Ben Jorgensen created Armor for Sleep in 2001 and Nash Breen and PJ DeCicco later joined the band after leaving fellow New Jersey band Prevent Falls. He stated that the name of the band comes from his early experiences of writing music and not being able to sleep. After distributing demos Albany, New York-based indie label Equal Vision signed the band and released their first two concept albums: Dream to Make Believe, released in 2003, and What to Do When You Are Dead, released in 2005.
What to Do When You Are Dead spawned the popular singles "Car Underwater" and "The Truth About Heaven," receiving lots of airplay with their music videos. Each song on the album tells the story of the protagonist's suicide as well as his journey through the afterlife. The story goes through moments of personal introspection at the positive and negative aspects of his life while he quietly visits important locations of his past life without disturbing anyone. Analyzing the lyrics of each track, you can see him progress through the Kübler-Ross 5-stage model of grief management as he initially denies his situation, then wishes for a reversal, and finally accepts his fate. The album ends with the character finally coming to grips with his decision, and his spirit continues on, having completed his business in this life. Initial copies of the CD came with a bonus DVD that featured live footage of the band as well as the music videos for "My Town" and "Dream to Make Believe," both from Dream to Make Believe. It also included a making-of documentary and a small booklet titled "What to Do When You Are Dead: A Comprehensive Guide to The Afterlife" which featured satirical ways to cope with death should you unexpectedly perish. A remix by Machine Shop of "Remember to Feel Real" was featured on Snakes on a Plane: The Album in August 2006. A new song, "End of the World," was featured on Transformers - The Album. That song would be on their third and final album, Smile for Them, released through their new label Sire/Warner Bros..
Armor for Sleep released their first single from Smile for Them, "Williamsburg," on September 18, 2007, through iTunes. "Hold the Door" also received indie radio airplay. They played on Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour in 2008 on the US leg Revolution Stage to promote the album.
The band's final release, The Way Out Is Broken, was an EP released digitally on September 5, 2008. Fans were able to purchase download cards during the band's run on Projekt Revolution to use to download the EP on the release date.
On October 28, 2009, it was officially announced that Armor for Sleep would disband. Ben Jorgensen wrote a statement on AltPress.com informing fans of the inevitable, after the band had been inactive and not performing for over a year. Ben Jorgensen has since taken on a solo project and was associated with God Loves a Challenge with Sierra Shardae. PJ DeCicco has also moved on playing in Love Automatic with former Senses Fail bassist Mike Glita.
The band has embarked on multiple reunion tours, and played multiple reunion shows, the first of these being at Bamboozle 2012. They played three more shows following the festival appearance and then disbanded again. The band then announced an eight city tour to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album What To Do When You Are Dead. On February 24, 2020, the band announced they would be reuniting for a summer tour with nineteen tour dates to celebrate the 15th anniversary of What To Do When You Are Dead. The tour was later postponed due to COVID-19, and later in year postponed dates for 2021 were announced.
Armor For Sleep officially returned with their new single How Far Apart on July 7, 2022. The band has signed back on to Equal Vision Records and are set to release their fourth full length album The Rain Museum in early September 2022.
A Quick Little Flight
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I try hard enough I'll pretend
That I'm flying above some trees
And they're smiling and waving at me
With the clouds on my back I can see
All the people down there fast asleep
Now I see your house far, far below
Can you see me through your bedroom window?
Are you waking up your friends to watch with you?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me through your bedroom window?
Are you waking up your friends to watch with you?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me at all?
In Armor for Sleep's song A Quick Little Flight, the lyrics describe a desire to escape from reality and enter into a dream-like state by imagining oneself flying. The song starts with the singer spacing out, trying to forget about their problems and the real world. They try to pretend they are flying above some trees while the trees below seem to be happy and waving at them. The clouds on their back allow them to see people below who are asleep, as if the singer is the only one who is awake, so high up in the sky.
The lyrics then shift to a more specific situation, where the singer is flying close to someone's house, probably someone they care about. They wonder if the person can see them through their bedroom window and if they are waking up their friends to watch with them. The song ends with the repetition of the question "Can you see me at all?" emphasizing the singer's desire for connection and their fear of being forgotten or unrecognized.
The song's lyrics can be interpreted in different ways, but they seem to express a feeling of loneliness and a longing for a moment of escape or connection. It's possible that the singer is dealing with a difficult situation that they wish to forget, or they are simply daydreaming as a way to cope with the monotony of life. The imagery of flying and the play between reality and imagination make the song feel dreamlike and surreal.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I'm just spacing out again
I'm lost in my thoughts once more
If I try hard enough I'll pretend
If I put in some effort, I can imagine a different reality
That I'm flying above some trees
I'm picturing myself soaring above a forest
And they're smiling and waving at me
In my mind's eye, the trees seem to be greeting me cheerfully
With the clouds on my back I can see
I have an elevated view thanks to the clouds on my figurative back
All the people down there fast asleep
Down below, everyone is soundly and deeply sleeping
Now I see your house far, far below
I've spotted your residence, which appears quite distant below me
So I'll fly down and give you a show
I'm going to swoop down and put on a performance especially for you
Can you see me through your bedroom window?
I wonder if you're watching me from the comfort of your bedroom
Are you waking up your friends to watch with you?
Perhaps you're rousing your friends to join you in viewing this spectacle
Can you see me at all?
Are you even able to perceive me in the first place?
Can you see me at all?
I'm repeating my question, as I'm rather curious
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ben Jorgensen, Anthony Diionno, Peter James Decicco, Nash Breen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
hmm
Now I'm just spacing out again
If I try hard enough I'll pretend
that I'm flying above some trees
and they're smiling and waving at me
With the clouds on my back I can see
all the people down there fast asleep
Now I see your house far, far below
so I'll fly down to give you a show
Can you see me through your bedroom window?
Are you waking up your friends to watch with you?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me through your bedroom window?
Are you waking up your friends to watch with you?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me at all?
Retro Ace
This almost makes me miss being 15/16
luminaria
such a beautiful song, i wish i could find something else with this vibe :<
John Lopez
Right here
Samuel mcalpin
one of their best songs. love it
Ruby Star
One of the best albums in the alternative scenes ever.
hmm
Now I'm just spacing out again
If I try hard enough I'll pretend
that I'm flying above some trees
and they're smiling and waving at me
With the clouds on my back I can see
all the people down there fast asleep
Now I see your house far, far below
so I'll fly down to give you a show
Can you see me through your bedroom window?
Are you waking up your friends to watch with you?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me through your bedroom window?
Are you waking up your friends to watch with you?
Can you see me at all?
Can you see me at all?
Tobi WanKenobi
If i try hard enough i'll pretend
stinkmans, kid johnny
Yo, yo we got dem beats! Armor for sleep 2005, ya heard.
Metalface
I was just watching the "Railboard" video at 8:00 in and it's the same drum loop, I recognized it in such a weird way. What synth/drum machine was that? I'm so curious
milesculture
Good ear