The band existed for almost a decade before mainstream success. The members met and played in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School under the name Pezz and remained underground in Toronto's indie music scene until 2001. The band renamed itself Billy Talent after running into legal trouble with the old name. It was then that Kowalewicz's connection with an employee of Warner Music Canada's A&R department landed the band a record deal and launched them into mainstream success. Since then, Billy Talent has made three multi-platinum records in Canada and continues to expand their success overseas; this included touring for 20 months supporting their second album. They released their third album, Billy Talent III, in 2009, and their fourth album, Dead Silence, in 2012. Dead Silence was followed up by a full UK tour throughout October and November 2012. To commemorate the longevity since the release of their first studio album, the band has released a greatest hits album entitled Hits in 2014. In 2015, they began to prepare material for their fifth studio album. Just before entering the studio, drummer Aaron Solowoniuk decided to sit out the recording sessions while he continued his longstanding battle with multiple sclerosis. Fellow Canadian Jordan Hastings was quickly recruited to play as Solowoniuk's studio stand-in, and, in early 2016, the group completed work on Afraid of Heights, which was released in July of that year. The band's most recent album is Crisis of Faith, released in January 2022.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Talent
Studio albums
Billy Talent (2003)
Billy Talent II (2006)
Billy Talent III (2009)
Dead Silence (2012)
Afraid of Heights (2016)
Crisis of Faith (2022)
Don’t Count on the Wicked
Billy Talent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
These hands don't fight at all
This mind don't do what it's told to
These eyes don't cry at all
Don't cry at all
These eyes don't cry at all
We face this world alone
When all they want is to break you
Turn anger into hope
We're in this city of villains
I walk these streets alone
When everyone is a stranger
Their eyes turn me to stone
Turn me to stone
Your eyes turn me to stone
This heart don't count on the wicked
We face this world alone
When all they want is to break you
Turn anger into hope
I'm telling you tonight I swear to tear out these nails from the cross I bear
For giving you control of me
This heart don't count on the wicked
This anger turns to hope
It turns to hope
Calling from the mountain tops
Rain is falling from the sky above
They surround you with the darkest thoughts
'Til you drown in pessimistic talk
You say you don't care if the atom drops
You say you don't care if the world is lost
They'll never break you if you're strong enough
They'll never change you if you turn your anger into hope
This heart don't count on the wicked
We face this world alone
When all they want is to break you
Turn anger into hope
I'm telling you tonight I swear to tear out these nails from the cross I bear
For giving you control of me
This heart don't count on the wicked
This anger turns to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
The song Don’t Count on the Wicked by Billy Talent speaks of a feeling of isolation and being alone in a world where everyone is a stranger, a city of villains where danger, darkness, and negativity surround and turn once people to stone. The song is about not giving up to the wickedness and instead, turning one’s anger into hope, refusing to let others break and control oneself. The lyrics tell of a heart that does not depend on the wickedness, hands that do not fight, a mind that is not controlled, and eyes that do not cry despite the trying and challenging circumstances it faces.
The song’s chorus repeats that the heart does not count on the wicked and turns anger into hope while also acknowledging that the world is faced alone when everyone wants to break the individual. The bridge presents a dilemma wherein the individual is giving someone control over them, which they swear to take back. The song ends with reassurance that anger turns to hope, and the individuals turn the situation to hope.
The song tackles themes of isolation, negativity, and hope, which are relatable to many individuals. It hopes to inspire listeners to refuse to be defeated by the negativity around them and instead turn their anger and hopelessness into hope, and fighting spirit. It tells its listeners to hold on, for they are not alone, and hopefully, fight their way through.
Line by Line Meaning
This heart don't count on the wicked
My heart is not dependent on the deceitful and evil people in this world
These hands don't fight at all
I prefer not to fight physically
This mind don't do what it's told to
My mind is not susceptible to external influence
These eyes don't cry at all
I don't cry easily
Don't cry at all
I'm telling myself not to cry
We face this world alone
We all have to deal with the challenges of life by ourselves
When all that want is to break you
When everything seems to be against you or trying to defeat you
Turn anger into hope
Utilize your negative emotions to fuel positive outcomes
We're in this city of villains
The world can be a place of hostility and immorality
I walk these streets alone
Despite being surrounded by people, I feel isolated
When everyone is a stranger
When you're surrounded by unfamiliar faces
They're eyes turn me to stone
Their gaze makes me feel trapped
I'm telling you tonight I swear to tear up these nails from across the bed
For giving you control of me
I won't let anyone have power over me anymore and will take action to be free
This anger turns to hope
Turning negative emotions into motivation for positive developments
Calling from the mountain tops
Rain is falling from the sky above
Metaphorical imagery conveys the idea of people calling out for help and the struggles of life pouring down like rain
They surround you with the darkest thoughts
'til you drown in pessimistic talk
Negative people can affect your mental state and make you feel hopeless
You say you don't care if the atom drops
You say you don't care if the world is lost
Expressing apathy towards major world events
They'll never break you if you're strong enough
They'll never change you if you turn your anger into hope
You can only be defeated if you let yourself be and taking negative emotions and using it as fuel towards positive outcomes will keep you strong
We turn it to hope
We all have the power to turn negative situations into positive ones
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Aaron Solowoniuk, Ben Kowalewicz, Ian D'sa, Jon Gallant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Sleimer024
This heart don't count on the wicked
These hands don't fight at all
This mind don't do what it's told to
These eyes don't cry at all
Don't cry at all
These eyes don't cry at all
This heart don't count on the wicked
We face this world alone
When all they want is to break you
Turn anger into hope
We're in this city of villains
I walk these streets alone
When everyone is a stranger
Their eyes turn me to stone
Turn me to stone
Your eyes turn me to stone
This heart don't count on the wicked
We face this world alone
When all they want is to break you
Turn anger into hope
I'm telling you tonight I Swear to tear off these nails from the cross i bear
For giving you control of me
This heart don't count on the wicked
This anger turns to hope
It turns to hope
Calling from the mountain tops
Rain is falling from the sky above
They surround you with the darkest thoughts
'til you drown in pessimistic talk
You say you don't care if the atom drops
You say you don't care if the world is lost
They'll never break you if you're strong enough
They'll never change you if you turn your anger into hope
This heart don't count on the wicked
We face this world alone
When all they want is to break you
Turn anger into hope
I'm telling you tonight I swear to tear off these nails from the cross i bear
For giving you control of me
This heart don't count on the wicked
This anger turns to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
We turn it to hope
@RenoThirteen
The vocal harmony is what makes this song for me. Wasn't immediately hooked the first time I heard this tune, then it just grew on me. One of my favorites now!
@keegan6298
Agreed mate
@scarysugarhigh
This is probably one of more underrated songs by BT
@WhirlpoolMaelstrom
I have found that on all of their albums there are always a couple of underrated/hidden gem songs. This one and The dead can't testify are among my top 5 BT songs.
@mimmikyute
For anyone not in the know; the drummer of this band has MS and a charity called F.U.MS. The tagline for it, at least at the time this song came out, was “Turn Anger Into Hope”
This song has always held special meaning to me because of that, and because it’s a fucking killer line for anyone dealing with anger problems. When I feel that rage building I remind myself to channel it into hope.
This band means the world to me. ❤❤❤
@keegan6298
One thing about billy talent I can’t safely say about any other band is that even if I don’t absolutely love all of there songs I do like all of them. I’ve never found a song I don’t like by this band and I think I’ve listened to them all right from the beginning even before they were billy talent
@collanthrones1034
Every piece of the song is awesome. Lyrics, instruments, vocal, everything
@keegan6298
In about 15 years of listening to billy talent on and off I have never come across a song I could say I don’t like. Some I don’t love but I don’t think these have ever written a bad song
@jadelagesse1105
This was my dad's ring tone I miss my dad. I remember my and my sister used to head bang to this as kids and as his ring tone went on lol.
@MNMNT_OG
The song is kind of perfect. I always liked it but lately I realized how great it is written. The text is great as always for them, but what really stuns me is the harmony of instruments and his voice. Like a hymn almost.