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 Interview
AFI Lyrics
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What David calls servant and master
Will you play it too?
As this displacement begs for water
Swimming, bathing
Drowning in sorrow
(Scream with me)
I crawl across this cracked expansion
I'll be buried soon
Beneath the sand with pure intentions
Wanting something
Someone to follow
For a change I'll refrain
From hiding all of me from you
(Here's my lullaby)
Pray for rain, lose your name
And watch all your dreams fall through
(Hush now, don't you cry)
I swoon, upon my knees come crashing
Will you bury me?
Today, this small favor I am asking
Hold me, you may drop me tomorrow
For a change I'll refrain
From hiding all of me from you
(Here's my lullaby)
Pray for rain, lose your name
And watch all your dreams fall through
(Hush now)
For a change I'll refrain
From hiding all of me from you
Pray for rain, lose your name
And watch all your dreams fall through
Here's my lullaby
Hush now, don't you cry
Come down
Come down cold with us
With me
I flee to
I flee to
Decemberunderground
As you exhale
I breathe in
And sink into
The water underground
And I'll grow pale
Without you
The song The Interview by AFI delves into the concept of displacement, feeling lost and longing for connection. The lyrics open with the singer expressing the feeling of waiting for something catastrophic to happen. The line "What David calls servant and master" refers to King David from the Bible, who spoke about the idea that people can be both servants and masters in different situations. This highlights the idea that sometimes in life, we can feel like we have control and other times we feel powerless and at the mercy of external factors.
The next stanza talks about the desperation that can come from displacement, expressed through the imagery of swimming, bathing, and drowning in sorrow. The chorus then comes in with a different tone- a plea for vulnerability and connection, with the lines "For a change, I'll refrain from hiding all of me from you" and "Hold me, you may drop me tomorrow". The song then ends with a plea for someone to "come down" and join the singer in the Decemberunderground, a metaphor for an alternate reality where they can escape their feelings of displacement and find connection.
Overall, The Interview is a song that deals with themes of displacement, vulnerability, and longing for connection. It paints a picture of someone who feels lost and desperate for something or someone to hold onto, but also acknowledges the fear of vulnerability and the fleeting nature of connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Forever waiting for disaster
The singer is accustomed to being in a state of readiness, as if waiting for something terrible to happen.
What David calls servant and master
Refers to the biblical story of David and Goliath, where the weaker servant defeats and becomes the master of the stronger opponent.
Will you play it too?
The singer is asking whether the listener will also participate in the ongoing game of societal power dynamics.
As this displacement begs for water
The artist is feeling a sense of longing for something that they are unable to attain or find, like water in the desert-like situation they are in.
Swimming, bathing, drowning in sorrow (Scream with me)
The artist is expressing how their emotional state goes from being numb to overwhelmed and back to numb, and requesting the listener to join in their display of despair.
I crawl across this cracked expansion, I'll be buried soon
The singer feels like they are barely surviving in their life, struggling to move forward, and believes that they will soon be buried or forgotten and disappear from existence.
Beneath the sand with pure intentions, wanting something, someone to follow
The singer feels that they have good intentions, but are lost and searching for direction or guidance, similar to someone lost in a desert searching for a way out.
For a change I'll refrain from hiding all of me from you (Here's my lullaby)
The artist wants to be vulnerable and authentic with the listener, sharing a part of themselves that they have hidden before, which is in the form of a lullaby.
Pray for rain, lose your name, and watch all your dreams fall through (Hush now, don't you cry)
The artist is suggesting a nihilistic way of living, where they advise to pray for an event that may never happen and just let go of anything that they hold dear, pacifying the listener to accept this suggestion.
I swoon, upon my knees come crashing, will you bury me?
The artist feels overwhelmed by something and is seeking comfort and assurance from the listener, asking them to be there for them even in death.
Today, this small favor I am asking, hold me, you may drop me tomorrow
The singer realizes that the listener's support may be temporary, but is still requestful for them to provide some shelter and comfort in their time of need.
Come down, come down cold with us, with me, I flee to, I flee to Decemberunderground
The artist is feeling alone and wishes for the listener to join them in their sadness, which they refer to as Decemberunderground.
As you exhale, I breathe in, and sink into the water underground, and I'll grow pale without you
The singer is so dependent on the listener for their emotional support that when they are no longer there, the singer feels like they are drowning in their own misery.
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Hunter Lawrence Burgan, Adam A Carson, David Paden Marchand, Jade Errol Puget
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind