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.
M Shepard
Thursday Lyrics
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(The stage is set)
The stage is set don't forget to breathe
(Between the lines)
If the whole world dies, then it's safe to take the stage
These graves will stretch like landing strips
Hospitals, all dead museums
We won't have to be afraid anymore
The crowd is growing silent with the gathering storm
When the curtain falls and you're caught on the other side
Just trying to keep up the act
We'll lie in the back of black cars with the windows rolled up
Joining the procession of emptiness
If we say these words it will be too late to take them back
So we hold our breath and fold our hands
Like paper airplanes
(And we're going to crash)
We don't have to be alone
(We don't have to be alone)
Ever again
There's a riot in the theater, someone's standing in the aisles
(Yelling that the nurderers)
Are everywhere and they're lining up
(Carving the 'm' in your side)
Stand alone
(This time)
When the curtain falls and you're caught on the other side
Just trying to keep up the act
We'll lie in the back of black cars with the windows rolled up
Joining the procession of emptiness
The stage is set to rip the wings from the butterfly
Pull the curtain back
Kill all the houselights
Pin the dress of lotus flowers
The silk is spinning round and around with the ceiling fan
I'm disappearing into the spotlight
I'm on display with the butterfly with smiles
With smiles like picket fences you tie us all up and leave us outside
"That voice is silent now, the boat has sunk"
We're on our own but we're not going to run
The lyrics of Thursday's song M Shepard depict a sense of hopelessness and resignation. The stage is set to rip the wings from a butterfly, and it seems like the world is ending as hospitals turn into dead museums and graves stretch like landing strips. Despite this, the singer seems hopeful that the end of the world will bring an end to their fears, and they won't have to be afraid anymore. The crowd grows silent as the storm gathers, and the singer seems prepared to take the stage.
However, as the curtain falls and the singer is caught on the other side, they struggle to keep up the act. They join the procession of emptiness, lying in the back of black cars with the windows rolled up. In this moment, the singer seems vulnerable and overwhelmed, like a butterfly with its wings ripped off. They know that if they say the wrong thing, it will be too late to take it back.
Line by Line Meaning
The stage is set to rip the wings from a butterfly
The environment is about to damage something very fragile and beautiful.
The stage is set don't forget to breathe
Don't let the pressure of the situation overwhelm you.
These graves will stretch like landing strips
Death is so pervasive that it replaces the landscape and we lose sight of our path.
Hospitals, all dead museums
Medical places filled with suffering are no longer equipped to help.
We won't have to be afraid anymore
In death we find peace and release from fear.
The crowd is growing silent with the gathering storm
People are beginning to understand the enormity of what is happening and they are bracing for impact.
Just trying to keep up the act
Pretending to be something we're not to survive the current moment.
Joining the procession of emptiness
Being part of the parade of those who have passed before us and left an empty space behind.
If we say these words it will be too late to take them back
Words have weight and we should choose them carefully, they can't be undone.
So we hold our breath and fold our hands
We take a moment to prepare ourselves and choose our words with care.
Like paper airplanes
Our intentions can be fragile and easily damaged.
We don't have to be alone
Our shared experiences and humanity bind us together.
There's a riot in the theater, someone's standing in the aisles
Chaos and unrest have taken hold and disrupted the normally controlled environment.
Are everywhere and they're lining up
Dangers are present all around us and we can't escape them.
Carving the 'm' in your side
Marking someone forever with a scar of what they've been through.
Stand alone
Despite being in a group, you may have to face something alone.
Pull the curtain back
Expose what's really happening and face it head on.
Kill all the houselights
Remove all the distractions and face the issue directly.
The silk is spinning round and around with the ceiling fan
Watching something beautiful and precious be destroyed.
I'm disappearing into the spotlight
Gradually becoming a part of the problem or losing control of the situation.
I'm on display with the butterfly with smiles
Appearing content or happy on the surface despite what's really happening.
With smiles like picket fences you tie us all up and leave us outside
False pleasantries and assurances trap us and leave us unprepared to face reality.
"That voice is silent now, the boat has sunk"
Having to come to terms with the loss of something or someone important.
We're on our own but we're not going to run
We may have to face dark times alone, but we won't let fear control us.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind