Say Anything, then called Sayanything, began their career when the band was still in high school. They self-released two EP's and one LP entitled Baseball. Baseball and the band's first EP, Junior Varsity, are both out of print and are no longer available. The band's second EP entitled Menora/Mejorah was released online. All of these early albums have a pop punk sound reminiscent of blink-182 and of Max's favorite band, Saves the Day.
In August 2004 they released ...Is a Real Boy on Doghouse Records. The album was produced by Tim O'Heir (Sebadoh, All-American Rejects, Superdrag) with arrangements by Stephen Trask (Grammy nominated for Hedwig & the Angry Inch). While recording the album Max Bemis had a nervous breakdown during which he took to the streets of New York until his girlfriend found him and ended up in a mental hospital for a few weeks. He attributes the breakdown to stress and bipolar disorder.
Some time after ...Is a Real Boy was released, a set of 8 songs entitled Vs. AIDS Demos were leaked onto the internet by an unknown source. Soon the band told fans that the demos were part of an AIDS benefit album that had been scrapped, and told anyone who had attained them not to distribute them to anyone else (Max Bemis later stated on his website, "that shit sucks," in regard to the demos).
Say Anything signed with J Records (Maroon 5, Alicia Keys), owned by BMG Entertainment, one of the "big four" record labels. Under J Records they re-released ...Is a Real Boy with a bonus disc entitled ...Was a Real Boy containing seven of the eight Vs. AIDS Demos. This album, originally scheduled to be released on October 25th, 2005, was delayed over 4 months to February 28th, 2006. Some copies ended up leaking out through various retailers, notably Tower Records' website. Most leaks occurred due to retailers shipping pre-orders before J-Records had a chance to stop them. Soon copies of the album were selling for over $50 on eBay.
Say Anything released their third album, In Defense of the Genre, under J Records in 2007. Produced by Brad Wood, the album had two discs containing 27 songs, many of them featuring guest appearances by high-profile musicians such as Gerard Way and Hayley Williams.
In November 2009, Say Anything released their fourth full-length studio album, Say Anything. This is the band's first album under RCA Records. It contains 13 tracks, including "Hate Everyone," which was the album's first single.
On August 19, 2010 it was confirmed that Say Anything and RCA Records had parted ways. Soon after (September 29) it was announced via Say Anything's official website that Alex Kent would be leaving the band, and that Kenny Vasoli of The Starting Line would be temporarily taking over as bassist for their upcoming tour. As of so far no permanent bassist has been selected to replace Kent.
In December 2012, Bemis announced that drummer Coby Linder, the only other remaining original member of the band, had left Say Anything on amicable terms to pursue other projects.
A Walk Through Hell
Say Anything Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'd swim out to you in the ocean
Swim out to where you were floating
In the dark
And if I was blessed
I'd walk on the water you're breathing
To lend you some air for that heaving
Sunken chest
For their empty little dreams
With your new head
And your legs spread
Like a filthy magazine
And they hunt you
And they gut you
And you give in
And if I was brave
I'd climb up to you on the mountain
They led you to drink from their fountain
Spouting lies
And I'd slay
The horrible beast they commissioned
To steer me away from my mission
To your eyes
And I'd stand there like a soldier
With my foot upon his chest
With my grin spread
And my arms out
In my bloodstained Sunday's best
And you'd hold me
I'd remind you who you are
Under their shell
I'd walk through hell for you
Let it burn right through my shoes
These soles are useless without you
Let the torturing ensue
My soul is useless without you
And if they sent a whirlwind
I'd hug it like a harmless little tree
Or an earthquake
I'd calm it
And I'd bring you back to me
And I'd hold you in my weak arms
Like a first born
Now I walked through hell for you
What's an adventurer to do
But rest these feet at home with you
In Say Anything's "Walk Through Hell," the singer is expressing their deep and intense love for someone who is caught up in a world of shallow fame and empty dreams. The song is a tribute to the lengths that one will go to be with someone they love, even if it means facing extreme challenges and obstacles.
In the first verse, the singer longs to reach their loved one who is floating in the dark ocean. The language is poetic and powerful, using the metaphor of swimming to convey the singer's determination to be with their beloved. The second half of the verse is equally compelling, as the singer wishes they could provide some relief for their loved one's suffering.
The second verse continues with the theme of bravery and devotion. The singer imagines themselves climbing a mountain to be with their beloved and slaying the beast that has been keeping them apart. The powerful image of standing with a foot on the chest of the beast and arms spread conveys the singer's courage and determination to be with their loved one.
The chorus is a declaration of love, with the singer expressing their willingness to walk through hell for their beloved. The lyrics are visceral and intense, as the singer acknowledges the pain and suffering that may come with being with their beloved, but affirms that it is worth it.
Overall, "Walk Through Hell" is a powerful and emotional song about the depths of love and devotion. It speaks to the lengths that we will go to be with someone we love, even if it means facing our own fears and challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
And if I could swim
If I had the ability to swim, I would swim out to you in the ocean.
Swim out to where you were floating
I would swim to the spot where I saw you floating in the water.
In the dark
Even if it was dark outside, I would still swim to find you.
And if I was blessed
If I was lucky enough to have a blessing, I would use it to help you.
I'd walk on the water you're breathing
I would literally walk on the water you need to breathe, just to provide you with air.
To lend you some air for that heaving
I would provide you with air to help you stop heaving, struggling to breathe.
Sunken chest
Your chest is sunken in from the effort of trying to breathe.
Because they chose you as the model
They chose you to be their ideal, their model.
For their empty little dreams
They project their shallow, empty dreams onto you.
With your new head
You have a new sense of self, a new way of thinking.
And your legs spread
They have violated you in a sexual manner, and your legs are spread as if in pornographic material.
Like a filthy magazine
They have reduced you to an object to be consumed and discarded, like a dirty magazine.
And they hunt you
They are actively seeking to harm you.
And they gut you
They are willing to harm you deeply, to the point of cutting you open.
And you give in
You are tired of fighting and have given up.
And if I was brave
If I were courageous, I would take a risk to help you.
I'd climb up to you on the mountain
I would climb up to where you are, even if the journey was difficult.
They led you to drink from their fountain
They have led you astray and are trying to poison you with their lies.
Spouting lies
They are telling you deceitful information, trying to control you.
And I'd slay
I would kill.
The horrible beast they commissioned
The terrible monster they created to harm you.
To steer me away from my mission
They want to discourage me from helping you get away from them.
To your eyes
To the place where you had been before they interfered.
And I'd stand there like a soldier
I would be firm and resolute, like a soldier.
With my foot upon his chest
I would use my strength to oppress the monster, to show it who's boss.
With my grin spread
I would show happiness, joy at the win over the monster.
And my arms out
I would offer you a hug, to comfort you, to help you heal.
In my bloodstained Sunday's best
My nice clothes would be ruined from the fight with the monster, but it wouldn't matter because I had won.
And you'd hold me
You would embrace me in return, as we both needed comfort from the fight.
I'd remind you who you are
I would help you remember your true self, before they took advantage of you.
Under their shell
You are still the same person underneath their lies and manipulation.
I'd walk through hell for you
I would do anything, even go through hell, to help you and be by your side.
Let it burn right through my shoes
I am willing to accept any consequences that may arise from helping you, even if it damages me.
These soles are useless without you
My shoes are meaningless without you, because I would rather destroy them than be without you.
Let the torturing ensue
I am willing to go through pain and suffering to show my love for you and support you through anything.
My soul is useless without you
My soul is empty without you, because you mean everything to me.
And if they sent a whirlwind
If those trying to hurt you sent a dangerous force your way.
I'd hug it like a harmless little tree
I would embrace the danger, like it was a harmless object, to protect you.
Or an earthquake
If they sent a natural disaster your way.
I'd calm it
I would use my strength to make the disaster less severe, to protect you.
And I'd bring you back to me
I would help you get away from the danger and back to safety, to be with me.
And I'd hold you in my weak arms
I would embrace you, even if I felt weak, because I needed to be there for you.
Like a first born
I would hold and care for you like a parent does for their first child.
Now I walked through hell for you
I have already done so many things to support and help you through difficult times.
What's an adventurer to do
What can I do next, as an adventurer, to support you and ease your pain.
But rest these feet at home with you
I want to be with you, to support and take care of you, even if it means staying in one place.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shaunnamalam5669
I listened to this song on repeat in high school, 18 years ago. I haven’t heard this song in over 10 years but woke up singing it this morning. Completely forgot about it but still know every lyric and it’s still so damn good.
@gurkendressing
Dude same thing happened to me just now. Crazy 😂
@tylerdelijovanis4827
My best mates funeral was today. This was our song. Ill forever miss him and this song will forever destroy me
@sandrabullcock
Sorry to hear it, brother.
@JayJaxx2395
Sorry for your loss friend.
@jamesrobertnelson355
One day this song will be your power. God bless you and the soul of your mate. They are waiting on you behind the pearly gates my friend. And they are happy to wait for as long as it takes for you to arrive 😊😊😊
@Romes007
They don’t make em like they used to
@chaserill902
Head up they still dont
@matthewcampbell5804
UPDATE: They still don't
@shakeandbake2395
That's what everybody thought when this emo type shit was coming out too