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.
Kill Caustic
AFI Lyrics
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You're better, you're better
Your designer drugs
Won't work, won't work for me
Connect to a three-volt
I hope your battery dies
How could you run
All the same, I remain
The one you blame and I'm
Demonized, purified, justified
As you let yourself show
So now you'll love these screams
What's left of me
Don't speak
Love these screams
Like I do
My name
As the infinite stops cold
Just nine and the six are gone
Guess I was the one to ride, ride
Ride that dirty ride
That is turning so fast now
I think I cannot, cannot hold on
But at this pace
Who'd want, who'd want to
All the same I remain
The one you blame and I'm
Demonized, purified, justified
As you let yourself show
So now you'll love these screams
What's left of me
Don't speak
Love these screams
Like I do
My name
Don't ever speak my name
Don't ever speak my name again
Don't ever speak it
Don't ever speak my name again
Don't speak, don't speak
Don't ever my
Don't speak my name
So now you'll love these screams
What's left of me
Don't speak
Love these screams
Like I do
My name
In AFI's "Kill Caustic," the singer is honest about feeling much worse now that they are without their partner. Though the partner is better, the singer understands that the designer drugs they have been taking won't work as a coping mechanism for them. The singer speaks about their ex-partner through metaphors, saying “How could you run on such voltage?” This line represents the idea that their partner has been living an electrified life, always on the move, always too wired to stay in one place. The singer is unable to keep up and is getting worn out trying.
The chorus reflects the singer's anger and frustration with their partner. They proclaim that the screaming is all they've left behind and caution their ex to never say their name again. The final lines of the song emphasize this by repeating "don't speak my name" multiple times. Essentially, the singer has reached his limit, and even though they are hurt, they would rather not hear their partner's name than continue on this emotional rollercoaster.
Overall, "Kill Caustic" is about the pain of a relationship that didn't work out and the singer's attempts to move on, even as their ex continues to stir up emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
So, I'm feeling much worse now
I am in a worse state of mind and emotions at present.
You're better, you're better
You, the person in question, are in a better state than I am.
Your designer drugs
The drugs prescribed to you, the listener, are most probably targeted to your specific problem.
Won't work, won't work for me
These designer drugs that work perfectly for you will not work for me.
Connect to a three-volt
It is sarcastic and indicates insignificance or deemed lesser importance.
I hope your battery dies
This is a metaphorical wish for the person to cease having control over the singer’s feelings and behavior.
How could you run
It is a rhetorical question aimed at the listener, as they might think they have control over the singer’s mind and actions.
On such, such voltage?
The voltage here is a metaphor for the listener's lowly personal infrastructure, indicating weakness or lack of substance.
All the same, I remain
The artist's resilience and ability to persist despite adverse circumstances.
The one you blame and I'm
The person who gets the blame for the situation regardless of fault.
Demonized, purified, justified
The singer is perceived by the listener in a negative or positive (depending on the situation) light but believes that they are valid in their existence.
As you let yourself show
The artist sees through the listener's outward facade and perceives that they are not what they seem.
So now you'll love these screams
The singer is signalling their intent to behave disruptively and maliciously towards the listener.
What's left of me
The actions of the listener have caused much damage to the singer to the extent that they feel that they have nothing left in them.
Don't speak
The singer is commanding the listener to refrain from responding or engaging with them.
Love these screams
The artist derives pleasure from the listener's discomfort and is determined to make them feel excessively disturbed.
Like I do
The artist expects the listener to understand the extent of their emotional distress and pain.
My name
The listener associates the singer's name with a negative connotation and therefore, is commanded not to utter it.
As the infinite stops cold
A metaphorical phrase indicating the final and permanent cessation of the past events and their effects.
Just nine and the six are gone
The digits 9 and 6 are interpreted in a numerological sense, signifying completion and an end to everything.
Guess I was the one to ride, ride
The artist is choosing not to blame anyone else for the circumstances and instead takes the entire responsibility for it.
Ride that dirty ride
The situation involving the artist has been subjected to immoral or unethical behavior, thus polluted or made impure.
That is turning so fast now
The situation is quickly spiralling out of control and worsening by the minute.
I think I cannot, cannot hold on
The artist is overwhelmed and unable to endure further.
But at this pace
Despite the difficulties, there's no need to hurry towards the end.
Who'd want, who'd want to
Rhetorically asking if anyone would want to hold on to such unbearable circumstances.
Don't ever speak my name
The singer forbids the listener from ever addressing them again.
Don't ever speak my name again
The artist emphasizes the gravity of the situation by stating the command again.
Don't ever speak it
The artist is explicitly commanding the listener to abstain from the use of their name.
Don't speak, don't speak
The simple and straightforward command to remain silent.
Don't ever my
An inadvertent mistake, as it is grammatically incorrect and therefore meaningless.
So now you'll love these screams
Reiterating the intention of the artist to cause disarray and chaos.
What's left of me
A repeat of the idea that the listener has caused significant harm to the artist.
Like I do
A statement indicating the amount of pain the listener has put the artist through.
My name
The listener is strictly forbade from using the singer's name.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: ADAM A CARSON, DAVID PADEN MARCHAND, HUNTER LAWRENCE BURGAN, JADE ERROL PUGET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind