A year ago today, I was at Wal-Mart practically about to kill this lady because she refused to give me my Memento Mori CD when I knew damn well that there was a huge box of them in the back, and that her stupid ass was just too lazy to go look.
Fast forward to now and you can practically tell how much influence this amazing album has had on me. From the first listening to this blog, this is the first year of Memento Mori:
Again: I was so skeptical of this song when the lyrics were changed. We got so used to them when they played it live, that any change later on seemed kind of betraying. Lacey promised us that the new version would represent it better, and I admit, I wasn’t too fond when I read the changed lyrics, but as we all know, Flyleaf has never been one to disappoint. The first time I heard the studio version, my heart melted. It’s been a favorite since that moment.
Beautiful Bride: When this song first came out, I felt so connected to Flyleaf that it possibly changed my entire perspective on them as people. I always have loved them, but to put to out a song that so deeply said everything that them and us as fans are about was tremendous to me. I’ve been saying it since my first visit to FlyleafFans, practically seven years ago: Flyleaf fans are the best. I’ve never met such wonderful people who truly care so much, not only about the band, but about everyone who’s ever made a single Flyleaf-related moment happen. I’m so grateful to be part of such a wonderful community and I thank God everyday he put such a light in my life.
Chasm: This song is raw. It’s so powerful and says so much. The meaning is beyond words to me. The first time I listened to Chasm, I was immediately drawn into it. A year later, and it’s pushing to be my number one favorite song in the history of forever. Serious brilliance was put into this masterpiece and I only expect much more to come over time.
Missing: So catchy, so lovely, so important to me. This song has gracefully saved my life on more than one occasion. There was one night when my mother and I had gotten into (yet another) fight and I was just laying on my bed, practically out of it, and their song Broken Wings and of course this song were pretty much the only thing that kept me going that night. The bridge saying “down here love wasn’t meant to be/it wasn’t meant to be for me/all is vanity under the sun” especially hit me and completely motivated me to change my life for the better.
This Close: I’ve never felt “this close” to a song before. It’s funny, because when I think about death and dying, this song really comforts me, even though it’s more or less about feeling alive. When I’m upset and start going into super-depressed-mode, all I do is remember this chorus and simply tell myself “this isn’t who you are; you don’t who are yet, and that’s okay. All you have to do is believe that there’s hope and hope will show up”.
The Kind: This song is bi-polar for me! It’s so sad in the beginning because it’s completely true that no one wants to go into the dark and talk about the depressing things when we could much rather talk about sunshine and rainbows. The thing is, the song goes into discovering that the only true way to break through these negative things is to talk about them and not bottle it up.
In The Dark: I don’t like the way this song is presented on the album, but it absolutely kicks ass live. I guess it’s the fact that it goes from being too slow to super fast, then just entangles you in some sense of weirdness that, for me, just doesn’t fit well with my taste. Now when they play it live, it’s a completely different story. The pauses in the song take on some meaning to me personally that the record didn’t seem to accomplish. Not a favorite, but nonetheless important in making this album stand out to me.
Set Apart This Dream: Quite the very reason this blog really got anywhere. This song encouraged me to make prettyful graphics with it’s title, which then turned into the very first header that actually didn’t suck, which in turn caused me to write more! Now depending on that statement, you either already love this song or hate it. Anywho, this song makes me feel important. Like I was put on this Earth for something and…for someone.
Swept Away: The heaviest song on the album! Perfect transition from the debut to MM and just in that fact alone, comforting. Nice to know Flyleaf didn’t completely abandon their roots to excel into full Memento Mori bliss. This band has grown so much, if it weren’t for this song, I might not have known it was even their record!
Tiny Heart: Honestly, when I first heard this song, it was a bit of let down just because I had familiarized with the previous lyrics and thought “well, now that’s got Howard Benson written all over it”. So, okay, not much has changed since I still don’t seem to like the change, but they’re growing on me. The bridge is still brilliant and gives me chills to this day. If a song you’ve listened to for almost six years still gives you goosebumps, the band is obviously doing something right!
Melting: Even though it’s just the interlude between songs, it’s still amazing. Reminds me We The Kings’ “We’ll Be A Dream”, except instead of lulling me off to sleep, this song instead scares the shit out of me. 😉
Treasure: This song is about the night Lacey’s husband, Josh, had proposed to her. It’s simply adorable just because they seem so happy together. I mean, I haven’t really heard anything about them, but from the snippets of information I hear, they seem to be happy with their lives, which in turn makes me ecstatic because I love them all so much.
Circle: What would happen if I believe you now? Could it ever change this? Well, yes, it can. This song has been the single most thing that has pushed me into finding faith once more. I’m not quite there yet, and sometimes it’s harder than I could have ever imagined, but the important thing is that I’m trying awfully hard, when I wouldn’t have even made an attempt if it weren’t for the last verse of this song.
Arise: Simply put, Arise and Be. Don’t hold back because this or that happened or you’ve had struggles in the past. Today is today, and it will surely pass away if not lived to the fullest, and even then, we’ll all die. The thing is, we can either sit around and focus on our own mortality until the fat lady sings, or we can get up and pursue what we were meant for, and when that inevitable time comes, we’ll actually have something to show for the life we’ve lived here. Arise and be all that you dreamed.
Happy Birthday Memento Mori! It’s been a fantastic year with your wonderful music, and I can’t possibly thank Flyleaf enough for putting something so meaningful into my ear drums and pretty much having God say “listen, this is all that you need”. I’m still alive because of you.
§Rainbows & Skeletons§
rainbowsandskeletons 