After gaining some national and international recognition with the debut EP “Nature & Nurture,” being named one of Alternative Press’ “100 Bands You Need to Know for 2013,” and touring 150 plus days a year (including 60 straight days to end 2012), the band teamed up with Bruce Wiegner (Overlook Studios) and The Swellers’ Nick Diener in early 2013 to produce “I Never Deserve the Things I Need.” Moving over 1,000 copies in its first week, the album is taking the band to new place and everyone else seems to agree:
“On My Honor can easily hang with the big players in the genre” -Absolute Punk
“I Never Deserve The Things I Need is a fine-tuned 33 minutes of inspired pop-punk ready to kick your summer in the ass. - Alternative Press
“While many of their contemporaries proclaim to “defend pop-punk,” On My Honor actually live the mantra.” - Property of Zack
After years of touring and building a name and family that spans across the globe, the band will continue to write, release, and tour as much as humanly possible, their stated goal being “We just want to write and play enough music that we get to keep writing and playing music.”
Present tense
On My Honor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Reminding me of me
Not in my current state
More content, more clean at seventeen
Whoever he’s talking to
I pray they’re listening
So he wont end up like me
But that young man’s eyes are not for me
They’ve been blinded and removed
Ground and lit and smoked by breaths too deep
I’m exhaling but my stomach stays week
Like I’ve swallowed any keys
That may unlock the answers I seek
And still, I'm sweating through my sheets, too many nights on end
Talks and dreams of how I thought I’d be a better man
When I compare the past to my present tense
I’m as clean, as clean as I have ever been
Saw an old man sitting alone
Lunch on a holiday
Wondered who he used to see with him
And it sparked in side of me
The future that I used to see
The way I feel today
The visions that I used to paint
And the canvases in my basement sitting blank
Why can’t I accept what’s offered to me?
Why can't I accept what's offered to me?
And still, I'm sweating through my sheets, too many nights on end
Talks and dreams of how I thought I’d be a better man
When I compare the past to my present tense
I’m as clean, as clean as I have ever been
The song "Present Tense" by On My Honor is a reflection on the past and present of the artist. The first verse talks about a young child on church steps who reminds him of his own past, when he was more content and clean at seventeen. He prays that whoever the child is talking to will listen, so that they won't end up like him. The second verse talks about the artist trying to see the good in everything, but his eyes have been blinded by his own mistakes and bad decisions. He's having a hard time finding the answers he seeks, and feels like he's swallowed all of the keys. He's still struggling to come to terms with his past, and he's sweating through his sheets from the stress of it all.
The chorus talks about how the artist is still dreaming of being a better man, and how he compares his present tense to his past. He feels like he's as clean as he's ever been, but he still has a hard time accepting what's offered to him. The final verse talks about an old man the artist sees sitting alone on a holiday, and how it sparks something inside of him. He thinks about the future he used to see for himself, and how it's different from the reality of his present. He wonders why he can't accept what's offered to him, and why he's still struggling with his past.
Overall, "Present Tense" is a deeply personal song about the struggles of coming to terms with one's past and dealing with the consequences of bad decisions. It's a song about regret, but also about hope and the possibility of redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
A child on church steps
I see a young person on the church steps
Reminding me of me
Who reminds me of who I once was
Not in my current state
But not the way I am right now
More content, more clean at seventeen
I was happier and more pure at seventeen
Whoever he’s talking to
Whoever he is speaking to
I pray they’re listening
I hope they are paying attention
So he wont end up like me
So he doesn't end up like me
Try to see the good in everything
I try to find the positive in every situation
But that young man’s eyes are not for me
But the gaze of this young man doesn't reach me
They’ve been blinded and removed
As if they were blinded or removed
Ground and lit and smoked by breaths too deep
As if they have been destroyed by smoking too much
I’m exhaling but my stomach stays week
I feel like I'm breathing out but I'm still weak
Like I’ve swallowed any keys
As if I swallowed keys that could unlock answers to my questions
That may unlock the answers I seek
Answers to my questions I so desperately need
And still, I'm sweating through my sheets, too many nights on end
Despite my efforts, I can't sleep and I'm constantly sweating
Talks and dreams of how I thought I’d be a better man
I often speak and dream of becoming a better person
When I compare the past to my present tense
When I look at the past and compare it to my present
I’m as clean, as clean as I have ever been
I realize that I'm as pure as I've ever been
Saw an old man sitting alone
I saw an elderly man sitting by himself
Lunch on a holiday
Eating lunch on a holiday
Wondered who he used to see with him
I wondered who he used to spend his holidays with
And it sparked in side of me
And I was inspired
The future that I used to see
The future I imagined for myself
The way I feel today
How I feel now
The visions that I used to paint
The plans and dreams I used to have
And the canvases in my basement sitting blank
And the canvases that sit empty in my basement
Why can’t I accept what’s offered to me?
Why can't I embrace the opportunities presented to me?
Why can't I accept what's offered to me?
Why can't I take what's being given to me?
And still, I'm sweating through my sheets, too many nights on end
Despite my efforts, I can't sleep and I'm constantly sweating
Talks and dreams of how I thought I’d be a better man
I often speak and dream of becoming a better person
When I compare the past to my present tense
When I look at the past and compare it to my present
I’m as clean, as clean as I have ever been
I realize that I'm as pure as I've ever been
Contributed by Zachary P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Narzick
Are you guys doing anything new anymore? I miss this music