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"
When faith alone is not enough,
To keep our heads barely above,
We look for reason and come up empty-handed.
And when our children fight our wars,
While we sit back just keeping score,
We're teaching murder not understanding now.
We're setting the fires to light the way,
We're burning it all to begin again,
With hope in our hearts and bricks in our hands,
We sing for change
The lives we bury sons that lay
We'll cancel debts we've yet to pay,
How could we justify anything now,
As long as we blindly obey and do exactly what they say,
We'll have no one to blame but ourselves now.
We're setting the fires to light the way,
We're burning it all to begin again,
With hope in our hearts and bricks in our hands,
We sing for change.
We run on the fumes of injustice,
We'll never die with the fuel that you give us,
Keep it coming 'cause I'm prepared to burn,
Keep running from me at every turn.
Your life around,
(into something true, into something true)
So turn your life around,
(into something true, something true)
We're setting the fires to light the way,
We're burning it all to begin again,
With hope in our hearts and bricks in our hands,
We sing for change.
To keep our heads barely above,
We look for reason and come up empty-handed.
And when our children fight our wars,
While we sit back just keeping score,
We're teaching murder not understanding now.
We're setting the fires to light the way,
We're burning it all to begin again,
With hope in our hearts and bricks in our hands,
We sing for change
The lives we bury sons that lay
We'll cancel debts we've yet to pay,
How could we justify anything now,
As long as we blindly obey and do exactly what they say,
We'll have no one to blame but ourselves now.
We're setting the fires to light the way,
We're burning it all to begin again,
With hope in our hearts and bricks in our hands,
We sing for change.
We run on the fumes of injustice,
We'll never die with the fuel that you give us,
Keep it coming 'cause I'm prepared to burn,
Keep running from me at every turn.
Your life around,
(into something true, into something true)
So turn your life around,
(into something true, something true)
We're setting the fires to light the way,
We're burning it all to begin again,
With hope in our hearts and bricks in our hands,
We sing for change.
Lyrics submitted by TheJackOfSpoons
Bricks Lyrics as written by Christopher Chasse Brandon Barnes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
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This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
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Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Woohoo! First comment! this is a great work of punk. It talks about revolution, it's anti-war, and it has a really fast pace. "We run on fumes of injustice, we'll never die with the fuel that you give us." That line is my favorite.
Yes, this is a great punk rock anthem. It's pretty obvious that this song is about trying to change the world and not listening to everyone who says it's perfectly fine. "They sing for change", rather than many musicians, who sing for money and fame. It's great to see that Rise Against is still sticking to their original values.
Its the rise against punk rock motto.....think of this as children of bodoms - hatecrew deathroll
I love this song. Soo kick ass. Yeah I think it's pretty self-explanitory, and Lightning.J pretty much covered everything. Really awesome song.
love it love it. the only political band i like.
anti-war. change the world.
"we sing for change."
i tip my hat to Tim McIlrath.
obviously about peace right? i love rise against and this song
theyre the only hardcore rock band i know of that wants peace and thats why theyre so dammm fine
obviously about peace right? i love rise against and this song
theyre the only hardcore rock band i know of that wants peace and thats why theyre so dammm fine
Well, you haven't been listening to hardcore and punk for very long then.
im beginning to have a bone to pick with tjech over here... have you ever posted a positive comment? show me the way if you have. you must be the biggest pessimist ever...
anyhow, this is a great anthem, and yes the meaning is pretty self explanatory...
rise against rock.