Rebel Without Applause
Every Time I Die Lyrics


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Sound the bells and take to the streets in arms
We're descending fast, a pox on your house of cards
Dry your eyes, your daughters have lost their faith
And started feeding upon the bait that we wear on our sleeve

Promise us you won't tell the public the fury with which we despoil
I've got a wife and kids and a hybrid car
I've got a good life and I can't risk losing
If you can keep it a secret then me and the boys will bring pale hell to this town
We're trouble bound and we summon the devil electric
Prey on the faint of heart
We sing praises of the rebels who went by the book

Gravitate to teenagers artlessness'
And sing it aloud.the content is trivial
Its pillow talk is plagiarized by the gadgets of lust
Just go to sleep, leave the gestures and customs to us

Cry fraud and let play the anthem of war
Cry fraud and let play the anthem of war

Boys stand your ground, keep the delicate fingers but wrath in your white knuckled grip
The film is loaded and it's aimed at the whites in their eyes

You put out to get in, and we slipped right past the guards in the belly of a horse
We sunk our fangs into the pulp of a desperate angst
We're powerless just until we're invited inside

If you can keep it a secret then me and the boys will bring pale hell to this town
We're trouble bound and we summon the devil electric
Prey on the faint of heart, we owe thanks to the revels who went by the book
Don't give up the ship, don't give up the ship




We'd rather sink than admit it, don't give up the ship
We only have one night in town

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Every Time I Die's song Rebel Without Applause are a commentary on rebellion, power, and control. The song begins with a call to arms, urging listeners to take to the streets and fight against those in power, represented by the "house of cards". The following lines suggest a loss of faith in the younger generation, who have succumbed to the temptations ("bait") of the rebels. The singer, however, is torn between his desire to rebel and the comforts of his middle-class life, symbolized by his "wife and kids and a hybrid car".


The lyrics then shift to a critique of consumer culture and the commodification of rebellion. The rebels "sing praises" of those who went "by the book", implying that their own rebellion is nothing but a rehash of past rebellions, lacking in originality and sincerity. The rebels feed on the "artlessness" of teenagers and their "gadgets of lust", encouraging them to follow their empty gestures and customs. The lyrics then escalate into a call to war, with the rebels crying out for a fight and urging their followers to stand their ground.


The final lines of the song emphasize the transience of rebellion and the futility of resistance. The rebels are "powerless", dependent on an invitation from within to achieve their goals. They acknowledge that they only have "one night in town", implying that their rebellion is fleeting and ultimately impotent.


Overall, Rebel Without Applause is a commentary on the complexities of rebellion and the struggle for power and control. The rebels are depicted as both powerful and powerless, torn between their desires and their obligations, and ultimately doomed to failure.


Line by Line Meaning

Sound the bells and take to the streets in arms
We are calling for a revolution and asking everyone to join us in fighting against the current system.


We're descending fast, a pox on your house of cards
The current system is weak and we are bringing it down.


Dry your eyes, your daughters have lost their faith
The younger generation has lost faith in the current system.


And started feeding upon the bait that we wear on our sleeve
They are following our lead and rebelling against the current system.


Promise us you won't tell the public the fury with which we despoil
We are doing something illegal and asking for secrecy.


I've got a wife and kids and a hybrid car
I have a comfortable life and I am not willing to risk it.


I've got a good life and I can't risk losing
I am not willing to sacrifice my comfortable life for this cause.


If you can keep it a secret then me and the boys will bring pale hell to this town
If you can keep our secret, we will cause chaos and rebellion in this town.


We're trouble bound and we summon the devil electric
We are troublemakers and we use the power of electricity to cause chaos.


Prey on the faint of heart
We target the weakest members of society to rebel with us.


We sing praises of the rebels who went by the book
We admire the rebels who succeeded within the system, but we are not following the rules.


Gravitate to teenagers artlessness'
We target young people who are naive and easy to influence.


And sing it aloud.the content is trivial
We promote rebellion through meaningless and trivial means.


Its pillow talk is plagiarized by the gadgets of lust
Our message is stolen and used for personal desires and pleasure.


Just go to sleep, leave the gestures and customs to us
Go to sleep and let us handle the rebellion for you.


Cry fraud and let play the anthem of war
We are calling out the current system and rallying for war.


Boys stand your ground, keep the delicate fingers but wrath in your white knuckled grip
Stand your ground and fight for the cause, but remain controlled and strategic.


The film is loaded and it's aimed at the whites in their eyes
We are ready to fight the system and we are targeting those in power.


You put out to get in, and we slipped right past the guards in the belly of a horse
We used deception to get inside and infiltrate the current system.


We sunk our fangs into the pulp of a desperate angst
We are feeding off the desperation and anger of those who feel oppressed by the current system.


We're powerless just until we're invited inside
We are powerless until we are able to infiltrate and take control from within.


Don't give up the ship, don't give up the ship
We must keep fighting and not give up on the cause.


We'd rather sink than admit it, don't give up the ship
We would rather fail than give up on the cause and admit defeat.


We only have one night in town
We have a limited amount of time to cause disruption and rebellion in this town.




Lyrics © SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: BUCKLEY, NOVAC, WILLIAMS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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