THE LIVID is a high-energy four piece rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. … Read Full Bio ↴THE LIVID is a high-energy four piece rock band from Mississauga, Ontario. The band was formed in January 1997, when four high school freshmen decided to jam to some cover tunes in their drummer's basement. After winning several competitions and spending some time at a local studio, The Livid released their debut album, King of the Castle, in October 2000. The Livid returned to the studio to record more tracks in 2001. So Fear of Fading was released in the summer of 2002. Over the span of six months, however, The Livid was destined to lose all of its founding members with the exception of guitar player and songwriter Chris Schembri. Over the next months, The Livid was reformed, with new members Adam Benning (drums), Rob Linschoten (bass) and Justin Humes (vocals). After a lengthy period of writing and recording, the new lineup released their first record (The Livid's third record), "The Ambition Within" on the 25th of September, 2004. In the summer of 2005, The Livid thought it would be best if they packed things in and moved on with life without the "band". Each member taking a hiatus and focusing on other aspects of life. But in February of 2006, they found themselves wondering what it would be like to get together and jam some newer songs just for fun. So they did. It was amazing. In March 2006, The Livid will head back into the studio to continue with what they love, which is making music that they can listen to while driving in their cars. And if other people like it, it makes it all the more worth while. Stay tuned for more boring stuff to read. Rock n Roll...

Live to Imitate
The Livid Lyrics

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Live to imitate and fake to break
The door that lies between both genres
Saying it's all the same...
Somebody better stop me before I delete you
Before the bullet accidentally meets you

You think you control all you see
Strangle hold around me

Prove you wrong, yes you'll see

Stretch and get down

I'll shoot you down, I will now
I'll shoot you down...

Counting down from seven – a shotgun heaven
Lyrically inclined and set out to blow your mind
I love the way you imitate
The way you hide your face
The way you think you have it all
But really it ain't the case

I see you from the inside
Through the mask you wear – all you wanna hide

All I see through what I learn
Live by what I earn
All I see through what I learn
The colors that we burn
All I see through what I learn
Coming round, freaking out

Till you finally get it all complete
Till all you speak is bullshit to the weak

Overall Meaning

The Livid's song "Live to Imitate" appears to be a reflection on the current state of the music industry and the artists that populate it. The lyrics declare an animosity towards artists who choose to imitate and fake their way through their music careers rather than create genuine offerings. The lines "Live to imitate and fake to break" convey this idea of artists copying others to try and gain popularity. The singer warns that these imitators will be stopped before they can cause harm, represented by the line "before the bullet accidentally meets you."

Furthermore, the song appears to be a challenge to those who believe they have control over the music industry, indicated by the line "you think you control all you see." The singer of the song refuses to be held down by these people; instead, they strive to "stretch and get down" and prove these controllers wrong. The song's closing lines turn towards the listener and accuse them of speaking "bullshit to the weak."

The tone of the song is aggressive, evident in the repeated line "I'll shoot you down." However, it's artistically offset by an almost poetic quality in the lyrics' structure and the use of words like "lyrically inclined" and "shotgun heaven."

Line by Line Meaning

Live to imitate and fake to break
We live to copy others and pretend to be someone we're not, just so we can break down the door between different musical genres.

The door that lies between both genres
The door represents the boundaries between different musical styles that we want to break down by imitating them and blending them together.

Saying it's all the same...
We pretend that all music genres are the same, even though we know they are different and unique in their way.

Somebody better stop me before I delete you
Before I delete or erase your unique qualities, someone needs to intervene and help me stop imitating others and find my own identity.

Before the bullet accidentally meets you
Before I unintentionally hurt or harm you with my fake behavior and imitated style.

You think you control all you see
You believe that you have complete control over everything you see and do, including me and my style of music.

Strangle hold around me
But your controlling behavior is suffocating me and preventing me from being myself.

Prove you wrong, yes you'll see
I will prove you wrong and show you that I can find my own voice and style without imitating or copying others.

Stretch and get down
I will try new and different things to find my own unique style and voice.

I'll shoot you down, I will now
If you try to stop me from finding my own voice, I will be forced to confront you and take you down.

I'll shoot you down...
I am confident in my ability to find my own style and voice and won't let anyone or anything stop me from doing so.

Counting down from seven – a shotgun heaven
I am ready to take action and make a change, just like the countdown to a shotgun that will be fired to make an impact.

Lyrically inclined and set out to blow your mind
I am a talented lyricist and artist who is determined to impress and make an impact on my listeners.

I love the way you imitate
I appreciate and admire the effort you put into imitating others, but I don't want to do the same as I need to find my own unique style and voice.

The way you hide your face
You try to hide your true identity and emotions in imitation, which is not helpful or healthy when trying to find your way in this world.

The way you think you have it all
You believe that you have all the answers and know everything there is to know, which is a dangerous and limiting way of thinking.

But really it ain't the case
In reality, you have a lot to learn and discover, just like everyone else.

I see you from the inside
As an artist and empath, I can see past your exterior and into your true emotions and identity.

Through the mask you wear – all you wanna hide
I can see the effort you put into hiding your true emotions and identity behind a mask of imitation and copying.

All I see through what I learn
Through my experiences and self-discovery, I have come to understand that true music comes from within and can't be found by imitation or copying others.

Live by what I earn
I will work hard to earn my success and recognition as a unique and individual artist, rather than imitating others and pretending to be someone I'm not.

The colors that we burn
We create our unique and colorful musical landscape by finding our own voice and style, rather than copying others and blending in with the crowd.

Coming round, freaking out
As I find my own unique style and voice, I may come across challenges and uncertainties that can be scary or freaky.

Till you finally get it all complete
But I am determined to push through these challenges until I find my complete and authentic self as an artist.

Till all you speak is bullshit to the weak
Until I find my true voice and style, what I say and create may come off as inauthentic or fake to those who can't see my vision or struggle to find their own voice.

Contributed by Alaina E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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