slm49 I think the old man, whether a metaphor for Christianity or an actual old man, spending time with Kalnoky then eventually passing away and being missed reminds me of a certain verse from Three of Us:
And the priest said:
I believe I'm a true believer now,
I was a sinner, but I came to see the light.
The bum and me did not agree, but I must confess of jealousy.
And the priest said:
I believe I'm a true believer now,
I was a sinner, but I came to see the light.
The bum and me did not agree, but I must confess of jealousy.
First three lines are more for context but that last line, about the singer and the bum being jealous about the priest having something comforting them? That's pretty...
First three lines are more for context but that last line, about the singer and the bum being jealous about the priest having something comforting them? That's pretty much the old man in 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.
@slm49 great summary. I think you did an excellent job. Any insight into how the old man fits into the story?
@slm49 great summary. I think you did an excellent job. Any insight into how the old man fits into the story?
@slm49 I'd say that the old man's way of fitting into this story is by being his belief. To clarify myself, the old man himself is actually Christianity, until he grows to not believe in God anymore. When he says: "'Till the day that he stopped coming by, and I missed his company'". I think that's him referring to how Christianity slowly left his lifestyle, and he missed being able to believe and love something.
@slm49 I'd say that the old man's way of fitting into this story is by being his belief. To clarify myself, the old man himself is actually Christianity, until he grows to not believe in God anymore. When he says: "'Till the day that he stopped coming by, and I missed his company'". I think that's him referring to how Christianity slowly left his lifestyle, and he missed being able to believe and love something.
@slm49 That's from We Will Fall Together, not Down Down Down to Mephisto's Cafe
@slm49 That's from We Will Fall Together, not Down Down Down to Mephisto's Cafe
@slm49 "Someday I will find you and stop on by And you'll say: "How've you been" And I'll say: "I've been fine" But we will both know that it's a lie Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right" What does that bit mean?
@slm49 "Someday I will find you and stop on by And you'll say: "How've you been" And I'll say: "I've been fine" But we will both know that it's a lie Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right" What does that bit mean?
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on...
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on the contrary I think the singer decided that, despite his staunch agnosticism, there are advantages to believing little lies about the afterlife.
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
@slm49 I had different thoughts about the old man. I think the singer literally knew an old man, who had nothing to do but wait (for death, I assume). Eventually the old man stopped coming by (because he died), and therefore the singer felt remorseful, because the lie from earlier ("no one ever really dies") would have been comforting.
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on...
Later in the song, we hear "Turns out what I figured out was I was wrong and you were right". What did the singer figure out? Perhaps this is just a vague hand-wavy line about conflict resolution, but on the contrary I think the singer decided that, despite his staunch agnosticism, there are advantages to believing little lies about the afterlife.
@slm49 I think the old man, whether a metaphor for Christianity or an actual old man, spending time with Kalnoky then eventually passing away and being missed reminds me of a certain verse from Three of Us:
@slm49 I think the old man, whether a metaphor for Christianity or an actual old man, spending time with Kalnoky then eventually passing away and being missed reminds me of a certain verse from Three of Us:
And the priest said: I believe I'm a true believer now, I was a sinner, but I came to see the light. The bum and me did not agree, but I must confess of jealousy.
And the priest said: I believe I'm a true believer now, I was a sinner, but I came to see the light. The bum and me did not agree, but I must confess of jealousy.
First three lines are more for context but that last line, about the singer and the bum being jealous about the priest having something comforting them? That's pretty...
First three lines are more for context but that last line, about the singer and the bum being jealous about the priest having something comforting them? That's pretty much the old man in Toe to Toe