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.
She Speaks the Language
AFI Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can make an appeal
To the controlling fragile child
Let me speak. He won't make sense
Until we reach the consequence
It's voluntary like your smile
As he quakes
This must be love
Now I know
Now I know
This, this must be love
Now I know
This must be love
This must be love
Oh
When you dared me to feel
When I made that appeal
To the incorrigible child
You stuffed his mouth with dirty rags
And tied his head within a bag
Pitch black and silken like your smile
He's silent
Now I know
This must be love
Now I know (oh)
Now I know
This, this must be love
Now I know
Little drops upon my cuffs
(Little drops upon my cuffs)
Let me know this must be love
Red, red, drops upon my cuffs
(Red, red, drops upon my cuffs)
Let me know this must be love
Now I know this must be
This must be love
Now I know
This must be love
Now I know (oh)
Now I know
This, this must be love
Now I know
This must be love
Little drops upon my cuffs
(Little drops upon my cuffs)
This must be love
Let me know this must be love
This must be love
Red, red, drops upon my cuffs
(Red, red, drops upon my cuffs)
This must be love
Let me know this must be love
Now I know this must be
This must be love
The lyrics to AFI's song She Speaks the Language explore the concept of love, its powerful and often controlling nature, and its ability to cause both pain and pleasure. The singer starts by questioning the reality of the love that is being expressed, asking for confirmation that it is indeed real. The controlling and fragile nature of love is compared to that of a child, and the singer appeals to this childlike part of their lover to speak to them. The conversation is said to reach its climax and make sense when it reaches its consequence, indicating that love is a complex and long-term process.
As the song progresses, the singer continues to explore the contrast between the positive and negative aspects of love. They find themselves swept up in their emotions, realizing that what they are experiencing must be love. They describe drops of blood on their cuffs, perhaps from an injury caused by the passion and intensity of this love. In the final lines, they come to accept that despite the pain and struggle that love can bring, it is unmistakably worth it.
Overall, the lyrics to She Speaks the Language are a poignant exploration of the various emotions and experiences that come with being in love, from the confusion and doubt to the intense passion and certainty that love can bring.
Line by Line Meaning
If you'd tell me it's real
If you confirm that it's genuine
I can make an appeal
I can request for it
To the controlling fragile child
The part of me that is trying to keep everything together, despite being delicate
Let me speak. He won't make sense
Allow me to talk, because otherwise, I'll sound nonsensical
Until we reach the consequence
Until the result is apparent
It's voluntary like your smile
It's a choice, just like the smile on your face
As he quakes
As my unstable self shakes
Now I know
This must be love
Now I know
Now I know
This, this must be love
Now I know
This must be love
This must be love
Oh
This is certainly love
When you dared me to feel
When you challenged me to have emotions
When I made that appeal
When I made that request
To the incorrigible child
To the stubborn, difficult to manage part of me
You stuffed his mouth with dirty rags
You silenced him by forcing filthy rags into his mouth
And tied his head within a bag
And constrained his head with a bag
Pitch black and silken like your smile
Dark and smooth like your smile
He's silent
I'm quiet
Little drops upon my cuffs
(Little drops upon my cuffs)
Let me know this must be love
Red, red, drops upon my cuffs
(Red, red, drops upon my cuffs)
Let me know this must be love
Now I know this must be
This must be love
The blood on my cuffs confirms that this is love
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Adam Carson, Davey Havok, Hunter Burgan, Jade Puget
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind