bouts" doesn't exactly have the same ring to it (and not a lot of things rhyme with whereabouts anyways). Even though this song is inherently political, I do like how almost everyone can relate to this in an a-political way. Not everyone knows a Christo-facsist soldier, but everyone has a friend that they've lost touch with. Everyone has a friend they miss. The repetition of that last line, "it's alright," feels like a plea to this person.
The next verse doesn't have much to talk about on it's own, as it's mostly just more ways of saying what we already know by this point and serves as sort of a "flashback" than anything. Coupled with the pre-chorus, though, is where it gets interesting.
Another place, another time We toed the same side of the line Yeah, we saw eye to eye Even then the saddest sounds Were nothing laughter could not drown But we are not laughing now
I see your face In my sights I hesitate And then look for a sign Somewhere in the sky
The juxtaposition between the two is stark; firstly, he talks about his brotherly comradery. Toeing the same line, seeing eye to eye, drowning their sorrows in laughter. The last line of the verse, though, brings us back to reality.
The protagonist looks down the sight of (assumedly) a sniper rifle, at a friend he once loved; hesitating
Chamber the Cartridge
Chamber the Cartridge immediately sets the artistic tone that persists throughout The Sufferer and the Witness. The song begins with some radio chatter, as Brandon Barnes plays this militant drum fill that gets faster as the introduction goes on. After a moment, you can hear a robotic voice announce "this is Noyes." The intro uses a sample from the Noyes station Chicago train line; not only a nod to their roots as a Chicago-based band, but a tongue-in-cheek self awareness that they are quite literally making noise.
The first verses are spoken incredibly quickly. Which is, honestly, a little unfortunate given the amazing imagery that Tim McIlrath uses.
Down beyond these city streets through gutters filled with black debris In alleys void of any light where nameless things live out of sight Down through the scrapers of the sky past neon words glowing all night Echoes my name between each car, "Are you happy where you are?"
He manages to make these lyrics come alive, like a camera is panning around this Gotham-esque city. He could've called them "neon signs," but instead he says "neon words glowing all night." He could've said "sky scraper," but instead he says "scraper of the sky." Which may sound like an immature and childish change, but I think it enhances this section a lot. At a first hearing, you don't really understand all of what he's saying. Unless you physically read the lyrics, he's just speaking too fast and aggresssive to understand it. That small change adds an air of mysticism to itself.
Injection
Injection blends together the themes of politics and personal strife into a wonderful concoction of desperation. The equivalent of watching someone trapped in a tank of water try and claw their way out.
The chorus is so fast-paced, and by the end Tim McIlrath is pleading to the listener:
Give me the drug, keep me alive Give me what's left of my life Don't let me go Pull this plug, let me breath On my own I'm finally free Don't let me go
Ready to Fall
Ready to Fall, the first single and third overall track of the album, is so fucking catchy it's crazy. A soft riff begins and, after the first two measures, breaks out into the main part of the song. The first verse plays out as a conversation between two people, going something like this:
"Hold on slow down again from the top now, and tell me everything."
"I know I've been gone for what seems like forever, but I'm here now waiting. To convince you that I'm not a ghost or a stranger, but closer than you think."
She said, "just go on to what you pretend is your life, but please don't die on me!"
The pre-chorus and chorus tackles the narrators willingness to die, with lines like:
Wings won't take me Heights don't faze me So take a step But don't look down Take a step
Hinting that he's afraid to follow through, and other lines like:
I found a shoulder to lean on An infallible reason to live all by itself I took one last look from the heights that I once loved And then I ran like hell
