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.
Somebody Else's Arms
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was across the room.
I'm sick of standing alone when you're here.
Who's good enough for you?
Who's good enough for you?
Well it's only love it's not real anyways.
Its only love, its not real.
And I have to live with that.
You're gonna die in somebody else's arms
And I have to live with that.
But I hope you have a good life, hope you have a good life.
Well I hope you have a good life, hope you have a good life.
And I'll say "Send me a card when you can, to where you think you should be."
Are where you think you should be?
And too bad, you're missing the boat and I'm gone.
Call me when you come around.
Will you call me when you come around?
Well it's only love it's not real anyways.
It's only love, it's not real.
You're gonna die in somebody else's arms,
And I have to live with that.
You're gonna die in somebody else's arms,
And I have to live with that.
But I hope you have a good life, hope you have a good life.
Well I hope you have a good life, hope you have a good life.
I'll be happy to see you happy, if it's with me or without me around.
I'll be happy to see you happy, if it's with me or without me around.
There's too much, too much I know I'll never say.
Please take me back, please take me back.
But you're gonna die in somebody else's arms,
And I have to live with that.
You're gonna die in somebody else's arms,
And I have to live with that. (I have to live)
Well I hope you have a good life, hope you have a good life. (x4)
The lyrics to "Somebody Else's Arms" by Armor for Sleep delve into the painful consequences of unrequited love. The singer watches from afar as the object of his affection laughs with her friends, feeling isolated and unworthy in the presence of someone he longs for. The song has a melancholy tone, as the singer realizes that he will never have a chance with this person and must accept that she will end up with someone else.
The chorus includes repeated lines about love not being real and the inevitability of the woman ending up in someone else's arms. The singer expresses a desire for her to have a good life, but the pain of knowing that he will never be with her weighs heavily on him. He even says that he would be happy to see her happy, whether it is with or without him.
The bridge includes a plea for the woman to take him back, but it is clear that he knows it is futile. The song ends on a note of resignation, as the singer acknowledges that he will have to live with the fact that the woman he loves will never be with him.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw you laughing aloud to your friends when I was across the room, I was across the room.
I saw you laughing with your friends when I was far away from you.
I'm sick of standing alone when you're here.
I'm tired of feeling alone when I'm with you.
Who's good enough for you? Who's good enough for you?
I feel like I'm not good enough for you, and I'm wondering who is.
Well it's only love it's not real anyways. Its only love, its not real.
Love isn't real, it's just an illusion.
You're gonna die in somebody else's arms And I have to live with that.
I have to accept that you will end up with someone else, and I'll have to live with the pain.
But I hope you have a good life, hope you have a good life.
Despite my pain, I still hope you have a happy life.
And I'll say 'Send me a card when you can, to where you think you should be.' Are where you think you should be?
I'll ask you to send me a card when you're happy and where you feel like you belong.
And too bad, you're missing the boat and I'm gone. Call me when you come around. Will you call me when you come around?
You missed your chance with me, and I'm not waiting for you. But feel free to call me if you change your mind.
I'll be happy to see you happy, if it's with me or without me around.
I'll be glad if you're happy, whether I'm the reason for it or not.
There's too much, too much I know I'll never say. Please take me back, please take me back.
There are things I wish I could tell you, but it's too late now. Please take me back.
Contributed by Colin S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.