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.
Today
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Day I've ever known
Can't live for tomorrow
Tomorrow's much too long
I'll burn my eyes out
Before I get out
I wanted more
Bored by the chore
Of saving face
Today is the greatest
Day I've never known
Can't wait for tomorrow
I might not have that long
I'll tear my heart out
Before I get out
Pink ribbon scars
That never forget
I tried so hard
To cleanse these regrets
My angel wings
Were bruised and restrained
My belly stings
Today is
Today is
Today is
The greatest day
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
I want to turn you on
Today is the greatest
Today is the greatest day
Today is the greatest day
That I have ever really known
The song "Today" by Armor for Sleep is a reflection on the present moment and the fleeting nature of time. The repeated line "Today is the greatest day I've ever known" is an affirmation of the beauty and importance of the present moment. However, the lyrics also acknowledge that tomorrow is uncertain and the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to savor the present moment. The line "Can't live for tomorrow, tomorrow's much too long" emphasizes the urgency of living in the now. The singer is so determined to live in the present that they are willing to "burn [their] eyes out," and "tear [their] heart out" rather than leave the moment. The reference to "angel wings" being "bruised and restrained" suggests that the singer has struggled in the past and wants to fully embrace the present without restraint or regret. The repetition of "I want to turn you on" could be interpreted in a number of ways - as a desire to inspire and uplift others, or as a desire for connection and intimacy in the moment. Overall, the song captures the tension between the fleeting nature of time and the desire to fully embrace the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Today is the greatest
This day I'm feeling greater than ever before
Day I've ever known
I've never known a day like this
Can't live for tomorrow
I cannot wait for tomorrow to arrive
Tomorrow's much too long
Tomorrow seems so far away
I'll burn my eyes out
I'll do anything to prolong this feeling of happiness and greatness
Before I get out
Before I have to face reality and leave this blissful state
I wanted more
I desired more than what life could offer
Than life could ever grant me
More than life could ever give me
Bored by the chore
Tired of the monotonous routine
Of saving face
Of pretending everything is okay
Day I've never known
I've never experienced a day like this
Can't wait for tomorrow
I'm so excited for tomorrow to come
I might not have that long
I'm scared that this feeling might not last
I'll tear my heart out
I'll do anything to make this feeling last
Pink ribbon scars
Scars that remind me of my past
That never forget
Memories that can never be erased
I tried so hard
I made every effort possible
To cleanse these regrets
To get rid of these feelings of regret
My angel wings
My purity and innocence
Were bruised and restrained
Were damaged and held back
My belly stings
I feel pain in my gut
I want to turn you on
I want to make you feel this happiness too
Today is the greatest day
This day is the best day ever
That I have ever really known
That I've never known a day like this
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: William Patrick Corgan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ben Dubbin
This is my absolute all time favorite song in the whole world and I love armor for sleeps cover better than the original ... There is so much aggression in this son and yet its so mellow I love it!
gyigyo
Best version of this song out there imo. I don't even really like this band but this song is legit.
Edwin's RC Airplane Modeler Fanatic
Love it!
Devin Turk
i love this song.its beautiful
Phillip Addington
It sounds a lot like the classic hard emo bands like hawthrone heights and nothing like the new bands, i love it. <3
Phillip Addington
@Reluctant Protagonist i wouldn't necessarily call it weird, you have to remember the early 2000's were a decade ago. There are many newer emo bands that have spawned since then.
Reluctant Protagonist
sha-d paul Hawthorne Heights was a 2000s emo band, emo has been around since the 80s. So calling Hawthorne Heights classic emo is kinda weird.
jalo9090
This version made me cry the first time I heard it :')
MinatoOokami
It sounds better for me the voice above all and the music's feel sounds also better to me than the original the original has its points for being the original but objectively this is better
masa galactica
Honestamente, este cover es muy bueno en realidad