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.
Paris In Flames
Thursday Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And on the first day I'll dress this city in flames
After the things you say
You hate me for being this way
Still you won't let go of old ideals
There is no headline to read at night
When the record slips and you're not holding the needle
We all sing the songs of separation
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
that's how it was on the first day
We saw Paris in Flames
I think it's going to rain, rain down
Here in this collapsed lung of a borough
There is no sunlight
The sunlight is manufactured in a windowless room
Distant and incoherent
Businessmen hang themselves
The lower east side is a jukebox playing the dead man's crescendo
The needle is a vector
An intersection that well all must cross
A dimly lit hallway where shadows of moths decorate the walls
Discard this message
Burn this city down
Discard this message
Throw this bottle back in the ocean
Rip this page from the history books
Smash all the street signs
Erase all the maps
Forget my name
Forget my face
Because it's going to rain
And it never ends
The song "Paris In Flames" by Thursday discusses the feeling of intense anger and disillusionment that can arise when someone has been betrayed or hurt by a loved one. The lyrics express a desire to destroy everything associated with this feeling, symbolized by the image of setting Paris on fire. The singer seems to feel trapped and suffocated in their urban environment, where daylight is an artificial construct and even suicide is commodified somehow. They draw a parallel between the jukebox playing in the Lower East Side and the inevitable end that we all face as human beings. By suggesting that we should forget everything, including the singer's name and face, the song reflects the singer's desire to obliterate all of the painful memories and associations that have accumulated over time. The final line, "And it never ends," suggests a sense of hopelessness and futility in trying to escape the struggles of the past.
Overall, the song seems to be a cathartic expression of anger and grief, a way for the singer to release all of the negative emotions they have been holding onto. It is a powerful statement about the ways in which pain can accumulate and become overwhelming, and the lengths to which some people will go to try and escape it.
Line by Line Meaning
Now its time to wrap our fears in the night
It's time for us to hide our fears and anxieties in the darkness of the night.
And on the first day I'll dress this city in flames
I'll set this city on fire and reduce it to ashes from the very first day.
After the things you say
After hearing your hurtful words.
You hate me for being this way
You don't accept me for who I am and how I choose to live my life.
Still you won't let go of old ideals
Yet, you still cling onto your outdated beliefs and values.
There is no headline to read at night
There's nothing new or interesting happening in the city that's worth reading about at night.
When the record slips and you're not holding the needle
When things go wrong and you're not in control to fix them.
We all sing the songs of separation
All of us express our feelings of loneliness and alienation through music.
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
We witness helplessly as our lives slip away and we can't do anything about it.
that's how it was on the first day
That's how things were when everything started.
We saw Paris in Flames
We witnessed the city of Paris being destroyed by fire.
I think it's going to rain, rain down
I have a feeling that it's going to rain heavily soon.
Here in this collapsed lung of a borough
In this ruined and decayed area.
There is no sunlight
There's no hope or positivity in this area.
The sunlight is manufactured in a windowless room
The only hope and positivity here are artificially created in a confined space.
Distant and incoherent
Emotions and thoughts are far off and unconnected.
Businessmen hang themselves
People who were once successful and wealthy now face defeat and are highly disappointed in themselves.
The lower east side is a jukebox playing the dead man's crescendo
The lower east side area is playing music that reminds us of death and despair.
The needle is a vector
Drug addiction can cause harm and lead to unwanted consequences.
An intersection that we all must cross
A point in time that everyone will eventually face in their lives.
A dimly lit hallway where shadows of moths decorate the walls
A dark and creepy hallway covered with moths' shadows on the walls.
Discard this message
Get rid of this warning or advice.
Burn this city down
Destroy everything and leave no trace behind.
Throw this bottle back in the ocean
Get rid of this message and let it be lost forever.
Rip this page from the history books
Erase this event from the past so that nobody will ever know about it.
Smash all the street signs
Destroy all signs and indications of direction and guidance.
Erase all the maps
Get rid of all possible ways of finding directions.
Forget my name
Erase me from your memory and never remember who I was.
Forget my face
Don't ever recall how I looked, and don't let it bother you in any way.
Because it's going to rain
The rain represents a new beginning, a fresh start with no past baggage.
And it never ends
This cycle of destruction and rebuilding never really stops, and we just need to learn how to live with it.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Geoffrey Rickly, Robert III Keeley, Steven Pedulla, Thomas Rule, Timothy Payne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jonathan Kelsey SR.
Paris in flames:
Now it's time to wrap our fears in the night
And on the first day I'll dress this city in flames
After all the things you say
You hate me for being this way
Still you won't let go of old ideals
There is no headline to read at night
When the record skips and you're not holding the needle
We all sing the songs of separation
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
That's how it was on the first day
When we saw Paris in Flames
Rain, rain down
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x2]
I think it's going to rain
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x3]
I think it's going to rain
Here in this collapsed lung of a borough
There is no sunlight
The sunlight is manufactured in a windowless room
Distant and incoherent
Businessmen hang themselves
We all sing the songs of separation
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
That's how it was on the first day
When we saw Paris in Flames
The lower east side is a jukebox playing the deadman's crescendo
The needle is a vector
An intersection that we all must cross
A dimly lit hallway where shadows of moths decorate the walls
Discard this message
Discard this message
Discard this message
(Burn this city down, down...)
Discard this message
Throw this bottle back in the ocean
Rip this page from the history books
Smash all the street signs
Erase all the maps
Forget my name
Forget my face
Forget my name
Because it's going to rain (it's going to rain)
And it never ends
Rain, rain down
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x2]
I think it's going to rain
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x3]
I think it's going to rain
(We all sing the songs of separation
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
That's how it was on the first day
We saw Paris in Flames)
🤘🐲🤘
Jonathan Kelsey SR.
Paris in flames:
Now it's time to wrap our fears in the night
And on the first day I'll dress this city in flames
After all the things you say
You hate me for being this way
Still you won't let go of old ideals
There is no headline to read at night
When the record skips and you're not holding the needle
We all sing the songs of separation
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
That's how it was on the first day
When we saw Paris in Flames
Rain, rain down
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x2]
I think it's going to rain
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x3]
I think it's going to rain
Here in this collapsed lung of a borough
There is no sunlight
The sunlight is manufactured in a windowless room
Distant and incoherent
Businessmen hang themselves
We all sing the songs of separation
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
That's how it was on the first day
When we saw Paris in Flames
The lower east side is a jukebox playing the deadman's crescendo
The needle is a vector
An intersection that we all must cross
A dimly lit hallway where shadows of moths decorate the walls
Discard this message
Discard this message
Discard this message
(Burn this city down, down...)
Discard this message
Throw this bottle back in the ocean
Rip this page from the history books
Smash all the street signs
Erase all the maps
Forget my name
Forget my face
Forget my name
Because it's going to rain (it's going to rain)
And it never ends
Rain, rain down
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x2]
I think it's going to rain
I think it's going to rain, rain down [x3]
I think it's going to rain
(We all sing the songs of separation
And we watch our lives bleed out through our hands
That's how it was on the first day
We saw Paris in Flames)
🤘🐲🤘
Luke B
suddenly topical, again
Skepticool 333
I had the greatest bonding moment singing this song with someone I just meet
Dantés Inferno
haha nice.
Белый Кузнецов
How has it been?
RETRO SPACE COATS
💯, I remember practicing my vocals as an early teen to this singing into a remote control pretending I was on stage…
Red Cabin Vintage
what a throwback!
Joseph
Paris is actually in flames rn
Rabbi Lampshadeberg
Still in flames now and even worse
Jonebone ALL DAY
FUCK. November 12, 2022 listening again the past few weeks adding to a new Gym playlist. Something about it just makes me want to run through a brick wall when im working out. Its gunna rain, its gunna rain and it never ends!!!