Their debut album Plan B was the brainchild of the band’s guitarist/original vocalist Michael Franzino, who invited several talented musicians in the Sacramento scene (Including various orchestral instrumentalists and a female vocalist) to perform on the record. They spent their first year of existence diligently perfecting their live set, building their fan base, and most recently, writing their sophomore album as a collaborative effort. Their live set is known for setting deep moods that swing from thoughtful, emotional build-ups to body-moving, epic climaxes.
After signing both deals, they entered Interlace Audio Recording Studio with producer / engineer Kris Crummet (Closure In Moscow, Fear Before, Dance Gavin Dance) to record their second full length, Conversation Piece.
After it's release in the fall of 2011, Conversation Piece received praise and they were called "one of post-hardcore’s most important new bands and one of the few capable of saving the scene." (-MindEqualsBlown.net).
A Lot Like Birds spent all of 2012 on the road, taking their new album and frenzied live antics to the masses. The positive reception to their high energy performances lead to a one month tour of Europe in February 2013. The band's growing fan base fueled powerful performances in London, Paris, Vienna, Budapest and 19 other cities.
ALLB Released their 2nd LP 'No Place' with Equal Vision Records on October 29th, 2013.
ALLB released their 3rd LP 'DIVISI' with Equal Vision Records on May 5th, 2017.
On February 17, 2018, A Lot Like Birds announced their break-up.
Current Members:
Cory Lockwood
Michael Franzino
Ben Wiacek
Joseph Arrington
Matt Coate
Past Members
Kurt Travis
Michael Littlefield
What Didn't Kill Me Just Got Stronger
A Lot Like Birds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No hesitation, this is entrapment entangling me.
Where's my attorney to defend or keep my mind from indulging?
I've failed! And my nerves have lost their touch.
My eyes can't see so much and if my heart is the next to go,
How my brain will scream and let my body know!
My tongue is drafting treaties that my stomach can't hold.
My throat's been fed lies that it's finding too hard to swallow.
So it grows and exposes it's fangs. And it's good friends,
The veins, feel exactly the same;
Abandoned, lost, clogged with smoke and ashamed.
But as for the blame? No, the blame's not with me.
It's with you. Is it true you're less girl than disease?
If this is it, let's make it a big one!
Let's just seize until our blood starts dancing with fire and our bones explode.
The marrow will drip slowly through whichever wounds are open,
Taking my skin by surprise. Oh, you're wrong!
You think your body is so fucking strong.
It's not! You're just a flesh-wrapped present for a graveyard
With intestines ribboning around you as knots.
Can't you see I'm spitting out my taste? You did the very same.
And when we are through, will the worms even want us
Or will they take bites of our skin and decide we'd make terrible dirt?
To tell you the truth and be crushingly honest:
I know I've heard that bodies are temples but when temples sink into the ground,
They lose all their worth. Life's a dance? Well, death takes out the grace.
The song "What Didn't Kill Me Just Got Stronger" by A Lot Like Birds is a powerful expression of the internal battle one can feel when dealing with addiction. The lyrics give a visceral description of the physical and emotional destruction that addiction brings. The first line, "This is my body at war!" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is in the grips of addiction and fighting a battle to stay alive. There is a sense of desperation throughout the song with lines like "No hesitation, this is entrapment entangling me" and "My eyes can't see so much and if my heart is the next to go, How my brain will scream and let my body know!" The singer is aware of the damage they are causing to themselves, but cannot seem to stop.
The lyrics also touch on the guilt and shame that often come with addiction. The lines "My liver? Oh god, how it knows that I'm poisoning it, So it grows and exposes it's fangs" show that the singer is aware of the harm they are causing their body, and yet they cannot seem to stop. There is also a sense of blame directed towards others with lines like "No, the blame's not with me. It's with you. Is it true you're less girl than disease?" The singer is angry and resentful towards those that they feel contributed to their addiction.
In the end, the song paints a bleak picture of addiction and its aftermath. The line "when temples sink into the ground, They lose all their worth" is a poignant observation that life is fleeting and that addiction destroys not only oneself but also the relationships and connections to others. The song is a powerful reminder of the toll that addiction takes on individuals and their loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
This is my body at war!
My body is struggling and fighting against myself in this moment.
No hesitation, this is entrapment entangling me.
I feel trapped in this situation and it's consuming me without mercy.
Where's my attorney to defend or keep my mind from indulging?
I wish I had someone to protect me from my own thoughts and impulses.
I've failed! And my nerves have lost their touch.
I can't handle the pressure and I feel like I've already lost the battle.
My eyes can't see so much and if my heart is the next to go,
I'm emotionally and physically drained, and I fear I might lose myself completely.
How my brain will scream and let my body know!
My mind is screaming for help, but my body is trapped and can't respond.
My tongue is drafting treaties that my stomach can't hold.
I'm saying things that I can't commit to, and it's only making things worse.
My throat's been fed lies that it's finding too hard to swallow.
The lies I'm telling myself are starting to feel like truths that are hard to ignore.
And my liver? Oh god, how it knows that I'm poisoning it,
I'm aware of the harm I'm doing to myself, but I can't stop.
So it grows and exposes it's fangs. And it's good friends,
My body is starting to fight back against me, and it's not a friendly battle.
The veins, feel exactly the same; Abandoned, lost, clogged with smoke and ashamed.
Even my veins are feeling neglected and damaged, and it's adding to my guilt and shame.
But as for the blame? No, the blame's not with me.
I refuse to take responsibility for my own actions and choices, and I'm blaming someone else.
It's with you. Is it true you're less girl than disease?
I'm blaming someone else, possibly a partner or an ex, for my own problems and failures.
If this is it, let's make it a big one!
If I'm going down, I might as well go down with a bang and not hold anything back.
Let's just seize until our blood starts dancing with fire and our bones explode.
I want to live in the moment and indulge in all the pleasures and vices, regardless of the consequences.
The marrow will drip slowly through whichever wounds are open,
My self-destructive behavior will only lead to more pain and misery, and I won't be able to stop it.
Taking my skin by surprise. Oh, you're wrong!
My reckless behavior is not heroic, it's foolish and harmful.
You think your body is so fucking strong. It's not!
I'm trying to convince myself that I'm invulnerable, but deep down I know I'm not.
You're just a flesh-wrapped present for a graveyard with intestines ribboning around you as knots.
I'm just a mortal being, destined to die like everyone else, and my body is slowly decaying and breaking down.
Can't you see I'm spitting out my taste? You did the very same.
I'm disgusted with myself, and I'm projecting my own anger and disappointment onto others.
And when we are through, will the worms even want us or will they take bites of our skin and decide we'd make terrible dirt?
Even after we die, our bodies won't be useful or wanted, and we'll just become food for worms and decay.
To tell you the truth and be crushingly honest: I know I've heard that bodies are temples but when temples sink into the ground, They lose all their worth.
Despite what I've been taught or what I used to believe, my body is not a sacred or valuable thing, and it will just rot away in the end.
Life's a dance? Well, death takes out the grace.
Life might be beautiful and poetic, but death is ugly and violent, and it destroys all the beauty and grace we had before.
Contributed by Savannah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Adorablemltdwn
Favorite song from this album.
MegaTitfuck
A true classic
Tom Scott
They played this song live to nobody. Shameful
Call To Adventure
tab?
TaylorIncarnate
Two comments? Insulting.