The Word Alive was founded in 2008 by Craig Mabbitt (lead vocals) with Zack Hansen (lead guitar) and Tony Pizzuti (rhythm guitar) who were former members of the bands Calling of Syrens and Clouds Take Shape. As a side-project of Mabbitt during his part in Escape the Fate, the remaining required members he recruited to start The Word Alive were chosen to be Nick Urlacher (bass), Dusty Riach (keyboard) and Tony Aguilera (drums). The group recorded songs with the intention of releasing them as a self-titled EP, despite that it never surfaced. Later on, the band forced Mabbitt to leave due to their dissatisfaction with Escape the Fate's schedules, which required Mabbitt to work as a full-time member.
The day after, Mabbitt posted a blog to his fans via his Myspace account explaining that leaving the band was not his decision and that "[The Word Alive] pretty much replaced me while I was on the road due to the fact that they wanted to tour and couldn't until I was available, I started that band with those guys and I'm very hurt at how they replaced me while I was touring...it's bullshit." On December 3, the band officially announced that Tyler "Telle" Smith, who was formerly one of the vocalists for In Fear and Faith and bassist for Greeley Estates, joined The Word Alive as their new frontman.
Feeling somewhat stagnant in their progression beforehand, the addition of Smith catapulted the band’s ambitions to the forefront. With this initiation, their goals and aspirations were much more a reality, and they set to work on what would become their record label debut, Empire.
During March 2009, the band were taken in with a contract by a new label, later on during the 26th of that month the group officially confirmed that the label they were then signed to was Fearless Records. Smith stated "We hope to just keep touring, touring, touring... we couldn't be happier or more appreciative to be on tour right now, I think despite having some of the worst luck in the early beginnings of being a touring band yet never missing a show, we always have a positive attitude and that will make us a stronger band." The band set out to create an EP to be released through the label wherein it was titled Empire and was recorded with producer Andrew Wade in Ocala, Florida. It was released on July 21, 2009 where it reached #15 on the Billboard Heatseeker chart.
During February the band reached an agreement to leave founding drummer, Tony Aguilera out of the group. Both parties (Aguilera and the rest of the band) shared their concerns and reasoning for the matter publicly. It was overall described that the band wanted to pursue a different percussionist of alternate talent than the founding member. Aguilera was replaced with Justin Salinas, whom previously was a part of the bands Scars of Tomorrow and Catherine as well as serving as a past live drummer for MyChildren MyBride.
In April 2010, The Word Alive entered the studio in Ocala, Florida with Andrew Wade to record their debut full-length album, Deceiver. By June, Deceiver was fully mastered and engineered. On June 23, 2010 the band premiered their first single from the album, “Epiphany” as streaming media online.The following day, Fearless Records released their 2010 Summer Sampler which also featured the track "Epiphany". A week later, the album's album art and track listing was released. Guitarist Zack Hansen explained upon this premiere that "We all felt like that was going to be the best choice considering how comfortable the recording process is with Andrew. The tracking was a lot of fun and everyone had a good time. We got the opportunity to stay in a house while we recorded and surprisingly we didn't party as much as I thought we would haha." Hansen later followed along explaining that his favorite track on the record is “The Hounds of Anubis”, which was written by him and Pizzuti and stated that he "wrote this song with an 'Egyptian feel' to it and I think we got our point across." Smith described that its lyrics describe the times of when The Word Alive overcame their hardships that they face with the help and support from their fans. "The Hounds of Anubis" was released as the album's second single on July 26, 2010. It premiered on the official Revolver website.
By November of 2011, the band made plans to return to the studio on February 7, 2012 with Joey Sturgis to begin recording their next album, with an expected recording session lasting from that time until mid-March. However by February (and before the date of entering the studio), the announcement of two members leaving occurred; keyboardist, Dusty Riach and drummer, Justin Salinas were simultaneously confirmed to no longer be a part of the band. Salinas stated his reason was because he grew tired of touring, although Riach's reason was preferred to be kept silent.
In regards to the band's second studio album, it was reported that 17 songs were recorded in its process. 13 of those will be on the standard edition of the album, while the another three will be included on the deluxe edition. The name of the album will be Life Cycles and both editions will be released the same day.On March 23rd of the year, the group issued a statement that 18-year old Arizona resident Luke Holland has joined as the new drummer, however, Holland was not included for the recording sessions of Life Cycles. The drumming for the record was done by a friend of the band named Matt Horn wherein Holland joined after these sessions were already completed.
On March 18, 2014, the band released a new single entitled "Play the Victim." Along with the song, they also announced their third full-length album Real. would be released on June 10. The album would be the first to feature Luke Holland on drums.
The band released their fourth album, Dark Matter, on March 18, 2016. The band also revealed the tracklist and a headlining North American tour with support from Fit for a King and Out Came the Wolves. The album's lead single, "Trapped", was released January 8.
In November 2016, Luke Holland announced he would be leaving the band at the end of 2016 after finishing their last tour of the year to pursue other musical endeavors. In February 2017, the band announced that Matt Horn would be taking Holland's place as drummer. Shortly after, a new single "Misery" was released.
On August 7, 2017, The Word Alive and Daniel Shapiro mutually announced they were parting ways due to a "new musical adventure" of Shapiro's. The next day, The Word Alive announced that they would be joining I Prevail on their Rage on the Stage Tour along with We Came as Romans & Escape the Fate.
The Runaway
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Scattered thoughts make you go insane
(Oh oh oh whoa) (oh oh oh whoa)
You lock yourself in your own cage
Hide the keys and then fade away, go
(Oh oh oh whoa) (oh oh oh whoa)
You are not alone
We can get through it tonight
I will be the anchor to your runaway train tonight
I will be the beacon when you're feeling insane
I know it hurts sometimes, so I'll get in line with you
Tonight, I will be the anchor to your runaway train
And I will be your anchor
You think this could be the end
An afterlife is just pretend you go
(Oh oh oh whoa) (oh oh oh whoa)
Illuminate the darkest days
I'm never leaving your side, I'm here to stay
(Oh oh oh whoa) (oh oh oh whoa)
You are not alone
We can get through it tonight
I will be the anchor to your runaway train tonight
I will be the beacon when you're feeling insane
I know it hurts sometimes, so I'll get in line with you, oh oh oh
Tonight
I will be the anchor to your runaway train
Never look back, never regret
All of the words you said in hope
Never pretend, never the end
There's always a fight to win
Tonight
I will be the anchor to your runaway train
Tonight
I will be the beacon when you're feeling insane
I know it hurts sometimes, so I'll get in line with you oh oh oh
Tonight
I will be the anchor to your runaway train
And I will be your anchor
I will be your anchor
The Word Alive's song "The Runaway" is a powerful anthem about being there for someone who is struggling. The opening lines set the tone for the song's theme of chaos and confusion, with the metaphor of being caught in a hurricane representing the overwhelming feelings that can come with mental health struggles. The lines "Scattered thoughts make you go insane/You lock yourself in your own cage" describe how mental illness can feel like being trapped and unable to escape one's own mind.
However, the chorus offers a message of hope and support. The singer promises to be the "anchor" and "beacon" for their friend, offering a guiding light and a steady presence to help them through the storm. Even when things feel hopeless, the singer insists that they will never leave their friend's side.
The bridge of the song reinforces this message of perseverance, with lines like "Never look back, never regret/All of the words you said in hope/Never pretend, never the end/There's always a fight to win." The song's structure and lyrics work together to create a powerful message about the importance of being there for each other, even when things feel overwhelming.
Line by Line Meaning
You get caught in a hurricane
You find yourself in the midst of a chaotic situation that upsets you
Scattered thoughts make you go insane
Your thoughts are disorganized, and you feel like you're losing control
(Oh oh oh whoa) (oh oh oh whoa)
This is a repeated vocalization that conveys a feeling of distress or urgency
You lock yourself in your own cage
You feel trapped by your own negative thoughts and emotions
Hide the keys and then fade away, go
You withdraw and retreat into yourself to avoid dealing with the situation
You are not alone
Despite feeling isolated, there are people who care about you and are willing to help
We can get through it tonight
Together, we can overcome the current difficulty and move forward
I will be the anchor to your runaway train tonight
I will provide stability and support to help you get through the crisis
I will be the beacon when you're feeling insane
I'll guide you through the darkness and confusion you're experiencing
I know it hurts sometimes, so I'll get in line with you
I understand that you're going through a painful experience, and I'm here to support you every step of the way
You think this could be the end
You begin to doubt that things will ever get better and feel like you're at the end of your rope
An afterlife is just pretend you go
You reject the idea of an afterlife as a source of comfort and want to focus on the present moment
Illuminate the darkest days
Even in the toughest times, there is always hope and light to be found
I'm never leaving your side, I'm here to stay
I will be here for you, no matter what, and won't abandon you
Never look back, never regret
Don't dwell on the past or feel remorse for what's already happened, focus on moving forward
All of the words you said in hope
Remember the positive and hopeful things you've said and keep that mindset
There's always a fight to win
In life, there will always be obstacles to overcome, but we have the strength to fight back and win
And I will be your anchor
I'll provide emotional support to keep you grounded and steady
I will be your anchor
I'm committed to helping you through this difficult time
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Walt Disney Music Company
Written by: JOHN FELDMANN, TYLER SMITH, ZACK HANSEN, LUKE HOLLAND, TONY PIZZUTI, DANIEL SHAPIRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@liamdawson6322
You get caught in a hurricane.
Scattered thoughts make you go insane.
You lock yourself in your own cage.
Hide the keys and then fade away.
You are not alone.
We can get through it tonight.
I will be the anchor to your runaway train tonight.
I will be the beacon when you're feeling insane.
I know it hurts sometimes, so I'll get in line with you.
Tonight, I will be the anchor to your runaway train.
I will be your anchor.
You think this could be the end,
an afterlife is just pretend.
Illuminate the darkest days.
I'm never leaving your side, I'm here to stay.
You are not alone.
We can get through it tonight.
I will be the anchor to your runaway train tonight.
I will be the beacon when you're feeling insane.
I know it hurts sometimes, so I'll get in line with you.
Tonight, I will be the anchor to your runaway train.
Never look back, never regret, all of the words you said in hope.
Never pretend, never the end, there's always a fight to win.
Tonight, I will be the anchor to your runaway train.
Tonight, I will be the beacon when you're feeling insane.
I know it hurts sometimes, so I'll get in line with you.
Tonight, I will be the anchor to your runaway train.
I will be your anchor.
@GhostKillerEntertainment
2:00 I see what you did there, "Monster"
@MartinDPdrums
Illuminati..
@TRISTENWOLF
Who is the illuminati???? I need to know!! I think it's , Danny Worsnops cousin - Barry Worsnop
Chris Motionless's parents in law
And Ronnie Radke's left nipple
And maybe Kellic
Band logic
Illuminati.... Dang
@darksoulsnstuff6850
This actually happened in the video for Life Cycles too
@joemesey410
DarkSoulsNStuff It is also in Lighthouse. I think it is in a contract with them and will appear in them all.
@wearevenus3319
They do that in every video they have
@swahnz
WTF is up with bands doing less screaming and 99% more clean singing?
@Gboy5587
It's the only song on the album that doesn't have a lot of screams, the rest of the record is pretty heavy
@danieladue645
correction this and light house :) other than that screams but either way the band is fucking amazing
@Gboy5587
Oh yeah I forgot Lighthouse :P But yeah I love all their songs, my favorite is To struggle and claw my way