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.
My Saving Grace
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With strings around my fingers,
for you to pull and watch as I collapsed when you want.
The coldest night to me, is a switch that you control.
Tip-toe around your words just to calm you down again.
There's too many people that we both love
and too many secrets I don't wanna know.
You're still chasing him.
My saving grace is saving face.
Lost on the back burner.
Good for, good for you.
My saving grace is saving face.
I just sit and wait.
There's always just enough of you to pull me back.
But I can see your eyes drifting past what you have.
I'm flagging down a ship when it's on its way to sea.
The horn is blaring out, but I just don't want to hear.
I never left you in a sandstorm.
I never left for a second at all.
You're still chasing him.
My saving grace is saving face.
Lost on the back burner.
Good for, good for you.
My saving grace is saving face.
I just sit and wait.
I thought you were and angel, I guess you were a vulture.
Either way, spread your wings and just fly away. [x2]
You're still chasing him.
My saving grace is saving face.
Lost on the back burner.
Good for, good for you.
My saving grace is saving face.
I just sit and wait.
I just sit and wait. (Spread your wings and fly away) [x4]
The lyrics of "My Saving Grace" by Armor for Sleep depict a relationship dynamic where one person feels like a puppet on strings, constantly being controlled by the other person's whims. The singer feels like they have to tip-toe around this person's words just to avoid setting them off. While the singer sees that their partner is still hung up on someone else, they continue to be strung along, always being pulled back despite the fact that they can see through the facade. The singer seems resigned to playing this role, waiting for the other person to fly away like a vulture, and the last line of the song echoes this sense of inaction: "I just sit and wait."
The repeated refrain of "my saving grace is saving face" speaks to the idea that the singer is holding up the veneer of a functional and happy relationship, even as they feel powerless and unhappy. They continue to put on a brave face for the sake of the other person and the people around them, but they know the truth about the situation.
Overall, the lyrics of "My Saving Grace" paint a picture of a relationship that is dysfunctional and emotionally fraught, with one person never quite able to shake off the feeling of being manipulated and controlled.
Line by Line Meaning
Am I a toy to you?
Do you see me as a mere plaything, with strings attached to my fingers, so you can manipulate me and watch me crumble whenever you feel like it?
The coldest night to me, is a switch that you control.
To me, the most frigid evening is one where you have the power to control everything - like flicking a switch.
Tip-toe around your words just to calm you down again.
I carefully pick my words around you, just so I can pacify you once more and make sure everything is alright.
There's too many people that we both love and too many secrets I don't wanna know.
We share a lot of loved ones but also far too many hidden truths that I have no desire to learn about.
You're still chasing him.
You're still after him, regardless of how I feel.
My saving grace is saving face.
My one consolation is saving my dignity in front of others, even when things aren't okay between us.
Lost on the back burner.
I feel abandoned and neglected, put aside and unimportant.
Good for, good for you.
I can see that you're doing well for yourself, to your own advantage.
There's always just enough of you to pull me back.
You always manage to retain just enough of my affection to get me back under your control.
But I can see your eyes drifting past what you have.
I notice that you're always looking for something better than what you have - including me.
I'm flagging down a ship when it's on its way to sea.
I'm trying to stop something from happening while it's already in progress, much like trying to flag down a ship that's already sailed away.
The horn is blaring out, but I just don't want to hear.
Even though the warning signs are there, I don't want to acknowledge or accept them.
I never left you in a sandstorm.
I was always there for you, even when things were tough.
I never left for a second at all.
Not even for a moment did I abandon you or turn away from you.
I thought you were an angel, I guess you were a vulture.
I used to think of you as a holy figure, but I've come to realize that you're actually someone who preys on others for their own gain.
Either way, spread your wings and just fly away. [x2]
Either as an angelic figure or a vulture, I think you should just leave and fly away.
I just sit and wait. (Spread your wings and fly away) [x4]
I'll just sit here and wait for you to leave, as you spread your wings and fly away.
Contributed by Alaina I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.