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.
Williamsburg
Armor for Sleep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not in the mood
Millions of trains, under the ground
This city was the blueprint for hell
Passed out, sleeping at your party
Dream of leaving in the morning
You will all die in Williamsburg
Your grave is pulling at your pants now
You will all die in Williamsburg
Bored again, watching the rats
Eat all your food
At least you'll be used to
The place you'll be soon
This city was the blueprint for hell
Passed out, sleeping at your party
Dream of leaving in the morning
You will all die in Williamsburg
Too hip to even clean your nose out
Your grave is pulling at your pants now
You will all die in Williamsburg
Do you know how obvious you are?
You were born in New Hampshire but you say you're from the O.C.
Brooklyn's a death bed, for clones of the same kid
Stuck in a party that was lame to begin with
At least you'll be used to
The place you'll be
This city was the blueprint for hell
Passed out, sleeping at your party
Dream of leaving in the morning
You will all die in Williamsburg
Too hip to even clean your nose out
Your grave is pulling at your pants now
You will all die in Williamsburg
You will all die
Williamsburg by Armor for Sleep seems to be a scathing critique of modern urban culture, particularly of the hipster scene in Williamsburg, New York. The lyrics describe a protagonist who is disillusioned with the city and its inhabitants, and sees it as a place of decay and death. The first verse sets the tone with a sense of weariness and disgust: "Hold your own jacket please, I'm not in the mood. Millions of trains, under the ground. This city was the blueprint for hell." The imagery of trains buried under the city's infrastructure suggests a kind of claustrophobia or entrapment, while the idea of a "blueprint for hell" implies that the city is in some sense a product of human sinfulness and corruption.
The second verse paints a picture of a party scene where the singer is bored and disengaged. Despite the apparent fun and excitement around them, they seem to see through the surface level and sense something sinister beneath: "Passed out, sleeping at your party. Dream of leaving in the morning. You will all die in Williamsburg. Too hip to even clean your nose out. Your grave is pulling at your pants now." The melancholic tone and the sense of dread increase as the song progresses, until the final lines deliver the stark warning that "You will all die in Williamsburg," leaving the listener with a sense of finality and inevitability.
Overall, Williamsburg is a song that captures the disillusionment and frustration that many people feel towards urban life in the 21st century. It portrays a sense of alienation and despair that is both personal and universal, and it does so with a keen sense of imagery and emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold your own jacket please
Don't try and rely on anyone else to hold and care for your possessions or even yourself.
I'm not in the mood
I am not feeling up for this right now.
Millions of trains, under the ground
There are countless trains that operate underground in this city.
This city was the blueprint for hell
This city was designed to resemble or symbolize the concept of hell.
Passed out, sleeping at your party
Being completely unconscious, while at a gathering hosted by someone else.
Dream of leaving in the morning
Wishing to get out of there and leave early in the morning when the opportunity arises.
You will all die in Williamsburg
The place you are in right now will be the last place you will breathe your final breaths.
Too hip to even clean your nose out
Thinking you are too cool to take care of basic hygiene practices like blowing your nose.
Your grave is pulling at your pants now
You are so close to death that the grave itself seems to be pulling at your clothing.
Bored again, watching the rats
Feeling tired and dissatisfied with your current situation, while observing vermin roaming around nearby.
Eat all your food
Eat up and devour everything in sight, leaving nothing behind.
Brooklyn's a death bed, for clones of the same kid
This area of Brooklyn is the place where all the similar-minded, unoriginal people come to die or at least become very unoriginal.
Stuck in a party that was lame to begin with
Being stuck at an event that was dull and tiresome right from the start.
Do you know how obvious you are?
Are you aware of how apparent and clear your true intentions and nature are?
You were born in New Hampshire but you say you're from the O.C.
You were born in New Hampshire but claim to be from the O.C., in an attempt to seem cooler or more interesting.
At least you'll be used to
At the very least, you will be accustomed to and prepared for.
The place you'll be
The location in which you will find yourself.
You will all die in Williamsburg
The place in which you currently are will serve as the final resting place for your deceased body.
You will all die
All of you will inevitably perish or succumb to death.
Contributed by Mateo L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JM-bj4eg
Hold your own jacket please
I'm not in the mood
Millions of trains under the ground
This city was the blueprint for hell
Passed out, sleeping at your party
Dream of leaving in the morning
You will all die in Williamsburg
Too hip to even clean your nose out
Your grave is pulling at your pants now
You will all die in Williamsburg
Bored again
Watching the rats
Eat all your food
At least you'll be used to
The place you'll be soon
This city was the blueprint for hell
Passed out, sleeping at your party
Dream of leaving in the morning
You will all die in Williamsburg
Too hip to even clean your nose out
Your grave is pulling at your pants now
You will all die in Williamsburg
Do you know how obvious you are?
You were born in New Hampshire but you say you're from the O.C.
Brooklyn's a death bed
For clones of the same kid
Stuck in the party
That was lame to begin with
At least you'll be used to
The place you'll be soon
This city was the blueprint for hell
Passed out, sleeping at your party
Dream of leaving in the morning
You will all die in Williamsburg
Too hip to even clean your nose out
Your grave is pulling at your pants now
You will all die in Williamsburg
You will all die 🖤
(Didn't see a lyric comment so here)
@weeabootytamagucci1242
this band shoulda got more recognition.
@jeremyengwer6962
Wayyyyy more
@aspirinegames8880
Maybe this year 0-0
@twitchisastar
They're bacccckkkkkk now 😍😍😍
@thejtproject
Just saw them on Halloween night and they killed it! Stole the show for sure. They also played this song !
@Amellowfellow
I remember the dreams, the youth, life was simpler, problems weren't so fucked up, there was hope. Things have really changed and I miss the things I never had but I was longing while I wasn't fully aware of the fugacity of what's now gone.It hurts, it really does. To all of you people who feel the same way, remember these days are the days we'll miss in 15 years if everything goes minimally well. Enjoy your life NOW. We are lucky for having lived those days.
@MoisesZTech
Man I feel the same - I miss 2008. Being a 15-18 year old back then was the best time
@BrookeaCookea
@mysticstrider what is radioactive aging?
@karakavanagh5502
This song and video are such an accurate description of the 2000s to the point of hysterical. Gods, I still love Armor For Sleep after all these years.
@TheMegazordprime
this song was ahead of its time