Dead Poetic was a rock band hailing from Dayton, Ohio. The band first garne… Read Full Bio ↴Dead Poetic was a rock band hailing from Dayton, Ohio. The band first garnered attention in the underground music scene following the release of their first full-length Four Wall Blackmail which was released by Tooth & Nail subsidiary Solid State Records, and single "August Winterman."

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.

Pretty Pretty
Dead Poetic Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Pretty, pretty, she looks so needy
She's calm in the face
But she's never forgetting every other time I've been
Angry, raging, clenched up hands
But I know better than to mix you in my
Raging cycle in this unstable mind

I don't want to let you down

I want this to feel the same
I don't want to let you down
I'm all that's in our way

Pretty, pretty, she's slowing fading
I've drained her empty and left her missing
How I was when I was sane
I'm drowning in what I became
Stretched so thin that I am slowly tearing
I'm left unfulfilled and deteriorating

I don't want to let you down
I want this to feel the same
I don't want to let you down
I'm all that's in our way

I don't want to let you down
I want this to feel the same
I don't want to let you down
I'm all that's in our way

Waiting, hoping, praying for a settle to this dizzy mind
Feeling that my sanity will be coupled with my demise
Waiting, hoping, praying for a settle to this dizzy mind
Feeling that my sanity will be coupled with my demise

I don't want to let you down
I want this to feel the same
I don't want to let you down
I'm all that's in our way

I don't want to let you down
I want this to feel the same
I don't want to let you down
I'm all that's in our way

All that's in our way
All that's in our way

Overall Meaning

"Pretty Pretty" by Dead Poetic is a song about a man who is struggling with his inner demons and the toll it is taking on his relationship with his partner. The song begins with the singer describing his partner as "pretty, pretty" and "needy," but also notes that she is calm in the face of his anger, which he has displayed multiple times before. He knows that he shouldn't involve her in his "raging cycle" because of his unstable mind.

As the song progresses, the singer begins to recognize the damage he has caused to his partner. He has drained her emotionally and left her missing the healthy version of himself he used to be when he was "sane." The singer is stretched thin and deteriorating under the weight of his mental health struggles.

The chorus repeats several times throughout the song, with the singer expressing his desire to maintain the relationship and not let his partner down. He recognizes that he is the only obstacle in their way, and hopes to overcome it.

Overall, "Pretty Pretty" is a haunting song that explores the difficulties of balancing mental health struggles with maintaining healthy relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

Pretty, pretty, she looks so needy
She appears fragile and vulnerable

She's calm in the face
She masks her emotions and remains composed

But she's never forgetting every other time I've been
She remembers every instance of my anger and hostility

Angry, raging, clenched up hands
I am consumed by fury and my hands are tightened

But I know better than to mix you in my
But I am aware that I should not involve you

Raging cycle in this unstable mind
In my unpredictable mind that often oscillates between calmness and fury

Pretty, pretty, she's slowing fading
She is losing her glow and vitality

I've drained her empty and left her missing
I've exhausted her and made her feel incomplete

How I was when I was sane
I used to be rational and sensible

I'm drowning in what I became
I am overwhelmed by my current unstable self

Stretched so thin that I am slowly tearing
I am stretched to my limit and slowly breaking apart