Attack in Black was a Canadian indie rock band from Welland, Ontario, forme… Read Full Bio ↴Attack in Black was a Canadian indie rock band from Welland, Ontario, formed in 2003, whose music evolved from hardcore punk to indie rock and folk rock.

The original band was Ian Romano (drums, percussion), his brother Daniel Romano (vocals, lead guitar), guitarist Spencer Burton, and bassist Aaron Murphy. Murphy soon quit and was replaced by another Welland-area musician Matthew Ellis, and the band recorded a self-titled EP for Grimsby, Ontario label Skate Ahead Records, which released it in 2004.[2] Ellis did not stay in the band long, and was replaced by bassist and singer Ian Kehoe, who had previously been in a band with Burton. Kehoe took on the job of writing most of the lyrics for the band. Solo artist Kendra Foord played keyboards briefly, leaving shortly before they toured western Canada due to creative differences.

Closely following the lineup change, Attack in Black toured the west coast of Canada. Upon their return, they spoke with promoter Joel Carriere, who had just founded Dine Alone Records. They were signed in early 2006; the four-song Widows EP was released September 16, 2006. Shortly after that, they released the EP Northern Towns. That fall, they opened for Cancer Bats and Alexisonfire and, in the UK, Bayside.

The band's debut album, "Marriage", was released on July 31, 2007. The album "The Curve Of The Earth" followed closely.

The band's third album "Years (by One Thousand Fingertips)" was released on March 10, 2009. This was followed by a split LP with Baby Eagle, the solo project of Constantines' guitarist Steve Lambke, released on You've Changed Records in May 2009. The band members then went their separate ways, with their last show taking place on August 27, 2010 at the Mansion House in St. Catharines, ON.

Cut and Run
Attack In Black Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Shake and stir yourself into a bad excuse
a half-hearted fuck you
imagine all the nowhere places we'd have been
and all the cynicism aside, and let me try to turn these awful words
into a cure, not a curse
and I'm still drawn by the kid in the corner
and the lovely angels alone on benches
I'm still making pleas

to the kid whose clothes don't fit
who hasn't found himself just yet
let alone the chance to love
you cross him off your list
this shit is piling up head over fist
while you're,
while you're,
while you're making eyes across the room
while you're making eyes across the room
while you're making eyes across the room
while you're making eyes across the room

x2
they got caught standing bored by the sidewalk

they tried to turn the opera into a punk rock stage
they cut and run at such a tender age

Overall Meaning

In the opening verse of Attack In Black's song "Cut and Run", the singer calls out someone who is trying to excuse themselves from a situation with a half-hearted attitude. The singer then urges the listener to imagine all of the "nowhere places" they might have ended up, and to set aside their cynicism so that the singer can try to turn their words into a cure instead of a curse. Despite their attempts to move on, the singer still finds themselves drawn to the kid in the corner and the lonely angels sitting alone on benches. The singer is still making pleas to the kid who hasn't yet found himself, nor the chance to love. The song continues on to criticize someone who has been crossing that kid off their list and piling on more and more problems. Meanwhile, they are making eyes at someone across the room.

Line by Line Meaning

Shake and stir yourself into a bad excuse
Put in half-hearted effort and make excuses

a half-hearted fuck you
A weak and insincere insult

imagine all the nowhere places we'd have been
Think about all the meaningless and unfulfilling experiences we could have had

and all the cynicism aside, and let me try to turn these awful words
Putting aside negativity, let me try to turn my negative thoughts into something productive

into a cure, not a curse
Turning negative thoughts into something that will help me, rather than hinder me

and I'm still drawn by the kid in the corner
I'm still intrigued by the outsider

and the lovely angels alone on benches
And the beautiful, isolated people who sit alone

I'm still making pleas
I'm still begging for someone to listen

to the kid whose clothes don't fit
To the one who doesn't fit in, both literally and figuratively

who hasn't found himself just yet
Who is still discovering their identity

let alone the chance to love
Without even considering the possibility of experiencing love

you cross him off your list
You reject him without a second thought

this shit is piling up head over fist
Problems are accumulating very quickly

while you're making eyes across the room
While you're flirting with someone else

they got caught standing bored by the sidewalk
They were caught idling on the street

they tried to turn the opera into a punk rock stage
They attempted to rebel against society's norms