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 Hanging Garden
AFI Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Shapeless in the dark again
In the hanging garden, please don't speak
In the hanging garden, no one sleeps
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
Gives my hands the shapes of angels
In the heat of the night, the animals scream
In the heat of the night, walking into a dream
Fall, fall, fall, fall into the walls
Jump, jump out of time
Fall, fall, fall, fall out of the sky
Cover my face as the animals cry
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
Creatures kissing in the rain
Shapeless in the dark again
In the hanging garden, change the past
In the hanging garden, wearing furs and masks
Fall, fall, fall, fall into the walls
Jump, jump out of time
Fall, fall, fall, fall out of the sky
Cover my face as the animals die
In the hanging garden, as the animals die
Cover my face as the animals die
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
In the hanging garden
The lyrics of AFI's The Hanging Garden are a representation of a dream-like state, where the singer is experiencing a surreal and otherworldly setting. There is a sense of impending doom that is portrayed throughout the song with references to creatures kissing in the rain, and animals screaming in the heat of the night. These haunting images are juxtaposed with the idea of the hanging garden, where there is an eerie stillness and silence that is almost oppressive. The repeated phrase "In the hanging garden" emphasizes the idea of being trapped or suspended in this environment, without any escape.
The second half of the song becomes increasingly frantic, with the repetition of the phrases "fall, fall, fall" and "jump, jump" creating a sense of desperation and urgency. The line "cover my face as the animals die" is a powerful and disturbing image that further supports the theme of impending doom. The final repetition of "In the hanging garden" reinforces the feeling of being trapped and the inability to escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Creatures kissing in the rain
Two beings expressing love under the precipitation
Shapeless in the dark again
Unable to discern their physical forms due to the lack of light
In the hanging garden, please don't speak
A request for silence in this enclosed space
In the hanging garden, no one sleeps
Sleeping is not an option when one is surrounded by mystery and uncertainty
Casting halos on the moon
Illuminating the edges of the moon with a glow that resembles a ring
Gives my hands the shapes of angels
The moonlight creates a silhouette on my hands that seems to be of angelic wings
In the heat of the night, the animals scream
The intense and uncomfortable atmosphere causes the animals to vocalize their distress
In the heat of the night, walking into a dream
The surreal environment blurs the boundary between wakefulness and sleeping visions
Fall, fall, fall, fall into the walls
The walls seem to be closing in and causing me to stumble and lose balance
Jump, jump out of time
Escaping the chronological constraints of reality
Fall, fall, fall, fall out of the sky
Dropping uncontrollably from the sky
Cover my face as the animals cry
Shielding myself from the painful sounds of the creatures around me
In the hanging garden, change the past
The garden holds a power to alter the course of history
In the hanging garden, wearing furs and masks
Donning disguises to blend in with the bizarre surroundings
Fall, fall, fall, fall into the walls
Being drawn into the oppressive and overwhelming walls once again
Fall, fall, fall, fall out of the sky
Plummeting once again from the sky
Cover my face as the animals die
Mourning the loss of life around me and trying to block out the pain
In the hanging garden, as the animals die
Even as the animals are dying, the garden remains and continues to exert its eerie influence
In the hanging garden
The garden is a strange and menacing place that defies easy explanation
In the hanging garden
Repeating the stark and disconcerting chorus
In the hanging garden
A final repetition that emphasizes the sinister tone of the song
In the hanging garden
A closing statement that leaves the listener with a sense of unresolved darkness
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Robert James Smith, Simon Gallup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
shan
love this cover!! AFI is so special
Demetrius Mitchell
I love it. Big fan of both bands.
Anubis Anarchy
Not a bad cover. AFI is my favorite band and I love me some Cure. Davey and Robert have similarities in voice, but also some differences that makes me like this.
rapingwalrus
I love this EP so much.
BladeChild
Really is a case of which you heard first. People who say this is shit have nostalgia context and aren't really open to it. Havok's voice works really well for the song, yet, anyone not familiar with their BSITS works aren't really going to appreciate the stellar guitar and drum updates found here compared to the slower, slightly ploddy and moody The Cure version.
Jack Schitt
True that
Greg Gotti
I disagree. I grew up listening to AFI and heard this version first. Years later, getting into The Cure I realized the original is much better.
Jose Defrancesco
It's the bass and drumming of this version that does it for me, honestly. Gives it a whole other layer of intensity.
Gregory Deibel
wish this was on spotify, as well as their cover of Demonomania by the misfits
chiliPismysignature
Awesome cover. Love both bands.