The band spent its first four years signed to the independent record label Fat Wreck Chords, on which they released two studio albums, The Unraveling (2001) and Revolutions per Minute (2003). Both the albums were met with underground success, and in 2003 the band signed with the major label Dreamworks, which was absorbed by Geffen. Rise Against's major label debut Siren Song of the Counter Culture (2004) brought the band mainstream success, largely in part to the popularity of the singles "Give It All" and "Swing Life Away". The band's next album, The Sufferer & the Witness (2006), peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200 in the United States, and was Rise Against's first album to chart in countries outside of North America.
With the release of Appeal to Reason (2008), Rise Against's music shifted toward a more accessible and radio-friendly sound, with greater emphasis on production value. The album's third single, "Savior", broke the record for the most consecutive weeks spent on both the Hot Rock Songs and Alternative Songs charts. Rise Against's popularity grew with the release of Endgame (2011), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, and charted highly worldwide. The band's seventh and eighth albums, The Black Market (2014) and Wolves (2017) continued the trend of commercial success, and both peaked with the top ten on the Billboard 200. Their ninth and most recent album, Nowhere Generation, was released in 2021.
Rise Against is also known for their advocacy of progressivism, supporting organizations such as Amnesty International and the It Gets Better Project. The band actively promotes animal rights and most of the members are straight edge, PETA supporters and vegetarians.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_Against
Studio albums
The Unraveling (2001)
Revolutions per Minute (2003)
Siren Song of the Counter Culture (2004)
The Sufferer & the Witness (2006)
Appeal to Reason (2008)
Endgame (2011)
The Black Market (2014)
Wolves (2017)
Nowhere Generation (2021)
Historia Calamitatum
Rise Against Lyrics
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Our time has almost come, we're all overdue
Can there be a place to call our own?
Can there be a road that takes us home?
We toe the line
We go along
We don't belong
When it rains it pours
Like summer storms
The skies as gray as leaves
The rivers flood the banks
And spill into the streets
But the people laughed
And swore that they'd restore
The city piece by piece
And then the clouds gave
Way as if to agree
When it rains it pours
The mystery unknown
Now unfolds
The life that we once owned
First bought, then sold
Like messengers of war
We've no control
To oceans unexplored
This ship sails through
We toe the line
We go along
We don't belong
To you now
When it rains it pours
Like summer storms
The skies as gray as leafs
The rivers flood the banks
And spill into the streets
But the people laughed
And swore that they'd restore
The city piece by piece
And then the clouds gave
Way as if to agree
When it rains it pours, it pours, it pours
When it rains it pours
When they die, we mourn
When it hit, we swore
Now we want not more
Like a saint reborn
Like a rose in a storm
Like a child unborn
A child unborn
It's the coin
We're tossing into the well
It's misfortune that
We could not foretell
It's the dry spell
When it rains it pours
Like summer storms
The skies as gray as leafs
The rivers flood the banks
And spill into the streets
But the people laughed
And swore that they'd restore
The city piece by piece
And then the clouds gave
Way as if to agree
When it rains it pours, it pours
When it rains it pours
The song "Historia Calamitatum", which is Latin for "History of Calamities", by Rise Against touches upon the theme of surviving in disastrous times. The first verse talks about how everyone is aware that their time has arrived, and they are well overdue for a place they can call their own or a road that takes them home. They have been following the rules, going along with the norm, but they no longer belong to the people they were once a part of. The chorus reflects on how life can be unpredictable and how we must adapt to whatever comes our way. There will be times when things will flood and spill, but people will always try their best to restore what they had lost, and nature will eventually allow them to do so.
The second verse touches upon the mystery of life, how we are not in control, how we are like messengers of war sailing through oceans unexplored, never knowing what is in store for us. Despite this, Rise Against emphasizes that we must still toe the line and go along with what life throws at us. The second chorus moves from the past to the present, discussing how we mourn those who have left us and how we promise to restore what was destroyed. Through all of this, we see glimpses of hope and positivity, with the sun being replaced by the heavy storm clouds as they eventually give way to the people's determination to rebuild.
Line by Line Meaning
Even though we know, yeah we know
Despite being aware of our impending fate
Our time has almost come, we're all overdue
Our time is near and overdue
Can there be a place to call our own?
Is there a place where we belong?
Can there be a road that takes us home?
Is there a way for us to return home?
We toe the line
We obey the rules
We go along
We follow the crowd
We don't belong
We don't fit in
To you now
To the ones in power
When it rains it pours
Bad things come in droves
Like summer storms
Like destructive forces of nature
The skies as gray as leaves
The atmosphere is gloomy
The rivers flood the banks
Natural disasters occur
And spill into the streets
Cities are affected by the chaos
But the people laughed
The human spirit is resilient
And swore that they'd restore
They vowed to rebuild
The city piece by piece
They will rebuild from the ground up
And then the clouds gave
Nature agrees with the people
Way as if to agree
As if to show their mutual agreement
The mystery unknown
The future is uncertain
Now unfolds
Now revealed
The life that we once owned
Our previous life is a distant memory
First bought, then sold
Our lives were out of our control
Like messengers of war
We are sent to do battle
We've no control
We have no power over our fate
To oceans unexplored
To unknown territories
This ship sails through
We carry on through unknown waters
When they die, we mourn
We grieve for those we lose
When it hit, we swore
We make promises in the face of hardship
Now we want not more
We have nothing else to lose
Like a saint reborn
We have a chance to start again
Like a rose in a storm
We can find beauty in chaos
Like a child unborn
Opportunity for new potential
A child unborn
A chance to create something new
It's the coin
It's fate or chance
We're tossing into the well
We leave our fate to the unknown
It's misfortune that
It's unfortunate events
We could not foretell
We can't predict the future
It's the dry spell
It's a period of hardship or drought
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BRANDON BARNES, JOSEPH PRINCIPE, TIMOTHY MCILRATH, ZACH BLAIR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind