Following the band's dissolution, singer and guitarist Guy Picciotto, guitarist Eddie Janney, and drummer Brendan Canty formed One Last Wish with Embrace alumnus Michael Hampton. The three later joined former Rites bassist Mike Fellows for a quasi-reincarnation of Rites of Spring named Happy Go Licky, releasing an LP/CD of various live concert recordings though never producing any studio work. Picciotto and Canty eventually teamed up with the former Embrace singer Ian MacKaye (owner of the band’s label, Dischord Records) in Fugazi.
Rites of Spring was the band’s self-titled debut album from 1985. Its twelve songs were recorded at Inner Ear Studios in February of 1985, and released on vinyl in June of that year as Dischord Records #16. The album was rereleased on CD and cassette in 1987, with an additional track from the same session, "Other Way Around", as well as the four songs from the Rites' follow-up EP, All Through a Life, Dischord #22. The CD and cassette originally retained the number "16" while the 1991 repress, as well as the 2001 remastered version of the same seventeen songs, were numbered "16CD" and given the new title End on End.
The band are named after Igor Stravinsky's famous ballet composition entitled The Rite of Spring/Le Sacre du printemps. The piece is widely dissonant and the context of the ballet is extremely bleak, revolving around pagan rituals.
All Through a Life
Rites of Spring Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The ties that bind to blind of those that came before
I'm looking back and in looking back I hope to get beyond
And start to mend all those days that they left undine
But in my veins a trace remains
And to want in the face of need it just seems so obscene
But that's all that's left and that's all that they've left to have
It hurts to hear and so it must be true
But in my veins a trace remains
But I think its going to be alright
I think its going to be o.k.
I'll think of those that came before
And together we will mark these days.
The song "All Through a Life" by Rites of Spring is a reflectful and emotional piece that highlights the ties between generations and the pain that is carried through the passing of time. The first two lines of the track help to set the tone for the rest of the lyrics. It is clear that the singer feels a deep connection to the lives that came before theirs. However, this connection is not a wholly positive one. The ties are seen as binding and blind, which suggests a sense of entrapment and discomfort with the past.
The chorus seems to suggest that the singer is trying to move beyond the pain and sadness of the past. However, there is a sense that this is easier said than done. The trace that remains in their veins suggests that the past is still very much a part of them. They feel the need to want more, even in the face of what is necessary. Essentially, they are struggling to let go of the pain and move forward.
In the final verse, the singer makes a contemplative and ultimately hopeful statement. They choose to remember those that came before them and to mark the days together. The act of remembering is essential here, as it suggests that the past cannot be erased or forgotten. However, the singer seems to be finding a way to reconcile the pain with hope. In many ways, this final verse is a kind of resolution to the emotional turmoil that came before it.
Line by Line Meaning
All through a life and through the lives that came before
Throughout one's life and the lives of their ancestors
The ties that bind to blind of those that came before
The strong connections that prevent one from seeing the flaws of their predecessors
I'm looking back and in looking back I hope to get beyond
Reflecting on the past to move forward
And start to mend all those days that they left undine
Repairing the damage left behind by previous generations
But in my veins a trace remains
Despite efforts to move on, the influence of the past remains present
And to want in the face of need it just seems so obscene
Desiring more than necessary appears selfish
But that's all that's left and that's all that they've left to have
Limited options due to inheritance of past mistakes
And then they point to themselves and say, "I look like you"
Acknowledging the similarities between oneself and their predecessors
It hurts to hear and so it must be true
Accepting the truth can be painful
But I think its going to be alright
Optimism for a positive future
I think its going to be o.k.
Belief that things will turn out alright
I'll think of those that came before
Honoring the legacy of previous generations
And together we will mark these days.
Celebrating the present and the past as a collective group
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@itsMrNoble
“I'm the angry son
Everything I learned was wrong
I'm the burning door
And once I'm opened I can't be closed...”
@econogate
One of the most beautiful things to revisit from year to year. I remember listening to this while my mom would cook dinner back in the late 1980s. So it would be playing on the stereo and i would just play it over and over like an automaton, i kept thinking this was the joy division or cure version of hardcore music or a variant of post punk basically and feeling energized by it. Now it's more of a sad thing, of a time gone by and a mother gone too. At the same time i was separated from a love and became a father at a way to early age, this was a soundtrack to that separation too, lots of elements. I have no idea how happy or unhappy Guy and the guys were with this set, all i know is it's served me well, thank you. I've listened to this all through my life and taken away different meaning at those different times from one simple set.
@TreeLibrary
Thanks for sharing, friend.
@johnflushing9328
This is the best thing put out by Dischord.
@modifidious
I agree
@JNT1978
Facts
@jennifermanfra
have you heard of fugazi
@idiotwhoedits3522
Patience is like the opposite of "waiting room"
@JNT1978
Reminiscent of Minor Threat's 'Stumped' imo...
@dutchbitch666
God this brings be back to better days