Thursday released their debut album, Waiting, in late 1999 with original guitarist Bill Henderson, who left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Steve Pedulla. The band gained popularity with the release of their second album, Full Collapse, in 2001, and released their third album and major label debut, War All the Time, in 2003, which reached number seven on the US Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. Thursday released their fourth album, A City by the Light Divided, in 2006, and two further albums, Common Existence and No Devolución, before announcing an indefinite hiatus in 2011. In a January 2013 interview, Geoff Rickly confirmed that the band had actually disbanded. However, the band announced a reunion in 2016. Their reunion would conclude with a performance at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, NY in March 2019.
The band has been considered influential to the post-hardcore music scene in the 2000s, and is credited as one of the key bands to popularize the darker emo sound and screaming vocals which came to prominence at the time.
How Long Is The Night?
Thursday Lyrics
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We'll throw these books in the fire
Can you stop the train
Cause it some delay?
The change machine lied
And it's too late to scream
How long is the night?
The ribbon was tied
But the card was never read
The ribbon was crimson
The color of the night
Can you see the handwriting on the walls
And on the autumn leaves that fall
"What are we gonna do?"
The trees are giving up on us
The needle and the thread
Won't stitch us to the branch
And the night never ends
I will never sleep again
(I will never even close my eyes)
If the sun is on its way
Then we will never die
And we'll follow these tracks to the sight
Now the lungs collapse
And the air is getting thin
All breath expired
Is too late to heal?
How long is the night?
It's all I ever see anymore
But the day was so bright in the pictures
In the photo album that you gave me
It's all I have to live for
I'm falling down
And you're not here to break my fall
I shut my eyes when you're around
I hold my breath to kill the sound of your voice
I'm falling down.
And you're not here to break my fall
The lyrics of Thursday’s song “How Long Is The Night?” talk about the feeling of being trapped, lost, and hopeless. It talks about a never-ending cycle of dark nights and the desire to escape it. The opening lines, “If we run far away, do you think we will ever die?” express the desire to break free from the cycle of pain, but the following line, “We’ll throw these books in the fire,” suggests that escape may also mean leaving behind one’s knowledge and wisdom.
The lyricist then switches to a train metaphor, “Can you stop the train cause it some delay?” portraying the feeling of being powerless and the inability to change the course of one’s life. The line, “The needle and the thread won’t stitch us to the branch,” emphasizes the theme of helplessness and hopelessness. The song ends with the line, “I'm falling down, and you're not here to break my fall,” which hints at the lack of support and the need for a guiding hand.
Line by Line Meaning
If we run far away do you think we will ever die?
Questioning if leaving everything behind would solve their problems and make them immortal.
We'll throw these books in the fire
A metaphor for erasing the past and starting over.
Can you stop the train
Cause it some delay?
A plea to change the inevitable course of events and make time stand still.
The change machine lied
And it's too late to scream
Feeling helpless and trapped in a situation they can't control.
How long is the night?
It's never over
The darkness in their life seems endless and never-ending.
The ribbon was tied
But the card was never read
The ribbon was crimson
The color of the night
Feeling like their efforts go unnoticed and unappreciated, with the color of the ribbon representing the darkness they're surrounded by.
Can you see the handwriting on the walls
And on the autumn leaves that fall
"What are we gonna do?"
The trees are giving up on us
The needle and the thread
Won't stitch us to the branch
And the night never ends
The world around them is deteriorating and they don't know what to do, feeling disconnected and helpless.
I will never sleep again
(I will never even close my eyes)
Unable to escape their thoughts, haunted by their past and present.
If the sun is on its way
Then we will never die
And we'll follow these tracks to the sight
Now the lungs collapse
And the air is getting thin
All breath expired
Is too late to heal?
Optimism that a better future is coming, but also questioning if it's too late for redemption.
It's all I ever see anymore
But the day was so bright in the pictures
In the photo album that you gave me
It's all I have to live for
Feeling stuck in the present moment, with their memories of happier times being the only thing that keeps them going.
I'm falling down
And you're not here to break my fall
I shut my eyes when you're around
I hold my breath to kill the sound of your voice
I'm falling down.
And you're not here to break my fall
The absence of someone they relied on, feeling alone and falling apart without them.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Geoffrey Rickly, Robert III Keeley, Steven Pedulla, Thomas Rule, Timothy Payne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind