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.
To Struggle and Claw My Way
The Word Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is your anthem to sing to
"I am not afraid of you."
Be who you are not what they told you
Everybody wants to be on top
Nobody wants to work for anything they've got
Everybody says you are "you're not"
Even if this ends today
I'd be happy to walk away
Every day I lived a dream
I gave my life meaning
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
If you want to be like me
Look in the mirror and find what you see
Anybody can live their dreams
Be the next you, not me
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
And all they want to hear you say
Is "I surrender"
And all I want to hear you say
Is i am not afraid
Not afraid
I am not afraid
(Not afraid) I'll find my way
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
The lyrics of "To Struggle and Claw My Way" by The Word Alive speak to the human experience of self-discovery and self-acceptance. The song encourages listeners to embrace their individuality and reject societal pressure to conform. The opening lines, "I am not afraid of you / This is your anthem to sing to / 'I am not afraid of you' / Be who you are not what they told you," set the tone for the rest of the song. The message is clear - don't be afraid to be yourself, even if it goes against the norms set by others.
The chorus emphasizes the struggle that comes with self-discovery, stating, "To struggle and claw my way / To find out who I'm not." The song acknowledges that the journey toward self-discovery can be difficult, but it's necessary to find out who you truly are. The bridge of the song suggests that surrendering to societal pressure is not the answer. Instead, the lyrics encourage listeners to find their own way and be unapologetically themselves.
Overall, "To Struggle and Claw My Way" inspires listeners to embrace individuality and reject societal pressure to conform. It acknowledges that the journey to self-discovery is not easy, but it's crucial to finding true fulfillment in life. The song's powerful message and driving energy make it a standout track on The Word Alive's album.
Line by Line Meaning
I am not afraid of you
This is your anthem to sing to. Be who you are not what they told you
Everybody wants to be on top
Nobody wants to work for anything they've got. Everybody says you are "you're not". I want you to fight until you're something their not
Even if this ends today
I'd be happy to walk away. Every day I lived a dream. I gave my life meaning
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong. To struggle and claw my way to find out who I'm not
If you want to be like me
Look in the mirror and find what you see. Anybody can live their dreams. Be the next you, not me
And all they want to hear you say
"I surrender"
And all I want to hear you say
I am not afraid. Not afraid, I'll find my way
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANTHONY JOHN JR. PIZZUTI, DANIEL HARRISON SHAPIRO, LUKE HOLLAND, LUKE DANIEL HOLLAND, TONY PIZZUTI, TYLER SMITH, ZACK HANSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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"To Struggle & Claw My Way" lyrics
The Word Alive Lyrics
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"To Struggle & Claw My Way"
I am not afraid of you
This is your anthem to sing to
I am not afraid of you
Be who you are not what they told you
Everybody wants to be on top
Nobody wants to work for anything they've got
Everybody says you are "you're not"
I want you to fight until you're something their not
Even if this ends today
I'd be happy to walk away
Every day I lived a dream
I gave my life meaning
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I am not
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
If you want to be like me
Look in the mirror and find what you see
Anybody can live their dreams
Be the next you, not me
So sing along
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I am not
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
And all they want to hear you say is "I surrender"
And all I want to hear you say is
I am not afraid
Not afraid
I am not afraid
Not afraid
I'll find my way
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I am not
And every day you sing along
Is a day I know I belong
To struggle and claw my way
To find out who I'm not
Devils Student
Probably the best track in the album, mainly due to the more heavier and energetic feel to it compared to the rest of the tracks =P
Steven Z
Exactly!
Daniel Sewell
Listening to this, I can understand why the demo name for it was 'Articuno'. The synth gives me Pokemon feels, have to admit :')
YChiu19
This song has so much energy. Sometimes I just dance alone in my room.
Chris97k
Loving the drums the most on the album :)
christopher kinsey
that reverb on the snare at 0:36 oh made mah nips hard!
Philip Saucier
christopher kinsey hahaha yeahh
hollowed thrones
I was never a HUGE fan of this band but I must admit such an improvement this album is dope!
tristananvilcaster
This is great. Really impressed by the album
YoRHa_Sky
Such an underrated band.