The proficient musician played nearly every instrument on the upcoming album. The drums were handled by his A Perfect Circle band mate Josh Freese. Maynard James Keenan’s 11 year old son, Devo, added some gorgeous cello. With Howerdel providing such a rich and layered production style to the sessions, legendary engineer, Alan Moulder (My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails) was enlisted to mix the results. Fans of APC and bands like The Cure and Smashing Pumpkins will fall for the album’s alluring blend of rock bombast and dark atmospherics. The internet has been buzzing about the debut single “The Stone,” and rock and alternative radio has already added the song to their rotations. The album, Keep Telling Myself It’s All Right, will be released in March. In the meantime, Howerdel is putting a touring band together for a worldwide tour.
United States
2005
The Stone
ASHES dIVIDE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I pretend that it's all OK
'Til on the brink of what can't be endured
We survive what we can't change
So let it fade
Just let it go
We pretend so nothing does change
I pretended and prayed it all away
Searching for a place to hide
But I don't need afflicted memories to fade
I just want to feel something real inside
We survive what we can't change
So let it fade
Just let it go
We pretend so nothing does change
We're flowers never breaking through the stone
I've been pushing stones away
Far from these shores
I
Pretend that it's all OK
'Til on the brink of what can be endured
We survive what we can't change
So let it fade
Just let it go
We pretend so nothing does change
We're flowers never breaking through the stone
In the song "The Stone" by ASHES dIVIDE, the lyrics are about the struggle to keep emotions hidden and the burden that it creates. The singer continuously pushes "stones" away, representing their emotions that they don't want to deal with. They pretend that everything is okay, but eventually, they reach a breaking point where what they can endure is no longer possible.
The lyrics show that sometimes, it's easier to pretend that everything is fine rather than confront the uncomfortable truths and raw emotions that we carry. The line "We survive what we can't change" implies that we can't control everything that happens to us in life, but we can choose how we react to it. The repeated phrases "So let it fade, just let it go" convey a sense of resignation and surrender to the situation at hand.
The chorus, "We pretend so nothing does change, we're flowers never breaking through the stone" uses a metaphor to describe how we can get trapped in a cycle of denial, reluctance to change, and unfulfilled potential. The "stone" represents the obstacles that we set up for ourselves, and the "flowers" represent the potential for growth and change that we suppress. Overall, the song's message is about the importance of facing our emotions and accepting the things we can't change in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been pushing stones away far from these shores
I've been avoiding and distancing myself from problems and challenges.
I pretend that it's all OK
I keep up a facade of being okay even though I'm not.
'Til on the brink of what can't be endured
Until the point where I can't take it anymore.
We survive what we can't change
We persevere through situations that are out of our control.
So let it fade
Let the pain and negativity dissipate over time.
Just let it go
Release yourself from the burden of holding onto something that cannot be changed.
We pretend so nothing does change
We fake normalcy in order to maintain the status quo.
We're flowers never breaking through the stone
We are fragile and delicate, unable to overcome the hardness and harshness of life.
I pretended and prayed it all away
I tried to ignore and forget my problems by putting on a false front and hoping they would resolve themselves.
Searching for a place to hide
Looking for a way to escape the difficulties of life.
But I don't need afflicted memories to fade
I don't necessarily need to forget the painful memories in order to move forward.
I just want to feel something real inside
I want to experience genuine emotions, even if they are painful, as opposed to numbing myself to everything.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: William L. Howerdel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chubzdoomer
I've never understood how a song this good managed to slip by so many people, and remains so unnoticed to this day.
grizzly_city
I agree!
mathaeis
I'm a huge Tool and APC fan and a random person suggested this band the other day. I can't believe I missed this, I love it!
G00berella
I'm ashamed to admit that I just heard this song for the first time.
MarkusReese
I managed to catch one of their live shows :-) Small club venue too which made it real awesome.
Blake Brewster
mathaeis singer is guitarist for APC if you didn't know
Uphill Both Ways
I remember when this album came out, I was so excited to see Billy frontman his own project. Here we are 15 years later, & I'm still just as excited. This album's solid af & the fact that so many people just happened to 'miss it' shows how many 'fans' are all about that image rather than the actual talent. Don't get me wrong; Maynard's as talented as they come, BUT, so is Billy, & the fact that the majority of APC & TOOL fans just didn't notice this is a tragedy. So much good stuff going on here.
spikedleatherworks
It is Billy's compositions that really make me love APC... and he is obviously no slouch here either. People may argue all day long about Maynard singing better, but to me Maynard's voice is just the pretty icing atop a big beautiful layered cake that Billy baked up.
Alan
When they get back together it will be gold.. wait they have and album is out in a few months yay.
Aron Nolan
Blasphemy