The band is best known for their heavy yet anthemic music and their tendency to destroy their equipment at the end of their performances (a rock and roll tradition usually associated with The Who). According to the band's website, the name "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" is taken from both an ancient Mayan ritual chant and an Egyptian burial text. Band members have also claimed that they made it up because it sounded cool and discovered the association after the fact.
The chief creative element of the band consists of Jason Reece and Conrad Keely. The two switch between drumming and lead vocals and guitar, both on their records and during their shows. (On some songs, [former] bass player Neil Busch sings lead vocals). Keely and Reece have been friends since their youth, meeting originally in Hawaii. They each formed their first band in 1993 soon after moving to Olympia, Washington. Keely started a band called Benedict Gehlen that only lasted a year. Nancyville was Keely's next project, though it also was short lived. Reece started with Honeybucket and then formed Mukilteo Fairies while living in Olympia. Dissatisfied with the northwest, the two ventured south to Austin, Texas and started playing as a duo under the moniker, "You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead". The band expanded to include guitarist Kevin Allen and bassist Neil Busch. They then officially changed their name to "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" (adding the conjunction and then the ellipsis for effect). The band is also known by the shorter name "Trail of Dead".
By 1998 they had issued their first release (a live cassette on local Golden Hour Records), followed by a self-titled full-length on Trance Syndicate. In early 2002, Trail of Dead released Source Tags & Codes to immediate critical acclaim, and made numerous critics' year-end top 10 lists.
In 2003, an EP named The Secret of Elena's Tomb followed up, which included amongst others "Mach Schau", which was the first recording of a song the band had written in their early days, as well as "Intelligence", a song with dominant electronic sounds, which was pulled from Jason Reece's electro side-project called A Roman Scandal.
In 2004, Neil Busch left the band due to health issues and was replaced by Danny Wood of The Rise. Together with additional drummer Doni Schroader (ex-Forget Cassettes) and keyboarder David Longoria (The Black), a revamped Trail of Dead embarked on an extensive worldwide tour in 2004-2005, which covered USA and Canada, and cities throughout Europe to promote their album Worlds Apart, which was finally released in January 2005 after some annoying issues with the label's corporate policies.
After the tepid critical and commercial reception of Worlds Apart, Conrad Keely became very frustrated and considered quitting the band altogether. Luckily, the band regrouped to record an EP, but the group's creativity blossomed, resulting in enough material for an album. Their latest full-length album, X: The Godless Void and Other Stories, was released on January 20th, 2020.
Days Of Being Wild
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pull out the seams
Take your call
Your voice is static
For from my reach
I burn the page
Imaged are blurred
Am I afraid?
Around my throat
You came so close
To stopping me
Alive in jail, alive and well
I cannot leave
Innocent, accident
Find my pulse
Trapped in a locked box
Teeth in a grind
All night amphetamine
Noise to the tape
Comes like a shattered beast
Cast a shade
Your mouths destroys me
Come down dawn in one piece
Come down dawn to find some peace
Driven to shambles on a tip
I never said that I would quit
And the next song takes over
Quickly I said
Because your feet need to hit the floor
And wake your mind up
Because the body needs a little more
And you step out from the porch
Into the street
And the night will have its way with you
And you find a paper on the wall
And see the slogan needs an audience
And you give it a new look
You were trying to take a stab
You try to take a stab
You try to make something happen
And the colors saturate into the walls of the buildings
A defeated deposition
A nexus
A movement to fruition
A middle finger to the institution
A middle finger to the institution
A middle finger to the institution
The opening lines of “Days of Being Wild” by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead are darkly suggestive of a difficult situation, with the singer feeling muzzled and trapped. The metaphor of being “all sewn up” implies claustrophobia, with the singer itching to break free. The imagery is unsettling, with references to a “locked box” and “teeth in a grind.” The second verse is even more claustrophobic, with the singer seemingly imprisoned and unable to leave, despite being innocent of any wrongdoing. The implication is that the singer is trapped by societal expectations, with the “institution” referred to in the final lines perhaps being symbolic of a wider oppressive force.
However, there are some glimmers of hope in the lyrics. The line “come down dawn in one piece” suggests that the singer is looking for peace and a way out of their current predicament. There’s also a sense of defiance to the lyrics, with the singer flipping the bird to the establishment (“a middle finger to the institution”) and trying to find a way to make their mark on the world. The final lines suggest that the next song will take over, implying that there’s always a way forward, no matter how difficult things may seem right now.
Overall, the lyrics to “Days of Being Wild” are open to interpretation, but they seem to be about an individual struggling against some kind of entrenched power, whether that be societal expectations, oppressive institutions or even just their own internal demons.
Line by Line Meaning
All sewn up
Everything is under control
Pull out the seams
Disrupt the established order
Take your call
Listen to what you have to say
Your voice is static
I struggle to hear you
For from my reach
You are too far away
I burn the page
I destroy the evidence
Imaged are blurred
Memories are fading
Am I afraid?
Do I have reason to be scared?
Around my throat
Feeling suffocated
You came so close
You almost had me
To stopping me
Preventing my progress
Alive in jail, alive and well
Stuck in a bad situation but surviving
I cannot leave
I'm trapped
Innocent, accident
Unintentional mistake
Find my pulse
Check if I'm still alive
Trapped in a locked box
Completely confined
Teeth in a grind
Stressed and anxious
All night amphetamine
Stimulants keeping me awake
Noise to the tape
Recorded sounds creating chaos
Comes like a shattered beast
Arrives with destructive power
Cast a shade
Taint with negativity
Your mouths destroys me
Your words hurt me
Come down dawn in one piece
Wake up safely
Come down dawn to find some peace
Start the day calmly
Driven to shambles on a tip
Ruined by a subtle suggestion
I never said that I would quit
I won't give up
And the next song takes over
Moving on to the next chapter
Quickly I said
I spoke urgently
Because your feet need to hit the floor
Time to wake up and start your day
And wake your mind up
Get mentally prepared
Because the body needs a little more
Require additional energy
And you step out from the porch
Leaving the safety of your home
Into the street
Entering the world
And the night will have its way with you
The darkness will influence you
And you find a paper on the wall
Discover a message from society
And see the slogan needs an audience
Realize the message needs attention
And you give it a new look
Interpret it in a different way
You were trying to take a stab
Attempting to make a change
You try to take a stab
Continuing to strive for progress
You try to make something happen
Working towards a goal
And the colors saturate into the walls of the buildings
The surrounding environment is affected by the change
A defeated deposition
Feeling of failure
A nexus
A connection
A movement to fruition
The effort is coming to a successful conclusion
A middle finger to the institution
Defying authority
A middle finger to the institution
Rejecting the status quo
A middle finger to the institution
Challenging the establishment
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind