Every Time I Die was a metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, USA, that exi… Read Full Bio ↴Every Time I Die was a metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, USA, that existed from 1998 to 2022. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams with bassist Stephen Micciche being in the band for a collective 15 of its 24 years. After spending the first decade of their career on the Ferret Music label, they signed with Epitaph Records in 2008 and remained there until their split in early 2022.

Discography:
1999 - The Burial Plot Bidding War (EP)
2001 - Last Night In Town
2003 - Hot Damn!
2005 - Gutter Phenomenon
2007 - The Big Dirty
2009 - New Junk Aesthetic
2012 - Ex Lives
2014 - From Parts Unknown
2016 - Low Teens
2021 - Radical

Final Lineup
Keith Buckley: Vocals
Jordan Buckley: Guitar
Andy Williams: Guitar
Stephen Miccichie: Bass
Clayton “Goose” Holyoak: Drums

Emergency Broadcast Syndrome
Every Time I Die Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Position the phantom rigged in reflective tape.
Situated like a makeshift antenna, grinning like tinfoil.
We're losing reception. we can't pick up the game.
I should be discontinued.

I am a broadcasting embarrasment.
Hiss like the damned.
Decoding the transmitted pulse that dispatch from her lips.

I am not receiving a sign that says I am still here anymore.

Do you hear me?
Am I coming through at all?
Is any of this making sense?
You've got a ghost on your hands.

A televisual image only partially clear.
Scrambled phantom (i wish we'd all just stop talking at once).

Spitting and cursing from the scrapheap we're on.
You should have lost your cool.

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of "Emergency Broadcast Syndrome" by Every Time I Die paint a vivid picture of a ghostly, disembodied presence trying to transmit a signal to the living world. This phantom is rigged up in reflective tape and situated like a makeshift antenna, grinning like tinfoil as it struggles to break through the static and connect with the living. However, despite its best efforts, it seems to be losing reception and unable to pick up the game. The singer laments that they should be discontinued - perhaps they are an old-fashioned means of communication that is no longer relevant or useful.

The second verse of the song is more introspective and focused on the singer's own feelings of inadequacy as a broadcaster. They describe themselves as a "broadcasting embarrassment" and hiss like the damned as they try to decode transmissions from the lips of another person. They feel like they are not receiving any signal that says they are still here and wonder if anyone else can hear them at all. The chorus is a plea for confirmation, asking if anyone out there can hear them and if any of this is making sense. The ending lines suggest that the singer is frustrated by the lack of response they are receiving and that perhaps they should have lost their cool.

Overall, the song seems to be a metaphor for trying to communicate through the static of everyday life, whether that be through the mediums of music, art, or human relationships. The singer feels like a ghostly presence, trying to connect with the living world but always struggling to break through the noise and confusion.

Line by Line Meaning

Position the phantom rigged in reflective tape.
Set up the makeshift antenna made of reflective tape to receive the signal.

Situated like a makeshift antenna, grinning like tinfoil.
The makeshift antenna, made of reflective tape, is set up haphazardly and looks ridiculous.

We're losing reception. we can't pick up the game.
We are having trouble receiving the signal and cannot see what's happening.

I should be discontinued.
I am such a bad broadcast that it would be better to shut me down completely.

I am a broadcasting embarrassment.
I am so bad at broadcasting that it's embarrassing.

Hiss like the damned.
The sound quality is so bad that it sounds like it's coming from hell.

Decoding the transmitted pulse that dispatch from her lips.
Trying to decipher what the person is saying over the bad signal.

I am not receiving a sign that says I am still here anymore.
The signal is so bad that it's as if I am not even broadcasting anymore.

Do you hear me?
Can you understand what I am saying?

Am I coming through at all?
Is my message even getting through?

Is any of this making sense?
Does any of what I am saying actually make sense or is it too garbled?

You've got a ghost on your hands.
The signal quality is so bad that it seems like a ghost is causing the interference.

A televisual image only partially clear.
The image on the television is only partially visible and not very clear at all.

Scrambled phantom (i wish we'd all just stop talking at once).
The interference is causing a scrambled and unintelligible signal that makes it impossible to communicate.

Spitting and cursing from the scrapheap we're on.
The poor quality of the broadcast is causing frustration and anger.

You should have lost your cool.
The frustration caused by the poor quality of the broadcast could have led to someone losing their temper.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDREW JOHN WILLIAMS, JORDAN TAYLOR BUCKLEY, KEITH MICHAEL BUCKLEY, MICHAEL FRANCIS NOVAC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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