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.
Insatiable
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Lyrics
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That crawls through us ever so slight
And dulls our sensations as deep as they are
They're born in the blink of an eye
Life deviates from the paths that we're on
Flinging us off to the side
We find ourselves broken and our friends all gone
These lyrics convey a message about the fragility of life and human weaknesses. The first line of the song, "Curse this insatiable weakness of ours," sets the tone for the rest of the piece. The words "insatiable" and "weakness" give the impression of an unquenchable thirst or desire that humans have but cannot satisfy. This insatiable feeling "crawls through us ever so slight" and dulls our sensations. This line could be interpreted as the way that we become complacent and numb to the world around us. The things that once brought us joy are no longer able to do so, and this causes us to feel disconnected from our own experiences.
The second verse continues the idea of life's unpredictability. "Life deviates from the paths that we're on, flinging us off to the side," means that even though we may have a plan for our lives, unexpected twists and turns will always arise. When life goes off course, we find ourselves "broken" and our friends are "gone in a blink of an eye." This could refer to the way that relationships can end suddenly and the pain that comes with losing someone important in our lives. Overall, the lyrics are a poignant reminder that life is fleeting and that human beings are fragile and vulnerable to its unpredictable nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Curse this insatiable weakness of ours
Our constant desire for more causes us harm and suffering
That crawls through us ever so slight
This desire sneaks up on us and affects us subtly
And dulls our sensations as deep as they are
This desire numbs us to the joys and sorrows of life, no matter how intense they may be
They're born in the blink of an eye
Our desires can emerge suddenly and without warning
Life deviates from the paths that we're on
Our expectations for how our lives will unfold often fall short of reality
Flinging us off to the side
These unexpected events can lead us astray from our intended course
We find ourselves broken and our friends all gone
These detours can leave us feeling alone and disconnected from others
They're gone in the blink of an eye
Our connections to others can be lost just as suddenly as they were formed
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ERIC L MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind