In the fall of 2004 personal disagreements within the band caused bassist Chad Shellabarger, drummer Josh Shellabarger, and guitarist Todd Osborn to all depart the band, and Dead Poetic appeared to be a thing of the past. But remaining members Brandon Rike (vocals) and Zach Miles (guitar) began playing with accomplished drummer Jesse Sprinkle (formerly of Poor Old Lu and Demon Hunter; also the brother of Aaron Sprinkle) and their passion for music reignited. Beloved alums Dusty Redmon (guitar) and John Brehm (bass) came on board to round out the new, revamped version of Dead Poetic..
Shortly before the release of third album, Vices, lead singer Brandon Rike left the band. This was the trigger to the break up of Dead Poetic. Guitarist Dusty Redmon confirmed the band's disbanding on absolutepunk.net in September 2007:
"When Brandon left the band back in October (before "Vices" came out), a lot of big stuff was going on. We had great tour plans, a batch of new songs we were in to, and just kind of a new sense of freshness about the band. Brandon had been sort of "over it" for a long time, and just sort of picked a bad time to bail. He loves doing design, and being hang-out-at-home-type of husband, which is cool. I kind of called "NOT IT" when it came to making an announcement, but I guess so did everyone else. T&N put a lot of initial money into the record, only to see the band fall apart before the release, causing them to basically drop the entire promotion campaign. Sorry to those who were led on by thinking we were still active. Jesse is recording, Brandon is designing, John is tattooing, Zach just had a new baby, and I'm playing in the Almost."
On October 30, 2007, Jesse Sprinkle posted a MySpace bulletin reiterating that the band was still indeed together. "Contrary to popular opinion and the mighty Wikipedia, Dead Poetic has not broken up. We are still a band indeed....we figured we'd post it to the public....we assure you that Dead Poetic is alive." He went on to say that the band's label, Tooth and Nail, would be releasing a "Best Of" album for Dead Poetic in the near future, and that the band hopes to start writing songs for a new record very soon.
Animals
Dead Poetic Lyrics
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And wrap your ropes around them.
Let the demon take you in,
And tell us stories about him.
I will follow you.
The lyrics of Dead Poetic's song Animals depict a sense of surrender to the darker forces that exist within us all. The singer is urging someone to take these "animals" again, which could potentially refer to their darker impulses or sins. They then speak of wrapping ropes around these animals, suggesting a form of restraint to keep these impulses in check. However, the next line "let the demon take you in" indicates that the singer understands that these impulses cannot be entirely tamed and that there is a certain power in giving in to them.
The final line "I will follow you" is somewhat ambiguous. It could mean that the singer is offering their support to the person they are addressing, indicating that they are not alone in struggling with their darker impulses. Alternatively, it could suggest that the singer is submitting to these impulses themselves and is willing to follow the other person down a path of darkness.
Overall, the lyrics are a potent representation of what it means to face the more destructive aspects of the human psyche. The song suggests that while we may try to keep our darker impulses at bay, they will ultimately find a way to surface. The only solution, it seems, is to accept them as a fundamental part of who we are.
Line by Line Meaning
Take these animals again,
Let's revisit the emotions and thoughts that we have been holding back.
And wrap your ropes around them.
Confront these emotions and thoughts by addressing them head-on.
Let the demon take you in,
Allow yourself to feel the darkness and negativity.
And tell us stories about him.
Share your experiences and insights with others so that they can learn from them.
I will follow you.
I will support you through this difficult journey.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Integrity Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW FARRISS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind