Shortly thereafter they were signed by Go-Kart Records and re-recorded the songs from "A Lesson" and re-released their album with the addition of some new tracks.
At the Fest VII in Gainesville, FL they were approached by Brendan Kelly of The Lawrence Arms and subsequently signed to Red Scare Industries.
They released their Red Scare debut EP "Hold On, Dodge" in 2009.
In April 2010, Chamberlain Waits was released, through Red Scare Records. In March and April they also toured in support of Against Me!.
On May 17, 2011 they announced that they had signed to Epitaph Records. Brett Gurewitz, founder of Epitaph Records and guitarist of Bad Religion said this about the signing of the band:
"These guys play the kind of pure punk rock that I grew up with. They are seriously talented songwriters and I'm happy to welcome them to the Epitaph family. I think the band is a great fit here."
They released their third full length album, On The Impossible Past, on February 21, 2012 via Epitaph Records.
The band currently lives in South Philadelphia, PA.
Band Members:
Tom May
Joe Godino
Greg Barnett
Eric Keen
Burn After Writing
The Menzingers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From a song that I once heard
The Same melody I borrowed from the void
I'd rather observe than structure a narrative
The characters are thin; the plot does not develop
It ends where it begins
It's on the screen, in paperbacks
In section 8 and cul-de-sacs
Are moving me along
You cut my hair
You left red ink everywhere
Do my hands tell a story?
Is it boring?
What I'd give to force your sigh
What I'd give to see you cry
What I'd give for your caress
To see your blue cotton dress
Balled up on the floor
Certain memories are the problem
Certain drunken lines are the shame
Seven hundred miles and four years
I can't fight the flame; it burns
You cut my hair
You left red ink everywhere
Do my hands tell a story?
Is it boring?
Was I wishing on satellites?
Tell me how you've been doing that trick
I'm just wishing the flame away
Now I'm wishing the flame away
The lyrics of The Menzingers's song Burn After Writing express a sense of disillusionment with the conventions of storytelling and a desire to observe life as it is, rather than impose structure upon it. The lyrics begin with a nod to the act of borrowing: the same chords and melody are used, suggesting a kind of creative thievery. The singer asserts a preference for observation over narrative, implying that the thin characters and undeveloped plot of life are enough. The refrain "it ends where it begins" suggests the cyclical nature of life and the futility of trying to impose a linear structure on it. The song includes a reference to journaling ("burn after writing") and the idea that certain memories and drunken lines are shameful. The lines "what I'd give to force your sigh / what I'd give to see you cry" show a longing for raw emotion and connection, while the final lines "now I'm wishing the flame away" imply a sense of sadness and resignation.
Line by Line Meaning
Here's to you, the same chords that I stole
I'm dedicating this song to you, using the same musical chords that I took from another song
From a song that I once heard
I took these chords from a song I heard before
The Same melody I borrowed from the void
The melody of this song I took from the emptiness
I'd rather observe than structure a narrative
I prefer to observe things, rather than trying to create a story
The characters are thin; the plot does not develop
The characters in my story are not well-developed, and there is no real plot
It ends where it begins
The story goes nowhere, and it ends where it started
It's on the screen, in paperbacks
Stories like this are found on TV and in books
In section 8 and cul-de-sacs
These stories can be found in low-income housing projects and dead-end streets
Electro haikus and drunk sonnets
This type of story is like electronic poetry or drunken ramblings
Are moving me along
These stories are motivating me to keep going
You cut my hair
You cut my hair for me
You left red ink everywhere
There is red ink everywhere from your cutting my hair
Do my hands tell a story?
Do my hands show the story of our relationship?
Is it boring?
Is our relationship dull and unexciting?
What I'd give to force your sigh
I want to make you sigh with excitement
What I'd give to see you cry
I want to see you cry, to show how much you care
What I'd give for your caress
I would love to feel your touch and affection
To see your blue cotton dress
I want to see you in your blue cotton dress
Balled up on the floor
I want to see your blue cotton dress crumpled on the floor
Certain memories are the problem
There are certain memories that cause issues for us
Certain drunken lines are the shame
There are lines said in drunkenness that are shameful
Seven hundred miles and four years
It has been four years and 700 miles of distance between us
I can't fight the flame; it burns
I can't stop my feelings for you
Was I wishing on satellites?
Was I hoping for something unrealistic?
Tell me how you've been doing that trick
Explain how you make it seem like everything is okay
I'm just wishing the flame away
I'm trying to stop caring for you
Now I'm wishing the flame away
But I'm still trying to make my feelings go away
Contributed by William V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Hats502
Got to be my favorite song by them
@gailowens1112
Love this!!👍🎼🎵🎶💚❤
@synrgi
good album. nice tunes.