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)
The Dead Can't Testify
Billy Talent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let the rain fall down to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound,
When you're six feet underground.
Well they cast me out when the word spread around
That I never sang in the church.
And it took one night for the town to decide
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound.
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
So they marched me down to the center of town,
With their pitchforks high in the air.
I was chained and bound with a blindfold around
So the judge wouldn't catch my stare.
And they hung my soul from the gallows pole
But the witch they never found.
So to those who don't fit society's mold,
Learn to swim or you will drown.
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound.
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
And the rain falls down, let it fall to the ground
(Let teardrops hit the ground!)
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound
(When you're six feet underground!)
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why,
Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine"
Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind,
'Cause the dead can't testify.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye,
In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
The Dead Can't Testify by Billy Talent is a story of persecution of an individual because they do not fit into the societal mold. The song opens with the lyrics “Let the rain fall down, let it fall to the ground” creating a dark and somber mood. The birds don’t sing anymore, and the singer seems to be six feet underground, symbolically indicating that they are no longer a part of society. They have been cast out and declared guilty of being cursed because they did not sing in the church. The story then takes a grim turn when the townsfolk decide to execute the singer, who is then bound and blindfolded.
As the singer is led to the gallows, they proclaim that they will haunt the ones who persecuted them in life. They can't take an eye for an eye nor testify because they are dead now, but in the afterlife, they will have their revenge. The refrain, “And because I can't take an eye for an eye, In the afterlife, I'll haunt you till you die” highlights how society often neglects to see the larger detrimental sociocultural effects of their actions. At the same time, they do not dare disobedience against the established norms.
Interestingly, the song appears to be reminiscent of the witch hunt era where accusations were thrown upon anybody not conforming to the societal norm. This makes the message of the song all the more poignant, as the persecution of individuals who do not adhere to the conventional beliefs and expectations of a society is still rampant today.
Line by Line Meaning
Let the rain fall down, let it fall to the ground,
Allow the rain to fall on the earth.
And the birds don't sing, no they don't make a sound,
Birds can't be heard when you're six feet under.
Well they cast me out when the word spread around That I never sang in the church.
People shunned me because I didn't sing in church.
And it took one night for the town to decide I'm afflicted by the curse.
The town presumed I was cursed after just one night.
So I look to the sky, tell me why, tell me why, Do they all get to live, and I have to die?
I wonder why others get to live but I have to face death.
So they marched me down to the center of town, With their pitchforks high in the air.
A mob led by pitchforks took me to the town center.
I was chained and bound with a blindfold around So the judge wouldn't catch my stare.
I was bound and blindfolded so that the judge couldn't see me.
And they hung my soul from the gallows pole But the witch they never found.
They hung me, but they never found the real witch.
So to those who don't fit society's mold, Learn to swim or you will drown.
If you don't conform to society's standards, you may not survive.
And the angels sing "let it shine, let it shine" Dry the teardrops from my eyes.
Angels sing to dry my tears.
And the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind, 'Cause the dead can't testify.
The dead can't speak, and the bells will ring when the blind lead the blind.
And because I can't take an eye for an eye, In the afterlife I'll haunt you 'till you die!
Since I can't retaliate, I'll haunt you in the afterlife.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: AARON SOLOWONIUK, BEN KOWALEWICZ, IAN D'SA, JON GALLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Johnny B
these guys make me proud to be canadian every time i listen to them
seminolekilla
John Last then you look at Trudeau in blackface and it all goes away. 😂😂
Mark Mensforth
seminolekilla then you remember you’re not in America and you feel better again :)
Ben'Jamin
I’m not Canadian, but I’m proud of them too lol. Speaking of Canada fishing at Red Lake is the shit.
Ben'Jamin
I’m not Canadian, but I’m proud of them too lol. Speaking of Canada fishing at Red Lake is the shit.
RRGuy
I just discovered this song and it has renewed my interest in this band. Even picked up my old guitar to learn the song.
Ian is prob the best rock guitarist to come out of Canada.....ever. Plays heavy and sings harmonies.
Tess
this song is seriously underrated
Honza Herman
this band is underrated in whole spectrum. Sorry for speech when it's something wrong pal
Bandele M
billy talent's sound is always so raw. i love it!!!
Gabriel Mingo
Wow! The lyrics, the riff, i love this song!