Vocalist/guitarist Vic Bondi was originally a protest singer with decidedly leftist views. He went on to form the bands Alloy and Jones Very after AoF's demise. At the time of AoF's original breakup, Bondi was working as a History instructor at the University of Massachusetts. Bondi's subsequent day jobs included working on Microsoft's Encarta, where he was Managing editor of the Encarta Interactive English Learning edition (Bondi's comments on this fairly ironic form of employment can be found here). Alternative Tentacles Records released the complete discography of the band in 2002. Bondi resurfaced with another politically charged band, Report Suspicious Activity, in 2006 and was featured prominently in the documentary "American Hardcore".
Buried Alive
Articles of Faith Lyrics
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Someone to hold you in the night when you lose your guns.
Going through the motions, second hand dreams,
Things don't work out like they seem,
Half your life is never seen…
Buried Alive, leave us for dead,
That's what they want!
Stop their winter before it's begun,
Playing their part to keep you on the run.
Yeah, this is the new age, buried romance,
Kill or be killed is how it goes today,
That's the only way that they'll be paid.
Buried Alive, leave us for dead,
That's what they want!
Well before it gets suspicious, steps you should take,
You'll never discard aside your hate.
Their kind don't want us, throw it back,
A new way for the fascist age,
That's the only way to deal with pain.
Buried Alive, leave us for dead,
That's what they want!
The song "Buried Alive" by Articles of Faith seems to be a commentary on the state of society and how people are being pushed around and held down by those in power. The first verse talks about how people are looking for someone to hold them when they're vulnerable but are left with half a life that is never seen. It seems to suggest that people are not getting what they need from life, and that they are being left out in the cold.
The second verse talks about how people are being controlled by others, who are playing their part to keep them on the run. The song seems to suggest that there is a new age of buried romance, where people are being killed or being expected to kill to get what they want. This seems to suggest that there is a new kind of fascism at work, a fascism that is based on greed and a desire for power.
The chorus of the song is "Buried Alive, leave us for dead, That's what they want!" This suggests that the people in power don't care about those who they are stepping on to get ahead. They want to bury people alive and leave them for dead, just so that they can get what they want.
Overall, the song seems to be a commentary on the state of society, and how people are being pushed around by those in power. It shows how there is a new kind of fascism at work, where people are being killed or being expected to kill to get what they want, and how people are being left out in the cold.
Line by Line Meaning
Stop your bitchin', if that's what you want,
Don't complain if you're willing to settle for someone to cling to at night when you're vulnerable.
Someone to hold you in the night when you lose your guns.
You're only seeking someone to be with when you're feeling weak or powerless.
Going through the motions, second hand dreams,
You're just living life without any real passion or direction, chasing dreams that aren't even your own.
Things don't work out like they seem,
Your expectations for your life often fall short of what actually happens.
Half your life is never seen…
You never really show the world who you truly are, and live a life of conformity instead.
Buried Alive, leave us for dead,
Society has essentially buried us and abandoned us to fend for ourselves.
That's what they want!
The powers that be want to keep us down and out of the way.
Stop their winter before it's begun,
We need to stop the oppressive forces before they gain too much power over us.
Playing their part to keep you on the run.
The people in control are just following their own agenda to keep us distracted and busy so we won't notice their actions.
Yeah, this is the new age, buried romance,
The world has changed, and the romance and passion that used to exist has been buried by greed and selfishness.
Kill or be killed is how it goes today,
In the current state of things, you either destroy others or get destroyed yourself.
That's the only way that they'll be paid.
The people in power will only benefit so long as they keep everyone else down and fighting amongst ourselves.
Well before it gets suspicious, steps you should take,
We need to take proactive measures before the situation gets too dire to handle.
You'll never discard aside your hate.
You can't simply ignore the anger and frustration that comes from feeling oppressed and marginalized.
Their kind don't want us, throw it back,
The people who hold power don't want to see us succeed, so we need to reject their influence altogether.
A new way for the fascist age,
We need to create a new way of living that doesn't involve oppressive forces that seek to undermine our rights and freedoms.
That's the only way to deal with pain.
The only way to truly overcome the pain caused by living in an oppressive society is to work together to make things better for everyone.
Buried Alive, leave us for dead,
We've been left to die by the powers that be.
That's what they want!
Their agenda is to keep us weak and powerless, so they can maintain control.
Contributed by Oliver T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.