Stavesacre debuted in 1996 with the album Friction. The band's tough, hard rock sound and the very strong, distinctive voice and lyrical work of vocalist Mark Salomon immediately gained Stavesacre a very strong and devoted following. The band continued on with two more exceptionally well-received studio albums, Absolutes and Speakeasy, on Seattle-based Tooth & Nail Records. During this period of time the group was associated with the edgier side of the contemporary Christian music scene. But dissatisfaction with what the band saw as hypocrisy in that industry led to a well-publicized break from the scene in 2000. Stavesacre released a split EP with Denison Marrs in 2001 on Velvet Blue Music which featured three new songs and then released Collective, a retrospective best-of/outtakes collection, to complete their contract with Tooth & Nail.
In 2002 Stavesacre signed with the independent Nitro Records and released (stāvz'ā'kər), with producer David Bianco at the helm. The band's first three albums were produced by Bryan Carlstrom. Many fans were averse to the change in production values, and opinion was split regarding the band's shift to a more melodic, less aggressive sound, marking (stāvz'ā'kər) as a somewhat polarized release. Regardless, the change did little to bring Stavesacre into the mainstream limelight. The band then sought release from their contract, and went fully independent. 2002 saw the release of a live DVD of a show recorded in Dallas, Texas as well as the limited-edition four-song Bull Takes Fighter EP, which many dedicated fans hailed as a slight return to form but which was not widely known about.
In 2005 the band signed with Abacus Recordings, an imprint of Century Media Records, and recorded its fifth full-length studio album in Los Angeles with producer Matt Hyde. Titled How To Live With A Curse, it was released on April 18th, 2006. While, again, the album was seen by many of the remaining fans as a strong and triumphant return to the scene, it seemed that Stavesacre's luck had run out; the album failed to gain back much of the limelight in which the band had played during the 90s, and in early 2007 they announced on their Myspace blog that the band was finished.
However, Stavesacre would return to the studio with original guitarist Jeff Bellew (praised for the harder sound of Stavesacre's first two albums) to record the EP Against the Silence (released in 2013) and the independent album MCMXCV (released in 2017).
The name "Stavesacre" is derived from the stavesacre plant, which is poisonous and used as a parasiticide. Its seeds are known to induce vomiting.
Official Site: http://www.stavesacre.com
Threshold
Stavesacre Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
revel in your mire and filth
like a fat little...
pink gets ugly quick
parading your waste
oblivious and insolent
why don't i
out of sympathy
i can only stand it so long...
go ahead flash your smile
a season of fattening
prime of the canine
and swine-bred children of guile
carry on, carry on
i know who i am
wretched worm
my self deserving of hell
i fell onto mercy you despised
and denied
...watching you torture yourself
and whoever else you can bring down
with you...
"...a song took from our souls
a home that is our own
we're all born remembering
but few of us will know"
the tip of your tongue
a memory in mind
just outside of you...
will you wake to find
the rest you so clearly seek
or painfully realize that it's lost
forever?
suffer.
The lyrics to Stavesacre's song "Threshold" seem to be a critique of humanity's tendency to revel in sin and filth, without regard for the consequences of their actions. The first stanza talks about someone who is parading their waste, oblivious and insolent, without any sense of shame or guilt. The singer of the song is clearly not pleased with this behavior, and suggests that they might put the offending individual out of their misery, if only out of sympathy.
The second stanza continues the critique, this time focusing on the facade of happiness that people put on while indulging in their vices. The singer refers to them as "canine and swine-bred children of guile", suggesting that they are not living up to their full potential as human beings. The singer knows who they are, and acknowledges their own wretchedness and deserving of hell. However, the last line of the stanza suggests that they have found mercy, which the rest of humanity has denied and despised.
The final stanza is a bit more abstract, with a snippet of poetry that seems to suggest that we all have a homecoming that we long for, but few of us will actually achieve. The singer then questions whether the person they are addressing will wake up to find the rest they seek, or whether it is lost forever. The final line, "suffer", seems to be a warning or a lament, suggesting that humanity is doomed to suffer due to their own choices and actions.
Line by Line Meaning
go ahead raise your fist
Encouraging the listener to express their anger and frustration.
revel in your mire and filth
Enjoy and celebrate being in a dirty and unpleasant situation.
like a fat little...
Comparing the listener to something unflattering or distasteful.
pink gets ugly quick
Pink is used as a metaphor for something that seems pleasant, but quickly turns into something repulsive.
parading your waste
Showing off things that are useless or unimportant.
oblivious and insolent
Completely unaware and disrespectful.
why don't i
The singer is questioning why they haven't taken action yet.
just put you out of your misery
Getting rid of someone's suffering and pain through forceful means.
out of sympathy
Feeling sorry for the other person.
i can only stand it so long...
The artist's patience is running out.
go ahead flash your smile
Encouraging the listener to show off, even if it's fake or insincere.
a season of fattening
A time of indulgence and getting comfortable.
prime of the canine
Referring to someone as an animal in their prime, possibly with a cruel connotation.
and swine-bred children of guile
Being deceitful and cunning like a pig, and teaching these traits to others.
carry on, carry on
Encouragement to continue doing what they're doing, even if it's harmful or negative.
i know who i am
The artist is self-aware and confident.
wretched worm
Calling the listener something reviled and lowly.
my self deserving of hell
The singer sees themselves as deserving punishment and suffering.
i fell onto mercy you despised and denied
The singer has received mercy from others, even when it wasn't deserved, but the listener has refused to do the same.
...watching you torture yourself
Observing the listener cause themselves suffering.
and whoever else you can bring down with you...
The listener is bringing others down with them in their misery.
"...a song took from our souls
A metaphorical representation of losing something meaningful and essential.
a home that is our own
A sense of belonging and comfort that can be found within oneself.
we're all born remembering
Inherently knowing something important.
but few of us will know"
Realizing that not everyone will be able to understand or experience this emotional connection to oneself.
the tip of your tongue
Something that's just at the edge of being remembered.
a memory in mind
Something that's been remembered and held onto.
just outside of you...
Something that's close but not quite within reach.
will you wake to find
Asking if the listener will realize or remember this thing soon.
the rest you so clearly seek
The missing piece or answer to something the listener wants to find.
or painfully realize that it's lost forever?
The possibility that this missing piece or answer may never be found.
suffer.
A final command to the listener to experience pain and hardship.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pnkpricess059
Stavesacre was amazing. So underrated.
@toxicpersonalityincorporat3137
Still are both.
@HarryToeface
I would lose my mind if I met a girl that likes stavesacre 😅
@markanderson7284
Stavesacre paved the way for a lot of bands simply through this great effort. Mark Solomon is a lyrical genius with amazing range and pipes.
@Calbenmike
One of the most underappreciated and underrated bands to ever play.
@JSQ_JSQ
Maybe in your depressed life?
@ky1ewithsty1e
@@JSQ_JSQ Depressed life? You're the one replying to a 6-year-old comment.
@amd3636
We did not know what we had. Those guys were awesome.
@ernesthough1175
When Mark sings the part, "Lost Forever" whisper/scream at the same time. That one of my favorite sounds ever! so awesome
@scottromain625
Dude , i cant say forever without saying it like Mark !!
They had me with this song 👍🔥😎