The closing words, "Never to see any other way", appear to be in reference to the final words of A Day in the Life from The Beatles' eighth studio album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The song is entirely acoustic played by Jesse lacey. The song 5 minutes in length describes a shipwreck in montauk point the eastern most point of long island - where the band originated. The final verse describes the loss of a loved one with heavy aquatic imagery and has jesse repeating previous lines as backing vocals. Its heavily implied the loved one was on said shipwreck while jesse viewed it from a lighthouse
Play Crack the Sky
Brand New Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was a quarter past 4 in the morning
When the storm broke our second anchor line
Four months at sea 4 months of calm seas to be pounded
In the shallows off the tip of montauk point
They call them rogues they travel fast and alone
One hundred foot faces of God's good ocean gone wrong
What they call love is a risk
Cause you will always get hit out of nowhere by some wave and end up on your own
The hole in the hull defied the crews attempts to bail us out
And flooded the engines and radio and half buried bow
Your tongue is a rudder
It steers the whole ships sends your words past your lips
Or keeps them safe behind your teeth
But the wrong words will strand you
Come off course while you sleep
Sweep your boat out to sea or dashed to bits on the reefs
The vessel groans the ocean pressures its frame
Off the port I see the lighthouse through the sleet and the rain
And I wished for one more day to give my love and repay debts
But the morning finds our bodies washed up thirty miles west
They say that the captain stays fast with the ship through still and storm
But this ain't the Dakota and the water is cold
We won't have to fight for long this is the end
This story's old but it goes on and on until we disappear
Calm me and let me taste the salt you breathed while you were underneath
I am the one who haunts your dreams of mountains sunk below the sea
I spoke the words but never gave a thought to what they all could mean
I know this is what you want
A funeral keeps both of us apart
You know that you are not alone
Need you like water in my lungs
This is the end
“Play Crack the Sky” by Brand New is a ballad that speaks about a shipwreck and how vulnerable one can be to the ocean’s power. The song starts with a distress signal sent out by the crew who are stuck in a storm at quarter past 4 in the morning. Their anchor line breaks, and they are suddenly caught up in the angry waters off the tip of Montauk point. The song title itself is a metaphor where “cracking the sky” refers to the breaking of the horizon, which indicates hopelessness and destruction.
Jesse Lacey, the lead singer, shares a story of love, regret and mortality. The song mentions how love itself is a risk even when everything is calm because at any time, a wave can knock you down, and you can end up alone. The captain of the ship is determined to go down with the vessel despite knowing there’s no hope left. Further, the lyrics describe how communication plays a significant role in steering any vessel, even though words have the power to break one down.
The song’s melancholic tone, coupled with imagery related to the sea, endures perpetual sadness and hopelessness, where even the most robust and determined can be at the mercy of nature. The track is epic, with sing-along lyrics that stay with you long after the song is over.
Line by Line Meaning
We sent out the SOS call
We sent out a distress signal because we were in great danger in the middle of the ocean.
It was a quarter past 4 in the morning
It was very early in the morning when we called for help.
When the storm broke our second anchor line
The storm was so intense that it destroyed our second anchor line.
Four months at sea 4 months of calm seas to be pounded
We had been sailing for four months without facing any major challenges, but now we were being battered by the storm.
In the shallows off the tip of montauk point
Our boat was in shallow waters close to Montauk Point.
They call them rogues they travel fast and alone
The waves that were hitting our boat were called rogues because they were massive and unpredictable.
One hundred foot faces of God's good ocean gone wrong
The massive waves that were hitting our boat were a stark reminder of the incredible power of the ocean.
What they call love is a risk
Love can be a dangerous proposition.
Cause you will always get hit out of nowhere by some wave and end up on your own
Just like a massive wave can come out of nowhere and batter your boat in the ocean, love can also blindside you and leave you alone.
The hole in the hull defied the crews attempts to bail us out
Despite the crew's best efforts, they were unable to prevent water from entering the boat.
And flooded the engines and radio and half buried bow
The water had flooded important equipment on the boat, including the engines and radio.
Your tongue is a rudder
Your words have the power to steer your life in different directions.
It steers the whole ships sends your words past your lips
The words you speak can have a profound impact on your life.
Or keeps them safe behind your teeth
Sometimes it's better to not say anything at all and keep your thoughts to yourself.
But the wrong words will strand you
Using the wrong words can have negative consequences.
Come off course while you sleep
Even if you're not actively speaking, negative thoughts can still lead you off your desired path.
Sweep your boat out to sea or dashed to bits on the reefs
Negative words and thoughts can cause you to drift away from your intended path and into rough waters.
The vessel groans the ocean pressures its frame
The boat was under immense pressure from the ocean waves.
Off the port I see the lighthouse through the sleet and the rain
Despite everything, there is still a ray of hope guiding us through the storm.
And I wished for one more day to give my love and repay debts
I wished I had more time to show those in my life how much I love them and to right any wrongs that I have committed.
But the morning finds our bodies washed up thirty miles west
It seems as though we did not survive the storm.
They say that the captain stays fast with the ship through still and storm
The captain of a ship is supposed to stay with the ship no matter what, through both good times and bad.
But this ain't the Dakota and the water is cold
This is a dire situation that requires a different course of action.
We won't have to fight for long this is the end
We cannot continue fighting this storm any longer.
This story's old but it goes on and on until we disappear
This is a story that has been told many times before, but it will continue being told until the end of time.
Calm me and let me taste the salt you breathed while you were underneath
Calm me down and help me remember the good times we shared.
I am the one who haunts your dreams of mountains sunk below the sea
I am the one who reminds you of the things you've lost and the things that will never be.
I spoke the words but never gave a thought to what they all could mean
I spoke without truly considering the consequences of my words.
I know this is what you want
I know that what you want is for us to be together, even in death.
A funeral keeps both of us apart
Even in death, we will be separated.
You know that you are not alone
Even though we may be physically apart, we are never truly alone.
Need you like water in my lungs
I need you as desperately as I need air to breathe.
This is the end
This is the end of our journey together.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JESSE LACEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jaygroomes1357
this song is about death of course but I interpreted it another way just now. it can be a metaphor for s***ide too.
The SOS call could be your cry for help. That's what an sos call is. The storm could be depression and the second anchor line could be the last thing that broke you. I didn't explain that well but i hope you know what I mean.
The hole in the hull is like the depression that cripples you and the flooding of the engine could be the depression flooding your brain and making it feel impossible to live. the radio could be your communication and you feel like you can't tell people your feelings. but going back a few lines in the song, the crews attempt to bail us out could be your friends and family trying to help you feel better and supporting you but it not being enough.
The vessel groans, the ocean pressures it's frame. you are the vessel and the ocean is life.
I wish for one more day to give my love and repay debts. but you cant make it
but the morning finds our bodies washed up 30 miles west. your body
the outro fits either way...
@Sixsoul
One of the rarest of albums where every single song is a 12 out of 10.
@tums-2102
Sixsoul best band nobody has heard of
@schman111
Agreed 👍...i love this band and this album is one of my all time favorites.
@Rooster_Snuffer
I’ll go years sometimes without listening to this album, but I always come back to it. Such great music!
@flamingninja93
69th like! I would be happy about that if i weren't crying to this song for the 69,000th time...
@Kitsugaa
The album is okay, but this song is definitely a 12/10
@_Brohan
she introduced me to BN with this album. she lived in WI. she was my first love. i still think about her 18 years later.
@kiralight2929
❤ I know buddy. It's ok. Life is strange, beautiful, and sad sometimes. It's all ok.
@Spookykidshow
nor healthy
@MultiWindchime
when i was 16 i was sent to the hospital for manic clinical depression. This song was my theme song for those two long weeks and to this day it serves as a symbol of the scared little girl that will always live in my heart. To me this is a song of acceptance. The struggle of accepting me, in all my weakness.