Our Lady Peace (also known as OLP) is an alternative rock band formed in To… Read Full Bio ↴Our Lady Peace (also known as OLP) is an alternative rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1992.

The band has sold over five million albums worldwide, won four Juno Awards, and ten MuchMusic Video Awards. OLP has released eight studio albums to date, with "Clumsy" often being considered the most popularized of the set. The Heavyweight Songfacts reports that their eighth studio album Curve was recorded from 2010 through 2012 at vocalist Raine Maida's home recording studio. It was released on April 3, 2012.

Full circle: a theme that eagerly resonates with each member of multiplatinum survivors, Our Lady Peace. As the band approached the release of their seventh studio album, a feeling of renewal and excitement washed over Toronto’s favorite sons in a manner not felt since their earliest days.

Self-produced in lead singer Raine Maida’s Los Angeles home studio, the 10-track Burn Burn (in stores July 21 2009), marks the longest period between studio albums for Our Lady Peace. It also signifies a sonic and philosophical rebirth. The band now enjoys a creative and professional freedom that they haven’t experienced since the release of their now classic debut. “I think about the way we made Naveed,” Maida recalls. “We were just starting, we knew nothing about the business and we had no expectations. It was four guys in a room just trusting their instincts. We went back to that. ‘Liberating’ doesn’t really even sum it up.”

Burn Burn is a triumphant return to what Maida terms “a proper, mature rock album,” steeped in the kind of raw intensity that drove their early material. Blinding rays of anthemic light make way to the tender poise and precision of a band that was looking for a way out and found a satisfying new way in.

With caution thrown to the wind, tracks such as the stunningly arranged “Dreamland” and the overpowering first single, “All You Did Was Save My Life,” soar above angry clouds of confusion and insecurity with an ascending clarity that can only come from experience and growth.

The pounding affirmation of “The Right Stuff” and the vigilant build of band favorite “Refuge,” also reinforce the notion that OLP now occupy a unique and enviable mindspace. “We’re not looking back with any kind of regret,” Maida points out, “but we’ve been doing this long enough now that we know what we want to say. We didn’t want to compromise a thing.”

Having scattered in different directions after the release of 2005’s Healthy In Paranoid Times, all four members took on projects of their own, ranging from solo records, production and songwriting work, tours and guest performances. Over the last two years, Raine Maida, guitarist Steve Mazur, bassist Duncan Coutts and drummer Jeremy Taggart sporadically reconvened and lived at Madia’s home, creating what he calls their best effort to date.

Members would leave each session without tapes, giving themselves a much fresher perspective on the material they created when they returned. Producing themselves and an adherence to rolling tape off the floor gave birth to an urgent, natural body of work. “We didn’t put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Coutts confirms. “We left things alone and haven't done that in a long time."

“For us,” adds Maida, “a big part of this band is playing live. It has to be something that we’re going to enjoy; a real dynamic collection of songs. When we really started to understand that, the record took on this whole other life.”

This work ethic allowed room for guitarist Steve Mazur, who joined the band in 2002, to blossom on Burn Burn. “On this album I really felt comfortable with my role and what I sound like as the guitarist of Our Lady Peace.” Mazur shines on tracks such as “Escape Artist” and “Paper Moon,” a song where Mazur’s solowork was nailed on the first go-round.

Our Lady Peace is also striking out on their own professionally this time around, opting for what the band terms a “true partnership” with both North American record labels. “We’ve never been this prepared for an album,” adds OLP founding member Jeremy Taggart. “In the past, we’ve never had the foresight to have maybe two or three singles in the can already with videos, etc.”

“Nobody knows us better than ourselves,” Taggart continues. “We didn’t over think a good song or idea or under think anything. The good songs really picked themselves.”

Is It Safe?
Our Lady Peace Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Time can't fix it fast enough, so we won't
Notice what it was that went wrong, went wrong
I saw something there much too familiar
A butterfly with a broken wing

She's fallen under, she's past the end
Communication is down and down and down
The scars have healed but they're back again

We've got to believe this man must bend

'Cause if you could you'd try and destroy her
And there we'd be with nothing at all

Is it safe to be a man
When you're tired and lonely?
Only the confident know where to stand
Is it safe to be a man
When the world is loaded?
Thousands can't figure out just what they did
Just what they did

Time can't fix it fast enough, so we won't
Measure just how far below, below
You kept on pushing her
You'll have to pay back all of the years that you stole

She's walking backwards, she's spun around
Her ears are ringing loud and loud and loud
She's on her knees, please understand
It's obvious this man, he must bend

'cause if you could you'd try and destroy her
And there we'd be with nothing at all

Is it safe to be a man
When you're tired and lonely?
Only the confident know where to stand
Is it safe to be a man
When the world is loaded?
Thousands can't figure out just what they did
Just what they, just what they did

Is it safe to be a man
When you're tired and lonely?
Only the confident know where to stand
Is it safe to be a man
When the world is loaded?
Thousands can't figure out just what they did

Is it safe to be a man
When you're tired and lonely?
Only the confident know where to stand
Is it safe to be a man
When the world is loaded?
Ten thousand figure out just what they did

Is it safe for my soul?
Is it safe for my soul?
Is it safe for my soul?
Is it safe for my soul?
Is it safe for my soul?

Is it safe for my soul?
Is it safe for my soul?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of “Is It Safe?” by Our Lady Peace reflect on the issue of domestic abuse and its impact on victims. The song describes how time cannot heal the wounds inflicted by abuse and how the scars keep reappearing. The lyrics also suggest that the abuser will have to pay for all the years they stole from their victim. The metaphor of a butterfly with a broken wing represents the fragility of victims of abuse.

The chorus questions whether it is safe to be a man, especially when feeling tired and lonely. It suggests that only those who are confident enough to know where to stand can feel safe. The song addresses the issue of accountability, stating that thousands cannot figure out what they did wrong, implying that it is difficult for people to take responsibility for their actions. In the end, the lyrics ask if it is safe for the soul to stay in an abusive relationship.

Overall, the lyrics of “Is It Safe?” highlight the issue of domestic abuse and the impact it has on victims. It also reflects on the need for accountability and self-reflection to prevent such abuse from happening again.

Line by Line Meaning

Time can't fix it fast enough, so we won't
We know time won't heal the damage that has been done and we won't even try.

Notice what it was that went wrong, went wrong
We failed to realize what caused the problem in the first place.

I saw something there much too familiar
I recognized something very familiar in the situation.

A butterfly with a broken wing
The situation was like a butterfly that couldn't fly because its wings were damaged.

She's fallen under, she's past the end
She's overwhelmed and has reached the point of no return.

Communication is down and down and down
Communication has deteriorated significantly and continues to worsen.

The scars have healed but they're back again
The wounds have mostly healed, but they have been reopened and are painful again.

We've got to believe this man must bend
We need to acknowledge that the responsible party needs to change and make amends.

'cause if you could you'd try and destroy her
If given the chance, you would harm her and we would have nothing left.

And there we'd be with nothing at all
If we allow her to be destroyed, we would have nothing left.

Is it safe to be a man When you're tired and lonely?
Being a man facing fatigue and loneliness is not easy, and it may not feel safe to confront and handle problems properly.

Only the confident know where to stand
Only those who are self-assured know how to handle these situations correctly.

Thousands can't figure out just what they did
Countless people struggle to understand their mistakes and what led to the current situation.

Measure just how far below, below
Recognize how far the situation has fallen and how much needs to be done to improve it.

You kept on pushing her
You kept pressuring her, causing her to feel overwhelmed and helpless.

You'll have to pay back all of the years that you stole
The responsible party will have to make restitution for all the time and opportunities they took away through their harmful actions.

She's walking backwards, she's spun around
She feels like she's moving backward and has been turned around by the situation.

Her ears are ringing loud and loud and loud
She is under extreme stress and feels a constant, deafening noise in her mind.

She's on her knees, please understand
She is now completely vulnerable and needs her plight to be recognized and acknowledged.

It's obvious this man, he must bend
It is clear that the responsible party needs to change their ways and make amends.

Ten thousand figure out just what they did
Countless people have come to realize what they did wrong and how they contributed to the current situation.

Is it safe for my soul?
Is it safe for me to confront these issues and seek a resolution that aligns with my values and principles?

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: EACRETT, LANNI, MAIDA, TURNER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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