Converge is a four-piece American band, formed in February of 1990 in Salem… Read Full Bio ↴Converge is a four-piece American band, formed in February of 1990 in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Playing a blend of hardcore punk and extreme metal, this pioneer outfit helped define a lot of the rudiments of the fast-burgeoning metalcore and mathcore genres formed by vocalist Jacob Bannon and guitarist Kurt Ballou in Salem, Massachusetts in 1990. During the recording of their seminal fourth album Jane Doe, the group became a four-piece with the departure of guitarist Aaron Dalbec and the addition of bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller. This lineup has remained intact since. They have released nine studio albums, three live albums, and numerous EPs. The band's sound is rooted in both hardcore punk and extreme metal, and they are considered pioneers of metalcore as well as its subgenre mathcore.

Converge have enjoyed a relatively high level of recognition. According to AllMusic, they are "regarded as one of the most original and innovative bands to emerge from the punk underground." Their popularity rose with the release of Jane Doe, which was ranked as the best album of 2001 by Terrorizer and later as the 61st Best Metal Album of All Time by Rolling Stone. Subsequently, Converge moved from Equal Vision Records to the considerably larger label Epitaph Records and their records gradually became more elaborate and expensive to produce. Special releases have traditionally been handled by Deathwish Inc., established by Bannon in 1999. The band's ninth studio album, The Dusk in Us, was released in November 2017 through Deathwish and Epitaph.

Homesong
Converge Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For words, two minutes, three years
For my fingertips to grow numb
Could this be the moment
When the "finally" becomes the "wish I could"?
Desperation and outstretched memories

Now I see you only in bad dreams
I never reset

I only see you in bad dreams
Let me explain

Close enough to feel your words
Far enough to read your flesh

Overall Meaning

The song Homesong by the American metalcore band Converge is about the toil of a deep emotional struggle that has been endured for a long time. The lyrics of the song convey the singer's sense of desperation and isolation. The opening lines, "For words, two minutes, three years, For my fingertips to grow numb," suggest that even though the singer has spoken, and time has passed, the emotional pain has not gone away. The following line, "Could this be the moment when the "finally" becomes the "wish I could"?", seems to illustrate that the singer cannot let go of the past and wishes he could. He is stuck in a cycle of grief and despair, fueled by memories that he can't seem to shake off.

The chorus juxtaposes the contradictory emotions that he feels towards the person he has lost. He sees them only in bad dreams, but also he wants to be close enough to feel their words and far enough to read their flesh. It's clear that he still desires the person he lost, but at the same time, he can't move past the grief and memories that are fueling his desperation. Overall, the song conveys a sense of hopelessness and a desire to escape from the trauma and pain that the singer has experienced.

Line by Line Meaning

For words, two minutes, three years
It took just two minutes to say the words, but it felt like three years had passed.

For my fingertips to grow numb
The emotional pain was so intense that it felt physical, causing their fingertips to go numb.

Could this be the moment
Wondering if this moment is the one they will always remember as the turning point.

When the 'finally' becomes the 'wish I could'?
Wondering if they'll regret not doing something in the future, even if they finally did it.

Desperation and outstretched memories
Remembering the past with desperation and longing, wanting things to be the way they used to be.

Now I see you only in bad dreams
The only time they see the person is in their nightmares.

I never reset
They haven't been able to move on from the past or forget the person.

I only see you in bad dreams
The person only exists in their subconscious nightmares.

Let me explain
Asking for an opportunity to clarify or justify themselves.

Close enough to feel your words
Being emotionally close enough to someone to feel the impact of their words.

Far enough to read your flesh
Being distant enough from someone to be able to read their body language.