The band signed with Rise Records and released the studio albums Empire Theory (2009) and Dreamhouse (2010), and independently went on to release their third album Young and Courageous in 2014 and their fourth album Everything Nothing in 2018.
Echoes
Tides of Man Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My body won't let me get away with it,
I'm not your friend,
Been trying to make your pieces fit for so long,
You can't even sing your own fucking song.
Keep your fragile fingernails so clean,
As you lick your moldy hands,
And you never had a chance.
Focus, focus,
You're dying too slow,
Just play your role.
Flirting with danger in unforgetful times,
We live for these moments, we fall in line with fate.
Keep your fragile fingernails so clean,
As you lick your moldy hands,
Suck the life from everything that breathes,
And you never had a chance.
Focus, focus,
You're dying too slow,
Just play your role.
I'll keep breathing,
Just as though your stench doesn't exist,
Or your lips I never kissed,
Wounds I never licked,
I would've died swinging my fists.
The lyrics of Tides of Man's song "Echoes" seem to be a warning against conforming to societal expectations and giving in to the pressures of fitting in with others. The singer is not able to pretend to be someone they are not and their body won't allow them to do so. They are not interested in being friends with someone who tries to force their pieces into a mold that doesn't fit them. The line "you can't even sing your own fucking song" suggests that the person they are addressing is not being true to themselves and is instead following the crowd.
The second verse suggests that the person they are addressing is draining the life from everything around them, and they never had a chance to be anything else. The chorus, with its repetition of "focus, focus, you're dying too slow, just play your role", seems to be saying that the singer is watching this person waste their life by attempting to conform to expectations instead of being true to themselves.
The final stanza brings the song to a close with a message of defiance. The singer will keep on living their life, ignoring the "stench" of conformity and false friendships. They state that they would rather die fighting than give in to societal expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm not like you, I can't pretend,
I cannot pretend to be like you because I am different and unique.
My body won't let me get away with it,
My body won't allow me to hide or forget who I truly am.
I'm not your friend,
I am not someone who supports or agrees with you.
Been trying to make your pieces fit for so long,
I have been trying to make you understand or change for a long time.
You can't even sing your own fucking song.
You cannot even express yourself or be true to who you are.
Keep your fragile fingernails so clean,
You keep your nails clean to hide your true self and imperfections.
As you lick your moldy hands,
Despite hiding your true self, you are rotting from the inside.
Suck the life from everything that breathes,
You drain the energy and life from people around you.
And you never had a chance.
You were never given a fair opportunity to be true to yourself.
Focus, focus,
You need to concentrate and prioritize your life.
You're dying too slow,
You are slowly wasting away and not living life to the fullest.
Just play your role.
Continue to follow societal norms and expectations instead of being true to yourself.
Flirting with danger in unforgetful times,
Taking risks during unforgettable moments in life.
We live for these moments, we fall in line with fate.
We live for these unforgettable moments and accept our destiny.
I'll keep breathing,
I will continue to live my life despite your negative influence.
Just as though your stench doesn't exist,
I will ignore your negative presence in my life.
Or your lips I never kissed,
I will pretend that any intimate or close moments between us never happened.
Wounds I never licked,
I will forget the painful experiences and emotional wounds you caused me.
I would've died swinging my fists.
I would have rather fought for my true self and died than to live a life that is not true to me.
Contributed by Chloe V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
norwinus norton
Lyrics:
I'm not like you I can't pretend.
My body won't let me get away with it. I'm not your friend.
You've been trying to make your pieces fit for so long.
But you can't even sing your own fucking song.
Keep your fragile fingernails so clean, as you lick your moldy hands.
Suck the life from everything that breathes. And you never had a chance.
Focus, you're dying to slow. Just play your role.
Keep your fragile fingernails so clean, as you lick your moldy hands.
Suck the life from everything that breathes. And you never had a chance.
I'll keep breathing, just as though your stench doesn't exist.
As though your lips I'd never kissed, wounds I'd never licked.
I would have died swinging my fists.
R-ODD
Tides of man is so fucking original, why ppl always insist to compare bands?
AdrianAte8
This sounds so f*&#ing unique and amazing! Keep up this awesome shit.
David Stoneback
who cares who they sound like, theyre fucking brilliant
A.K. Aych
Rise needs to press this on vinyl (like, blue or purple). I would buy it in a heartbeat.
Bishop pennington
if someone made tabs of for this, i would love you forever.
clvr
@The Little Spyro you're welcome!
The Little Spyro
@clvr Nice suggestion thanks!
clvr
Bishop pennington I'm glad that I was helpful :)
Bishop pennington
Im glad im even seeing this now! Never too late
clvr
Hey I know it's incredibly late, but (if you don't already know) there's a fantastic guitar cover by Mikerisms which also includes tabs in the description! Hope it helps you out!