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 Face Beneath The Waves
AFI Lyrics
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Part of me collected and destroyed
Tell me what it's like to hold a heart
When it shatters
Someone said that they ran into her
Asked if there was any word of me
And she swore that everything we were
(There is a face beneath the waves)
I will return again
I will return to you
I will return again
I am part of you
I am
Are you somewhere listening to me?
Have these whispers finally found the cracks?
White walls won't forever keep these screams
They will shatter
Secretly, you know that I'm still here
While you're being held you're so alone
For you killed the only one who cared
Let it shatter.
(There is a voice within the walls)
I will return again
I will return to you
I will return again
I am part of you
I am
What do you do
When my soul invites you?
Oh, you'll see me again
You know this will never end
What do you do
When your heart reminds you?
Oh, you'll put me to death
But I will return again
I will return again
I will return to you
I will return again
I am part of you
I will be with you again, with you again
I will be with you again, with you again
I will be with you again, with you again
I will be
I am part of you
I am
The Face Beneath The Waves is a melancholic song by AFI that explores the pain of heartbreak and the desperation to be reunited with a lost love. The lyrics talk about the aftermath of a breakup, where one person falls apart and the other moves on. The singer is haunted by memories of his lost love, and wonders what it would be like to hold her heart again, even though he knows it's shattered.
He also acknowledges that he is still a part of her and will return to her, even in death. The chorus repeats the longing to return, and reminds the listener that the singer is a part of them, forever connected. The bridge of the song suggests that the singer is a ghost, watching over his former love and hoping she hears his whispers. He warns that their screams, representing the pain of their separation, will eventually shatter the walls they've built to keep them contained.
Overall, The Face Beneath The Waves is a powerful song that portrays the complexities of heartbreak and the desire to hold onto love, even in death.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone said they saw me fall apart
Someone noticed that I broke down and disintegrated
Part of me collected and destroyed
Some of me was salvaged while other parts were ruined
Tell me what it's like to hold a heart
Explain the experience of having control over someone's emotions
When it shatters
When it breaks apart and is ruined
Someone said that they ran into her
Another person claimed to have seen the woman I care about
Asked if there was any word of me
Inquired if she had anything to say or share about me
And she swore that everything we were
She insisted that our history and relationship were meaningless
Never mattered
Were of no importance or relevance
(There is a face beneath the waves)
There is a hidden or submerged presence that has power over us
I will return again
I will come back or resurface
I will return to you
I will come back to you or be reunited with you
I am part of you
I am connected or ingrained with you
Are you somewhere listening to me?
Are you in some location where you can hear me?
Have these whispers finally found the cracks?
Have these confidential conversations found their way through the barriers?
White walls won't forever keep these screams
Eventually, institutionalized isolation will not suppress the screams forever
They will shatter
They will break apart or come to an end
Secretly, you know that I'm still here
You inwardly recognize that I still exist
While you're being held you're so alone
Despite physical closeness, you feel lonely and isolated
For you killed the only one who cared
You caused the death of the sole person who was concerned about you
Let it shatter.
Let it fall apart and be ruined
(There is a voice within the walls)
There is a hidden or internal voice that has power over us
What do you do
When my soul invites you?
How will you respond when I make a deep personal appeal to you?
Oh, you'll see me again
You know this will never end
You will encounter me once more because this situation will drag on indefinitely
What do you do
When your heart reminds you?
How will you handle the emotional prompts that come from within you?
Oh, you'll put me to death
But I will return again
You may metaphorically kill me or cut me out, but I will nevertheless come back
I will be with you again, with you again
I will be with you again, with you again
I will be with you again, with you again
I will return to be near you repeatedly
I will be
I am part of you
I will exist and be interconnected with you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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