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.”
Retrace
Anberlin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I lied, broken words I said.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again.
Standing where it all began.
Tried to forget when I left this town,
But it takes me right back when I come back around.
I'm right there by your side.
Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away.
Counting backwards while the stars are falling.
Oh, how I find every subtle thing screams your name.
It reminds me of places of times we shared.
Couldn't live locked in these memories.
Now I'm chained to my thoughts again.
And I tried to forget when I left this town,
But I'll take you right back if you come back around.
Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night.
I'm right there by your side.
Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away.
Counting backwards while the stars are falling.
I need some shelter, I need some safety.
Photographs, they haunt me lately.
Chasing shadows as the evening takes me.
I'm still searching, but the picture's fading.
Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night.
I'm right there by your side.
Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away.
Counting backwards, still counting backwards.
And no where else has ever felt like home.
And I can't fall asleep when I'm lying here alone.
I replay your voice, it's like you're here.
You move the earth, but now the sky is falling.
Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night.
I'm right there by your side.
Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away.
Counting backwards while the stars are falling.
The lyrics to Anberlin's song Retrace are about the struggle to forget and move on after a past relationship. The singer has tried to get the other person out of their head and even lied to themselves about their feelings, but returning to the place where it all began brings back memories and emotions. The song is a plea to the other person to retrace their steps and go back to that long summer night when they were together. The lyrics are full of longing and a sense of being chained to the past.
The chorus contains the recurring theme of retracing steps - trying to go back to a time when things were better. The singer is right there by the other person's side, counting backwards and hoping that they can recapture what they once had. The second verse contains the lines "I need some shelter, I need some safety. Photographs, they haunt me lately", which suggest that the singer feels lost and vulnerable without the other person. The song ends with the singer unable to sleep and replaying the other person's voice in their head.
Overall, Retrace is a poignant and emotional song about the pain of trying to move on from a past relationship. The imagery of retracing steps and counting backwards highlights the sense of loss and longing felt by the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, how I've tried to get you out of my head.
I've been attempting to put our memories behind me.
And I lied, broken words I said.
I was dishonest about how I felt.
Never thought I'd walk on this street again.
I never expected to return to this place.
Standing where it all began.
I find myself where our relationship started.
Tried to forget when I left this town,
I tried to erase the past when I moved away.
But it takes me right back when I come back around.
But returning brings me right back to those memories.
Retrace the steps we took on that long summer night.
Go back and follow the same path we did on that long summer evening.
I'm right there by your side.
I'm still with you in my mind.
Retrace the steps we took when we met worlds away.
Revisit the journey we took from different parts of the world to meet each other.
Counting backwards while the stars are falling.
Going back in time as the stars fall from the sky.
Oh, how I find every subtle thing screams your name.
Every little thing reminds me of you and our past.
It reminds me of places of times we shared.
These places remind me of the memories we created together.
Couldn't live locked in these memories.
I can't remain trapped in the past and our shared experiences.
Now I'm chained to my thoughts again.
But my thoughts are still consumed by you.
But I'll take you right back if you come back around.
If you return, I'll go right back to you.
I need some shelter, I need some safety.
I need protection and security from the pain of the past.
Photographs, they haunt me lately.
Photographs bring back memories that have been difficult to deal with recently.
Chasing shadows as the evening takes me.
I'm trying to capture the past while time continues to move forward.
I'm still searching, but the picture's fading.
I'm trying to find what I lost, but the memories are becoming increasingly hazy.
And no where else has ever felt like home.
I've never found anywhere else that feels like home without you.
And I can't fall asleep when I'm lying here alone.
I struggle to fall asleep when I don't have you by my side.
I replay your voice, it's like you're here.
I replay the sound of your voice, feeling like you're still here with me.
You move the earth, but now the sky is falling.
You had a great impact on my life, but now everything is falling apart.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management
Written by: CHRISTIAN EDWIN MCALHANEY, DAN WILSON, DEON REXROAT, JOSEPH MILLIGAN, NATHAN RUSSEL YOUNG, STEPHEN CHRISTIAN ARNOLD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind