Their four track debut EP, ‘Mirrors’, has been produced by former SikTh members Dan Weller and Justin Hill (Enter Shikari, Haunts, Gallows), and covers a host of subjects, from party-induced-excess and temptation, to adolescent aspirations and dependency, and all this in little more than 16 minutes. However, it’s a brief blast of promise that should more than whet the appetite for what’s to come from the five-piece and serves as a ringing statement of intent.
A 12-track debut album 'All Our Kings Are Dead' was released on the 21st of July 2010, and was well-received by both critics and fans alike.
With former Johnny Truant drummer Paul Jackson (Alexisonfire, Cancer Bats, The Ghost Of A Thousand) handling artwork duties, and a forthcoming remix of ‘The Weight Of The World’ by Lostprophets frontman Ian Watkins’ L’Amour La Morgue project, there’s a distinct British flavour to ‘Mirrors’.
“British music is so healthy right now, the scene here has been building for a long time,” explains singer Gustav Wood, “and to have people from some of the best bands, past and present, helping us out and digging our band is incredible.”
Having clocked up shows alongside the likes of Funeral For A Friend, Lostprophets, The Answer and We Are The Ocean already, and with a relentless touring schedule ahead of them including supporting All Time Low on their UK tour, it’s going to be near impossible to avoid Young Guns in 2011, and on the proof of 'All Our Kings Are Dead' and ‘Mirrors’, we wouldn’t advise even trying.
[1]On October 13th, Young Guns released their new song 'Learn My Lesson' after it was premiered on Zane Lowes Radio 1's show at 7.30pm.
Young Guns' new album 'Bones' is out in Feb!
Memento Mori
Young Guns Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What once was now looks so strange
You're out at sea and I'm ashore
These wounds don't seem to wait
If you're a fist I'm a window pane
Like the moon we wax and wane
She says we're not gonna make it
It's bittersweet but I'll take it
They say that some things
Are just not meant to last
This night's fading like a photograph
This night's fading like a photograph
This night's fading like a photograph
Some things just aren't meant to last
Oh I constantly explain
You're the mist I'm the pouring rain
And slowly we evaporate
In these tombs I seal away
Precious little that still remains
To never see the light of day
She says we're not gonna make it
This night is fading just like a photograph
It's bittersweet but I'll take it
They say that some things
Are just not meant to last
This night's fading like a photograph
This night's fading like a photograph
This night's fading like a photograph
Some things just aren't meant to last
She says memento mori
Tonight ignore the warnings
We could be dead by morning
And I'm fading like a photograph
And I'm fading like a photograph
She says we're not gonna make it
This night is fading just like a photograph
It's bittersweet but I'll take it
They say that some things
Are just not meant to last
This night's fading like a photograph
This night's fading like a photograph
This night's fading like a photograph
Some things just aren't meant to last
The lyrics of Young Guns's song "Memento Mori" speak about the delicate nature of relationships and how they can be fleeting, much like a photograph. The singer reflects on the changes he's noticed in his heart and in the relationship itself; what was once familiar now seems strange. The metaphor of being "out at sea" and "ashore" emphasizes the distance between the two parties. The scars left by disagreements or fights don't heal easily - "these wounds don't seem to wait."
The lines "If you're a fist I'm a window pane, like the moon we wax and wane" illustrate the give-and-take of a relationship, always shifting and changing like the phases of the moon. The singer constantly explains to his partner that they come from different perspectives - "You're the mist I'm the pouring rain," but despite their differences, they cling to what remains precious. Unfortunately, it seems that nothing can be done to salvage what they once had.
The chorus carries the message of impermanence; the night is fading like a photograph, a moment captured in time that will never return. The bitterness of the situation is acknowledged, but the singer accepts that some things just aren't meant to last. The final lines repeat the metaphor of fading away like a photograph, and the repeated line "She says memento mori" is a Latin phrase meaning "remember that you will die" - a reminder that everything has an end.
Line by Line Meaning
In my heart I feel a change
A feeling of change in someone's heart
What once was now looks so strange
The past looks unfamiliar now
You're out at sea and I'm ashore
Being separated from someone
These wounds don't seem to wait
The pain doesn't go away
If you're a fist I'm a window pane
A metaphor for how someone can hurt someone else easily
Like the moon we wax and wane
A reference to the phases of the moon
She says we're not gonna make it
Someone expressing doubts about a relationship
This night is fading just like a photograph
The moment is fleeting
It's bittersweet but I'll take it
Accepting that things may not work out
They say that some things
Acknowledging that not everything is meant to last
Are just not meant to last
Everything comes to an end eventually
Oh I constantly explain
Trying to make someone understand
You're the mist I'm the pouring rain
A metaphor for how someone's love can be unrequited
And slowly we evaporate
A metaphor for how a relationship can fade away
In these tombs I seal away
Hiding away feelings
Precious little that still remains
Not much left of what was once there
To never see the light of day
Something that's hidden away and will never be exposed
She says memento mori
A reminder of mortality
Tonight ignore the warnings
Not heeding advice or cautionary words tonight
We could be dead by morning
Life is short and unpredictable
And I'm fading like a photograph
A metaphor for how someone or something is fading away
Some things just aren't meant to last
Repeating the theme that not everything can be permanent
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: BENJAMIN LLOYD JOLLIFFE, FRASER MACLEOD TAYLOR, GUSTAV TOMAS WOOD, JOHN STUART TAYLOR, SIMON MITCHELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind