Prior to its release, the band promoted the album by releasing a track per week on their Purevolume and Myspace website accounts, as well as on their own website. So far, two radio singles have been released from the album: A Day Late and Paperthin Hymn. Both have been quite successful on alternative rock radio. A video for A Day Late has been released and the video for Paperthin Hymn released on March 17, 2006.
Furthermore, Anberlin recorded covers of the Bob Dylan song Like a Rolling Stone, the Depeche Mode song Enjoy the Silence, The Cure's Love Song, and the popular Christmas song Baby Please Come Home, included on the compilation album Lost Songs in 2007.
Singer Stephen Christian is also working on some solo music under the name of Anchor & Braille with Aaron Marsh of Copeland, which is expected to take the form of a full length album sometime in 2008.
The band performed on G4's Attack of the Show on March 23, 2006
Anberlin's third album, Cities, was released on Feburary 20, 2007. There are two different versions: a regular version and a special edition containing three extra songs and a documentary on DVD. So far music videos have been released for Godspeed and The Unwinding Cable Car.
The singles Godspeed and The Haunting were available as of December 28, 2006 from the iTunes music store and may still be purchased.
Anberlin's final album with Tooth and Nail records, Lost Songs, was released November 20, 2007. It features many of its original hits, as well as live recordings and unreleased tracks.
They are now signed with Universal Republic and released their fourth LP, New Surrender, September 30, 2008.
They released their fifth LP, Dark is the Way, Light is a Place on September 9, 2010.
Songfacts reports that, Self-Starter, the first release from Vital, Anberlin's sixth album, was the band's first ever song to feature female vocals.
On July 22, 2014 they released what would be their final album - Lowborn. It was announced that after a final tour following the release of Lowborn the band would be parting ways.
The end of Anberlin is not sad but hopeful. There is no animosity or drama, but rather a celebration of what these five musicians have achieved both in the studio and onstage. “Usually breakups happen quickly and suddenly, an implosion of sorts,” McAlhaney says.
“What is unique about the end of Anberlin is that we discussed where people were at in their lives, what that meant for the band, and then made plans for the end on our own terms.”
Downtown Song
Anberlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you hear this downtown song'
Wrote a couple of words to tell you
Right here is where you belong.
I watch you walk the streets,
Wondering who you're thinking of.
Hope you're looking for someone to hold
And I wonder if you can relate
To nights upon my pillowcase
Eyes wide open, middle of the night
You're the last thing on my mind.
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
What nights like these do to me, yeah
I keep asking myself
If our hands were meant to be
I know this town is busy,
But I live on Public Street
We can get out of here
If only for just tonight
Ride like some rolling stone
That's forced to waste your life
And I wonder if you can relate
To nights upon my pillowcase
Eyes wide open, middle of the night
You're the last thing on my mind.
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
What nights like these do to me
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
What nights like these do to me
When I'm under (when I'm under)
Is it me you're thinking of'
With this light (get on your knees)
I pray you're not at all in love.
With someone else (with someone new)
With something other than me and you
Just wanna be where you are (Just where you are)
If ever you're lonely, I won't be far.
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
What nights like these do to me, yeah
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
Only the lonely know
What nights like these do to me
The lyrics of Anberlin's "Downtown Song" are full of longing and unrequited love. The singer addresses an "uptown girl" and wonders if she can relate to the loneliness he feels, as he watches her walk the streets with her own thoughts. He hopes that she is looking for someone to hold but not already in love. The singer asks if their hands were meant to be together and suggests they could leave the town and spend the night "like some rolling stone/that's forced to waste your life." He prays she is not in love with someone else and just wants to be where she is, ready to be with her if she ever feels lonely.
Overall, the lyrics capture the feeling of being attracted to someone you can't have, whether because they are already involved with someone else or simply unattainable. The references to loneliness and longing create a sense of yearning and melancholy that is enhanced by the slow, contemplative melody.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey uptown girl,
Addressing a girl who seems to belong to a higher stratum of society
Can you hear this downtown song'
Asking if she is familiar with a song that speaks to something deeper and more relatable
Wrote a couple of words to tell you
Crafted some lyrics that convey the message of where she belongs
Right here is where you belong.
Alluding to the song as proof that she belongs in the downtown scene
I watch you walk the streets,
Observing her movements in the city
Wondering who you're thinking of.
Questioning who is on her mind
Hope you're looking for someone to hold
Wishing that she is searching for companionship in the city
And not at all in love.
Preferring that she is not in love with someone else
And I wonder if you can relate
Asking if she can empathize with the feelings of loneliness and longing
To nights upon my pillowcase
Reflecting on sleepless nights of loneliness
Eyes wide open, middle of the night
Describing the insomnia induced by thoughts of her
You're the last thing on my mind.
Confirming that she is all he thinks about before dozing off
Only the lonely know
Suggesting that only those for whom loneliness is a reality can understand his emotions
What nights like these do to me, yeah
Expressing the deleterious effects of enduring nights of loneliness
I keep asking myself
Continuing the internal dialogue about their compatibility
If our hands were meant to be
Contemplating whether they are meant to be together
I know this town is busy,
Acknowledging that the city is full of distractions
But I live on Public Street
Imagining a connection due to their proximity on a busy street
We can get out of here
Proposing that they leave the city behind for a night
If only for just tonight
Suggesting a temporary escape from reality
Ride like some rolling stone
Imagining a carefree adventure on a whim
That's forced to waste your life
Feeling that life is being squandered without the right partner
When I'm under (when I'm under)
Ruminating on uncertainties
Is it me you're thinking of'
Wondering if he is on her mind too
With this light (get on your knees)
Suggesting prayer for clarity
I pray you're not at all in love.
Hoping that she is unattached and not in love with someone else
With someone else (with someone new)
Reiterating the concern that she is with someone else
With something other than me and you
Affirming that he longs for a relationship with her
Just wanna be where you are (Just where you are)
Expressing the desire to be in her company, wherever she may be
If ever you're lonely, I won't be far.
Promising to be there for her if she ever needs a companion
Only the lonely know
Reiterating that few can empathize with the loneliness he feels
Only the lonely know
Emphasizing that the effects of loneliness are only understood by those who experience it
What nights like these do to me
Repeating the idea that being lonely is devastating
Only the lonely know
Repeating the idea that the song's message can be understood only by those who have experienced loneliness
Only the lonely know
Repeating that it takes someone who is lonely to know the weight of the feeling
Only the lonely know
Emphasizing that the loneliness he feels is unique and that others cannot understand it fully
What nights like these do to me
Concluding idea that being alone has devastating effects on him and others who experience it
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: CHAD MICHAEL RACHILD, CHRISTOPHER GEORGE CANO, GEORGE ASTASIO, JASON PEBWORTH, JOHN BEN T. JEN, KEVIN M. ROENTGEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind