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.
We've Got the Knife
AFI Lyrics
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You've got disarming eyes.
You've got such social grace.
I've got my pretty spies.
I found you lost, misplaced.
I loved that lovely guise.
I said Id try my luck and you said, well you dont you dont have to try.
I forgot that night, what you said that night: I had the most exquisite time.
I want it all. I court the loveliest of crimes.
Say it, as if it were true.
We've got the knife you left behind.
Play it just like you do.
I wanna hear you mean it, when you say Im not next in line.
I court the loveliest of crimes.
Save it cuz weve got the knife.
You've got your pretty face.
You've got your stunning glow.
You've got exquisite taste.
I've got the marks to show.
You said youd shoot the stars but bullets make you blush.
Turns out, you liked to play.
Play with knives and I hear that it gives you a rush.
Well weve got the knife, yeah weve got the knife.
I've got the knife you left behind. Well weve got the knife.
Now I want the whole story. I thought you looked familiar.
I'd seen your face long before that night.
Now I wait, for you were no stranger.
No stranger to taking a life.
In AFI's song We've Got the Knife, the lead singer confronts a lover with whom he has been entangled in a dangerous love affair, a love that comes with risks, perhaps even life-threatening ones. The song begins with the singer recognizing the beauty and allure of his lover, noting her pretty face, disarming eyes, and social grace. He, on the other hand, has spies, hinting at a darker side or a hidden agenda. Throughout the song, the singer and his lover engage in a back-and-forth dialogue about their relationship, with the singer insinuating that he wants it all, even if it means courting the loveliest of crimes. The singer also alludes to his lover's fascination with knives and violence, implying that he too may have a similar interest. The chorus, "we've got the knife you left behind," suggests that they are both intimately involved in something dangerous and thrilling.
The lyrics of the song are cryptic and open to interpretation, and overall, they create a sense of danger, suspense, and even eroticism. The use of imagery, such as the knife, adds to the eerie quality of the song, as it implies that the relationship between the two people is risky and unpredictable. The lead singer's haunting voice and the guitar riffs also contribute to the overall edginess of the track. We've Got the Knife could be interpreted as a song about love that is both alluring and dark, where passion and danger are intertwined.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got your pretty face.
You possess a good-looking and attractive face.
You've got disarming eyes.
You own an attractive pair of eyes that can disarm anyone.
You've got such social grace.
You have an excellent social etiquette and manners.
I've got my pretty spies.
I have my attractive accomplices for spying.
I found you lost, misplaced.
I discovered you wandering, unsettled without any definite location.
I loved that lovely guise.
I adored your pleasant appearance and your style.
I said Id try my luck and you said, well you dont you dont have to try.
I mentioned that I want to try my fate with you, but you responded that there is no need for me to try.
I forgot that night, what you said that night: I had the most exquisite time.
I failed to remember what you said on that night: you enjoyed a magnificent moment.
Well you got that right, but its not the whole story.
Your statement is accurate, but there is more to the whole narrative.
I want it all. I court the loveliest of crimes.
I crave everything, and I persuade the most beautiful crimes.
Say it, as if it were true.
Speak as if it is factual.
We've got the knife you left behind.
We own the knife that you accidentally abandoned.
Play it just like you do.
Perform it precisely as you always do.
I wanna hear you mean it when you say I'm not next in line.
I want you to emphasize that I'm not the imminent one in line.
I court the loveliest of crimes.
I tempt or encourage the most beautiful crimes.
Save it cuz weve got the knife.
Preserve it because we already have the knife.
You've got your pretty face.
You own an attractive face.
You've got your stunning glow.
You possess an astonishing radiance.
You've got exquisite taste.
You have discerning and fabulous preferences.
I've got the marks to show.
I have physical indications or proof of something harmful or unpleasant.
You said youd shoot the stars but bullets make you blush.
You claimed to accomplish the impossible, but you get embarrassed by ordinary things.
Turns out, you liked to play.
As it happens, you enjoyed your activity.
Play with knives and I hear that it gives you a rush.
You enjoy playing with knives and taking risks, and it gives you a thrill or adrenaline rush.
Well weve got the knife, yeah we've got the knife.
We own the knife, yes we have the knife.
I've got the knife you left behind. Well weve got the knife.
I acquired the knife that you forgot. Now we own the knife together.
Now I want the whole story. I thought you looked familiar.
I desire the complete narrative. I assumed that I've seen you before.
I'd seen your face long before that night.
I had stumbled upon your face many times before, even before the said night.
Now I wait, for you were no stranger.
Currently, I anticipate, for you are not unfamiliar to such things.
No stranger to taking a life.
You are not unfamiliar with taking someone's life.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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