Only Crime plays a style of melodic but hard-hitting punk rock that borrows heavily from early-1980s hardcore bands. They have released two records: To the Nines (2004) and Virulence (2007).
In early 2007, Zach Blair became the new guitarist for Rise Against, replacing the recently departed Chris Chasse.
Pray For Me
Only Crime Lyrics
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Set up to segregate afflictions we foster
The words fall dead, slip down the side
The wounded risen up and taken from the worst ride
Out in the cold when we speak solid breath
We make our moves under cover of death
Outside the walls with the sick and insane
And I can see it's the same as before
Condemned to suffer the seeds we have sown
To the degree that we reject and deny
Too greedy, too selfish to try
Deadbolt the mind, unplug the phone
Deny the promise of what's freely been shown
Just turn away, pretend it's not there
The strings of ignorance grown too sick to care
Out on an island of self-centered spite
Lay in our beds under cover of night
Curl up and weep, narcissistic in vain
No shade or shelter from the shame-flavored rain
And without a shift in course
We will approach our destination
Can you deny it?
Throughout the flames that scorch the civility
Right off the page of a selfish history
The tide turns to create it's union
Now's our chance, time to disconnect
Preserve some dignity, a system to respect
It's been justified and relegated
We bog down in our symptoms of despair
Too far along to pretend we even care
Pretend you fucking care
The lyrics to Only Crime's song Pray For Me are a commentary on modern society's tendency to push away and ignore the afflictions and suffering of others. The first set of lyrics begins with a reference to the physical posture and demeanor of those in power, who are "set up to segregate afflictions we foster". The following lines suggest that their words and actions do little to actually help those in need, and the suffering only continues to fester. The second verse moves to a more personal level, describing the tendency for individuals to isolate themselves from the suffering of others in a callous attempt to protect themselves. The lines "Out on an island of self-centered spite/Lay in our beds under cover of night" paint a picture of people who are isolated and self-absorbed, even as the "shame-flavored rain" falls around them. The chorus brings this together with a call to action, urging the listener to recognize the gravity of the situation they are in and to "practise some dignity" by actually caring about and working towards a solution.
Overall, the message of Pray For Me is one of urgency and the need for action. The lyrics describe a world in which people are too self-absorbed and apathetic to see the suffering around them, and ends with a plea to "pretend you fucking care" and make a change.
Line by Line Meaning
Command and repose and perfect posture
We act as if we have perfect control over our lives
Set up to segregate afflictions we foster
We create barriers that trap us into our own suffering
The words fall dead, slip down the side
Our words hold no real power to fix the problems we face
The wounded risen up and taken from the worst ride
Only those who have experienced pain can truly understand and help others in pain
Out in the cold when we speak solid breath
We try to speak confidently, but we are actually afraid and alone
We make our moves under cover of death
We live our lives in fear of what others might think or do to us
Outside the walls with the sick and insane
We separate ourselves from those we deem 'different' or 'unworthy'
No shade or shelter from the shame-flavored rain
We offer no comfort or help to those in need
And I can see it's the same as before
We keep repeating our mistakes, never learning from them
Condemned to suffer the seeds we have sown
We are the ones responsible for our suffering
To the degree that we reject and deny
We refuse to acknowledge our mistakes and instead, lay blame on others
Too greedy, too selfish to try
We are consumed by our own desires and refuse to help others
Deadbolt the mind, unplug the phone
We shut ourselves off from the world and refuse to confront our problems
Deny the promise of what's freely been shown
We ignore opportunities for help or change
Just turn away, pretend it's not there
We refuse to acknowledge problems that exist in the world
The strings of ignorance grown too sick to care
Our ignorance has become so great that we can no longer even pretend to care
Out on an island of self-centered spite
We are consumed by our own self-interest and refuse to help others
Lay in our beds under cover of night
We hide away from our problems and refuse to confront them
Curl up and weep, narcissistic in vain
We become consumed by our own self-pity and refuse to help ourselves
No shade or shelter from the shame-flavored rain
We offer no comfort or help to those in need
And without a shift in course
If we keep going down the same path
We will approach our destination
We will reach our inevitable end-point
Can you deny it?
Can you really deny the truth that we are headed towards disaster?
Throughout the flames that scorch the civility
Amidst all the chaos and destruction happening around us
Right off the page of a selfish history
We seem to have always been self-centered, with a history of ignoring problems
The tide turns to create it's union
The time has come for change and unity
Now's our chance, time to disconnect
We must separate ourselves from our old ways of thinking
Preserve some dignity, a system to respect
We must act with respect and dignity towards ourselves and others
It's been justified and relegated
We have accepted our fate and allowed ourselves to suffer needlessly
We bog down in our symptoms of despair
We become overwhelmed by our own problems and refuse to seek help
Too far along to pretend we even care
We have gone too far down the wrong path to even pretend to care anymore
Pretend you fucking care
We must start caring and taking action to change our ways
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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