“The whole record is about abandonment, particularly the fact that my father is the one who abandoned me,” says the scorching singer/songwriter for I Am Empire (whose moniker is basically a battle cry to be yourself and never feel pressured towards conformity). “We decided to name the record Kings because it signifies the head of a household, and if you’ve been abandoned, you want to look past that person and try to be better when you grow up. The goal is to take up the crown that person left behind and be better than the person who left, which can really apply to any type of relationship.”
Yet the plot thickens in the case of Lyons, whose biological dad may have left when he was ten, though a stepfather entered the picture a little later down the line. In time, this new father figure of sorts became incredibly close to the family, so much so that Austin adapted his last name and considered him to fill the original role his birth dad missed, though that relationship also took an unexpected turn.
“Basically he decided to leave and said he wanted kids of his own, which absolutely destroyed me, my mom and my sister,” he reveals. “From that point on, I decided to write this record reflecting on what happened when both my biological dad and a person I called my dad left me. I try to be as honest as I can be because that really helps dive deep into myself. It’s been a big therapy session for me, and even though I opened myself up to a lot of painful things I didn’t want to put out there, it’s been good for my writing. Everything works out for the better, and even though these situations were awful, I want there to be a positive outcome.”
The results find the guitar-charged record split between tracks of justified venting to seasons of spiritual renewal, both of which find the band unfurling its emotions as if their lives depended on such gripping delivery. Cuts like the lead single “Brain Damage,” “Saints & Sinners,” “Heart Attack,” “To the Moon” and “Foxhole” are aggressive examples of anger relief that encourage listeners to never bottle up their emotions, while “Hammers & Anvils,” “Love & Despair” and “Take Me Away” speak of healing, reconciliation and forgiveness.
“Even if you’ve been abandoned, you need to dig past the depression and ask God to help you find the joy in your circumstances,” suggests Lyons. “God’s continually worked through my situation and I have a positive outlook, to the point where we can close up the record with ‘It’s Not Fair’ with lines like ‘you wished me away/ but I wish you well.’”
The music is just as varied as the lyrical longing, ranging from muses like Jimmy Eat World to Muse, My Chemical Romance and Anberlin (who the group co-writes with on a track). In fact, the dozen track disc also benefits from the multi-faceted approach of producer Rob Hawkins, who’s also known for his work with Disciple and Fireflight (to name a few).
“We tried to have a dirtier sound in general,” admits Lyons. “A lot of the songs are really heavy, a couple fall in the pop/rock vein and we even have a kind of folksy acoustic song. We have a wide range of sounds and made sure not to stick with the same type of song over and over again. We also made a point for there not to be any throwaway tracks on the album or to waste any time recording a song that wasn’t worthwhile.”
Between those artistic ambitions, members’ unceasing work ethic, tireless time on tour and thematic reliability, I Am Empire is a perfect match with Tooth & Nail, which is a literally a label dream come true for the guys who grew up listening to its influential roster. “We talked to them for about a year, and in the end, it just felt like family,” sums up Lyons. “They’re the kind of label we always dreamed to be on, especially in high school when we used to say ‘man, it would be so cool to be on Tooth & Nail someday.’ We’ve literally grown up with them and our sound works within its line-up. Everything’s going great and it’s going to be an awesome relationship.”
Heart Attack
I Am Empire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Found myself fooled by a fool
Gave you my heart... You ripped it apart or something worse
Wanna make you pay for hurting her
You stupid boy
Yeah you're just an empty glass with no remorse for anyone
Its just the way it goes sometimes...
Say your prayers
Never gonna take you back
Its a breath of air
To let you feel my heart attack
Say your prayers
Never gonna take you back
Its a breath of air
To let you feel my heart attack
No one deserves abandonment
Seems my soul's ripe for the picking
Met a ghost of ghosts to hurt me the most
I've seen enough!
Wish I could replace my hate for pretty things like singing birds
But its just to hard to sit and bite my tongue when your absurd
Its just the way it goes
I'd like to know why it's just the way it goes...
Say your prayers
Never gonna take you back
Its a breath of air
To let you feel my heart attack
Say your prayers
Never gonna take you back
Its a breath of air
To let you feel my heart attack
Say your prayers
Never gonna take you back
Its a breath of air
To let you feel my heart attack
Say your prayers
Never gonna take you back
I'll let you feel my heart attack
The lyrics of "Heart Attack" by I Am Empire speak of heartbreak, betrayal, and the desire for revenge. The song's opening lines, "Ten years strong/ Found myself fooled by a fool," describe the singer's long-term relationship that ended tragically. The singer gave their heart to someone who "ripped it apart or something worse," leaving them feeling abandoned and vulnerable. The song's chorus contains the lines "Say your prayers/ Never gonna take you back/ It's a breath of air/ To let you feel my heart attack," suggesting that the singer has no intention of giving their former lover another chance and instead wants them to experience the same pain they caused.
The second verse reveals that the person who betrayed the singer is someone they trusted and loved deeply. The line "Met a ghost of ghosts to hurt me the most" suggests that their former lover was a significant part of their life for a long time, leaving the singer feeling exposed and easy to hurt. The singer wishes they could move on from their anger and resentment, replacing it with more positive feelings, but finds it difficult to do so.
Overall, "Heart Attack" is a powerful song that speaks to the emotions of heartbreak and the desire for revenge. It paints a picture of a person who has been deeply hurt but is determined to move on and find closure.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten years strong
We've been together for a decade
Found myself fooled by a fool
Realized that I was tricked by an idiot
Gave you my heart... You ripped it apart or something worse
I gave you my heart, but you destroyed it or did something even worse
Wanna make you pay for hurting her
I want to make you pay for hurting the one I love
You stupid boy
You're a foolish and ignorant person
Yeah you're just an empty glass with no remorse for anyone
You have no feelings of regret or sorrow for anyone, you're just an empty shell
Its just the way it goes sometimes...
This is just how life can be sometimes
Say your prayers
Pray for yourself
Never gonna take you back
I will never take you back into my life
Its a breath of air
It feels refreshing to let go of you
To let you feel my heart attack
To let you experience the pain that you caused me
No one deserves abandonment
Nobody deserves to be left behind or abandoned
Seems my soul's ripe for the picking
It appears as though my soul is an easy target for those who want to hurt me
Met a ghost of ghosts to hurt me the most
I met someone who was the embodiment of all the ghosts from my past that hurt me the most
I've seen enough!
I've had enough of this pain and heartache
Wish I could replace my hate for pretty things like singing birds
I wish I could stop hating things that are beautiful, like birds singing
But its just too hard to sit and bite my tongue when you're absurd
It's difficult to keep quiet when you're acting ridiculous and nonsensical
I'd like to know why it's just the way it goes...
I want to understand why life can be so unfair sometimes
Say your prayers
Pray for yourself
Never gonna take you back
I will never take you back into my life
Its a breath of air
It feels refreshing to let go of you
To let you feel my heart attack
To let you experience the pain that you caused me
Say your prayers
Pray for yourself
Never gonna take you back
I will never take you back into my life
Its a breath of air
It feels refreshing to let go of you
To let you feel my heart attack
To let you experience the pain that you caused me
Say your prayers
Pray for yourself
Never gonna take you back
I will never take you back into my life
I'll let you feel my heart attack
I will make you feel the pain that you caused me
Contributed by Miles D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.