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.
Reiver's Music
AFI Lyrics
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I've come to see these halos
Am I now worse off (oh-whoa)
For this one night?
All come enchanted
Welcomed by the halos
All the while we know
Because we are now in dying days
Hear nothing and see no one
All now in dying days
Nothing is all we own
I've taken to speaking
Words that only they know
How soon I did see (oh-whoa)
All is unseen
I gave up trying
I've come to be these halos
Welcome to our show
Those enamored who won't miss us
Because we are now in dying days
Hear nothing and see no one
All now in dying days
Nothing is all we own
All now in dying days
Hear nothing and see no one
All now in dying days
No one is who we know
With only echoes proving that I'm here
With all the wraiths, through all these years
And I have
I have no desire
To leave
(Here now)
With only echoes proving that I'm here
(Speak to me)
With all the wraiths, through all these years
(I don't want)
And I have
I have no desire
To leave
Because we are now in dying days
Hear nothing and see no one
All now in dying days
Nothing is all we own
All now in dying days
Hear nothing and see no one
All now in dying days
No one is who we know
All now in dying days
Hear nothing and see no one
All now in dying days
Nothing is all we own
All now in dying days
Hear nothing and see no one
All now in dying days
No one is who we know
The lyrics of AFI's song Reiver's Music explore the idea of surrendering to one's fate and embracing the unknown. The singer has given up fighting and has come to accept the halos, which may symbolize death or a new beginning. They wonder whether they are worse off for surrendering for just one night. The halos have enchanted the singer, but they are aware that those who are enamored by them do not notice their presence. The imagery of the dying days suggests a sense of finality and the acceptance of the inevitable.
The singer takes to speaking words that only the halos know and realizes that all is unseen. The repetition of the phrase "hear nothing and see no one" emphasizes the sense of isolation and disconnection from the world. The singer welcomes the enamored to their show, recognizing that they will also eventually succumb to the dying days. The final repetition of the lyrics underscores the idea that nothing is all we own and that in the end, we are alone.
Overall, the lyrics of Reiver's Music evoke a sense of finality and surrender, with the singer accepting their fate and embracing the unknown. The imagery of the halos and the dying days suggest themes of mortality and the inevitability of death.
Line by Line Meaning
I gave up fighting
I have abandoned all attempts to resist or oppose.
I've come to see these halos
I now perceive and accept the world through a certain hazy filter or lens.
Am I now worse off (oh-whoa)
Has my situation or state deteriorated as a result of this change?
All come enchanted
Everyone is captivated or enchanted by the same thing.
Welcomed by the halos
We are all welcomed and embraced by this same hazy aura or atmosphere.
All the while we know
Despite this knowledge, we still choose to live in this enchanted state.
Those enamored never miss us
Those who are fully captivated by this state never realize that we are a part of it too.
Because we are now in dying days
We are now in the final stages or last moments of something significant.
Hear nothing and see no one
We are completely cut off from reality and other people around us.
All now in dying days
Everything around us is in its final stages, including ourselves.
Nothing is all we own
We have nothing tangible or substantial, only the intangible aura around us.
I've taken to speaking
I have started to communicate with others in a different way.
Words that only they know
I use language or phrases that only those who are also enchanted will understand.
How soon I did see (oh-whoa)
I realized very quickly or suddenly that this was my new reality.
All is unseen
Everything around us is hidden or obscured by the enchanting aura.
Welcome to our show
We invite you to join us in this enchanted state.
Those enamored who won't miss us
Those who are fully captivated by this state will not realize that we have left it.
With only echoes proving that I'm here
The only evidence of my existence are faint reflections or remnants of my presence.
With all the wraiths, through all these years
We have been surrounded by ghostly or shadowy figures for a long time.
And I have no desire to leave (Here now)
I am content to stay in this enchanted state and not return to reality.
No one is who we know
We have lost touch with reality and the people we used to know.
Contributed by Savannah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.