The band formed in December of 1996, originally consisting of Skiba, Rob Doran (bass/vocals), and Glenn Porter (drums/vocals). 1997 saw the release of the band's first EP, Sundials. This was followed shortly after by the departure of Doran. He was replaced by Andriano, who had been the singer for Tuesday and bassist for the ska band Slapstick. The band released their second EP, entitled For Your Lungs Only, in 1998, which began to build them a sizable fan base in the American Midwest. Later that year, they released their first full-length album, Goddamnit, followed by Maybe I'll Catch Fire in 2000. Both were released on Asian Man Records. Also in 2000, the band released a collection of their previously-released EPs on a self-titled album.
Following the success of their Asian Man releases, Alkaline Trio signed to Vagrant. Joined by new drummer Mike Felumlee (previously of the Smoking Popes), From Here to Infirmary was released in 2001. It was their first album to see any interest from alternative radio and the mainstream media, with the semi-hit punk single "Stupid Kid" and the inclusion of the song "Armageddon" on the Tony Hawk's Underground as well as Tony Hawks American Wasteland video games. Their cover of "Over at the Frankenstein Place" was included in the compilation The Rocky Horror Punk Rock Show, an album made to pay tribute to the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
After the release, Felumlee left the band too and was replaced by Grant, previously of The Suicide Machines.
Their next full-length album was Good Mourning, released in 2003, with the album's launch single "We've Had Enough" seeing a considerable amount of commercial success. The album was a significant departure from earlier works, featuring greater production value and a noticeable move toward a more mainstream sound.
The band has also appeared on various compilation albums, notably Plea for Peace Vol. 1 and Rock Against Bush Vol. 1. Skiba and Andriano have both independently recorded split records, Skiba with Kevin Seconds on Asian Man Records and Andriano with Mike Felumlee on Double Zero Records, as well as jointly performing backing vocal duties on the album This is Unity Music by Common Rider. They have also recorded two split EPs with bands who are no longer together: one with Hot Water Music in 2000 and the other with One Man Army in 2004.
Alkaline Trio released their fifth studio album on Vagrant Records, entitled Crimson, on May 24, 2005, which featured the single "Time to Waste." The single for this song also included bonus tracks produced by Mass Giorgini. The tracks "Mercy Me" and "Burn" have also been released as singles from the album.
In 2004 Andriano became a member of The Falcon, a super-group of consisting of The Lawrence Arms' bassist/co-vocalist Brendan Kelly (with who he had played with in Slapstick), and Neil Hennessy, drummer from The Lawrence Arms. The band released a 5-song EP in 2004, and its first full-length Unicornography in September of 2006.
In 2006 Matt Skiba collaborated with Josiah Steinbrick for the band Heavens.
In 2008 Alkaline Trio released Agony & Irony on Epic Records. The album charted at #13 on the Billboard 200.
Alkaline Trio's 7th studio album, This Addiction,was released on February 23rd 2010. This was their first album under their own label, Heart & Skull, an offshoot of Epitaph, and the album debuted at #11 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest the band has ever charted to date.
Alkaline Trio's eighth studio album, Damnesia,, was released July 12, 2011. Consisting of "a selection of beloved fan favorites selected from the group's extensive catalogue and presented in an intimate semi-unplugged format", the album also included two new songs, "Olde English 800" and "I Remember a Rooftop", as well as a cover version of the Violent Femmes' "I Held Her in My Arms".
On April 2nd, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "My Shame Is True".
On August 31st, 2013, Alkaline Trio released "Is This Thing Cursed?".
On June 8th, 2023, longtime drummer Derek Grant left the band due to mental health reasons and intentions to pursue music production as well as graphic design. He was replaced by Atom Willard, formerly of bands such as Rocket from the Crypt and Against Me!. The band then released the single, "Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs" on October 17th, 2023, and announced an album of the same name due for a release date of January 26th, 2024.
Madam Me
Alkaline Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pleading please just go away
I can't take another day of this
No surprise, a surplus of lies, freed from the skies
Is there something that I missed?
Can't even take another day of this
Lower than piss, have you ever felt like this?
Lower than piss, have you ever felt like this?
Judging by your eyes like crystal balls
Madam Me is predicting that your answer will be yes
The sunrise burned out your eyes, failed to apologize
As it was eating at your face,
Took your smile away without a trace of it
Warmer than piss have you ever felt like this?
It just might take a fever to encounter it
Knee deep in shit there's no avoiding it
From your knees you're coated brown,
To your toes there is no sound like this
And I will keep you warm in hell
And I will keep you warm in hell
And I will keep you warm in hell
Way down in hell
In Alkaline Trio's song "Madam Me," the lyrics speak to the feelings of desperation and hopelessness that can come with a toxic relationship. The singer of the song is pleading with their partner to leave them alone because they can't take another day of feeling the way they do. The sunrise, a symbol of new beginnings and hope, is instead a painful reminder that their problems still exist. The surplus of lies represents the betrayal and falsehoods that have built up in the relationship, ultimately leading to the singer feeling lower than piss. The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the depths of their despair, and the question "have you ever felt like this?" is a desperate plea for understanding.
The second verse again mentions the sunrise burning out their partner's eyes, this time without apology. It's as if the one thing that could bring them hope has also turned on them. The reference to a smile being taken away without a trace speaks to the loss of joy and happiness that can come with being stuck in a dysfunctional relationship. The line about feeling warmer than piss speaks to the feverish desperation that can come with feeling trapped in this way. And the final lines, "And I will keep you warm in hell," seem to suggest that the singer is resigned to their fate and willing to stay with their partner even in the darkest of circumstances.
Overall, "Madam Me" is a bleak and painful depiction of what it feels like to be trapped in a toxic relationship. The repetitive language and references to bodily fluids give the lyrics a visceral quality, capturing the intense emotions of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
The sunrise fills your eyes, cannot hear your cries
You are in such a state of emotional pain that even the beauty of a sunrise is lost on you
Pleading please just go away
You are begging for relief from your suffering
I can't take another day of this
Your pain has become unbearable and you can no longer endure it
No surprise, a surplus of lies, freed from the skies
Deceit and betrayal are common in your life and have become as prevalent as the clouds in the sky
Is there something that I missed?
You are questioning whether there was something you overlooked that would have prevented your current state of misery
Lower than piss, have you ever felt like this?
Your pain has left you feeling worthless and humiliated beyond description
She can't recall the last time she avoided it
The subject of the song cannot remember a time when she was able to avoid the suffering she is currently experiencing
Judging by your eyes like crystal balls
The artist is able to perceive the depth of the listener's pain through their piercing gaze
Madam Me is predicting that your answer will be yes
Based on the intensity of the listener's pain, the artist is predicting that they have indeed experienced similar suffering
The sunrise burned out your eyes, failed to apologize
Even beauty has become harmful to you, leaving you feeling more hurt than healed
As it was eating at your face,
The sunrise transformed into something destructive that ate away at the subject's appearance
Took your smile away without a trace of it
The subject's joy has been so thoroughly extinguished that there is not a trace of it left
Warmer than piss have you ever felt like this?
Your pain has become so intense that having a fever seems like a more comfortable alternative
It just might take a fever to encounter it
Only by experiencing a high fever, which causes a state of delirium, might someone be able to reach the same level of pain as the subject
Knee deep in shit there's no avoiding it
The subject is experiencing a level of misery that cannot be escaped, even though they are trying their hardest to persevere
From your knees you're coated brown,
The subject is mired in a layer of filth and degradation that is clinging to them for dear life
To your toes there is no sound like this
The subject is so weighed down by their misery that even their steps are heavy and soundless
And I will keep you warm in hell
The singer is acknowledging the depth of the subject's pain and is empathizing with them, willing even to keep them company in the depths of their misery
Way down in hell
The subject's current emotional state is so unbearable that it feels akin to being in the depths of hell.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL MICHAEL ANDRIANO, DEREK R. GRANT, MATTHEW THOMAS SKIBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GettingYourNerdOn
This is Skiba's best singing ever, imho.
Randall Doyle
Just saw them in concert, a month ago. So effing awesome.
DankstA DaN
Underrated alkaline song for sure
Desolate Soul
Love this one! Easily my favorite from Catch Fire.
Pommy Tickles
When I was like 12 years old I bought the actual CD, I still have it.
3Rings DurrantuLA
2020 and still feel lower than piss
Kitty Q
Be still my ❤. This song never gets old. 😍👍
JZHZR
Going to see them next month, hopefully they play this
30jnordick
This is the first song I ever heard of Alkaline trio. Yea it's my favorite song
Benjamin Callanan Music
this song always reminds me of my Geography teacher who killed herself when I was in high school, I was about 14-15 years old and listening to this song while smoking weed in 10th year (10th year in UK terms) the last year of school after this was intense