This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Who do you carry that torch for, my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things down?
Meet me tonight on the turnpike, my darling
'Cause we believe in everything
If we sweat all these debts then we're sure to drown
So let's strap ourselves up to this engine now
With our God who we found laying under the back seat
What did you learn tonight?
You're shouting so loud, you barely joyous, broken thing.
You're a voice that never sings, is what I say
You are freezing over hell
You are bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, it's what I say
Oh, order your daughters to ignore me think that will sort me?
And sweep me under the rug
While you're beating with a book everyone that book tells you to love
There is an ember in the heart of the kiln
And it's burning hot with love
Burning out my center till there's nothing but dust
Rolling me with care into your cigarette
Cause the God I believe in never worked on a campaign trail
What did you learn tonight?
You're shouting so loud, you barely joyous, broken thing
You're a voice that never sings, is what I say
You are freezing over hell
You are bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, it's what I say
Who do you carry that torch for, my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things to the ground?
What did you learn tonight?
You're shouting so loud, you barely joyous, broken thing
You're a voice that never sings, is what I say
You are freezing over hell
You are bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, it's what I say
Feels like we could escape
And I don't mind throwing away this filthy silver song
If you try running a maze of your lies
It's too hard to save if you've thrown out everyone
Send "The Archer's Bows Have Broken
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things down?
Meet me tonight on the turnpike, my darling
'Cause we believe in everything
If we sweat all these debts then we're sure to drown
So let's strap ourselves up to this engine now
With our God who we found laying under the back seat
What did you learn tonight?
You're shouting so loud, you barely joyous, broken thing.
You're a voice that never sings, is what I say
You are freezing over hell
You are bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, it's what I say
Oh, order your daughters to ignore me think that will sort me?
And sweep me under the rug
While you're beating with a book everyone that book tells you to love
There is an ember in the heart of the kiln
And it's burning hot with love
Burning out my center till there's nothing but dust
Rolling me with care into your cigarette
Cause the God I believe in never worked on a campaign trail
What did you learn tonight?
You're shouting so loud, you barely joyous, broken thing
You're a voice that never sings, is what I say
You are freezing over hell
You are bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, it's what I say
Who do you carry that torch for, my young man?
Do you believe in anything?
Do you carry it around just to burn things to the ground?
What did you learn tonight?
You're shouting so loud, you barely joyous, broken thing
You're a voice that never sings, is what I say
You are freezing over hell
You are bringing on the end, you do so well
You can only blame yourself, it's what I say
Feels like we could escape
And I don't mind throwing away this filthy silver song
If you try running a maze of your lies
It's too hard to save if you've thrown out everyone
Send "The Archer's Bows Have Broken
Lyrics submitted by bnjared, edited by Mellow_Harsher
The Archers Bows Have Broken Lyrics as written by Jesse Lacey
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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I agree with monkeykillzbanana on the meaning behind the song. It seems to me that Jesse is singing about how people use religion for ill gains or how people state they are religious but then ignore its true teachings of peace and love for the rest of their lives.
Most of the song is about this hypocrisy I think. About how people are worshipping the wrong god (the god found under the back seat could be a false idol, from a magazine or something) or abusing the name of their religion.
Here's some I picked out:
"Who do you carry that torch for, my young man? Do you believe in anything? Or do you carry it around just to burn things down?"
Is basically Jesse asking, "are you actually trying to spread the true word of the religion (the torch) or simply hiding behind it for other means (burning things down).
"cause the God i believe in never worked on a campaign trail"
I'm still trying to work this one out: "Meet me tonight on the turnpike my darling, where we believe in everything. If we sweat all these debts then we're sure to drown, so let's strap ourselves up to this engine now with our God who we found laying under the back seat."
The whole hell freezing over thing makes me think that it's even more then the religion thing however. Perhaps the song is about the result of religion taking a back seat that this world is falling apart and the end will come.
Either way, I love this song, it's catchy, it's anthemic and it's got a great meaning in there somewhere, I just want to work it out! =P