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.
Wasted State Of Mind
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Paris to Oslo seem like dreams
Looking back, was it real?
You know how things sometimes feel
You can run but you can get no further than
Three city blocks from where you began
Caught in a wasted state of mind
Now you're gone
Where will it take me?
Why am I waiting?
Caught in a stasis, feel like I've wasted all this time
With people and places who've never related or desired
The lyrics of "Wasted State of Mind" by …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead explores the themes of nostalgia, longing, and feeling trapped in a repetitive cycle of life. The song talks about the memories of the places the singer has been to - Paris and Oslo - and questions whether those moments were real or just a dream. There is a sense of regret in the lyrics as the singer acknowledges that sometimes in life, you can run away but never really escape from the past. The idea of being "caught in a wasted state of mind" suggests that the singer feels stuck and unable to move forward.
As the song progresses, the tone becomes more melancholic as the singer voices their frustration about feeling trapped in a never-ending cycle of waiting. The lyrics "Here you come, here you come, now you're gone. Where will it take me? Why am I waiting?" highlights the sense of despair and longing. The final lines of the song "Caught in a stasis, feel like I've wasted all this time. With people and places who've never related or desired" provide a bleak outlook on life - a feeling of having wasted time on people and places that have never really mattered.
Line by Line Meaning
Talking 'bout things we've seen
Reflecting on past experiences and events we've been through
Paris to Oslo seem like dreams
Memories of our travels from Paris to Oslo seem surreal
Looking back, was it real?
Questioning the authenticity and validity of our past experiences
You know how things sometimes feel
Acknowledging that our perceptions can be distorted or unreliable
You can run but you can get no further than
Three city blocks from where you began
Feeling trapped or stagnant, unable to escape the confines of our current situation
Caught in a wasted state of mind
Feeling unfulfilled or dissatisfied with our current state of being
Here you come, here you come
Now you're gone
Referring to a fleeting moment of happiness or excitement that quickly passes
Where will it take me?
Questioning the direction and purpose of our lives
Why am I waiting?
Feeling uncertain or restless, wondering why we are not progressing
Caught in a stasis, feel like I've wasted all this time
With people and places who've never related or desired
Feeling stuck in a state of inaction or lack of progress, spending time with individuals or in environments that do not align with our desires or aspirations.
Contributed by Brayden V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
USmarinePunk
I remember my brother giving me a terabyte drive full of Trail of Dead music before I deployed to Iraq. If I could ever make a documentary or movie about that experience you can bet your ass this song will be on there!
Anthony Geraci
id watch it
Dmytro Shkurko
So cool knowing US marines have good taste!
righteousrat
I stumbled across this song on accidentally on projectplaylist back in the old MySpace days looking for "All In My Mind" by Love And Rockets. I had heard of Trail of Dead before, but never actively checked them out. I was hooked from the first listen. Truly a great song by an underappreciated band.
stinkgrinder
i forgot how cool this song was
Foxmpomas
I remember my dad would play this song when we were kids and said “It’s the spooky song” now I call it the spooky song because of the bongos it reminded us of skeletons or something I don’t know.
Mr. Question
All I can think of whenever I hear this song is a bossfight against the least known but coolest character.
Exit Ghost
Ha. I used to listen to that record when I played Secret of Mana on SNES. Great Memories.
adam middleton
love the groove
bevrosity
i like how this band is evolving