AFI (A Fire Inside) is an American punk rock band from Ukiah, California, f… Read Full Bio ↴AFI (A Fire Inside) is an American punk rock band from Ukiah, California, formed in 1991. The band's lineup stabilized in 1998 with lead vocalist Davey Havok, drummer and backing vocalist Adam Carson, bassist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Hunter Burgan, and guitarist, backing vocalist and keyboardist Jade Puget. Havok and Carson are the sole remaining original members. Originally a hardcore punk band, they have since delved into many genres.

AFI has released eleven studio albums, ten EPs, one live album and one DVD. The band first reached substantial commercial success with their fifth album, The Art of Drowning (2000), which peaked at number 174 on the Billboard 200. They then broke into the mainstream with their sixth, Sing the Sorrow (2003), which peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 51 weeks. The album was supported by popular singles "Girl's Not Grey" and "Silver and Cold", both of which peaked at number seven on America's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2003. "The Leaving Song Pt. II" was also released as a single, reaching number 16 on the chart. Sing the Sorrow was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2006 and is AFI's best-selling release, having sold over 1.26 million copies as of September 2009.

AFI's seventh album, Decemberunderground (2006), debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and featured the hit single "Miss Murder", which topped the Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart and reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100. Another single, "Love Like Winter", reached number four on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2013.[6] Decemberunderground was followed three years later by Crash Love (2009), and then four years later by Burials (2013); both albums were also successful, peaking at number twelve and number nine, respectively, on the Billboard 200. The band's tenth and latest album, AFI (The Blood Album), was released in 2017, and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200, making it their second-highest chart position.

05 Fall Children
AFI Lyrics

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As the cries start to penetrate
Still air
This day we celebrate
The wait now ends

From four corners smoke plumes into a reddened sky
(Woah oh, woah oh)
In the face of lantern light, tonight, my destiny flies

(Woah oh, woah oh)
Oh oh

This day so hallowed
This day so hallowed
From here to forever, its will I will follow
This day so hallowed
This day so hallowed
Tonight will come to life

Deadened branches stirred by whispers in the wind
(Woah oh, woah oh)
Fall children fill the streets at dusk, at last, it all will begin
(Woah oh, woah oh)
Oh oh

This day so hallowed
This day so hallowed
From here to forever, its will I will follow
This day so hallowed
This day so hallowed
Tonight will come to life

Oh oh oh
Oh, hallowed, hallowed, hallowed
Hallowed, hallowed, yeah

Fall children

This day so hallowed
This day so hallowed
From here to forever, its will I will follow
This day so hallowed
This day so hallowed
Tonight will come to life
(Woah, oh oh oh)

To life
(Woah oh oh)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to AFI's song Fall Children paint a picture of a dark and eerie celebration. The song begins with cries penetrating still air, building a sense of anticipation and tension. The day being celebrated is described as "hallowed," implying that it is important and significant.

The second verse adds to this sense of foreboding by describing smoke plumes from four corners into a reddened sky, and highlights the importance of lantern light. As the chorus repeats the phrase "this day so hallowed," we can see that the singer is determined to follow its will and that tonight will come to life.

In the final verse, deadened branches are stirred by whispers in the wind, and fall children fill the streets at dusk - a macabre image that furthers the ominous tone of the song. The repetition of the chorus with its haunting refrain of "oh hallowed, hallowed, hallowed" builds to a crescendo, and the song ends with the promise that tonight will come to life.

Overall, Fall Children by AFI is a dark and atmospheric song that creates a vivid and unsettling world. The lyrics suggest a celebration that is eerie and possibly even dangerous, heightening the sense of foreboding throughout the song.

Line by Line Meaning

As the cries start to penetrate
The day has begun with screams that are heard throughout the silent air.

Still air
The environment around seems to be completely quiet and motionless.

This day we celebrate
The day that has arrived is special and is being commemorated for a certain reason.

The wait now ends
All the waiting is now over and the result is about to be revealed.

From four corners smoke plumes into a reddened sky
Smoke rises from different directions, and the sky seems to be reddish in color.

(Woah oh, woah oh)
A musical interlude.

In the face of lantern light, tonight, my destiny flies
Under the lanterns' light, my fortune takes off tonight.

Oh oh
A musical interlude.

This day so hallowed
Today is sacred and special.

From here to forever, its will I will follow
From now on, I will always follow its path.

Tonight will come to life
Things will liven up today, during the nighttime.

Deadened branches stirred by whispers in the wind
The tree branches are still and lifeless, but with the onset of a breeze they come alive.

(Woah oh, woah oh)
A musical interlude.

Fall children fill the streets at dusk, at last, it all will begin
As the sun sets, the children start to show up on the road, and everything is about to begin at last.

Oh oh
A musical interlude.

Fall children
Children who are about to engage in the event as autumn commences.

To life
A musical interlude.

Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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