"Different", a single of their latest album, has had some radio play and peaked at #25 in US Modern Rock Chart. The song "This Conversation Is Over" from the same album was re-recorded in Simlish for The Sims 2: University.
During the band's hiatus, Jason Vena is apparently currently working for his family's business in Mercer Island, Washington. Kaylan Cloyd has joined Ryan Van Wieringen and Bobby Darling of Gatsby's American Dream to form Search/Rescue. The band released their debut album The Compound in 2007. Nick Radovanovic, Christian McAlhaney, and Kyle Flynn started a band called Thunder Thunder with Jerrod Bettis. Their current status is unknown due to McAlhaney's commitment with Anberlin.
Black Lines to Battlefields
Acceptance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pictures of black and gray.
Soft minds, backed up by hard drives,
Standing in single file.
Anything to pass the test, you passed the test.
Like screaming in the air,
A sound for all who care,
When lightning hits the ground,
To all who stand around, a shock of ignorance.
Black lines, can turn to battlefields,
When they are drawn in pen.
Stop signs, like human apathy,
Can cause a fatal crash.
Like screaming in the air,
A sound for all who care,
The siren rings in vain.
When lightning hits the ground,
To all who stand around, a shock of ignorance.
The feeling hard to tell,
A word can break the spell.
Hard times, the throw is offline,
Pictures of black and gray.
Like screaming in the air,
A sound for all who care.
The siren rings in vain.
When lightning hits the ground,
A shock to all around, to all around.
Your screaming, your screaming, your screaming.
The lightning, the lightning, lightning.
The lyrics of Acceptance's song "Black Lines to Battlefields" describe how something as simple as lines on a paper, or signs on the road, can become much more significant and dangerous when people do not take them seriously. The opening lines "Hard times, the throw is offline, pictures of black and gray" suggest a sense of disorder and confusion. The "throw" being "offline" could represent a breakdown of communication, while "pictures of black and gray" imply a sense of bleakness and hopelessness. The next line "soft minds, backed up by hard drives, standing in single file" implies that people are increasingly reliant on technology, but are not thinking critically for themselves. They simply follow instructions, like robots, to pass tests without questioning their validity.
The chorus of the song warns that "Black lines can turn to battlefields when they are drawn in pen." This suggests that something as seemingly insignificant as a line on a piece of paper can escalate into a major conflict if people do not pay enough attention to it. The reference to "stop signs, like human apathy, can cause a fatal crash" suggests that ignoring warning signs can have dire consequences, just as reckless driving can lead to dangerous accidents. The song ends with a repetition of the lines "Your screaming, your screaming, your screaming. The lightning, the lightning, lightning" which may represent a growing sense of urgency and the need for action to prevent these potential conflicts.
Line by Line Meaning
Hard times, the throw is offline,
Pictures of black and gray.
During difficult times, people are struggling to make sense of their lives and often find themselves surrounded by darkness and despair.
Soft minds, backed up by hard drives,
Standing in single file.
Anything to pass the test, you passed the test.
People have become over-reliant on technology and are more focused on succeeding than learning. This results in a society that values conformity over creativity and individuality.
Like screaming in the air,
A sound for all who care,
The siren rings in vain.
When lightning hits the ground,
To all who stand around, a shock of ignorance.
The world has become desensitized to the chaos and destruction around them, and people are not taking action to affect change. It takes extreme events, such as a lightning strike, to shock them into awareness.
Black lines, can turn to battlefields,
When they are drawn in pen.
Stop signs, like human apathy,
Can cause a fatal crash.
Words can be powerful, and the wrong ones can lead to conflict and harm. Just like how a simple stop sign can prevent disastrous accidents, a little bit of empathy can go a long way in preventing harm and conflict.
The feeling hard to tell,
A word can break the spell.
Emotions can be difficult to express and even harder to understand, but the right words can help break through the confusion and bring clarity to the situation.
Your screaming, your screaming, your screaming.
The lightning, the lightning, lightning.
Repeatedly screaming and being loud is not enough to make a difference. Just like how lightning is powerful but short-lived, it takes real action and long-term commitment to see real change.
Contributed by Zachary N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.