To thrive and ultimately succeed, this process requires shedding ego and letting go of pride. It resembles an active admission of humanity in all of its idiosyncrasies and imperfections. Most importantly, the message only resounds when the audience responds and resonates.
On their aptly titled third full-length album and first for Fearless Records, Signals, Devour The Day didn’t just blur the line between musician and listener; they abolished it entirely. The trio—Blake Allison [lead vocals, guitar], Joey “Chicago” Walser [bass, backing vocals], and Ronnie Farris [drums]—focused on getting closer than ever before by preserving the purity of these “signals” and honoring the crowd above all.
“If you’re part of the rock community, you’ve chosen to be a musical outsider,” says Joey. “The choice represents a certain integrity. We respect that so much. There’s no distinction or hierarchy between us and the people who listen to us. We’re all the same. A lot of times, that’s not clear in this business. It’s stuck in The Matrix where the artist is on a pedestal and the fan is below. We said, ‘Fuck all of this tired bullshit’,” he exclaims. “We’re admitting we don’t have ownership of these songs. Rather, they’re all gifts we’ve organized and put into the soundtrack for a community story. This is an escape from the norm. We’re just honored to have the opportunity to make another record and put everything into it.”
“We’re celebrating this community first,” adds Blake. “Whether or not we make music, we’re recognizing the fact we’re lucky enough to do this. We can’t take credit for the ability to create. We highlight the fact it’s a gift on this record by looking at everything from a different angle.”
A growing discography and countless gigs positioned the trio to do so. 2014’s Time & Pressure yielded the Active Rock Top 10 hit “Good Man,” which impressively sold 100,000-plus singles. Meanwhile, the band lit up festivals a la Rock on the Range in addition to touring alongside Sevendust, Three Days Grace, In This Moment, and many more. Most recently, 2016’s S.O.A.R. ignited a flurry of streaming success. “Lightning In The Sky” generated over 3 million Spotify streams and “The Bottom” cracked 2.6 million as the band regularly averaged nearly 200K monthly listeners on the platform.
Following tours alongside Skillet and Alter Bridge, the group returned from the road to commence work on what would become Signals in 2017. They eventually reteamed with S.O.A.R. producer Dan Korneff [Paramore, Lamb of God], but they revised and revamped the entire process prior.
Instead of penning a handful of songs and rushing to the studio, they accumulated nearly 100 pieces of music on their own. Without showing anyone outside of the core three-piece, they allowed the songs to evolve over six months, adding and tweaking along the way.
After laying down the music at Korneff’s spot, Blake personally tracked his vocals in his home studio.
“It was like being 12-years-old again and locking yourself in a room with your guitar amp and total freedom,” Blake smiles. “We got back to our roots and set about on our next creative evolution through doing so.”
The first single “Faithless” hinges on a hulking stomp brushing up against Blake’s guttural delivery. As a hyper-charged riff kicks in, the chorus rises in tandem to arena-size heights, seesawing between pummeling and passionate.
“The truth about so many aspects of our world has come to light,” the frontman goes on. “Dark secrets are being exposed in almost every corner of our society. The hidden prejudice of how we treat people is being uncovered. Power and greed have distorted our leadership. We are demanding a change. We must challenge the rules of conduct and refine them in every way to create an authentic world worth believing in.”
A barking dog trumpets the opener “One Shot” as muscular guitars and propulsive drums give way to another anthemic chant, “You only get one shot!”
Joey says, “Life moves like a passing shadow. We are a mist that appears and then vanishes. We can strive for success, power, glory, victory, fortune and acclaim but they too will fade. We have one shot at a legacy. We have one shot to be humble and gracious with a tireless and sincere conviction for something greater than ourselves. Keep your eye on the target.”
Elsewhere, “Wonderful Creatures” tempers thick beats and emotionally charged vocals as “Cliffhanger” encapsulates an all-encompassing theme, “There is a choice that begins all positive change.”
These Signals find Devour The Day stronger than ever, but they’re sharing their strength in the end…
“We want to level the playing field,” Joey leaves off. “We’re being real with our responsibility that we’re lucky to have.”
Respect
Devour The Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How could you do this again
You think that we would stay friends
You think you're innocent
This wasn't part of the plan
You turned your back and you ran
But what I don't understand
Is how you live with it
Respect, you don't deserve it
You won't get any from me unless you earn it
Respect, you're not worth it
I'll never be, I'll never be like you
Be like you
You're like a blood-sucking leech
A parasitic disease
You only take what you need
And than you're done with it
Face it, you wasted the work that we did
You took the easy way out
Respect, you don't deserve it
You won't get any from me unless you earn it
Respect, you're not worth it
I'll never be, I'll never be like you
Never
Never
Never
I always knew you were a coward
I knew you were a fake, a fraud
I knew you'd run like a bitch
Respect, you don't deserve it
You won't get any from me unless you earn it
Respect, you're not worth it
I'll never be, I'll never be like you
Respect
Be like you
Be like you
Respect
Respect
In this song, Devour The Day expresses strong feelings of betrayal and disappointment towards someone who they thought they could trust. The singer is directing these feelings towards this person who has let them down repeatedly. The singer starts by questioning how this person could repeat their mistake and expect to remain friends. This is emotionally draining for the singer and they cannot understand how this person can live with their actions.
The chorus "Respect, you don't deserve it / You won't get any from me unless you earn it / Respect, you're not worth it / I'll never be, I'll never be like you" expresses the singer's disgust with this person's actions. They no longer consider this person deserving of respect and they will require this person to prove themselves in order to earn any respect. Furthermore, they do not want to mimic or emulate this person's behaviors.
The second verse continues to explain how the singer feels about this person. The person is likened to a blood-sucking leech and a parasitic disease which only takes from others and then is done with them. The singer feels that this person has wasted their hard work and that they have taken the easy way out. In the final lines of the song, the singer affirms that they always knew this person was a coward and a fake.
Overall, the song "Respect" is a powerful expression of profound disappointment and feelings of betrayal. The use of strong words and phrases such as coward and fake emphasize the depth of the singer's hurt and anger.
Line by Line Meaning
Where do I even begin
I don't even know where to start
How could you do this again
You did this before and I'm disappointed you did it again
You think that we would stay friends
You think that even after what you've done, we'd still be friends
You think you're innocent
You believe you haven't done anything wrong
This wasn't part of the plan
This wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't what we agreed on
You turned your back and you ran
You abandoned us and left without warning
But what I don't understand
I'm confused and can't comprehend
Is how you live with it
I can't understand how you're okay with what you did
Respect, you don't deserve it
You haven't earned my respect
You won't get any from me unless you earn it
I won't give you respect unless you prove yourself
Respect, you're not worth it
You're not valuable enough to earn my respect
I'll never be, I'll never be like you
I don't want to be anything like you
You're like a blood-sucking leech
You take everything and give nothing back
A parasitic disease
You're a burden and only harm those around you
You only take what you need
You're selfish and only care about your own needs
And than you're done with it
You discard it once you're done
Face it, you wasted the work that we did
You ruined all the effort we put in
You took the easy way out
You didn't face the consequences of your actions
I always knew you were a coward
I always suspected you were afraid
I knew you were a fake, a fraud
I knew you were deceiving us all along
I knew you'd run like a bitch
I knew you wouldn't have the courage to face the situation
Be like you
I don't want to be like you
Respect
I have to earn respect by behaving properly
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BLAKE CARNEY ALLISON, JOSEPH DAVID WALSER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
elitefoxes
Where do I even begin
How could you do this again
You think that we would stay friends
You think you’re innocent
This wasn’t part of the plan
You turned your back and you ran
But what I don’t understand
Is how you live with it
Respect, you don’t deserve it
You won’t get any from me unless you earn it
Respect, you’re not worth it
I’ll never be, I’ll never be like you
Be like you
You’re like a blood-sucking leech
A parasitic disease
You only take what you need
And than you’re done with it
Face it, you wasted the work that we did
You took the easy way out
Respect, you don’t deserve it
You won’t get any from me unless you earn it
Respect, you’re not worth it
I’ll never be, I’ll never be like you
Never
Never
Never
I always knew you were a coward
I knew you were a fake, a fraud
I knew you’d run like a bitch
Respect, you don’t deserve it
You won’t get any from me unless you earn it
Respect, you’re not worth it
I’ll never be, I’ll never be like you
Respect
Be like you
Be like you
Respect
Respect
for anyone who couldn't keep up with the video. I know i couldn't aha.
Andrew Beaudin
"I knew you were a fake, a coward, I knew you would run like a BITCH!!!!!!" damn i love these lyrics
Mikayla Reynolds
This song is so honest to its word when I met devour the day, Blake was honestly the nicest person ive met same goes with everyone else in the band. Two days after I met them I went to a concert and they so happened to be there I remember seeing them back stage and they waved to me. Honestly this band is the best and I cant wait to see them again one day.
John Coleman
This song never gets old! I love jamming it in my truck!
CrimsonJerry
This deserves so many million views!!!
The Late Lord Bitchmeister
This song reminds me of my dad, actually. He and I have had so much butting heads recently, and plus he'll never admit he's wrong! Thanks Devour the Day for putting my thoughts into words!!! AND INTO A SONG I CAN BANG MY HEAD TO!!!
Lukas Perkins
I have several co workers that this applies to. I’m glad I found this song so I can blast it on Friday’s when we are aloud to bring our speakers in. Make them here it!
G H
I got to see these guys preform at rapids theater this weekend. They were amazing
Mitchell Waukau
Saw these these guys lastnight at upstate concert hall...they were sooooo cool.they GAVE me an autographed poster for my birthday..they were the only ones that had the house jumping..I left after i saw them and hung with them for a little bit..way awesome dudes..
HardRock65
i had the privilege of seeing them live, they are amazing
Nate Smith
amazing band. everyone should listen to these guys! ive been hooked on linkin park for the last 8 years.... you guys blow them outa the water. Amazing drumming btw. I want some drum solos tho