Aside from a brief interlude in 1998 and 1999 when they were signed by major label Interscope Records, the band recorded for local label DeSoto Records. Their third record and breakthrough album, Emergency & I, was actually created during their time at Interscope; however, they were dropped from the label shortly after its completion, and thus took it back with them to DeSoto, where it wound up being released. The Ice of Boston EP is the only item of theirs Interscope actually released during their tenure there.
Following the massive underground success of Emergency & I, the band received an even higher profile after being invited to open for the European leg of Pearl Jam's 2000 tour. The band recorded and released a follow-up to Emergency & I, Change, in 2001 using the severance money they received from Interscope, and a subsequent co-headlining tour in 2002 with Death Cab for Cutie (cheekily called the "Death and Dismemberment Tour") also worked well to raise both bands' profiles and cross-pollinate their fanbases, as well as forge creative ties between several members.
Later that summer and fall, the Dismemberment Plan started to debut songs for their follow-up to Change. In 2002, the band put all the music tracks from their last two albums on their website, encouraging fans to remix the songs. The result was 2003's A People's History of the Dismemberment Plan. On January 19, 2003, however, the band announced on their website that they had decided to break up after a few tours that year. A final show was planned for July 28, 2003 in Washington D.C.'s famous outdoor show space, Fort Reno Park. However, come show-time, a heavy rain had driven off all but the most devoted fans, leading the band to add one more final show.
On September 1, 2003, the band closed out the first part of their career with a sold-out show at the renowned 9:30 Club. Following the split, Travis Morrison took the post-Change songs with him for further work, and released many of them on his first album, Travistan, in 2004. Jason Caddell worked with Morrison on Morrison's second album, All Y'all, which was released under the name Travis Morrison Hellfighters. Eric Axelson started a band called Maritime with former members of The Promise Ring; they released an album, Glass Floor, in 2004. Axelson subsequently left Maritime and joined the band Statehood in mid-2006 with Joe Easley until the tragic death of Clark Sabine in June 2009. The Dismemberment Plan itself even reunited for two shows to benefit Cal Robbins at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on April 29 and April 30, 2007. A full reunion still seemed unlikely, though, and on July 2, 2009, Travis Morrison announced his retirement from music, stating that there would be no more shows or bands.
In late 2010, however, the Dismemberment Plan announced that they would reunite for a full-scale tour in 2011 coinciding with Barsuk's vinyl reissue of Emergency & I. At the time, the band denied that they were planning a new record, but implied that one could be possible. By the time the tour was finished, the band played on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as well as three performances in Washington, D.C., the Pitchfork Music Festival, Philadelphia's Roots Picnic, and ten other dates.
The band reconvened once again in 2012 and played several small-venue shows in Baltimore, Maryland and Fredericksburg, Virginia, where they debuted eight new songs; a month later, Travis Morrison confirmed that they were working on a new record. On June 26, 2013, the band officially announced their fifth studio album (and first new record in 12 years), entitled Uncanney Valley. It was released via Partisan Records on October 15, 2013.
A Life of Possibilities
The Dismemberment Plan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Through the soil, through the cooling clay
As the din fades above you
You're moving
You're secret
You're nowhere
It's all good
And no lights lead you onwards
Just earth in all directions
It's endless
It's mapless
No compass
No north star
You're all gone ‘cause they can't find you
You're lost ‘cause they don't know the way
They blame themselves they blame each other
They're angry
They're sorry
They're worried
You don't care
The shovels scrape somewhere up there
They just want to know if you're OK
Morse code tapped with hammers
You hear it
You know it
Ignore it
You're on your way
Oh, but at some point you've gotta come up for air
You wipe the rocks and mud and dirt out of your hair
You're blind and queasy with a growing sense of despair
You don't know anyone
You look around trying to find someone you know
You put your hand up in the air
Just kinda wave hello
But if they do care, oh, they're not letting it show
This can't be new to you
There's a feeling coming back
Connected by a thread
Pulling at your hands like a spider web
Like a kite that isn't there…
If it's a life of possibilities
That pulls you away that claws and tears
And challenges you to stay, well, then
If it's a life of possibilities
That you've gotta live then
Don't be surprised when they don't remember you
Or simply don't want to, yea yea yea…
The Dismemberment Plan's song "A Life of Possibilities" speaks about the feeling of being lost and disconnected from the world. The opening lines talk about digging down underground, moving secretly and without direction. The lack of light, signs, compass or north star symbolize the lack of guidance or purpose. The singer doesn't care that they are lost and blames no one for it. The second verse talks about the people above trying to find the singer, tapping with hammers to send a Morse code, but the singer ignores it- they want to be lost.
However, the third verse hints that sometimes, the singer feels the need to come back up to the surface, but when they do, they feel like a foreigner. They look for familiar faces, but no one is there, and when they wave their hand, no one waves back. The "feeling coming back" refers to the longing to belong somewhere or with someone. But the spider web and the kite metaphors signify the distance and the absence of connection. The chorus talks about the "life of possibilities," an idea that can both inspire and scare someone. At the end of the song, the singer accepts that when they finally come back to reality, others might not remember or want to remember them at all.
The song's lyrics, like most of The Dismemberment Plan's discography, are open to interpretation, but its themes of alienation, disillusionment, and existential anxiety are prevalent throughout. The band was known for its experimental approach, combining punk rock, dance-punk, and indie rock, among others. They formed in Washington, D.C. in 1993 and disbanded in 2003. They reunited in 2010 and have been playing shows and recording new material since then.
Line by Line Meaning
You dig down underground now
You have decided to escape from everything above and hide underground.
Through the soil, through the cooling clay
You have dug so deep that the outside noise cannot reach you.
As the din fades above you
You feel peaceful as all the noise and chaos of the outside world fades away.
You're moving
You are progressing with your plans to disappear and hide.
You're secret
You don't want anyone to know where you have gone and why.
You're nowhere
You are content with the fact that no one can find you.
It's all good
You feel assured that your decision is for the best.
And no lights lead you onwards
There is no direction for you to move ahead, and you're okay with it.
No signs point you on your way
You don't need anyone to tell you what to do.
Just earth in all directions
You have surrounded yourself with nothingness.
It's endless
Your journey has no end.
It's mapless
You have no idea where you're going or where you'll end up.
No compass
You have no direction, and you're okay with it.
No north star
There is no guidepost to show you the way.
You're all gone ‘cause they can't find you
You are hiding so well that no one can find you.
You're lost ‘cause they don't know the way
Because no one knows where you are, they assume you are lost.
They blame themselves they blame each other
The people who care about you are blaming themselves and each other for not knowing where you are.
They're angry they're sorry
The people who care about you are dealing with a lot of mixed emotions.
They're worried
The people who care about you are very worried about your safety.
You don't care
You are oblivious to how others feel and only care about your well-being.
The shovels scrape somewhere up there
People are trying their best to find you.
They just want to know if you're OK
People are worried about your safety and want to know if you're okay.
Morse code tapped with hammers
People are trying to communicate with you through subtle means.
You hear it
You can hear people trying to reach you.
You know it
You understand the message being communicated.
Ignore it
You choose to ignore the message and continue on your path.
You're on your way
You are determined to continue on your journey.
Oh, but at some point you've gotta come up for air
You cannot stay hidden forever and will eventually need to face reality.
You wipe the rocks and mud and dirt out of your hair
You'll have to clean yourself up when you return to society.
You're blind and queasy with a growing sense of despair
You don't feel well emotionally and are starting to feel hopeless.
You don't know anyone
You feel disconnected from everyone around you.
You look around trying to find someone you know
You're searching for someone who can help you feel grounded.
You put your hand up in the air
You signal for someone to come to your aid.
Just kinda wave hello
You're trying to connect with anyone who happens upon you.
But if they do care, oh, they're not letting it show
The people around you may care, but they are not expressing that they do.
This can't be new to you
You have experienced these same feelings of isolation before.
There's a feeling coming back
You will start to feel the effects of the world you escaped from.
Connected by a thread
You are still connected to the world through the people who care about you.
Pulling at your hands like a spider web
You feel like you're being pulled back into your old life.
Like a kite that isn't there…
You feel untethered and ungrounded.
If it's a life of possibilities that pulls you away that claws and tears
Your journey towards a new life was both exciting and painful.
And challenges you to stay, well, then
Your new life challenges you to stay and fight for it.
If it's a life of possibilities that you've gotta live then
If you have decided to live a life of endless possibilities, you must accept everything that comes with it.
Don't be surprised when they don't remember you
When you come back to society, people may not remember you.
Or simply don't want to, yea yea yea…
Even if people remember you, they may not want to reconnect.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind