The lyrics to "America"*:

Ya-a-a-a-ao

We take medication to be someone else
And we take off our clothes to pay for the bills
Where downloading content will buy you a sentence
And murder is free in the Hollywood hills

And I'm living one big nightmare, the ugly truth has a model face
Making saints out of useless pop stars
Where's the intelligence?

A-M-E-R-I-C-A
Home of the free, the sick and depraved
A-M-E-R-I-C-A
So why the fuck are you looking at me?

Oil prices are so high we can't feed ourselves
So we buy into fast food and occupy the will
We upload our status and beg for attention
While they're all eating cake up on Capitol Hill

Still living in one big nightmare
God save the human race
Handing convicts fame in HD
Glorified ignorance

A-M-E-R-I-C-A
Home of the free, the sick and depraved
A-M-E-R-I-C-A
So why the fuck are you looking at me?

[Whispered]
A-M-E-R-I-C-A
Home of the free, the sick and depraved
A-M-E-R-I-C-A
So why the fuck are you looking at me?

A-M-E-R-I-C-A
Home of the free, the sick and depraved
A-M-E-R-I-C-A
So why the fuck are you looking at me?

The Meaning of "America":

"America" is basically the bands way of showing every little flaw and molded piece of society that America has, which happens to be a lot. In the song they speak of how Americans worship ignorant and crazy pop musicians with little or no talent; they mention the oil prices being too high to be manageable for the majority; and they talk of how people are more interested in their social networks than actually caring about what's going on. This slam at our country is definitely exercising the 1st Amendment. The music video for this song is equally hard-hitting, portraying a pedophilic priest and a glutton who owns fast food chains, a pop star so drugged and broken she cannot function and bystanders there to watch it all and smile or stare. The whole set-up for the video is staged as a circus, which in and of itself is an insult.

This is just an awesome song with excellent lyrics.

Look forward to a new Song of the Week every Wednesday!
Lyrics courtesy of AZLyrics

This song touches a close spot to my heart for many reasons. When I was in 7th grade we had to do a Health Outreach Project so I created a slide show based on this song and the It Gets Better Project, and here are the slides:

The very first time I heard "Make It Stop," it sent chills down my spine and filled my eyes with tears; it still does.

The lyrics to "Make It Stop"*:


Woah, woah.

Bang, bang go the coffin nails, like a breath exhaled,
Then gone forever.
It seems like just yesterday, how did I miss the red flags raised?
Think back to the days we laughed.
We braved these bitter storms together.
Brought to his knees he cried,
But on his feet he died.

What God would damn a heart?
And what God drove us apart?
What God could?

Make it stop.
Let this end.
Eighteen years pushed to the ledge.
It's come to this,
A weightless step.
On the way down singing,
Woah, woah.

Bang, bang from the closet walls,
The schoolhouse halls,
The shotgun's loaded.
Push me and I'll push back.
I'm done asking, I demand.

From a nation under God,
I feel its love like a cattle prod.
Born free, but still they hate.
Born me, no I can't change.

It's always darkest just before the dawn.
So stay awake with me, let's prove them wrong.

Make it stop.
Let this end,
Eighteen years pushed to the ledge.
It's come to this,
A weightless step.
On the way down singing,
Woah, woah.

The cold river washed him away,
But how could we forget?
The gatherings hold candles, but not their tongues.

And too much blood has flown from the wrists,
Of the children shamed for those they chose to kiss.
Who will rise to stop the blood?

We're calling for,
Insisting on, a different beat, yeah.
A brand new song.

Whoa, whoa [x3]
(Tyler Clementi, age 18.
Billy Lucas, age 15.
Harrison Chase Brown, age 15
Cody J. Barker, age 17
Seth Walsh, age 13.)

Make it stop,
Let this end.
This life chose me, I'm not lost in sin.
But proud I stand of who I am,
I plan to go on living.

Make it stop,
Let this end,
All these years pushed to the ledge,
But proud I stand, of who I am,
I plan to go on living

The Meaning of "Make It Stop":

This song is about the 5 boys who all committed suicide in September of 2010. It protests the bullying that LGBTQ kids undergo day by day, and aims to inspire bullied teens to keep trying because life gets better. There is so much to say about how this song can make one feel, but just watching the video or hearing the song or reading the lyrics says it all, and I don't want to bring shame to this song.

A huge part of this song is part of the It Gets Better Project, a project started by Dan Savage and Terry Miller, who are trying to show teens who are struggling just how much better life will become if you just stick through it.
This is their original It Gets Better video:

Make sure to go and check out the It Gets Better Project Website.

This song seriously changed my life and woke me up to the horrors that so many kids go through. I suggest you go listen to this song. It's amazing.

The lyrics to "A Place Where You Belong"*:

{You're dead} [x2]

Your body's cold
Hope is lost I can't let go
Can I die with you so we can never grow old?
Cut the ties (Cut the ties)
With this note you left behind
As I read the words I hear you telling me why

Too late, too late
I never said goodbye
Too late, too late
Can't even ask you why
And now I'm wasting away in my own misery
I hope you've finally gone to a place where you belong

My sadness shows
As your name is carved in stone
Can't erase the words, so the reality grows
I wish I died (I wish I died)
On that night right by your side (Night right by your side)
So just kill me now, let the good times roll

Too late, too late
I never said goodbye
Too late, too late
Can't even ask you why
And now I'm wasting away in my own misery
I hope you've finally gone to a place where you belong

Will you wait for me? (Will you wait for me?)
Will I see you on the other side?
You won't have to wait too long
Yeah, yeah!
Will you come to me? (Will you come to me?)
Will you take me to the other side?
'Cause here I don't belong!

Too late, too late
I never said goodbye
Too late, too late
Can't even ask you why
And now I'm wasting away in my own misery
I hope you've finally gone to a place where you belong

I never said goodbye
Can't even ask you why (I've wasted)
Away in my own misery
I hope you've finally gone to a place where you belong

The Meaning of "A Place Where You Belong":

This song is--quite obviously--about a boy who's lover committed suicide. The reason I love this song is not so much the meaning itself, but the quality of the song and of the raw emotion the lyrics has. When I hear the lines dripping with emotional agony so thoughtfully written such as "now I'm wasting away in my own misery," "My sadness shows
 as your name is carved in stone," and "Cut the ties with this note you left behind as I read the
words I hear you telling me why." Something about this song just really hits me in the gut and I really wanted to share it. This song is also notable because it's a soft and melodious song written by BFMV! That doesn't happen a lot.

Lyrics to "Josie"*:

Yeah, my girlfriend takes me home when I'm too drunk to drive
And she doesn't get all jealous when I hang out with the guys
She laughs at my dumb jokes when no one does
She brings me mexican food from Sombrero's just because
(Yeah, just because)

And my girlfriend likes U.L. and D.H.C.
And she's so smart and independent, I don't think she needs me
 Quite half as much as I know I need her
I wonder why there's not another guy that she'd prefer

And when I feel like giving up
Like my world is falling down
I show up at 3am
She's still up watching Vacation, and I
See her pretty face
It takes me away to a better place and

(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine
(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine

Yeah, my girlfriend takes collect calls from the road
And it doesn't seem to matter that I'm lacking in the bulge
She laughs at my dumb jokes when no one does
She brings me mexican food from Sombrero's just because

And when I feel like giving up
Like my world is falling down
I show up at 3am
She's still up watching Vacation, and I
See her pretty face
It takes me away to a better place and

(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine
(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine
(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine
(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine

(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine
(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine
(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine
(I know that everything [3x]) Everything's gonna be fine

Meaning:

The meaning of this song is pretty straightforward, it's a love song. But the thing that I cannot get over is the LYRICS. In your average love song you get gushy and cliché phrases like "Your lips are roses" and "My heart is yours" and other words than when moshed together make me ill and remind me of those "teen romance" stories where everyone is so young that they probably don't even know what they're saying. This song, on the other hand really pin-point the perfect girlfriend. I mean, guys (or girls too), you can agree that the perfect girlfriend lets you hang with the guys and brings you burritos. I mean, sure she could be rambling meaningless words that honestly have no value whatsoever anymore, but I would take the Mexican food. Something about this song just seems so perfect, like there is nothing more accurate than what Blink-182 is describing here.

After hearing this song, John Lennon said Elton John was “The first new thing that’s happened since we (The Beatles) happened.”  Lionel Ritchie said he wished that he had written this song. 

Elton and Bernie Taupin have been writing together since the late 1960’s.  Taupin wrote the lyrics and Elton wrote the music.  Taupin wrote the lyrics for this song when he was only 17 years old (this helps explain the unpretentious innocence of this classic).  Elton John has said that it had only taken 30 minutes to compose the entire song, and that he doesn’t think he has written a love song as good since.  I agree.

Here are the lyrics:

It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor but then again no
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show
Oh I know it's not much but it's the best I can do

My gift is my song
And this one's for you
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind
That I put down in words

How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind

While I wrote this song
It's for people like you that
Keep it turned on
So excuse me forgetting

But these things I do
You see I've forgotten
If they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but

Now that it's done

I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind

That I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind
That I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world

The lyrics are simple and straight-forward.   I don’t think they need to be broken down line-by-line.  It is about a song-writer who has nothing to give but the words in his song.  I can’t imagine anyone not agreeing that this an amazing song.  Just reading the words should produce emotions.  Once Elton John’s music and voice are added, the world becomes a better
place.  I understand that is a bit sappy, but I don’t care.  I’m older now and I appreciate these words as written (it is incredible that they were written by a 17 year old).  I don’t need an XBOX or an IPhone for my birthday.  If I really want those things I will get them myself.  What I can’t buy is someone’s recognition and appreciation of my life in their world. 
I’ve been lucky enough to be told I matter in someone’s life.  It is the best gift I can ever expect to receive.  For me, the greatest written and sung line in the history of music, is “How wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”  I never tire of hearing it.

Listening to Serj's voice can be an...interesting experience. But his music is SO MEANINGFUL and elaborate, that you hardly notice the unique-ness of his voice. The musicality and overall sound of his music is very enjoyable. Check out "Sky Is Over," it's awesome!

 The Lyrics of "Sky Is Over"*:

 Everybody knows,
Everybody knows,
That you cradle the sun,
(Suffer life again),
Living in remorse,
Sky is over, 

Don't you want to hold me baby,
Disappointed, going crazy, 
Even though we can't afford
The sky is over,
Even though we can't afford
The sky is over,
I don't want to see you go,
The sky is over
Even though we can't afford
The sky is over, 

Behind closed eyes lie
The minds ready to awaken you,
Are you at war with land
And all of it's creatures,
Your not-so-gentle persuasion
Has been known to wreck economies
Of countries, of empires, the sky is over, 

Don't you want to hold me baby,
Disappointed, going crazy, 

Not even from the sun,
Not even from the sun
Not even from the sun,
Don't you want me to run, 

Even though you can't afford
The sky is over,
Even though we can't afford
The sky is over,
I don't want to see you go,
The sky is over
Even though we can't afford
The sky is over,
I don't want to see you go,
The sky is over
Even though we can't afford
The sky is over,
I don't want to see you go, 
The sky is over
Even though we can't afford
The sky is over,

The sky is over us.
 
The Meaning of "Sky Is Over":

 "This song is about how we've lost sight of what is really important to our survival and all of the planet.

"Our destructive nature has ravaged the very air we breathe, the very sky we depend upon, and yet we believe that it's for the good of a country, a temporary collection of primates. It's a cry to ask, why? Why must we wage war on this planet that has given us life? Why must we put our faith in the artificial monetary system that is like a vampire on our mother earth? Serj understands very well that much of the man-made world is self-destructive and insane."

 -SongMeanings

 I thought this was a really good way of saying it, so I left it as is instead of interpreting the song myself.

*Lyrics courtesy of LyricsMode

The lyrics to "Class Dismissed"*:

Broke and burdened
by the debt you persuaded us to bear.
Hard and calloused,
there's nothing left but animosity.
 We're slipping through the crack.
Our time has passed us,
and we will be forgotten if we
give up hope.

 I'm finished
being your puppet.
I will not take your orders
anymore.
 You'll never know what it's like
to labor as we have.
It's only a matter of time
before we toss you off our backs.

 I've earned the right to speak and say
what I mean.
We pave your roads. We haul your trash.
We fight your wars. Show some respect.
 You are nothing without me.

 You'll never know what it's like
to labor as we have.
It's only a matter of time
before we toss you off our backs.

 You need to need to know what it's like
to labor as we have
It's only a matter of time.
It's time to knock you on your ass.

 When the weight of the world is on your back,
feels like your spine could snap.
 When you fight so hard
to stay afloat.
Just stay afloat.
Don't give up hope!
 Just stay afloat.
 Don't give up hope!

 I'm finished
being your puppet.


Meaning of "Class Dismissed":

This song is about a people who are oppressed by a wealthy group who treat them like dirt. These people slave away, knowing that the people who control them could not survive without their labor. Someday, they know, they will rise against those who enslave them, and the time is coming fast.

The band that brought me back from many years without listening to human music (meaning not Rhinoceros Tap, Dreamland or other kids CDs) was Rise Against.  I was drawn into Rise Against by their hit songs; Savior, September's Children and Help is on the Way.  But while learning about the band I learned that I liked the other, less known songs even better, and their earliest albums blow me away.  I don't joke when I say all 72 songs I have are awesome.  I love them all.

 As well, I found that Tim dealt with issues I cared about; environmental consequences of crony capitalism, the personal price people pay for wars started by others, and overall the pain as I watched my country give up its foundational roots and walk away from some of the promises of its ideals.

Choosing this song comes from spending a couple of days with a friend I had not seen in 27 years.  While in college we talked for hours about politics and philosophy, and we picked up where we left off just this week.  While my friend Shelly is quite a bit more radical than I, we both agreed that the incredible divide between the wealthy in this country and the increasing ranks of the poor is something that is destroying our country as we speak, and will in the long run tear us apart as a people.  Tim McIlrath deals with this issue so well in this song.

The Lyrics are as follows:

 All the way at the bottom
Of the barrels we cried out
So ashamed of our tears that
We blame only ourselves

That's when they win
They keep us convinced
To lift up our chins
These playing fields are level
We all have a chance
With that they dismiss
The fast lanes they rode
In which access depends
On who you know
Or where you came from
Whose daughter are you?
Whose fortunate son?

We're told to stick out our thumbs
They feast from the linens
While we settle for crumbs

 This first stanza talks directly to something that I struggle with a lot.  Our society teaches people we all have a chance, that equal opportunity is here for all to be a success.  I believe it, as I teach high school, and if I did not believe it, then my job becomes nothing but a cruel joke. The other half of this "American Dream" is that while everyone has the opportunity to succeed, failure is your own fault.  I just cannot buy this.  Yes, I have seen people truly mess up in high school.  However does that mean that they deserve a life of poverty for them and their children?  Are people of wealth condemned to a life of poverty based on their high school mistakes?  And lastly, the main point of this part: If you convince people that their circumstances are their own fault, then you win....they deserve it.  They cannot rebel.

The chorus:  (So impressed that the term "a just reparation" is used in a rock song)

 Is this an over-reaching arm
Or is this compassion?
Is this a handout undeserved
Or a just reparation?

(A just reparation)

Verse 2:

 All the way from the towers
High above glass ceilinged tombs
Tell themselves that they've earned this
By working hard and playing by the rules
But this is only part true
A dangerous trick played on me and you
And so, like a practical joke
We pulled on these bootstraps
So hard that they broke

 Chorus 2:

Is this an over-reaching arm
Or is this compassion?
Is this a handout undeserved
Or a just reparation?

And like a single domino
That falls while the rest stay vertical
We're fed these empty fairy tales
Will you believe them?

 This next part is powerful, threatening and hopeful.  The threat to those who hold power over others is so clear, to pray that they never face the sleeping giant.  However my favorite words of the song are "Perhaps the man in the gutter is not so different from you."  These words have led to a ton of discussions at dinner and in the car that people on the street had childhoods, made decisions, played with their friends, and tried, but ended up where they are.  How different from us are they really?  Are they not human like us, and are they not deserving of every chance to repair their lives? Is it not better for all of us if they can find a way to deal with the demons that haunt them, whether it be drugs, alcohol, mental illness, or simply a series of events that dropped them there?  While there is always an extra trillion or two to fix the banks that fail or invade the country we are mad at, we as a country argue that programs to help the poor are wasteful and inefficient.  Is this the direction we really want to head as a people?

 If there's a God, you better pray
That this sleeping giant never wakes
If we just took a step back
A bigger picture we might view
Perhaps the man in the gutter
Is not so different from you

Come in out of the cold
Forget all that you know
Because there's always been room
By the fire for you, oh
Come in out of the cold

Will you believe them?

Is this an over-reaching arm
Or is this compassion?
Is this a handout undeserved
Or a just reparation?

And like a single domino
That falls while the rest stay vertical

 And finally, the last two lines are amazing.  While I am not a full believer that the American dream is an empty fairy tale, I do wish there was more of a safety net for people, and more of a real opportunity for those who have made mistakes.  The opportunities they have often cause them to be more in debt, and less able to rebuild their lives.  This disparity in our country is not a side effect of the system, it serves a purpose for those at the top...it is Disparity by Design.

 We're fed these empty fairy tales
And I'm through believing

The Lyrics of "Chasing the Rapture"*:

Wounded words from sharpened tongues
Are spewing from our mouths
Without a translation
We're just making sounds

The pride of a lion is your disguise
But the fear of a coward's in your eyes

You're chasing the rapture
Praying for a
Perfect disaster
To save us from ourselves

We need more than miracles
We need to answer
For the blood on our hands now
And save us from ourselves

Out of sight and out of mind
Make everything alright
So let the sky and sea collide
Just not in our lifetime

The end is running late tonight
The kingdom comes crashing
Down into ashes
Careful what you're asking for

You're chasing the rapture
Praying for a
Perfect disaster
To save us from ourselves

We need more than miracles
We need to answer
For the blood on our hands now
And save us from ourselves

We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers

We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers

Chasing the rapture
Praying for a
Perfect disaster
To save us from ourselves

You're chasing the rapture
Praying for a
Perfect disaster
To save us from ourselves

We need more than miracles
We need to answer
For the blood on our hands now
And save us from ourselves

We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers
We're comfortable killers

 The Meaning of "Chasing the Rapture":

 "Chasing the Rapture" is a song about the Christians who spend all their time saying that the end is coming, the rapture is coming, we must prepare for it. They are "praying for the perfect disaster to save them from themselves." They think that all will be well once the rapture comes to take them away from what they've become. They have killed people and hurt people and rejected people in the name of God and now say that all will be as it should be, just wait for the end. These people keep setting dates for this end, but "the end is coming late tonight." They have become "comfortable killers" because of their belief that the rapture will come and erase their sins. They believe that they do not need to worry about taking care of the planet and dealing with global warming and species dying out. They are using the rapture as an excuse to avoid dealing with the important problems on hand.

Listen to Chasing the Rapture!

This is the song that first turned me onto 10 Years, so I suggest listening to it.

More songs to look into would be Fade Into (The Ocean), Fix Me, Don't Fight It, Beautiful, Battle Lust, Minus the Machine, and Forever Fields.

*Lyrics courtesy of AZLyrics

Lyrics to "Andria"*:

 You still cross my mind from time to time. And I mostly smile. 
Still so set on finding out where we went wrong and why
 So I retrace our every step with an unsure pen, 
trying to figure out what my head thinks, 
but my head just ain't what it used to be. 
And then again, what's the point anyway? 
I remember you ascending all the stairs up to the balcony 
to see if you could see me - hidden quietly away 
And I remember the skin of your fingers, 
The spot three quarters up I'd always touch when I was out of things to say.
You held my hand, but you were too afraid to speak and I could never understand. 
I remember when you leaned in quick to kiss me, and I swear, 
that not a single force on earth could stop the trembling of my hand,
And I remember how you smiled through the smoke 
in a crowded little coffeehouse and laughed at all my jokes. 
And I remember the way that you dressed and, 
how we wasted all the best of us in alcohol and sweat 
And I remember when I knew that you'd be leaving, how I barely kept up breathing 
and I bet if I had to do it all again, I'd feel the same pain, 
And I remember panicked circles in the terminal in tears. 
How I wept to god in fits. I've hated airports ever since. 
It must be true what people say, that only time can heal the pain. 
And every single day I feel it fade away, but - 
I still remember how the distance tricked us, 
and lead us helpless by the wrist into a pit to be devoured. 
I still remember how we held so strong to this, 
though we had never really settled on a way out.
I still remember the silence, and how we'd always find a way 
to turn and run to our mistakes. 
I still remember how it all came back together just to fall apart again. 
My dear, I hear your voice in mine.
I've been alone here, I've been afraid, my dear.
I've been at home here. You've been away for years. I've been alone.
I breathed your name into the air; I etched your name into me. 
I felt my anger swelling; I swam into its sea. 
I held your name inside my heart, but it got buried in my fear. 
It tore the wiring of my brain; I did my best to keep it clear. 
So, dear, no matter how we part, I hold you sweetly in my head.
And if I do not miss a part of you, a part of me is dead. 
If I can't love you as a lover, I will love you as a friend. 
And I will lay a bed before you; keep you safe until the end.

Meaning of "Andria":

Reading these lyrics is like reading poetry. It truly is poetry. This song is all about how a couple tried to make a long-distance relationship work, yet it failed. Everyday the man remembers her and misses her, and in just reading the lyrics you cannot help but feel the pain he feels and just how much he loves her.

Can you really find music with better written lyrics? 

 *Lyrics Courtesy of AZLyrics