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)
Try Honesty
Billy Talent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I scratched my knees, they bled
Sew up my eyes, need no more
In our game, there is no score
Forgive me father, why should ya bother?
Try honesty, try honesty
Hop in your dump truck, reverse for good luck
Take on the whole world, fight with the young girls
Die tragedy, die tragedy
Call me a cheapskate, come on, for Pete's sake
Cry agony, cry agony
I'm insane it's your fault, so sly
Your well of lies ran dry
And I cut the cord, free fall
From so high, we seem so small
Forgive me father, why should ya bother?
Try honesty, try honesty
Hop in your dump truck, reverse for good luck
Ride over me, ride over me
Take on the whole world, fight with the young girls
Die tragedy, die tragedy
Call me a cheap skate, come on for Pete's sake
Cry agony, cry agony
Ooh, I talk to you
I'm insane, it's your fault, cry
I'm insane, it's your fault, cry
I'm insane, it's your fault, cry
Forgive me father, why should ya bother now?
Forgive me father, why should ya bother now?
Forgive me father, why should ya bother
Try honesty, try honesty
Hop in your dump truck, reverse for good luck
Ride over me, ride over me
Take on the whole world, fight with the young girls
Die tragedy, die tragedy
Call me a cheapskate, come on for Pete's sake
Cry agony, cry agony
Cry agony, cry agony
Try honesty, try honesty
Cry agony, cry agony
The lyrics of Billy Talent's song Try Honesty reflect a sense of vulnerability and honesty that are rarely found in modern music. The opening lines, "Well, I tripped, I fell down naked, well, I scratched my knees, they bled," set the tone for the song, which is essentially about coming to terms with personal failures and struggles. The singer seems to be holding himself accountable for his own mistakes and faults, as he acknowledges that he is the cause of his own insanity, but also recognizes that dishonesty will not get him very far. In the chorus, he pleads for honesty, suggesting that this is what will ultimately help him overcome his personal demons.
The song seems to be more than just an exploration of personal failings, however. The lyrics suggest that the singer is speaking to a larger audience, perhaps even society as a whole. The lines "Take on the whole world, fight with the young girls, die tragedy, die tragedy" could be interpreted as a call to arms, urging people to stand up against the injustices of the world and fight for what is right. Similarly, the repetition of "Cry agony" at the end of the song could signify a sense of shared pain and suffering, as the singer encourages others to express their feelings honestly and openly.
Overall, Try Honesty is a song that resonates with a sense of raw emotion and authenticity. It speaks to the struggles that we all face in trying to be honest with ourselves and others, while also grappling with the harsh realities of the world we live in.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I tripped, I fell down naked
I made a mistake and now I'm vulnerable and exposed
Well, I scratched my knees, they bled
I got hurt in the process of making that mistake
Sew up my eyes, need no more
I don't want to see what's around me anymore
In our game, there is no score
Our life isn't a competition and there's no need to keep score
Forgive me father, why should ya bother?
I'm asking for forgiveness, but questioning why it even matters
Try honesty, try honesty
I need to be truthful and honest about my mistakes
Hop in your dump truck, reverse for good luck
Take all the bad things away by reversing and starting fresh
Ride over me, ride over me
I'm willing to be hurt or taken advantage of for a fresh start
Take on the whole world, fight with the young girls
I'm willing to fight and take on anything, even against weaker opponents
Die tragedy, die tragedy
I want to leave behind all the tragic or negative parts of my life
Call me a cheapskate, come on for Pete's sake
I'm willing to be called names or insulted if it means being honest and starting fresh
Cry agony, cry agony
I'm willing to go through the painful process of starting fresh
Ooh, I talk to you
I'm willing to pour out my feelings and thoughts to someone else
I'm insane it's your fault, so sly
I feel like I'm going crazy and it's your fault for lying to me
Your well of lies ran dry
You can't continue to deceive me because I see through your lies now
And I cut the cord, free fall
I'm breaking off any toxic or harmful relationships and it's a scary free fall
From so high, we seem so small
In the grand scheme of things, our problems and life seem small
Forgive me father, why should ya bother now?
I'm still questioning if it's worth seeking forgiveness or if it even matters anymore
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Aaron Solowoniuk, Ben Kowalewicz, Ian D'sa, Jon Gallant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
N.P.C 7 BILLION
I love these demos, listening to them makes me feel like im a part of a community of people that also stumble upon these hidden gems. If you listen to this i have nothing but respect for you!
Rynn Vierra
yeah man back in MSN messenger days we used to trade tracks and youd always get some rare demos somewhere, great stuff ^^
Aaron Van Zile
Ayyyyyy we still out here in almost 2022. This is the version I heard on the CD my buddy Dan gave me. Found out well over a decade later they were the demo versions but that only made it cooler.
DARKSHARK
It’s August 2021 and this version still slaps. My favourite part is the change up at 2:45. So good.
Hard Kickin' Group Germany
That's a part of when they play it live.
Terence O'Kane
Scrolled to your comment almost at that exact moment. Love this version! Days of the iPod and MTV
Aaron Van Zile
They keep the little fill in the bridge section in this version and it's sooooooo good.
Kakashi Hatake
I like this version, it sounds more punk and honestly more real. Not to mention, the little "huh huhhuh" in the background is a nice touch :).
MellowJelly
I like it because I can hear Ian's harmonies much more clearly, in the studio they made the harmony very tight so it's less noticeable
Christopher Anderson
It was the better version, all these demo versions were.
The first album they made was horribly overproduced and sounded so bad in comparison to these I had burned on a cd before their first album came out.