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.

File 13
AFI Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I sleep until there is no light
I'm wide awake all through the night
Diner may suck but I'll take a bite
I do whatever I can

My muscles stiffen through the day
Discomfort never goes away
Why don't you just throw me away

I feel like a garbage can

Throw me away
(Throw me)
I've got no use
Throw me away
(Throw me)

I'm nothing to lose
Throw me away
(Throw me)
I feel like shit
I am useless

I know I know nothing at all
I'd take stand but I know I'd fall
I'd run head-down into a wall
And watch my blood run faster

Girls laugh and pass me on the street
I spook out everyone I meet
I've got pink toenails on my feet
I'm such a fucking master

Throw me away
(Throw me)
I've got no use
Throw me away
(Throw me)

I'm nothing to lose
Throw me away
(Throw me)
I feel like shit
I am useless

I never seem to feel well
I always seem to look like hell
It seems like everyone can tell
My mind is going numb

My mom thinks I wear women's clothes
I get dogged on at all the shows
It seems that everybody knows
I look like a fucking bum

Throw me away
(Throw me)
I've got no use
Throw me away
(Throw me)

I'm nothing to lose
Throw me away
(Throw me)

I feel like shit
I am useless

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to AFI's song File 13 explore the feelings of someone who sees themselves as unwanted and useless in the world. The first verse describes their disrupted sleep, how they are awake while everyone else is asleep, and that they will do anything, even something unpleasant like eating at a bad diner, just to feel like they are doing something. The following verse talks about how their body is stiff and uncomfortable all day, and they feel like they are nothing more than a garbage can. The chorus repeats the phrase "Throw me away", emphasizing the singer’s perceived worthlessness and lack of value in the world. The second verse delves into how people perceive this person, how they see girls laughing at them, and how they cannot relate to people in the streets. They wear pink toenail polish, and this is just one example of how they are comfortable in their own skin, but others are not. The final verse speaks to how the singer's mental health is declining, and they are unsure of themselves, leading to paranoia and fear about what people think of them. Their mother even thinks that they are wearing women's clothes, and they are made fun of at all the shows they attend.

Overall, the song File 13 is about the struggle to cope with feelings of worthlessness and the fear that everyone can see it. It speaks to feelings of social anxiety, depression, and self-worth.

Line by Line Meaning

I sleep until there is no light
I sleep in until there's no daylight

I'm wide awake all through the night
I stay up all night

Diner may suck but I'll take a bite
I'll eat at a bad diner if I have to

I do whatever I can
I'll do anything I can to get by

My muscles stiffen through the day
I feel uncomfortable all day

Discomfort never goes away
I can't get rid of the discomfort

Why don't you just throw me away
I feel worthless and useless

I feel like a garbage can
I feel worthless and unwanted

Throw me away
I'm disposable

(Throw me)

I've got no use
I have no purpose