The band's first release was in 2007 with an EP titled When The Sea Became A Giant. The band released a full-length album, What It Takes To Move Forward, in 2009. The band is signed to Count Your Lucky Stars Records and has released albums on a number of other labels, such as strictly no capital letters (UK), Topshelf Records, Stiff Slack (Japan), and Hobbledehoy Record Co (Australia). The band released their second album You Will Eventually Be Forgotten on August 19, 2014. On February 16, 2016, the band announced their final tour before their breakup on their official Facebook page.[2]
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Labels: count your lucky stars / strictly no capital letters / stiff slack / keep it together / topshelf
An Idea Is a Greater Monument Than a Cathedral
Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
or are you afraid that your body won't let you choose?
you are your father's son, and the same disease that holds you held him once!
and i know if you push this hard it will still take hold.
you cannot accept the things you can't control.
and i know your mind is young but your body's old.
and you can't forgive youself (though no one else could blame you for this).
but hold on! hold on! hold on!
and already i can't remember if the heart was ever aware
that the body it kept alive was wearing out, was shutting down.
and tonight, when it realized, you gave up, it cried out,
"only now i realize i always knew."
The lyrics of "An Idea Is a Greater Monument Than a Cathedral" by Empire! Empire! (I Was a Lonely Estate) explore themes related to self-doubt, legacy, and mortality. The opening lines ask whether the same mistakes that haunted the singer in the past will continue to haunt them, or if they will be able to overcome their fears and take control of their life. The reference to the father suggests the idea of inherited struggles and how our past can influence our present.
The chorus, with its repetition of the phrase "hold on," seems to offer a message of hope and perseverance. Even when faced with adversity, the singer urges themselves and the listener to keep fighting and not give up. However, the final lines of the song take a more melancholic turn. The metaphor of the heart and body suggests that our physical and emotional states are interconnected, and that sometimes we only realize this too late.
Line by Line Meaning
will the same mistakes haunt you like they used to do?
Are you going to repeat the same mistakes over and over again?
or are you afraid that your body won't let you choose?
Are you afraid that your physical limitations will hold you back?
you are your father's son, and the same disease that holds you held him once!
You inherited your father's illness and are experiencing it the same way he did.
and i know if you push this hard it will still take hold.
Even if you push yourself beyond your limits, the illness will still affect you.
you cannot accept the things you can't control.
You have trouble accepting things that are beyond your control.
and i know your mind is young but your body's old.
You may be young in your mind, but your body is prematurely aging due to the illness.
and you can't forgive youself (though no one else could blame you for this).
You blame yourself for things that are not your fault, even though others would not blame you for it.
but hold on! hold on! hold on!
Don't give up, keep fighting!
and already i can't remember if the heart was ever aware
I can't remember if you were aware of the toll the illness was taking on your body.
that the body it kept alive was wearing out, was shutting down.
Your body was deteriorating and shutting down, even though your heart was still beating.
and tonight, when it realized, you gave up, it cried out,
When your heart finally realized that you had given up, it was devastated.
"only now i realize i always knew."
The heart always knew that the body was giving up, but it was only now that it fully realized it.
Contributed by Levi M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.