The first time I met Mike from The Deadly Syndrome, he was throwing up on my couch. He had been out drinking the night before with Will, tore the head off a paper mache dummy, wrestled it across a stranger’s front lawn and then stumbled up to my house (I was living with Will and Jesse, and soon Chris would move into the garage) where he puked all over everything and passed out.
There was a lot of that sort of thing when The Deadly Syndrome first got together. Everyone was running around having fun, working shitty jobs, and writing music all the time. The house was drowning in instruments. There were cheap old organs that somebody picked up off Craigslist. Guitars, pianos, keyboards, violins, all broken down and beat up, just laying around in case somebody needed them.
The weeks started to revolve around shows. You know how whenever someone says, “You should check out my friend’s band?” how your immediate reaction is “are you saying that just because they’re your friend?” I never had that problem. The guys attacked the stage; the audience lost their minds. Their shows were like festivals (with lots of cardboard cut outs). It was a wonderful couple of years.
And then it stopped being fun.
It’s a cliché to say that youth is fleeting. But it’s true. And it’s hard to separate youth from rock and roll. That’s not to say The Deadly Syndrome are a bunch of geriatrics, they aren’t. But after two years of being together they were four guys who loved music, but still weren’t able to do it for a living. Four guys who were getting older and starting to think about things like financial security, maybe starting a family, having a car that didn’t break down all the time, getting health insurance, etc – all the stuff that keeps making more and more noise as the years go by and you start growing up.
And growing up is tricky business in rock and roll. Because the truth is that while age doesn’t stifle creativity, it certainly encourages stagnation. And stagnation leads to a sad and boring road that either ends with too much thinking about The Good Old Days or Fat Elvis.
So after a couple of years I think the guys weren’t sure what to do. If you’ll allow me another cliché, things were starting to feel like an ending, rather than a beginning. At this point they could have very easily broken up. Left on good terms and gone their separate ways. Or they could have written another Ortolan. Similar songs played in the same venues, stretching out the good times as far as they could. Instead they moved all of their stuff into a cabin up in the woods and started over.
There weren’t a lot of updates, no hand wringing or bragging, nothing specific, just the occasional word that things were moving along. And then one day after about nine months had gone by, they let everyone know that they had finished an album and were calling it Nolens Volens.
The songs, the production, it all seems to be the work of a band that has found its strengths, and is busy seeing how far they can push them. You can hear the earlier, younger band throughout all the songs, but there’s something else there as well. A sort of self-assurance that gives each song its own life and space, along with a patience that usually isn’t associated with rock and roll.
More than anything else though, Nolens Volens is about growing up. About the give and take that comes with age and responsibility, about remembering the energy of youth and infusing it into a new, older life.
Or not. Fuck it, maybe I’m over thinking it. Maybe they just made a great record and plan to release it later this year and that’s all there is to it. After all, they’re all still in their 20’s for god’s sake! Why am I talking about growing up? There’s still plenty of time for being young, playing the music too loud, and puking all over everything just before passing out.
–Jason Greene
Friends
The Deadly Syndrome Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When their work is done?
Why don't they go home?
Home to where they're loved
No one's really home
Until they're in the ground
Rest well tonight with friends
Friends who don't go out at night
They're friends who stay in
With their lights on
Friends who don't unlock their doors
There's danger here, there's danger here
There's danger!
You're better off inside
It's easier said than done
What's done is never gone
And what's gone ain't coming back
What's gone ain't coming back
No one's really home
The lights just glow alone
They're sleeping in their homes
Of silent, quiet
Friends who don't go out at night
They're friends who stay in
With their lights on
Friends who don't unlock their doors
There's danger here, there's danger here
There's danger!
You're better off inside
Better off inside
Better off inside!
Friends who don't go out at night
They're friends who stay in
With their lights on
Friends who don't unlock their doors
There's danger here, danger here
Danger!
Friends
Who Don't Go Out At Night by The Deadly Syndrome, talks about the theme of safety, comfort and isolation. The song addresses the question of why some people would rather stay indoors instead of going out to explore the world, especially at night when the rest of the world seems to be alive. The first few lines of the song ask why some people don't want to go home even when their work is done. The answer lies in the fact that they feel safe and loved in their homes, unlike the rest of the outside world.
The song then progresses into a darker note, pointing out the dangers that lurk outside. The chorus tells of friends who prefer to stay inside, with their lights on and doors locked. The song acknowledges that there is danger outside, and staying inside may be the safest option. The lyrics suggest that those who decide to stay inside are better off, protected from the dangers that the outside world holds.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on anxiety, isolation, and loneliness. The lyrics suggest that the comfort of isolation and staying inside can be a dangerous thing, and that people should not distance themselves from the world outside. However, the song also recognizes the dangers of the world and leaves the listener to make up their own mind.
Line by Line Meaning
Why do they stay on
When their work is done?
What is keeping them from going home even though their work is finished?
Why don't they go home?
Home to where they're loved
Why aren't they going home to be with people who care about them?
No one's really home
Until they're in the ground
The true meaning of 'home' is not realized until someone has passed away.
Rest well tonight with friends
Sleep well tonight with
Find peace in the company of those around you as you retire for the night.
Friends who don't go out at night
They're friends who stay in
With their lights on
Friends who don't unlock their doors
There's danger here, there's danger here
There's danger!
It's safer to be with friends who avoid going out at night and keep their doors locked due to the potential danger outside.
You're better off inside
It's better to be safe indoors than to risk going outside and facing unknown dangers.
It's easier said than done
What's done is never gone
And what's gone ain't coming back
What's gone ain't coming back
While it may be easy to suggest certain actions, it's not always possible to reverse the consequences of what's been done in the past.
No one's really home
The lights just glow alone
They're sleeping in their homes
Of silent, quiet
The fact that no one else is around makes a home feel empty and quiet, despite the presence of lights and people sleeping inside.
Better off inside
Better off inside!
Reiterating that it's safer and more advantageous to remain indoors instead of venturing out into the dangers of the night.
Friends who don't go out at night
They're friends who stay in
With their lights on
Friends who don't unlock their doors
There's danger here, danger here
Danger!
This powerful message is restated as a reminder of the importance of having safe, trustworthy friends to share life with.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mr Kneel
awesome song
Mr Kneel
These are great lyrics!!!!!
Luis Mendoza
No ones really home until they're in the ground.
mr kneel
Lovely