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 KΓΌbler-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.
The End Of A Fraud
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the second time around
You better believe
That this was all just a joke to me
And as I look down on them
I repeat these words in my head
They never heard one sound out of my mouth
They never heard one sound
But when I left you all stayed the same
Now I think I believe
That I was never alive in the first place
They never heard one sound out of my mouth
They never heard one sound out of my mouth
They never heard one sound out of my mouth
They never heard what I said
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
The song "The End Of A Fraud" by Armor for Sleep is a reflection on the singer's disillusionment with life and his decision to leave it behind. The first verse reveals that this is not the first time he is leaving, and that he sees his life as nothing more than a joke. The line "They never heard one sound out of my mouth" refers to the fact that the singer's words were never truly heard by anyone, highlighting his sense of isolation and detachment from the world. The chorus repeats the phrase "Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die," a reminder that life is not always as perfect as it may seem, and that even death can be a harsh reality.
In the second verse, the singer reflects on how, after leaving, everything else stayed the same, leading him to believe that he was never really alive in the first place. The repetition of the line "They never heard one sound out of my mouth" emphasizes the singer's feelings of isolation and invisibility. The final chorus repeats the same refrain, driving home the point that life is not always as it seems.
Overall, the song is a contemplation on the nature of existence, the illusions we create for ourselves, and the ultimate futility of it all. It is a bleak view of life, but one that many may relate to in times of doubt and despair.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm leaving again
I am departing once more
For the second time around
This is my second departure
You better believe
You should trust my words
That this was all just a joke to me
I never took it seriously
And as I look down on them
From my superior position, I observe them
I repeat these words in my head
I reiterate these thoughts to myself
They never heard one sound out of my mouth
I never voiced my opinion
They never heard one sound
No sound ever escaped my lips
It's all pretty clear
It is quite evident
But when I left you all stayed the same
But in my absence, you remained unchanged
Now I think I believe
I am considering the possibility
That I was never alive in the first place
That I never truly existed
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Do not assume that everything will be ideal when you pass away
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Do not assume that everything will be ideal when you pass away
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Do not assume that everything will be ideal when you pass away
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Do not assume that everything will be ideal when you pass away
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Do not assume that everything will be ideal when you pass away
Don't believe that the weather is perfect the day that you die
Do not assume that everything will be ideal when you pass away
Lyrics Β© Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ben Jorgensen, Anthony Diionno, Peter James Decicco, Nash Breen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
messedupmayhem
What a beautiful album. Been one of my faves for over 10 years.
Star Williams
Same
Krysen Stott
Amazing beautiful ending song to an amazingly beautiful album π€πΌπ₯π₯πΈπ― this band rocks
R C
Still have my copy of this album I bought when it released, will always be one of my favorites.
Page~Leafing~Cat
This is my top 1 most fave of all their songs, next to car underwater. I used to play this on repeat.
Star Williams
I just got this album on vinyl today i preordered it two months ago when they released it for their 25th anniversary
J Rodriguez
16 years ago sweetheart but yes this album is amazing
KeepItOnTheDL
Best. Album. Ever.
Melinda V
this is my heart
Sunk Dream
On those few occasions, the weather did seem perfect. Now those days are forever tainted.