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.
Very Invisible
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you broke down and cried to me
About how you couldn't be alone
How you needed me next to you
You made me promise on your tears
To never let you be without my voice inside your ears
Well I found my way back
Isn't that what you want
No you'll never be alone again
I am right here with you
I know you feel me next to you
You can't shake me off, you can't shake me off, this time around
Your trying hard to kill the truth
So stop plying around, stop playing around, you know your not alone
Remember when I was here
I tried to be as thick as the world
You called me out just to see
If I could be real enough
To never take your heart from you
And leave it all alone
I came back down to stay with you
Even if you don't know
I know you feel me next to you
You can't shake me off, you can't shake me off, this time around
Your trying hard to kill the truth
So stop plying around, stop playing around, you know your not alone
I tried my heart doesn't beat
There's no ground under my feet
I am floating over your bed now
I'll be the voice in the dark
The freezing cold in your heart
That you thought died away with me
But I'll be right next to you
You'll never be alone again
Cause I'll be right next to you
You'll never be alone again
No you'll never be alone again
I am right here with you
I know you feel me next to you (so stop playing dumb)
You can't shake me off, you can't shake me off, this time around
Your trying hard to kill the truth (I am right here with you)
So stop plying around, stop playing around, you know your not alone
I know you feel me next to you
The lyrics of Armor for Sleep's song "Very Invisible" express a commitment to never leaving someone's side. The song seems to be a response to a past conversation where the singer's friend expressed a fear of being alone. The singer recollects this conversation by saying, "Remember two years ago when you broke down and cried to me about how you couldn't be alone, how you needed me next to you." The singer goes on to promise to never leave their friend's side again, saying, "Well I found my way back, you'll never be alone again, isn't that what you want?" The repetition of the phrase "you'll never be alone again" emphasizes the singer's promise.
The chorus of the song continues to reiterate the message that the friend will never be alone, even in the darkest moments. The lyrics "I know you feel me next to you, you can't shake me off, this time around, you're trying hard to kill the truth, so stop playing around, stop playing around, you know you're not alone" convey a feeling of being inescapable, but in a comforting way. The use of words like "trying hard to kill the truth" brings a melancholy and reflective mood to the song.
The bridge of the song shifts towards the singer's perspective and how they've grown since their previous conversation with their friend. The lyrics "I tried to be as thick as the world, you called me out just to see if I could be real enough." imply that the singer was possibly not reliable in the past and that their friend questioned the depth of their relationship. The song concludes with the singer reaffirming their commitment to never leaving their friend's side, even in death, saying "But I'll be right next to you, you'll never be alone again, 'cause I'll be right next to you, you'll never be alone again."
Line by Line Meaning
Remember two years ago
Think back to the past, about two years ago.
When you broke down and cried to me
When you had an emotional breakdown and cried in front of me.
About how you couldn't be alone
You expressed to me that you couldn't handle being alone.
How you needed me next to you
You made it clear that you required my presence by your side.
You made me promise on your tears
Your tears were so profound that you made me promise you something.
To never let you be without my voice inside your ears
I promised to always be there for you and to be your support whenever you needed me.
Well I found my way back
I came back to you after some time away.
You'll never be alone again
I promise to never leave you alone again, even if you want me to.
Isn't that what you want
I am questioning if this is what you really need and desire.
I know you feel me next to you
I know you sense my presence beside you.
You can't shake me off, you can't shake me off, this time around
This time, you won't be able to push me away or rid yourself of me.
Your trying hard to kill the truth
You are attempting to conceal the reality of the situation.
So stop plying around, stop playing around, you know your not alone
Stop deceiving yourself, you aren't alone and I am here for you.
Remember when I was here
Recall the time when I was present with you.
I tried to be as thick as the world
I attempted to be as present and as noticeable as the entire world.
You called me out just to see
You challenged me and questioned my loyalty to you.
If I could be real enough
You wanted to know if my actions and words were genuine enough.
To never take your heart from you
I promised to never hurt your emotions or take away your love.
And leave it all alone
I won't leave you to suffer or be lonely.
I came back down to stay with you
I returned to your side to stay with you.
Even if you don't know
Even if you are unaware of it, I am here for you.
I tried my heart doesn't beat
I tried to move on from you, but my heart wouldn't allow it.
There's no ground under my feet
I feel unstable and unsure about where I stand with you.
I am floating over your bed now
I am metaphorically hovering above you in your bed.
I'll be the voice in the dark
I will be the voice that guides you in the dark times.
The freezing cold in your heart
I am the coldness in your heart that you can't escape.
That you thought died away with me
You believed that I took with me when I left you.
But I'll be right next to you
But you will always have me by your side.
No you'll never be alone again
I will ensure that you never feel lonely again.
I know you feel me next to you
I am aware that you can feel my presence beside you.
(so stop playing dumb)
Stop pretending you are unaware of my presence.
You can't shake me off, you can't shake me off, this time around
I am too committed and too attached to you to let you go.
Your trying hard to kill the truth (I am right here with you)
You are struggling to accept the truth that I am with you.
So stop playing around, stop playing around, you know your not alone
Stop pretending that you are alone, because you aren't and I am here for you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind