Gallows

Actual lyrics

This life stars with a hearbeat is it beat beat beat beat beating me down like the loser i am i cant help but to see that success scares the living shit out of me like the loser i am.

everytime i walk away every word i never say.

restless chasing shadows choices facing gallows poll are you hanging by a thread or swinging from the rope dont thief we dont see your scars are you afraid of who you are?

Denial a subtle burn is it burn burn burn burning me out for feeing the flame spread out the ash pretend to see that you still can find some value in me i just feed the flames.

oh my god what am i afraid of success or not having what it takes oh my god i am afraid of me and evertyhing that brings.

4 min ago

Rated 0 Actual Lyrics:

This life starts with a hearbeat is it beat beat beat beat beating me down like the loser i am i cant help but to see that success scares the living shit out of me like the loser i am

everytime i walk away every word i never say

(Chorus) restless chasing shadows choices facing gallows pole are you hanging by a thread or swinging from the rope dont think we dont see your scars are you afraid of who you are? are you afraid of who you are?

Denial a subtle burn is it burn burn burn burn burning me out for feeding the flame spread out the ash pretend to see that you still can find some value in me i just feed the flames

everytime i walk away every word i never say

(Repeat Chorus)

oh my God what am i afraid of success or not having what it takes oh my God i am afraid of me and everthing that brings

(Repeat Chorus)

I think this song is an insight into Alex's mind. I've heard and seen that he really doesn't like cameras and he can be slightly socially awkward sometimes. I've heard he's a little bit of a loner if he's in the right moods and stuff like that. Thats why Brandon and Dan do a lot of the interviews. Alex has also talked about how he's struggled with depression and drugs and stuff like that, trying to live without anti-depressants and trying to balance his life. I think this is his admitance to him being afraid of himself and his success.

"restless chasing shadows" He's constantly fighting back his old skeletons and his problems in his mind "choices facing gallows pole" the choices he makes can be ones that really hurt or save him. "are you hanging by a thread
or swinging from the rope" Is he barely holding on? or is he already dead and swinging there, has he already given in to his old ways? "dont think we dont see your scars are you afraid of who you are?" His scars are always there as a reminder of who he was and who he's trying to avoid being.

I love alex though, I'm not ragging on him. He writes some of the most amazing lyrics and he's really funny and one of the nicest people I've heard. Plus he can scream like a motherfucker.

Agreed. It's about fear of being successful, or fear of failing trying to achieve success.

I read an interview somewhere where Alex seems to get across that he feels their last album was something of a copout, and that they maybe didn't try hard enough or get the musical style right on that record and went off-track. This song seems to speculate on why he feels like that about Lead Sails Paper Anchor.

I don't think he's saying he's afraid of success, but more the consequences that come in his line of success. I've heard the same, that Alex is a rather introverted individual. Maybe he's saying he fears all the eyes on him because he knows that if, in those eyes, he fucks up it would destroy him.

"The Gallows" are a metaphor for the judgmental mess humanity has become. He fears his success for fear of facing "The Gallows" since Atreyu's has garnered a fair amount of attention over the years, and the shadows of his past are pried open and spilled across his fans. Think of just how scary this really is... knowing the worst part of your past is spread around the tongues of fans by the thousands.

In the end we all fear the gallows... that haunting thought we won't be good enough for those we love.

This is easily one of my favorite songs by Atreyu (I've been a loyal fan since Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses).

I imagine that our two favorite singers are speaking to each other in this song. It seems these are two sides of an internal monologue. The individual's (Id, perhaps?) is trying to be honest with himself and he is trying to get over his hang-ups, but is simultaneously berating him for feeling that way. The phrases "Don't think we don't see your scars? Are you afraid of who you are?" may be spoken from the perspective of the Super-Ego adopting the attitude, "don't be a whiny bitch, just walk it off". While that may be the useful front to put up for social interactions, the Super-Ego and Id are in conflict, meanwhile the Ego has to find a way to come to terms with these two conflicting feelings.

I hate badly organized lyrics!

This life starts with a hearbeat Is it beat, beat, beat, beat, beating me down? Like the loser I am, I can't help but to see that success scares the living shit out of me Like the loser I am

Every time I walk away, every word I never say

(Chorus) Restless, chasing shadows Choices, facing gallows pole Are you hanging by a thread or swinging from the rope? Don't think we don't see your scars Are you afraid of who you are? Are you afraid of who you are?

Denial a subtle burn Is it burn, burn, burn, burn, burning me out? For feeding the flame Spread out the ash, pretend to see that you still can find some value in me I just feed the flames

Every time I walk away, every word I never say

(Chorus) Restless, chasing shadows Choices, facing gallows pole Are you hanging by a thread or swinging from the rope? Don't think we don't see your scars Are you afraid of who you are? Are you afraid of who you are?

Oh my God, what am I afraid of? Success or not having what it takes? Oh my God, are you afraid of me and everything that brings?

(Chorus) Restless, chasing shadows Choices, facing gallows pole Are you hanging by a thread or swinging from the rope? Don't think we don't see your scars Are you afraid of who you are? Are you afraid of who you are?