Both as a standalone and as part of the DSOTS album, you can take this lyric as read. As a matter of public record, Jourgensen's drug intake was legendary even in the 1980s. By the late 90s, in his own words, he was grappling with massive addiction issues and had lost almost everything: friends, spouse, money and had nearly died more than once. "Dark Side of the Spoon" is a both funny & sad title for an album made by a musical genius who was losing the plot; and this song is a message to his fans & friends saying he knows it. It's painful to listen to so I'm glad the "Keith Richards of industrial metals" wised up and cleaned up. Well done sir.
Are there no fighters left here anymore?
Are we the generation we've been waiting for?
Or are we patiently burning, waiting to be saved?
Our heroes, our icons have mellowed with age
Following rules that they once disobeyed
They're now being led when they used to lead the way
Do you still believe in all the things that you stood by before?
(That you stood by before)
Are you out there on the front lines, or at home keeping score?
Do you care to be the layer of the bricks that seal your fate?
(The bricks that seal your fate)
Would you rather be the architect of what we might create?
(Go)
They laid out the blueprints, they poured down a base
Concrete solutions to slow our decay
But when they are gone
Who the fuck's gonna take their place?
Yeah, will it be the cynic, the critics galore?
The cliché apathetic, passed out on the floor
The trusting complicit who collectively ignore
Do you still believe in all the things that you stood by before?
(That you stood by before)
Are you out there on the front lines, or at home keeping score?
Do you care to be the layer of the bricks that seal your fate?
(The bricks that seal your fate)
Would you rather be the architect of what we might create?
Don't you remember when you were young
And you wanted to set the world on fire?
Somewhere deep down, I know you do (hey, hey, hey, hey)
And don't you remember when we were young
And we wanted to set the world on fire?
'Cause I still am, and I still do
Make no mistake, we are not afraid
To bear the burden of repeating
What they're thinking anyway
Let's raise the stakes
On the bet we made
Let's decide to be the architects
The masters of our fate
Yeah, we still believe in all the things that we stood by before
(That we stood by before)
And after everything we've seen, there may be even more
I know we're not the only ones and we were not the first
(We were not the first)
And unapologetically we stand behind each word
Are we the generation we've been waiting for?
Or are we patiently burning, waiting to be saved?
Our heroes, our icons have mellowed with age
Following rules that they once disobeyed
They're now being led when they used to lead the way
Do you still believe in all the things that you stood by before?
(That you stood by before)
Are you out there on the front lines, or at home keeping score?
Do you care to be the layer of the bricks that seal your fate?
(The bricks that seal your fate)
Would you rather be the architect of what we might create?
(Go)
They laid out the blueprints, they poured down a base
Concrete solutions to slow our decay
But when they are gone
Who the fuck's gonna take their place?
Yeah, will it be the cynic, the critics galore?
The cliché apathetic, passed out on the floor
The trusting complicit who collectively ignore
Do you still believe in all the things that you stood by before?
(That you stood by before)
Are you out there on the front lines, or at home keeping score?
Do you care to be the layer of the bricks that seal your fate?
(The bricks that seal your fate)
Would you rather be the architect of what we might create?
Don't you remember when you were young
And you wanted to set the world on fire?
Somewhere deep down, I know you do (hey, hey, hey, hey)
And don't you remember when we were young
And we wanted to set the world on fire?
'Cause I still am, and I still do
Make no mistake, we are not afraid
To bear the burden of repeating
What they're thinking anyway
Let's raise the stakes
On the bet we made
Let's decide to be the architects
The masters of our fate
Yeah, we still believe in all the things that we stood by before
(That we stood by before)
And after everything we've seen, there may be even more
I know we're not the only ones and we were not the first
(We were not the first)
And unapologetically we stand behind each word
Lyrics submitted by WillCreary, edited by Tollo, TheUsername, Tserra, LeMarkyDussod
Architects Lyrics as written by Joseph Principe Brandon Barnes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Step
Ministry
Ministry
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
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”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
The meaning to this song was actually said by Tim during the first play of Help Is On The Way on the radio. He said it's about people like Martin Luther King who designed the world we live in today, and that this generation doesn't seem to be producing these "architects" and takes what these people have done for-granted.
"They laid out the blueprints they poured down a base Concrete solutions to slow our decay but when they are gone who the fuck's gonna take their place?"
This verse describes it completely, asking who's going to design our future, and continue to build on to what these people have done for society.
But the thing I love about Rise against is that they aren't completely straight-forward, so you can draw separate meanings that you can shape to your own life and views, so songs end up having countless meanings.
Right! That's what makes Rise so inspiring. Like to Tim, of course, most of his songs have political meanings, but the lyrics are loose enough to be interpreted otherwise. I find that Audience of One is a great example of this. In Tim's mind, it's a strike against the Bush administration, but it doesn't directly reference anybody in particular, so to someone else it can be based on their personal experiences.