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.
Mr. Chainsaw
Alkaline Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It for something more for them to use so jaded
Why is it that you never said
I love you more than just a friend
I pray this gridlock never ends
And when we get there just depends
I found out recently that you are leaving
It's better now to be alive
Sleeping is my nine to five
I'm having nightmares all the time
Of running out of words that rhyme
Everything that you could never say
Would never matter anyway
I took a hammer and two nails to my eardrums long ago
Before that steak knife took my eyes
I looked up to the sky
For the last thing I would ever see
For the last time I'd cry
When was it that you sold your life or wasted
Every bite of that small slice you never tasted
I guess I should be one to talk
There's nights that I can't even walk
There's days I couldn't give a fuck
And in between is where i'm stuck
From blocks away I heard somebody screaming
That small child inside of you that you left bleeding
You stabbed him up not once but twice
Cubicles will now suffice
Some say it's the roll of the dice
I think they're wrong I know I'm right
Every breath that I could barely breathe
Could barely make it past my teeth
I took a blowtorch to both of my lungs a long, long time ago
Every step that I could take
Every one more difficult to make
Mr. Chainsaw came and took my legs a long, long time ago
In case you're wondering I'm singing about growing up and giving in
In case you're wondering we're singing about growing up
About giving up and giving in
In Alkaline Trio's song Mr. Chainsaw, the lyrics revolve around the theme of growing up, giving in, and losing one's youth. The opening lines evoke a sense of nostalgia and loss as the singer questions when the person they're addressing lost their innocence or traded it away. They express the frustration of never hearing that person say "I love you more than just a friend." The song's narrator appears to be stuck in a phase of their life, hoping that something will change, and they'll find a way to break through to the other side. Faced with the unbearable reality of growing older, they sing about past instances they inflicted self-harm on themselves and the way they feel trapped in their life.
As the song continues, the singer reflects on the way they feel stuck and unable to move forward, as though they're just going through the motions of existing. They reflect on how they've given up on their dreams, in the indifference of walking through life's motions, and how they feel jaded. The line "Every breath that I could barely breathe could barely make it past my teeth" evokes emotional fatigue that often plagues people as they move through life's stages, sometimes feeling stuck between moving forward and falling behind.
Line by Line Meaning
When was it that you lost your youth or traded It for something more for them to use so jaded
When did you surrender your youth or exchange it for something they could exploit, leaving you feeling cynical
Why is it that you never said I love you more than just a friend
Why did you never express your love, beyond just friendship
I pray this gridlock never ends And when we get there just depends
I hope we're never stuck in this situation indefinitely and the outcome is uncertain
I found out recently that you are leaving For good I hope I softly tell me ceiling
I just learned you're leaving, forever, I hope my ceiling can hear my soft cry of frustration
It's better now to be alive Sleeping is my nine to five I'm having nightmares all the time Of running out of words that rhyme
Being alive is better now, but it feels like sleeping is all I do. I have nightmares about losing the ability to rhyme
Everything that you could never say Would never matter anyway I took a hammer and two nails to my eardrums long ago Before that steak knife took my eyes
Everything you couldn't say would be pointless, just like my action of damaging my hearing before going blind
I looked up to the sky For the last thing I would ever see For the last time I'd cry
I searched the sky for the final thing I'd ever view, the last time I'll ever cry
When was it that you sold your life or wasted Every bite of that small slice you never tasted
When did you either sell your life or squander every opportunity you never took
I guess I should be one to talk There's nights that I can't even walk There's days I couldn't give a fuck And in between is where i'm stuck
I suppose I'm not in a position to judge when there are nights I can't walk and days I don't care, just stuck in between
From blocks away I heard somebody screaming That small child inside of you that you left bleeding You stabbed him up not once but twice Cubicles will now suffice
From far away, I hear the screeches of the inner child you hurt, stabbing them more than once, now settling for cubicle life
Some say it's the roll of the dice I think they're wrong I know I'm right
Some say it's just luck, but I believe they're mistaken, and I'm certain I'm correct
Every breath that I could barely breathe Could barely make it past my teeth I took a blowtorch to both of my lungs a long, long time ago
Every breath is a struggle to take, so difficult they barely pass my teeth. A long time ago, I destroyed both lungs with a blowtorch
Every step that I could take Every one more difficult to make Mr. Chainsaw came and took my legs a long, long time ago
Every move I attempt is progressively more strenuous, and Mr. Chainsaw removed my legs a long time ago
In case you're wondering I'm singing about growing up and giving in In case you're wondering we're singing about growing up About giving up and giving in
Just in case you're curious, I'm singing about surrendering to adulthood, and we're singing about giving up and yielding to the pressures of maturity
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL MICHAEL ANDRIANO, MATTHEW THOMAS SKIBA, MIKE FELUMLEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind