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.
For Want Of
Rites of Spring Lyrics
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I - I believe - that in forgetting I might set myself
free.
But I woke up this morning with a piece of past caught
in my throat - And then I choked.
I - I bled - I tried to hide the heart from the head.
I - I bled - in the arms of a girl I'd barely met.
And I woke up this morning with the present in splinters
(And if I can't see its for want of....)
You - You said, "I see", if there's nothing here than
it probably mine -
My - My turn to see if there's nothing here it will
always be mine.
I - I've learned the taste of days that will always
burn.
I - I've learned if its in the corner of my eye I
can't walways turn.
(And if I don't see it's for want of.....)
The song "For Want Of" by Rites of Spring is about the struggle to let go of the past and move forward. The first verse expresses the desire to forget past memories, believing that forgetting will lead to freedom. However, the realization that past experiences are still affecting the present causes the singer to feel suffocated and overwhelmed, represented by the metaphor of a piece of past caught in their throat. The second verse reveals a failed attempt to escape the past through a relationship, which ultimately ended in pain and turmoil. The chorus repeats the phrase "for want of," suggesting that the inability to see clearly is the cause of their struggles.
The third verse acknowledges the inevitability of pain and the lasting impact it can have on one's life. The singer has learned to recognize when their past is creeping in, even if it's just in the corner of their eye. The final chorus reinforces the idea that not being able to see clearly is the root of their struggles.
Overall, the song conveys the complexity of trying to move on from past experiences and how they affect the present. It suggests that accepting and acknowledging past pain may be the key to finding freedom and moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I - I believed - memory might mirror no reflections on me.
I thought my memories wouldn't affect me, but I was wrong.
I - I believe - that in forgetting I might set myself free.
I believed that forgetting would bring freedom, but I was wrong.
But I woke up this morning with a piece of past caught in my throat - And then I choked.
I woke up with a painful memory and it overwhelmed me.
I - I bled - I tried to hide the heart from the head.
I tried to hide my emotions and ignore them.
I - I bled - in the arms of a girl I'd barely met.
I exposed my vulnerability to someone I hardly knew.
And I woke up this morning with the present in splinters on the ground - And then I drowned.
I woke up to a broken reality and it was too much for me to handle.
(And if I can't see its for want of....)
If I can't see what's in front of me, it's because I don't want to.
You - You said, "I see", if there's nothing here than it probably mine -
You said that if there's nothing here then it's probably my fault.
My - My turn to see if there's nothing here it will always be mine.
It's my responsibility to recognize when something is wrong.
I - I've learned the taste of days that will always burn.
I've experienced painful memories that will always linger.
I - I've learned if its in the corner of my eye I can't walways turn.
I've learned that sometimes I can't avoid facing painful memories.
(And if I don't see it's for want of.....)
If I fail to see something, it's because I'm avoiding it.
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY
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