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.
The Embrace
AFI Lyrics
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Might have eased the hurt
Feeling it disappear
Only made worse
Pulling it piece by piece
Slashing up ribbons could dismiss
To slowly disintegrate
May you feel this, while you sleep
Push the poisonous thorns in you
May you feel this while you wake
Bear your poisonous thorns
Walk into traffic
Running with open knives
Searching for mercy here
That I'm too weak to find
To take my deepest breath
I walk into the raging sea
To drown out this emptiness
It's all you have left for me
May you feel this, while you sleep
Push the poisonous thorns in you
May you feel this while you wake
Bear your poisonous thorns
May you feel this while you wake
Bear your poisonous thorns
I hope you feel this
I hope that you can feel this
As it's fading the darkness shifts (the darkness shifts)
This may be the perfect gift
May you feel this, while you sleep
Push the poisonous thorns in you
May you feel this while you wake
Bear your poisonous thorns
May you feel this, may you feel this while you wake
May you feel this, may you feel this while you wake
The Embrace by AFI represents the emotions of a person who is experiencing heartbreak and the difficulty they face in coping with it. The first stanza of the song speaks about the singer's desire to watch their relationship crumble because they believed it would lessen the pain. However, they soon realized that the disappearance of the relationship only made things worse. The chorus depicts the singer's desire to make their partner feel the pain that they are experiencing as revenge. The line "May you feel this while you sleep" refers to the singer's desire for their partner to feel the pain as they are in their most vulnerable state. The second stanza talks about the singer's desperation in finding a source of comfort to ease their pain. They consider destructive behaviors like walking into traffic and running with open knives, all in search of mercy that they believe is beyond their reach. The third and final stanza expresses the singer's hope that their partner can feel the same pain they are going through as it is the only comfort they have left.
The song emphasizes the concept of "poisonous thorns," which represents the painful memories that are stuck in the singer's mind. They wish their partner must feel the hurt, which they feel emotionally, mentally, or physically. The song's final line, "This may be the perfect gift," suggests that the singer would consider their partner feeling the same pain a fitting punishment for the heartbreak. The Embrace by AFI is a poignant and powerful song that accurately portrays the emotions of a person dealing with a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Watching it crumble
Observing something fall apart
Might have eased the hurt
Could have made the pain less severe
Feeling it disappear
Sensing something disappearing
Only made worse
Made the situation even more challenging
Pulling it piece by piece
Removing bit by bit
Slashing up ribbons could dismiss
Cutting ribbons could solve the problem
To slowly disintegrate
To gradually fall apart
Could have been the perfect gift
Could have been an ideal present
May you feel this, while you sleep
Let the person experience this sensation while sleeping
Push the poisonous thorns in you
Implant toxic spines
May you feel this while you wake
Enable them to feel this upon waking
Bear your poisonous thorns
Carry your harmful weapons
Walk into traffic
Stroll into oncoming vehicles
Running with open knives
Sprinting while brandishing unfolded blades
Searching for mercy here
Seeking compassion in this place
That I'm too weak to find
That I lack the strength to locate
To take my deepest breath
To inhale deeply
I walk into the raging sea
I step into the turbulent ocean
To drown out this emptiness
To silence the feeling of vacancy
It's all you have left for me
This is the only option available for me
I hope you feel this
I desire that you experience this
As it's fading the darkness shifts (the darkness shifts)
As it vanishes, the obscurity changes
This may be the perfect gift
This could be regarded as an excellent present
May you feel this, may you feel this while you wake
Experience this upon waking
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Adam A Carson, David Paden Marchand, Hunter Lawrence Burgan, Jade Errol Puget
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind