1 - Citizens is a Christia… Read Full Bio ↴There are 3 bands with the name Citizens.
1 - Citizens is a Christian Indie Worship band from Mars Hill U-District church in Seattle.
Members:
Zach Bolen
Adam Skatula
Nathan Furtado
Nate Garvey
Tom McConnell
Their Marshill Music page.
2 - Citizens is a Punk/Hardcore/Post Hardcore trio from Glasgow, Scotland.
Tracks can be downloaded on their myspace page.
They have one 7"/Cd release "Try Smiling" and a 4 track CD EP "Try Harder" on the label "Wolf Among Wolves" from Glasgow.
Members:
Drums: Iain Stewart (also in Bronto Skylift)
Guitar, Vocals: Craig McIntyre
Bass, Vocals: Owen Batchelor
3 - Citizens formed in Houston, TX in April of 2002 by Keith Perkins (Guitar, Vocals) and Alan Rencher (Drums). Started as a Street-Punk band, they later moved toward Crossover Thrash after moving to Oxnard, CA in 2004.
Citizens started touring shortly after with bands like The Last Priority, Homesick Abortions, and others. They self-released their first two EPs in 2006 and 2007 respectively before breaking up later that year
Members:
Alan Rencher - Drums: 2002 - 2007
Keith Perkins - Guitar, Vocals: 2002 - 2007
Moises Arriaga - Bass: 2002 - 2004
James - Bass: 2005
Ben Hament - Bass: 2005 - 2007
Jason Tibbitts - Vocals: 2006 - 2007
Illusion
Citizens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Inside a haunted house I waste, away
Nothing getting in
There's nothing coming out I fade to grey
All the memories I've been pushing out of my head
I need to face the pain, I never did
But if I open this door I won't really know what's ahead
I wanna shut my eyes
I wanna live inside the dream, awake
But when I close my eyes
It's just a twisted mess I can't escape
All the memories I keep pushing out of my head
I want to face the pain, I never did
But if I open this door I won't really know what's ahead
I don't know how to feel, afraid to live
Running from the heartbreak of the night
It's an illusion of a life
I tremble with desire
Strangling the grief out of the light
It's an illusion of a life
I long to feel the fire
All the memories I keep pushing out of my head
I need to face the pain
The lyrics of "Illusion" by Citizens address the theme of avoidance and fear of facing one's emotions and past. The song paints a picture of a lonely and haunted individual who has isolated themselves from the world and lives in a grey and dull existence. The opening lines create an image of an empty room in a haunted house, which reflects the emptiness and loneliness that the singer feels. They have shut themselves off from the world, and nothing seems to be getting in nor coming out. This suggests that they have become numb and have stopped feeling emotions or expressing themselves.
The chorus reveals the singer's desire to escape their reality and live in a dream world, where they can shut their eyes and forget about the painful memories they keep pushing away. However, the dream world they long for is not a peaceful one, as it is filled with twisted and muddled images that torment them. The fear of opening the door to their painful memories is preventing them from moving on, and they are afraid to face the truth of their past and the emotions it holds.
The bridge of the song portrays a struggle between desire and fear, with the singer trembling with desire to feel alive and longs to feel the fire of emotion. However, they are strangling their grief out of the light, and they are unable to break free from the illusion of their life.
Overall, "Illusion" is a poignant exploration of the human psyche and the fear of facing our emotions and past trauma. It highlights the importance of confronting our inner demons and moving forward as our authentic selves.
Line by Line Meaning
In an empty room
The singer is alone, isolated and disconnected from the world.
Inside a haunted house I waste, away
The environment around the singer is causing them discomfort and they feel like they're wasting away.
Nothing getting in
The singer feels emotionally numb and indifferent towards everything.
There's nothing coming out I fade to grey
The singer is unable to express their emotions and feels empty.
All the memories I've been pushing out of my head
The singer is avoiding confront their past, pain is suppressed.
I need to face the pain, I never did
The singer acknowledges that they need to confront the pain they've been avoiding.
But if I open this door I won't really know what's ahead
The singer is afraid of the unknown, they're uncertain of whether the pain is worth confronting.
I don't know how to feel, afraid to live
The singer is numb to emotions and is hesitant towards experiencing the inevitable pain of life.
I wanna shut my eyes
The singer wants to escape reality.
I wanna live inside the dream, awake
The singer wants to experience the joys of life without the difficulties and pain.
But when I close my eyes
When the singer escapes reality, they're met with a distorted and uncomfortable reality in their mind.
It's just a twisted mess I can't escape
The singer can't escape the reality of the pain they're trying to avoid.
Running from the heartbreak of the night
The singer is avoiding facing the painful memories of their past.
It's an illusion of a life
The singer feels like their life is fake, possibly they're not being true to themselves.
I tremble with desire
The singer desires to face their past but is scared of what they will find.
Strangling the grief out of the light
The singer is stifling the pain, making it harder for themselves to come to terms with it.
I long to feel the fire
The singer wants to feel passion and to truly be living, as opposed to feeling numb and empty.
All the memories I keep pushing out of my head
Repetition of previous lines, emphasizing the avoidance of pain.
I need to face the pain
Reiteration that the singer needs to confront their pain.
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Integrity Music
Written by: Zach Bolen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
The Realist
Citizens please keep up the great work! This song is the best on the album!
David Ivan Vizgarra
DISFRUTO SU TALENTO... DIOS AÑADA MAS DE SUS BENDICIONES PARA SUS VIDAS...
ADELANTE CIUDADANOS...
日本語能力試験ヲ目指ス基地外
This and "i am living in a land of fire" are my favorites of this artist so far because of the guitar heaviness that appears on the second half
Also i wish you made lyrics not so focused on god
Theohybrid
I guess the funniest thing is that I think the Christian market does indeed fear the idea of fear.
Seems that even we, the Church, a victim of the happiness industry and maybe the prosperity gospel of America.
Catie did
Yes!😍❤
Corchini
whats with the eyes?
Theohybrid
Maybe a creative choice?
toobsterdude
So, they don't sing about God or Jesus Christ anymore??
Jacob Braun
I think you're missing the point, and really missing a very vital portion of the word as well. This album is an exploration of fear, sadness, and vulnerability, and pays homage to the biblical text in a beautiful way. There were many people in Biblical canon who did the same thing that these brothers are doing, and God put it in His Holy Book. People like David and Asaph, they have deep and heart wrenching songs about how sad and devoid of God they felt, and how they felt like they felt alone and forgotten. Prophets like Elijah and Jonah, these men poured out all of their anger and frustration to God, and He honored it by using it in His eternal word. Not explicitly saying God or Jesus does not indicate lack of praise, in fact, it is the exact opposite.
Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."
Praise comes in many forms, and we have a God who prefers real prayers to the right ones, and that is evidenced in His book.
Carson Floyd
@Jacob Braun I completely agree. I went to their concert last week and they play their old stuff with the same vigor if not more than their new stuff. This album is very real about fear that haunts Christians every day. This isn't fake this is real and raw and very relateable like you mentioned. He isn't tied up in making the perfect Church song anymore moreso conveying it through real-life application.