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" present a sense of despair and a desire to escape. The opening line of the song, "If we run far away do you think we will ever die?" depicts this desire to leave and escape from the troubles of the world. The imagery of throwing books into the fire and stopping the train shows a need to destroy and halt the progress of society, and the lyrics "The trees are giving up on us" convey a feeling of hopelessness and abandonment. The line "The needle and the thread won't stitch us to the branch" indicates a willingness to let go and accept defeat, while the repetition of the question "How long is the night?" speaks to a sense of timelessness and endless suffering.
The song's chorus, "The ribbon was tied but the card was never read, the ribbon was crimson, the color of the night," creates an image of a gift left unopened or a message left unread, symbolizing missed opportunities or lost chances. The lyrics "I'm falling down, and you're not here to break my fall" emphasize the isolation and loneliness of the singer.
Overall, "How Long is the Night" presents a bleak portrayal of the human condition, with a desire to escape and a sense of hopelessness that pervades the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
If we run far away do you think we will ever die?
Do you believe we can escape our mortality by running away?
We'll throw these books in the fire
We will discard our knowledge.
Can you stop the train
Do you have the ability to halt progress?
Cause it some delay?
Would you inconvenience others on your behalf?
The change machine lied
The mechanism designed to alter our fate has deceived us.
And it's too late to scream
We are resigned to our tragic end.
How long is the night?
How intense and never-ending is our suffering?
It's never over
Our pain is ceaseless, perpetual.
The ribbon was tied
Our fate is predetermined or irreversible.
But the card was never read
Our destiny remains unknown or overlooked.
The ribbon was crimson
Our fate is marked by blood and suffering.
The color of the night
Darkness is a pervasive element in our fate.
Can you see the handwriting on the walls
Do you perceive the ominous signs of our fate?
And on the autumn leaves that fall
Our demise is reflected by the changing seasons.
"What are we gonna do?"
We are clueless or powerless to alter our imminent demise.
The trees are giving up on us
Nature has resigned itself to our destructive influence.
The needle and the thread
Our attempts to fix the problem are futile.
Won't stitch us to the branch
We cannot reattach ourselves to our origins.
And the night never ends
Our despair is eternal and inescapable.
I will never sleep again (I will never even close my eyes)
I am traumatized and unable to rest.
If the sun is on its way
Is there hope for our salvation?
Then we will never die
Will eternal life be granted to us?
And we'll follow these tracks to the sight
We will follow the path to our inevitable end.
Now the lungs collapse
Our bodies are failing.
And the air is getting thin
Our environment is detrimental to our health.
All breath expired
Our lives have reached their limit.
Is too late to heal?
Can we recover from the damage done?
It's all I ever see anymore
Despair has taken over my perception.
But the day was so bright in the pictures
My memories of past happiness are vivid.
In the photo album that you gave me
My hope lies in cherished memories.
It's all I have to live for
My motivation to continue living is tied to the past.
I'm falling down
Life has become overwhelming and I am losing my grip.
And you're not here to break my fall
I am without support or guidance to help me through.
I shut my eyes when you're around
I am afraid of the hurt you may cause.
I hold my breath to kill the sound of your voice
I am unable to confront my fears and the pain they bring.
I'm falling down.
Ultimately my descent into despair will be my undoing.
Lyrics © Another Victory Publishing
Written by: Geoffrey Rickly, Robert III Keeley, Steven Pedulla, Thomas Rule, Timothy Payne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ryan
Update these with the lyrics appearing in time please.
Dantés Inferno
it's never over... it's never over...