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.
Fainting Spells
AFI Lyrics
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Before I sink
Because I think
I think I may have found
The short way down
Just give me something cold and clear
The love spent here
Means nothing, dear
I pray to reason I forget
I'll trade what's left
Just give me something
(I'm the devout)
Praying just to, oh (get the blood out)
Bound by this flesh I own
(I'm the devout)
Cutting just to, oh (get the blood out)
Desecrate 'til we die alone
I will defy
The pulse disguise
But please pretend
We're still alive
If it gives you hope
I sung and drowned
I'm taking the short way down
Just give me something
(I'm the devout)
Praying just to, oh (get the blood out)
Bound by this flesh I own
(I'm the devout)
Cutting just to, oh (get the blood out)
Desecrate 'til we die alone
Give me something I can take
Can take to make the memories fade
Poison kiss, remember this
I never was meant for this day
Give me something I can take (take)
Can take to make the memories fade
Poison kiss, remember this
I never was meant for this day
(I'm the devout)
Praying just to, oh (get the blood out)
Bound by this flesh I own
(I'm the devout)
Cutting just to, oh (get the blood out)
Desecrate 'til we die alone, oh
(I'm the devout)
Praying just to, oh (get the blood out)
Bound by this flesh I own
(I'm the devout)
Cutting just to, oh (get the blood out)
Desecrate 'til we die
We die alone ('til we die)
We die alone ('til we die)
We die alone ('til we die)
The lyrics to AFI's song "Fainting Spells" express a desire for release, for something cold and clear to numb the pain and fear that the singer is experiencing. The singer seems to be in a dark place, contemplating suicide ("the short way down") and feeling trapped by their own body ("bound by this flesh I own"). They are cutting themselves as a means of release, a way to get the blood out and feel something, anything. The repetition of the line "give me something" emphasizes their desperation and longing for a way out of their current state.
The line "Desecrate til we die alone" stands out as particularly striking and evocative. It suggests a sense of isolation and despair, that even in death there will be no comfort or connection with others. The repeated phrase "we die alone" hammers this point home, underscoring the finality and hopelessness of the singer's situation.
Overall, the lyrics to "Fainting Spells" paint a bleak and despairing picture of someone trapped in their own mind and body, searching for a way to escape their pain and find some semblance of peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Give me this before
I slip,
before I sink,
because I think
I may have found
the short way down
I need something to hold on to before I hurt myself because I am so close to falling over the edge.
Just give me something
cold and clear
the love spent here,
as I had feared,
means nothing dear.
I need a distraction from the love that I'm currently losing. It's become clear that it doesn't mean enough to keep it close to me.
I pray to reason Il forget
Ill trade whats left
I plead to logic to help me forget. I'll give everything to make that happen.
Im the devout,
praying just to
get the blood out,
bound by this flesh I own
I am a believer in ritualistic self-harm as a way to numb myself from the pain of life.
Im the devout,
cutting just to
get the blood out
Desecrate til we die alone
I am a faithful follower of self-destruction, willing to go to extremes, even if it means going to my grave alone.
I will defy
the pulse disguise
but please pretend
were still alive
if it gives you hope
I sung and drowned,
Im taking the short way down
I will fight against the illusion of control that I have over my life. But if pretending helps someone else get through it, then so be it. In the end, I know I'm going to die young and tragically.
Give me something I can take
to make the memories fade,
Poison kiss, remember this,
I was never meant for this day
Give me a way to forget, to erase the pain that clings to me. Something toxic, something that will take me away from this reality forever. I know that this life wasn't meant for me.
Just give me something
Im the devout,
praying just to
get the blood out,
bound by this flesh I own
Im the devout,
cutting just to
get the blood out.
Desecrate til we die alone
All I ask is for a way to deal with the pain that I feel every day. My self-harm is my religion, and I am committed to it until the end of my life.
we die alone
we die alone
we die alone
In the end, we are all alone. No matter what we do, who we love, or what we believe, death comes for us all. And when it does, we will die alone.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: David Marchand, Adam Carson, Jade Puget, Hunter Burgan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind