The song was written directly after the uprising of the emo genre and music, on the fall of the style, and bayside would be considered one of the last emo bands. This song, like many of their songs, focuses on the hardships of living in general, the idea of the song questioning the point of anything...
This place is dragging me down
A hamster wheel, I thought I'd be done by now
Now that all my allies are gone
I realize advancing could hold you back
My good intentions just keep sliding by the wayside
But it's high tide and they get washed away with time
Till everything's gone, till everything's gone
All's fine along the Long Island Sound
But fine's polite I'd rather things more profound
I've become a rock these days and I swim like one
Alone again, barely surviving the tidal wave
My good intentions just keep sliding by the wayside
But it's high tide and they get washed away with time
Till everything's gone, till everything's gone
I swear, damn it all to hell, damn it all to hell
I think I finally found the way to go to heaven
Without dying, so I'm on my way
The harder you work, the harder you fall
You wake up one day with nothing at all
My good intentions just keep sliding by the wayside
But it's high tide and they get washed away with time
Till everything's gone, till everything's gone
Till everything's gone, till everything's gone
I swear, damn it all to hell
Sinking And Swimming On Long Island was written by Bayside.
Sinking And Swimming On Long Island was produced by Gil Norton.