In August of 2002, the group upped the rock quotient on its second album (and first for In the Red), Time Bomb High School, and the group landed a high-profile gig opening for Swedish garage wunderkinds the Hives on their North American tour. Alex Greene dropped out as a full-time group member by the time 2004's Too Much Guitar was released, though he did appear on the disc as a guest musician, and the band followed its release with more touring, both as a headliner and once again as opener for the Hives. The band also gained another well-known champion in Little Steven Van Zandt, who gave the band frequent airplay on his syndicated radio show. In September 2005 Reigning Sound released Home for Orphans through Sympathy for the Record Industry. It featured reworked versions of Too Much Guitar material along with some unreleased tracks.
Their album Abdication… For Your Love was originally available in 2011 solely as a promotional giveaway, but was given a wide release in 2019 on Merge Records.
Broken Things
Reigning Sound Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just like you should, it's still going round your head
All the things you could've said
But you can't hang your heart from a love that's dead
Don't you know anything
Oh I won't listen to your screams of pain no more
Oh don't you know what I mean
But you've been saying the same thing that I've seen only bring you down
And when you made an advance, they won't cut and run
Cause they can't even tell when the damage is done
And here beneath my wings
I got a pocket full of broken things
You can have 'em all
Oh but I won't listen to your screams of pain no more
Oh don't you know what I mean
And you've been saying the same thing that I've seen only bring you down
I won't listen to your screams of pain no more
Oh don't you know what I mean
And you've been saying the same thing that I've seen only bring you down
The lyrics of "Broken Things" convey a message of rejecting the negativity of past love and personal failures. The song speaks about a person who had a good opportunity but didn't take it, and now they are consumed by what they could have done differently. They are held back by their fixation on the past and can't move forward. The lyrics suggest that the person is trying to reconcile with a broken relationship but keeps getting hurt. The other person keeps repeating the same pattern of behavior, causing the singer to reject their pleas for forgiveness. The singer has a sense of empowerment and control by holding onto the broken things, using them as a reminder of what he has overcome in the past.
The hook, "I won't listen to your screams of pain no more" reiterates the idea of rejecting the negativity and moving forward without getting dragged down into an emotional pit. It implies that the singer has already heard it all and can't keep repeating the same cycle. The message is that sometimes letting go of the past is the best way to move on from it. The song encourages the listener to maintain focus on the present and future instead of fixating on past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
The offer was good, but you turned it down
You had a good opportunity, but you declined it.
Just like you should, it's still going round your head
It's understandable that you're still thinking about it.
All the things you could've said
You had many options on how to handle the situation.
But you can't hang your heart from a love that's dead
You can't hold onto a love that is no longer there.
Don't you know anything
You seem to be clueless and lack understanding.
And when you made an advance, they won't cut and run
When you made a move, they didn't leave immediately.
Cause they can't even tell when the damage is done
They might not be aware of the harm that has been done.
And here beneath my wings
I am providing refuge and comfort.
I got a pocket full of broken things
I possess a collection of damaged and useless items.
You can have 'em all
You're welcome to all of them.
Oh but I won't listen to your screams of pain no more
I can no longer tolerate hearing your cries of agony.
Oh don't you know what I mean
Do you understand what I'm trying to say?
And you've been saying the same thing that I've seen only bring you down
You've been repeating the same thing that only causes you to feel worse.
I won't listen to your screams of pain no more
I'm done with listening to your painful outbursts.
And you've been saying the same thing that I've seen only bring you down
Repeating the same thing only continues to hurt you.
Contributed by Tristan O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.