The band's debut full-length album Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation was released in October 2003. Various singles were lifted off this, including Bullet Theory, Juneau (Juno on previous EPs), She Drove Me To Daytime TV and Escape Artists Never Die. After a B-side to Escape Artists Never Die was released as a single, this was called You Want Romance? the video was sequal to Bullet Theory
A DVD named Spilling Blood In 8MM was released only a year after, documenting every music video, including the two from the EPs 10:45 Amsterdam Conversations and This Year's Most Open Heartbreak, live footage, and the first album's promotion tour, discography, chronology and an exclusive video for Juneau acoustic
In the United States, the EP Seven Ways To Scream Your Name was released instead. It featured three of the tracks from Four Ways To Scream Your Name, three from Between Order And Model and a further unreleased track. The debut was released later.
The second album Hours was released in 2005. Streetcar, Monsters, History and Roses for the Dead have been released as singles.
Funeral For A Friend released the first single, off their 3rd album, Into Oblivion (Reunion) on May 7th 2007 and the album Tales Don't Tell Themselves was released on May 14th 2007. The album caused much controversy with fans of their earlier albums, especially with fans of their EPs and 'Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation', due to a major change in their sound to a more melodic version of their earlier post-hardcore. The band then released the ninth track on Tales Don't Tell Themselves Walk Away. Then the release of The Great Wide Open came in a form of an EP highlighting the bands earlier part of their career containing not only the single The Great Wide Open but live versions of most of their older EP songs.
FFAF released a new album in 2008 via their newly formed label Join Us, after leaving Atlantic. On the 27th August 2008, it was announced that the band had licensed their new record to Victory Records for the U.S. and Canadian releases. The album was released via the label on October 28, 2008. It was also released via Roadrunner Records in the rest of the world, apart from the UK, where it was released through the band's own label, Join Us.
On September 4, 2008, it was announced via a MySpace blog post that Gareth Davies had left the band, to be replaced by Gavin Burrough (Hondo Maclean, Ghostlines, The Future). "As some of you may know, Gareth has been living in America for the past couple of years, and recently got married. Ultimately, the strain of travelling between continents has taken it's toll and Gareth made the decision that it would be in the best interests of himself, his family and Funeral to leave the band. We totally respect and understand his choice, wish him all the best in his future and we thank him for being part of our lives for the past 6 years."
On June 24, 2009 it was revealed in Kerrang! magazine that the band were to release a greatest hits album, entitled Your History Is Mine: 2002-2009, on September 28, 2009. The compilation is to also contain four brand new tracks, which will be the first new material released by the band since the arrival of Burrough.
On April 26, 2010, Funeral for a Friend wrote on their forum about their lineup change, paying homage to the departure of their friend Darran Smith, but also announcing the new member. Gavin Burrough changed instrument from bass to guitar, taking over Darran's place as guitarist, and Richard Boucher became the new bassist of Funeral for a Friend.
On May 3, 2010 the band announced that they will be releasing a special new EP to fans who "pledged" through website pledgemusic.com, the "pledge" options include the EP, a signed EP and even an acoustic performance by the band at a fan's residence.[12] On July 1, 2010 the band revealed that the EP will be titled "The Young and Defenseless" and also revealed the cover art. The EP was subsequently released for download on September 6, 2010 and physical release was a week later. Towards the end of October 2010 they finished a session of recording for a new album for which a name and date were yet to be announced. On 2 November, they played two new songs, confirmed to be on this album (which was announced as due for release in March 2011), called "Man Alive" and "Front Row Seats to the End of the World". Another song title was confirmed as "Spinning Over the Island."
On 10 January 2011, the band released the official video for the album's leading single "Front Row Seats to the End of the World" and announced their fifth studio album would be called Welcome Home Armageddon. On 24 January, it was announced that the album was to be released by Good Fight Music, a move that would reconnect the band with the original label team that released Seven Ways to Scream Your Name and Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation. Welcome Home Armageddon was released 14 March 2011 in Britain through Distiller Records and 15 March in the United States through Good Fight and later on distributed through Roadrunner to the rest of the world.
On 22 May 2012, Ryan Richards announced that he was leaving the band. He cited his family as the reason, saying: “I’ve always put music first in my life – but the time has come now for my family to take the top spot”. It was the band's initial intention that Richards would not be replaced instantly and that the band would only look for a touring member to play for the band. However, it was announced on that Pat Lundy would be joining the band as Richards' replacement. Lundy is the former drummer of London-based heavy metal band Rise to Remain, having left the band in January 2012. Funeral for a Friend spent all of 2012, bar their brief festival appearances writing and recording for their sixth studio album. Over the year they released several studio updates showing the band members tracking different instruments for the album.
On 4 October of that year the band confirmed the title and release date of their sixth album Conduit for a 28 January 2013 release in the United Kingdom and on 5 February 2013 through The End Records In the United States.
On 28 September 2014, Funeral for a Friend debuted the lead single from their forthcoming album Chapter and Verse, titled "You've Got a Bad Case of the Religions" on the Rock Show on BBC Radio 1. The band then announced the album's release date of January 19, 2015 as well as a UK/European Tour in support of the album.
On 14 September 2015, Funeral for a Friend announced their breakup and the 'Last Chance to Dance' final tour across Australia, Germany and the UK, which spanned from February to April 2016; they played two subsequent nights on each stop of the tour, performing Hours and Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation in their entirety (alongside other songs) on the first and second night respectively.
In August 2019, Funeral for a Friend announced two special reunion concerts, with the proceedings going to the family of a terminally ill friend of the band. The two shows were set to be on 28 and 29 October at The Globe in Cardiff and O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. As well as members Matt Davies-Kreye, Kris Coombs-Roberts, Gav Burrough, and Richard Boucher, the band will be joined by former guitarist Darran Smith and drummer/screamer Ryan Richards. After the initial two dates sold out quickly, the Cardiff show was upgraded from The Globe to the Cardiff Student Union, and a second Cardiff date was added for 27 October.
On 27 January 2020, Download festival announced their upcoming performance as part of the 2020 lineup. The festival would be cancelled in April, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. In September 2021, the band were a late addition to Slam Dunk festival. In July 2020, the band announced that they would be touring the UK in April 2021 playing songs from Casually-dressed & deep in Conversation, Hours, and Tales don't tell themselves, also due to COVID-19 the tour dates were postponed, taking place in early March 2022. After the initial dates sold out, the band added two additional dates in Cardiff and London and upgraded the venues for Manchester and Glasgow, which was then followed up with four additional dates in Leeds, Bristol, and Bournemouth alongside a third London date at Shepherd's Bush Empire. Due to illness, Richard Boucher was replaced on bass for the last 4 shows by the band's guitar-tech Steve Nash.
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I Am the Arsonist
Funeral for a Friend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the pain he inflicts
Will burn out over time
Make us stand out of line
And the ash will break upon the shore
Just like you, you will break upon the shoreline
Upon the shoreline
If the timeing is right
We'll make sure to be seen
And the weight we wil bare
In the home we are safe
Are we safe?
For a taste, just a simple kiss
The way you bend before the break and
The way my throat would feel
I'm scared of failure
It's our plan, strike a match
And lets burn down this place
It's our plan, strike a match
And lets burn down this place
It's our plan, strike a match
And lets burn down this place
Burn down this place
For a taste, just a simple kiss
The way you bend before the break and
The way my throat would feel
I'm scared of failure
For a taste, just a simple kiss
The way you bend before the break and
The way my throat would feel
I'm scared of
IN CONFIDENCE
They fall bleeding
IN INFAMY
You'll exist forever
IN CONFIDENCE
They fall bleeding
IN INFAMY
You'll exist forever
You'll exist forever
You'll exist forever
Exist forever
Forever
Forever
The lyrics of "I Am the Arsonist" by Funeral for a Friend speak about a desire to destroy something, both physically and emotionally. The idea of leaving scars and inflicting pain is present, but the singer seems to suggest that this will eventually burn out over time. They want to be seen and recognized for this act of destruction, perhaps as a way to feel powerful or make a statement. However, there is a sense of fear and vulnerability as well, as they express being scared of failure and the way their throat would feel. The repetition of "For a taste, just a simple kiss / The way you bend before the break" hints at a possible romantic relationship, but it is unclear if this is related to the desire for destruction or not.
The chorus of "strike a match and let's burn down this place" reinforces the idea of destruction and seems to be the actual plan that the singer and others have in mind. There is again a sense of fear, this time centered around the idea of safety. The final lines of "IN CONFIDENCE / They fall bleeding / IN INFAMY / You'll exist forever" suggest a desire for their actions to have lasting consequences and impact. The repetition of "You'll exist forever" at the end of the song hints at a belief that their legacy will remain even after they are gone.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Am the Arsonist" convey a complex set of emotions and desires. There is a desire for power and recognition through destruction, but also a sense of fear and vulnerability. The repetition of certain phrases hints at a possible romantic relationship, but it is left ambiguous as to how this relates to the broader theme of destruction and legacy.
Line by Line Meaning
And the scars he will leave
The harm he causes will leave lifelong scars
And the pain he inflicts
The suffering he causes will be severe
Will burn out over time
The agony will lessen with time
Make us stand out of line
The impact of the injury will affect our behavior
And the ash will break upon the shore
The remains will end up scattered on the beach
Just like you, you will break upon the shoreline
You will be destroyed in the same way
If the timeing is right
If the moment is suitable
We'll make sure to be seen
We'll be sure to attract attention
And the weight we wil bare
The burden we'll carry
In the home we are safe
We feel secure in our residence
Are we safe?
But are we really secure?
For a taste, just a simple kiss
For a small moment of intimacy
The way you bend before the break and
The way you submit before the breakup
The way my throat would feel
The way I would feel trapped and restrained
I'm scared of failure
I'm afraid of not succeeding
It's our plan, strike a match
Our objective is to set something on fire
And lets burn down this place
Let's set this location ablaze
IN CONFIDENCE
With a promise of secrecy
They fall bleeding
They're wounded and harmed
IN INFAMY
With a notorious reputation
You'll exist forever
Your actions will have a lasting impact
Exist forever
And it will never disappear
Forever
For eternity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: DARRAN ANTHONY SMITH, GARETH DAVIES, KRIS ROBERTS, MATTHEW DAVIES, RYAN RICHARDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Stuart Cumming
Some of FFAFs best stuff is on the b-sides, this and you want romance are some of my fav's.
ksl7
love this song.
Planet Neptunes
Such a good song!
Philipp Wenzel
so beautiful
Flo Haid
I'm in love with this song :D
Grumpy Canadian
Sephox18- thanks again for uploading this song. Me and my (beloved) girlfriend are both listening to it.
iamwarwick
btw, in the lyrics section, its not "and if for me", it's "and in infamy". but u got the rest right. thanks for the upload mate. i havent heard this song in ages. was mine and my ex's song
Hound doggy dogg
one of there best song..not heard a lot...
Aljon Tobias
this song makes me wanna burn something.. haha! love it so much! :)
Aljon Tobias
this song makes me wanna burn something.. haha! love it so much! :)