Grade's first album And Such Is Progress, was included in Alternative Press's 10 Essential Metal-core Classics, and in 2008 they were featured in AP Issue 240 as one of the 23 bands who helped shape punk, alongside such legendary bands as BLACK FLAG, BAD BRAINS, FUGAZI, CRO-MAGS, SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE, UNBROKEN, DESCENDENTS, DRIVE LIKE JEHU and HUSKER DU.
Grade's albums (LP) include Such is Progress (1996)(1998 re-issue), Separate the Magnets (1997), Under the Radar (1999), The Embarrassing Beginning (2000), and Headfirst Straight to Hell (2001). They have played and toured with hundreds of influential bands like Fugazi, Jimmy Eat World, At The Drive-In, Cave-In, The Explosion, Taking Back Sunday and were signed to Victory Records.
Tearjerk
Grade Lyrics
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In Grade's song "Tearjerk," the lyrics suggest a deep sense of anxiety and fearfulness that the singer is grappling with in their own lives. The singer is tormented by the fear that constantly stalks them, the fear that defines all meaning and purpose, and the fear that they cannot escape from nature's laws. The singer is rendered powerless by their anxiety, becoming nothing more than a servant to the endurance of death.
The lyrics of "Tearjerk" paint a picture of the human condition, encapsulating the sense of insignificance that can come with mortality. The singer is left feeling that they are not dispensable, yet also cannot escape from the natural order of things. The lyrics also suggest a desire for something to compensate for this fear and existentialism, perhaps suggesting a search for meaning as a way out of the anxiety that the singer has been experiencing.
Overall, "Tearjerk" is a deeply introspective and thought-provoking song that delves into the complicated and difficult emotions that can accompany our experience of being alive.
Line by Line Meaning
I fear the fear that stalks me
I am terrified of the feeling of fear constantly following me.
an irritant which dwells and thrives upon the threshold that defines all meaning
This fear is like a persistent annoyance that looms over every aspect of my life and defines my existence.
and I wait
I am stuck in a state of limbo, unable to move forward because of my fear.
I fear the fear I that haunts me
I am afraid of the fear that grips me and won't let go.
I fear the undefined my non-existence
I am scared of the unknown and what will happen once I cease to exist.
I fear it the abduction of my understanding
I am frightened of losing my grasp on the world around me and my comprehension of it.
I'm just a servant to the endurance of death
I am at the mercy of death which will ultimately outlast me.
I'm not dispensable but I cannot escape natures laws
Though I am not insignificant, I am still subject to the natural course of events.
I'm not dispensable
I am valuable and necessary in this world.
I'm afraid I need a reason to compensate
I am scared and feel the need to justify my existence.
I'm a captive of affliction.
I am trapped and held captive by my own emotional and mental distress.
Lyrics © THE BICYCLE MUSIC COMPANY, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: GREG TAYLOR, KEVIN FINLAYSON, KYLE BISHOP, MATTHEW JONES, SHAWN MAGILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind