The band consists of vocalist Dan Marsala, lead guitarist Ryan Phillips, rhythm guitarist and back up vocalist Philip Sneed, bassist Adam Russell and drummer Josh Wills. Initially named Big Blue Monkey, they changed their name to Story of the Year in 2002 because a blues group of the same name had already existed.
It would not be until eight years after forming that Story of the Year saw its first piece of commercial success in its major label debut, Page Avenue, containing the popular singles "Until the Day I Die" and "Anthem of Our Dying Day". A second album, In the Wake of Determination, followed in 2005, but did not achieve the success of its predecessor. The band has returned with their third album The Black Swan, their first on Epitaph Records, which was released on April 22, 2008.
The band toured with Linkin Park on the Meteora World Tour in 2004 along with P.O.D. and Hoobastank.
The band's fourth, The Constant, was released on February 16, 2010 through Epitaph Records.
On March 8, 2013 it was announced that the band are planning on a world tour.
Wake Up the Voiceless
Story of the Year Lyrics
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Fallen for their disguise
Lived by the book
Felt the blade of the knife
As it pressed against my neck
We're taught to imitate
Segregate and divide
Do what we're told
If we refuse to play the part
They will hear us screaming
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
They advertise your life
Through a blanket of lies
Expand the truth
So their profits will rise
Ignore the sacrifice
Liars casting stones
At the gods they create
We're amplified to provide what they take
If we refuse to play the role
They will hear us screaming
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
Go!!
They're the reason for defiance
We can't ignore
We're the promise of a new day
This is a war
The blood will spill
The voices will be heard
And tonight, we are alive
I've swallowed every hook
Fallen for their disguise
Lived by the book
Felt the blade of the knife
But I refuse to play the role
They will hear me screaming
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
Wake up the voiceless!
Wake up the revolution!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
We are alive tonight!
We are alive tonight!
We are alive tonight!
We are alive tonight!
In "Wake Up The Voiceless", Story of the Year is calling for a revolution against the oppressive forces that manipulate and control society. The song starts off by admitting that the singer has been "hooked" and fooled by those in power. He's lived "by the book" and has felt the "blade of the knife" against his neck, meaning he's experienced the consequences of going against the norm. However, he sees that society has been taught to "imitate, segregate, and divide" and to rise and fall with the tide. The singer argues that if people refuse to play the part that's been laid out for them, if they stop being voiceless, then perhaps a revolution can occur.
The chorus of the song speaks to the heart of what Story of the Year hopes to achieve through this song. They urge people to "wake up the voiceless" and "wake up the revolution". This chorus is a call to arms, a call for those who have been disregarded by society to take action, to band together and resist the forces that have kept them quiet. The song ends with a repetition of this call, ending with the repeated refrain that they are alive tonight. This refrain carries with it the hope that, through revolution, they can breath life back into a society that has suffocated them with lies and deceit.
Line by Line Meaning
I've swallowed every hook
I've fallen for every lie that has been fed to me
Fallen for their disguise
Been deceived by their cover-up
Lived by the book
Followed every rule as they've been written
Felt the blade of the knife
Experienced the pain and harm caused by their actions
As it pressed against my neck
As they have imposed their power over me
We're taught to imitate
We're instructed to be like them
Segregate and divide
Create distinctions and split us apart
Do what we're told
Obey every command given to us
Rise and fall with the tide
To be part of the crowd and conform without question
If we refuse to play the part
If we don't participate in their game
They will hear us screaming
They will finally listen to our voices
Wake up the voiceless!
Rouse those who have been silenced
Wake up the revolution!
Stir up the overthrow of the unjust system
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
We are finally awake and ready to take action
They advertise your life
They promote and control every aspect of your existence
Through a blanket of lies
By convincing you with layers of deceitful information
Expand the truth
Manipulate what's real to benefit them
So their profits will rise
In order to accumulate wealth and power
Ignore the sacrifice
They don't care about the cost of their actions
Liars casting stones
Those who deceive are the ones condemning others
At the gods they create
Blaming their own creations for their wrongdoings
We're amplified to provide what they take
We're made to give them what they want
If we refuse to play the role
If we refuse to do what they want us to do
They will hear us screaming
They will finally listen to our voices
Go!!
Start taking action now!
They're the reason for defiance
Their actions provoked us to resist
We can't ignore
There's no way we can overlook it
We're the promise of a new day
We're the hope of a better future
This is a war
This is a battle for justice
The blood will spill
There may be violence and casualties
The voices will be heard
Our voices will finally reach their ears
And tonight, we are alive
We're alive and ready to make a difference
But I refuse to play the role
But I won't be complicit anymore
Wake up the voiceless!
Rouse those who have been silenced
Wake up the revolution!
Stir up the overthrow of the unjust system
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
We are finally awake and ready to take action
Whoa, we are alive tonight!
We are finally awake and ready to take action
We are alive tonight!
We are fully alive and won't back down
We are alive tonight!
We are fully alive and won't back down
We are alive tonight!
We are fully alive and won't back down
We are alive tonight!
We are fully alive and won't back down
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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