Chris recorded his first album, The Swiss Army Romance, in 2000. The following year, he recorded Further Seems Forever's debut album The Moon Is Down. However, he left the band soon after the album's release, instead recording and releasing his sophomore album The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, as well as a follow-up EP titled So Impossible.
By 2002, three other musicians had joined the band, including former Further Seems Forever band mate Jerry Castellanos and started the process of recording the band's next album. After the success of his second album, Carrabba was asked to perform on MTV Unplugged, and the subsequent release marked the first time many of the songs were recorded with a full band.
Also in 2002, the music video for "Screaming Infidelities" won the coveted MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards, beating out Norah Jones, The Strokes, The Hives, Nappy Roots and Musiq. This video starred Chris in both the performance and the storyline. The video was directed by Maureen Egan and Matthew Barry.
In 2003, the band released its third album A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar. Peaking at #2 on the United States Billboard charts, the album proved to be the band's most commercially-viable album yet. In the summer of 2004, Dashboard Confessional recorded the song "Vindicated" for the film Spider-Man 2. The song was featured on the soundtrack and played over the film's end credits. Because of this, the band gained a sizable audience for their next release the following summer.
In May of 2005, Dashboard Confessional entered the studio to record their fourth album with acclaimed producer, Daniel Lanois. The album was released on June 27, 2006; its first single was "Don't Wait". Following the release of Dusk and Summer, Dashboard Confessional went on a summer tour of the U.S. with special guests Say Anything and Ben Lee, followed by a co-headlining arena tour with alternative rock band Brand New.
In 2007, the band released its follow-up to Dusk and Summer, The Shade of Poison Trees.
During an interview with Billboard posted on September 11, 2007, Carrabba stated that he is 14 tracks into what would be the band's sixth studio album. He is also unsure about when it would be recorded, but plans to have 30 tracks to draw from. It may be a concept album: "only with the last three has it become, like, 'All right, these have a continuity and there's something going on,' so I'm excited to see where that leads".
The album, titled 'Alter The Ending', was released November 10 2009 (US). A two disc version of the album is available. In this edition, the first disc consists of full band workings of the twelve tracks while the second disc features acoustic versions akin to the first two Dashboard Confessional albums.
Hold On
Dashboard Confessional Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had a habit of dying
I think she gave me something to live for
I guess I helped her pass the time
And I had a vision of seeing things straight
She had the heart of a liar
I never saw her leave me once
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
She had a history of killing herself
I had a habit of dying
I think she gave me something to live for
I guess I helped her pass her time
And I had a vision of seeing things straight
She had the heart of a liar
I never saw her leaving me once
She never felt me beside her
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
The lyrics of Dashboard Confessional's song "Hold On" clearly talk about a tumultuous relationship between two people who have a troubled past. The first two lines suggest that the two of them are at odds with their own lives. The singer has a habit of "dying," which could mean that he was self-destructive, while the other person in the relationship had a history of "killing herself," which could mean that she had suicidal tendencies. Despite these issues, they managed to find comfort with each other. The singer sings that the other person gave him "something to live for" while he helped "her pass the time."
The next two lines in the song describe the different perspectives the two people had in the relationship. The singer had a vision of "seeing things straight," which suggests he wanted clarity in their relationship, while the other person had "the heart of a liar." This line implies that she was hiding something from him, perhaps struggling with her own mental issues.
The chorus of the song, "It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me," suggests that despite the difficult nature of the relationship, the two of them were unable to let go of each other. The repetition of this line suggests that the hold that this person had on the singer was significant.
Overall, the song "Hold On" is a bittersweet depiction of a relationship that is both painful and comforting at the same time. The lyrics suggest that love isn't always easy, and that despite the struggles, relationships can bring a sense of purpose and meaning to our lives.
Line by Line Meaning
She had a history of killing herself
She had a past of self-harm or suicide attempts
I had a habit of dying
I frequently put myself in situations where I might get hurt or killed
I think she gave me something to live for
She brought purpose to my life and gave me a reason to keep going
I guess I helped her pass the time
I was a way for her to pass the time or distract herself from her struggles
And I had a vision of seeing things straight
I wanted to get my life together and see things clearly
She had the heart of a liar
She had a tendency to deceive or manipulate others
I never saw her leave me once
She never physically left me, but she was emotionally distant and unavailable
She never felt me beside her
She never truly connected with me or felt my presence
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
Despite the unhealthy nature of our relationship, she has a strong emotional grip on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
Despite the unhealthy nature of our relationship, she has a strong emotional grip on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
Despite the unhealthy nature of our relationship, she has a strong emotional grip on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
Despite the unhealthy nature of our relationship, she has a strong emotional grip on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
Despite the unhealthy nature of our relationship, she has a strong emotional grip on me
It's cruel but she's got a good hold on me
Despite the unhealthy nature of our relationship, she has a strong emotional grip on me
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREW CARRABBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind