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)
Tears Into Wine
Billy Talent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down the hatch and the trigger's pulled
Off the wagon and back onto the stool
I know that when I stare into your eyes
I can see all the years of lies
Ghosts and demons you never exorcised
All the friends that I've ever known
And I'm in the crowd but I'm all alone
Oh Lord, I just can't
Tear the moon from the stars tonight
Twist my arm like a knife tonight
And if you wanna leave that's alright
Well I'll just turn these tears into wine
His fate was written on a neon sign
A DUI never changed his mind
He got hooked like a fish caught on a line
You never gave yourself a chance to shine
Your destination's a chalk outline
And when you get to the gates you'll be denied
All the friends that I've ever known
Are the streetlamps I follow home
And I'm in the crowd but I'm all alone
Oh Lord, I just can't
Tear the moon from the stars tonight
Twist my arm like a knife tonight
And if you wanna leave that's alright
Well I'll just turn these tears into wine
Tear the moon from the stars tonight
Twist my arm like a knife tonight
And if you wanna leave that's alright
Well I'll just turn these tears into wine
All the friends that I've ever known
Are the streetlamps I follow home
The tide keeps pulling me down
I try to reach higher ground
I'll never give up and drown
Even though I just can't
Tear the moon from the stars tonight
Twist my arm like a knife tonight
And if you wanna leave that's alright
Well I'll just turn these tears into wine
Tear the moon from the stars tonight
Twist my arm like a knife tonight
And if you wanna leave that's alright
Well I'll just turn these tears into wine
Tears into wine
Tears into wine
Well, I'll just turn these tears into wine
The song "Tears Into Wine" by Billy Talent is a powerful reflection on the battle with addiction and the love that can drive one to pull the trigger and push oneself towards heavy drinking, drowning in tears, and feeling alone. The lyrics talk about how the singer is alone, feels betrayed, and is completely shattered inside. They talk about how his friends only guide him until he is close to home and how he is looked down upon by others due to his addiction. But despite everything, he keeps trying to keep his head above water and keep pushing on, even though he knows deep down that he may never win the battle against his addiction.
The lines "Oh Lord, I just can’t / Tear the moon from the stars tonight / Twist my arm like a knife tonight / And if you wanna leave that’s alright / Well I’ll just turn these tears into wine" are particularly poignant as they reflect the singer's acceptance of his addiction and his willingness to try to forge a positive relationship with it. The imagery of turning tears into wine suggests that even the most painful experiences can be transformed into something beautiful, a feeling that is deeply resonant and cathartic for anyone who has gone through a similar experience.
Line by Line Meaning
The gun is loaded when the glass is full
Drinking leads to reckless behavior
Down the hatch and the trigger's pulled
After drinking, one's judgment can be impaired
Off the wagon and back onto the stool
Relapsing back into addiction
I know that when I stare into your eyes
Seeing through someone's lies and deceit
I can see all the years of lies
Recognizing the consequences of deception
Ghosts and demons you never exorcised
Unresolved issues that continue to haunt someone
All the friends that I've ever known
A sense of loneliness
Are the streetlamps I follow home
Finding direction in life through familiar things
And I'm in the crowd but I'm all alone
Feeling disconnected even when surrounded by people
Oh Lord, I just can't
Expressing the inability to change a situation
Tear the moon from the stars tonight
Unable to accomplish the impossible
Twist my arm like a knife tonight
Feeling emotional pain and pressure
And if you wanna leave that's alright
Accepting the possibility of losing someone
Well I'll just turn these tears into wine
Finding comfort in sorrow and pain
His fate was written on a neon sign
Forseeing the consequences of one's actions
A DUI never changed his mind
Continuing harmful behavior despite the risks
He got hooked like a fish caught on a line
Becoming addicted and unable to break free
You never gave yourself a chance to shine
Feeling discouraged and unfulfilled
Your destination's a chalk outline
Foreseeing a tragic end
And when you get to the gates you'll be denied
Expecting punishment or rejection
The tide keeps pulling me down
Feeling overwhelmed by forces outside of one's control
I try to reach higher ground
Striving for improvement and progress
I'll never give up and drown
Determined to overcome obstacles and hardships
Tears into wine
Turning one's pain into something positive
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AARON SOLOWONIUK, BEN KOWALEWICZ, IAN D'SA, JON GALLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pianömän
Billy Talent is probably the most underrated band ever
Zilvinas Stanciauskas
Not I'm my heart! Fell in love with them guys since teenage days playing nhl. Can't wait to see them playing live again 🤘
Rene Groulx
@Gucci Pucci Im from Canada.
Gucci Pucci
@Rene Groulx I think what he means is the actual popularity in the west/USA. Billy talents largest fan base is in Germany & Canada but it’s not very well known elsewhere beyond the few songs that managed to hit the charts like this one. 2.5m after 12 years is nothing compared to the thousands and thousands of music videos by less talented artists and musicians who garnered 100s of millions, if not billions of views. With a discography as interesting and thoroughly enjoyable as theirs they are criminally underrated and never got the recognition they deserve. They could have easily become a house-hold name like Green Day, P!atd, System of a Down etc but it apparently wasn’t meant to be.
Alexis Laroche
@Rene Groulx yes if you compare to like slipknot Or even urrrrrg BTS Imma go vomit those words now
Rene Groulx
2.5 M views is underrated?
Dion Pye
2021 and I still love this song just as much as the day I purchased the album 💯🔥
STOP TRANSLATING VIDEO TITLES!
Can we all just take a moment to admire the flawless rhyme streak carried through the entire second verse?
Lennart Bauer
Good texting and rhyming has become rare these days...
Danny
this song is what perfection is. even in 2019 it manages to amaze me, they don't make me like this anymore.