After 1½ years of touring Thornley made some changes. After Ken and Sekou both left Thornley, the band added from "Big Sugar," Eric Paul on drums and Cale Gontier on bass, from the "Three Days Grace" camp. Cale was discovered when Thornley toured extensively with Three Days Grace in the summer of 2004.
Ian also contributed to the "Song For Africa" project which started in August 2006.
Thornley released their new single called "Make Believe" on December 16th 2008 on iTunes. Their sophomore album called "Tiny Pictures" will be released on February 10th 2009.
Thornley have since gone on hiatus since the reunion of Big Wreck in 2011
Beautiful
Thornley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ever after is a friend
But you and I we get so high
We never quite came down
Ever after again
What could be more beautiful than you
and I falling from grace
so beautiful they're slipping away
Light my past on fire
Spell it right in black and white
A coward's here for hire
What could be more beautiful than you
and I falling from grace
All the things we'll never know
so beautiful they're slipping away
It's beautiful (slipping away)
It's time to pack up and vacate
I'm so fed up of closing up
And running from myself
What could be more beautiful than you
and I falling from grace
All the things we'll never know
so beautiful they're slipping away
Wake up, medicate, again
'Cause ever after is my friend
The song "Beautiful" by Thornley portrays the daily routine of self-medication and how it affects people's lives. The lyrics "Wake up, medicate, again, Ever after is a friend" highlight the desperation and dependency of the singer on substance abuse to deal with everyday life. The following lines, "But you and I, we get so high, We never quite came down, Ever after again" depict the never-ending cycle of addiction, where the high becomes a regular escape from reality.
Further on, the lyrics "What could be more beautiful than you and I falling from grace, All the things we'll never know so beautiful they're slipping away" embody the concept of beauty in losing oneself in the darkness. The singer seems to find some kind of twisted beauty in the reckless abandonment of their life and the unknown possibilities that come with it. The lines "Light my past on fire, Spell it right in black and white, A coward's here for hire" hint at the desire to forget or erase past mistakes, acknowledging that the singer is not brave enough to face his pain head-on.
Towards the end of the song, the lines "It's time to pack up and vacate, I'm so fed up of closing up, And running from myself" convey a sense of disillusionment and a longing for escape from the monotony of life. Overall, the song "Beautiful" takes a grim and introspective look on the consequences of addiction and self-delusion.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up, medicate, again
Starting the day with medication is becoming a routine activity.
Ever after is a friend
The feeling of hope or anticipation for the future is comforting.
But you and I we get so high
Despite the comfort from hope or medication, the desire for greater pleasure or escape is present.
We never quite came down
The state of pleasure or escape is hard to let go of or return from.
What could be more beautiful than you and I falling from grace
The idea of losing oneself or abandoning societal expectations with a loved one is attractive.
All the things we'll never know so beautiful they're slipping away
The uncertainty and beauty of the unknown future is slipping away as time passes.
Light my past on fire
Erasing past mistakes or traumas is desirable.
Spell it right in black and white
Making sure the past is corrected or represented accurately.
A coward's here for hire
The act of avoiding personal accountability or responsibility for the past is shameful.
It's time to pack up and vacate
Leaving one's current situation or life behind is necessary.
I'm so fed up of closing up
Suppressing one's true feelings or thoughts has become overwhelming.
And running from myself
Avoiding personal reflection or confrontation of inner turmoil has become easier than facing it.
It's beautiful (slipping away)
The inevitable loss of the unknown future is both tragic and beautiful in its own way.
'Cause ever after is my friend
Despite the potential for regret or loss, hope for the future is still present and comforting.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN THORNLEY, JIM VALLANCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
🌙🐺 | Lauren Nicole |💀🖤
mariehansler
That's not how that works. Lmao.
"Beauty" is subjective. I'm sorry, but far from everyone is beautiful. Not everyone can look like Kate Beckinsale or Jenna Dewan. It's a fact of life. A reality.
Something to deal with, accept, and then get over. There are plenty of beautiful people, plenty of average people, and plenty of unattractive people. Now where you fall upon that spectrum, is subjective, based on the people who are looking at you. Beauty isn't something that everyone possesses. That's why beauty is so coveted and sought after. So valued.
Because what is plentiful, is not valuable.
Sure it sounds wonderful to say "everyone is beautiful". Lol. It sounds best to those who know they don't hold a candle to those who are actually widely considered gorgeous. Because it allows them to not have to face their own shortcomings, and facing your own shortcomings (especially those you can't change or help) is unpleasant.
But reality, and real life doesn't work that way. If it did, there wouldn't be viable studies proving that attractive people have an easier time acquiring resources. Money, jobs, sex, etc. They have that advantage, that unattractive people don't have.
If everyone was really "beautiful", those advantages wouldn't exist. Everyone would acquire resources at an equal rate. They don't.
Say there's an opening to become the face of an up an coming million dollar tech company. Say two people have come in for the selection. Say they're both equally qualified in terms of resumé.
One is a 5'1", 250 lbs acne scarred woman.
The other is a 5'10", 140 lbs, slender and toned blonde with bright green eyes.
If you're not in denial, you know exactly who will be picked. That proves that not everyone is equal on the spectrum of beauty. They can't be. To slightly alter a line from The Incredibles movie,
"If everyone is beautiful, no one will be."
The original line said "If everyone is super, no one will be." It means that the in order to be beautiful, or super, or extraordinary? You have to surpass the average. If what constitutes "average" is moved to the height of the spectrum, it no longer applies. Because if everything that was once seen as "exceptional", is now the standard norm for everyone*, then by definition, it can *no longer be exceptional. Because there's no one left to be merely average. Which defines what surpasses the norm.
That same standard applies to beauty, because there is a spectrum for it. "Beauty" at the height, "average" for the standard or middle, and "unattractive" for the bottom.
So, it's scientifically impossible for everyone to be beautiful. It's something to be acknowledged, accepted, and dealt with if you're traditionally "unattractive".
There are more important things in life than looks, anyway. So if you're ugly? Use something else about yourself to acquire the same things that beauty acquires for those who do have it. That's the first part of growing up, and surviving in the real world. Acknowledging, that just because something makes you feel better to say, that doesn't make it true.
People eventually have to understand that people aren't equal on the scales of value. Everyone is different. Some possessing more, some possessing less. Depending upon which valuable trait is being examined within them.
Strength.
Beauty.
Intelligence.
The list goes on and on. And there is a spectrum for all those things.
And everyone falls at a different place on that spectrum for each individual, valued trait.
Sure, it sounds nice to say that everyone is this, or everyone is that. But it is scientifically untrue.
And facts trump feelings every single time.
Civil Advantage
Ian Thornley is the most under rated musician in the last 20 years. If you listen to all the songs on the Big Wreck and Thornley albums, the consistency is staggering. This guy has created a huge catalog of original melody in times where nothing's original. I'm not into music like I used to be but I'll tell you I went out and paid for his stuff on purpose, something I don't do too often. Keep it up Ian!!!!!!
Ryan Shordee
hell ya
Billy Jessup
one of a kind 4 sure👍
Aaron Phillips
Saw Big Wreck live last night, and I was a little concerned as I hadn't listened to their newer stuff.
The guy doesn't know how to make a bad song, and could probably sing Happy Birthday and there'd be lighters in the air. A legend.
TheaboveaverageJoe
Damn right. Another great Canadian musician
Rockradiomachine
This band deserve more views
Your songs are so pure cure of a life wreck, love since the first album,make me cry,ian is a legendary poet.
Ryan Shordee
every single damn song from this guy is beautiful
fgovern
great voice
Corrina Smith
love it, loved hearing it live as well!
Ben Millar
What a message! What a stab at society!