Most of the band's albums, starting with their 2006 debut album Act I: The Lake South, the River North, are concept albums and a part of a common storyline, planned to conclude with a sixth album. The most recent addition is 2016's Act V: Hymns with the Devil in Confessional. Additionally, they have released albums unrelated to the Acts; The Color Spectrum in 2011, Migrant in 2013, and the EP All Is As All Should Be in 2017.
The band began as a side project of Casey Crescenzo when he was a full-time member of The Receiving End of Sirens. The Dear Hunter was originally intended as a vehicle for music Crescenzo had written that didn't fit with the sound of The Receiving End of Sirens. In the winter of 2005 Casey recorded the Dear Ms. Leading demos. He created 10 copies on burned CDs that were circulated amongst his friends and posted online for download. While elements and characters featured on the demos would reappear on the subsequent Acts, Crescenzo has confirmed that there was a transformation in how he represented these themes and persons; while the story had its origins in his personal life, the Acts removed most autobiographical elements in favor of fiction.
1878
The Dear Hunter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Stunned by the shock and fearing what's behind.
Everything you thought you'd live and die for
Every reason leading you to hear all of the sounds
That trickle past your introspective ear
An attempt to discover what's behind.
Hands extending reaching for the.
Fell in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Loss of control
For the knife, for the knife
I'm in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Bleed myself dry
Save my live, save my life.
The river
The lake
The river
The lake.
Fell in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Loss of control
For the knife, for the knife.
Hands conflicting clearly point their way
Stunned by the sign and fearing what it says.
Everything you thought you'd live and die for
Every reason leading you to hear all of the sounds
That trickle past your introspective ear
An attempt to discover what's behind.
Fell in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Loss of control
For the knife, for the knife
I'm in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Bleed myself dry
Save my life, save my life.
The river
The lake
The river
The lake.
Fell in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Loss of control
For the knife, for the knife.
Fell in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Loss of control
For the knife, for the knife
I'm in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Bleed myself dry
Save my life, save my life.
The river
The lake
The river
The lake.
Fell in another hole
For the knife, for the knife
Loss of control
For the knife, for the knife.
The Dear Hunter's "1878" is a song that explores the theme of fear and the struggles of finding one's place in the world. The first verse showcases the fear that lingers after surviving something traumatic. The character is stunned, and he fears what's lying ahead of him. The subsequent stanza opens with reflection, as the lyrics ask the listener to consider what they thought they would live and die for before diving into the sensation of trying to discover what's in front of them, using sounds that are flowing past their perspective-aware ears.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "fell in another hole for the knife," which serves as a metaphor for the feeling of falling into the same pattern over and again. The character seems to lose his control as he bleeds himself dry in the hope of discovering his place in the world. The song ends with a curious repetition of the lines "the river/the lake," a reference that is open to interpretation while echoing the mundanity and repetition of patterns in life.
Line by Line Meaning
We've got a way we got away and survived
Despite encountering obstacles and danger, we found a path to safety and overcame them
Stunned by the shock and fearing what's behind
Overwhelmed and apprehensive about potential negative consequences or outcomes
Everything you thought you'd live and die for
Priorities and beliefs that were previously considered fundamental to one's existence
Every reason leading you to hear all of the sounds
Motivations and influences that shape an individual's perception and understanding of their surroundings
That trickle past your introspective ear
Subtle, internalized aspects of one's environment that guide their emotional and mental processes
An attempt to discover what's behind
An ongoing effort to understand and uncover the roots of certain experiences or phenomena
Branches twisting reaching for the sky
The natural world's continual efforts to reach upward and grow
Hands extending reaching for the
Physical gestures of desire and pursuit, indicating a desire to grasp or possess something beyond one's reach
Fell in another hole
Encountering another setback or complication
For the knife, for the knife
A metaphor for self-harm or self-destructive behaviors, or acknowledgement of external harm
Loss of control
Feeling overwhelmed or powerless in a situation
I'm in another hole
Continued struggles and challenges
Bleed myself dry
Putting oneself in physical or emotional danger through excessive effort or sacrifice
Save my life, save my life
A plea for help or a desperate desire for self-preservation
The river
A symbol of the flow of time and the inevitability of change and progress
The lake
A symbol of stillness and stagnation, or a place of peaceful reflection and introspection
Hands conflicting clearly point their way
Mixed signals or contradictory advice complicating decision-making processes
Stunned by the sign and fearing what it says
Overwhelmed by a warning or indication of danger, and anxious about its implications
Contributed by Jayce M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.