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.
Halcyon Days
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down roads none dare to follow
Sands buried the graves of our former lives
Smile and wave and let them go
To rise above the mires of old days long died
Know they won't come again
Let the years roll in and drown our yesterdays
As dark as it is cold
Flowing by as we pray for the source to run dry
That we may never grow old
We long to rest our tired bones by our fires
And drink to the days
Let the years roll in and drown our yesterdays
Born on our knees we all long
For a fawn to sooth and calm
And with our arrows bring her down
Here, let me rest in your loft for a while
Before I have to walk home
Through the streets bathed in the light
Of a thousand fires
Of a cold and angry world
In time we'll reconcile with old days long died
Know they won't come again
Let the years roll in, drown our yesterdays
The lyrics of "Halcyon Days" by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead portrays a longing for the past and the acceptance of the inevitable passage of time. The opening verse proposes that God's grace spared the listener and the singer, and put them on different paths that are not commonly followed. The reference to "sands" burying the graves of their former lives suggest both the impermanence of human existence and the idea of moving on. The chorus offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that the years may wash away the past and offer the chance to start anew.
The second verse likens time to a cold, dark stream that flows ever onward. The singer and the listener share the wish that the stream will eventually run dry so they will never grow old. They long to rest their tired bones by the fire and drink to the memories of the past. The final verse offers a poignant image of someone seeking refuge from the "cold and angry world" and reflecting on the inevitability of the passage of time. The line "in time we'll reconcile with old days long died" suggests a gradual acceptance of the past and the opportunity to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
There, but for the grace of our gods go you and I
We both could have ended up in a different situation if not for some higher power's intervention.
Down roads none dare to follow
We have taken some unusual or difficult paths that others would not have chosen.
Sands buried the graves of our former lives
The passage of time has erased the traces of our past experiences and buried them like sand covers graves.
Smile and wave and let them go
We should acknowledge the past and then move on without getting too attached to it.
To rise above the mires of old days long died
We should strive to overcome the negative aspects of our past in order to move forward.
Know they won't come again
We understand that the past cannot be recreated.
Let the years roll in and drown our yesterdays
We should live in the present and let time take care of our past troubles.
Time is a stream with no end in sight
Time continues on without any limit or direction.
As dark as it is cold
Time can be difficult and harsh.
Flowing by as we pray for the source to run dry
We hope that time will eventually cease and bring an end to our difficulties.
That we may never grow old
We want to avoid the hardships that come with age and the passage of time.
We long to rest our tired bones by our fires
We desire comfort and relaxation after experiencing weariness and stress.
And drink to the days
We want to celebrate and enjoy the good times we have had.
Born on our knees we all long
We all start out vulnerable and crave comfort and safety.
For a fawn to sooth and calm
We desire something innocent and gentle to bring us peace.
And with our arrows bring her down
However, we must still confront and deal with difficult situations in order to achieve our goals.
Here, let me rest in your loft for a while
We seek comfort and safety in the company of others.
Before I have to walk home
Before we have to go back out into the world and face its difficulties.
Through the streets bathed in the light
We must face the world illuminated by the realities and truths that it presents.
Of a thousand fires
Of the many challenges and obstacles that we will encounter.
Of a cold and angry world
A world that can be unwelcoming and unfeeling.
In time we'll reconcile with old days long died
With time, we will learn to accept and come to terms with the difficulties of the past.
Know they won't come again
We cannot change the past and must let it go.
Let the years roll in, drown our yesterdays
We should focus on the present and let time take care of our past troubles.
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTHONY EDWIN PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind