All Signs Point to Lauderdale

A Day To Remember

I hate this town, it's so washed up
And all my friends don't give a fuck
They'll tell me that it's just bad luck
When will I find where I fit in
2,3,4!

Remember when I tried
I'd never strayed too far from you
Forever by your side
No matter what I was going through
But now I never know the things to say to you
That help me prove that I'm still on your side
I never show just what you do to me
Guess I'm what's always wrong

I hate this town, it's so washed up
And all my friends don't give a fuck
They'll tell me that it's just bad luck
When will I find where I fit in
I hate this town

Cause no one can understand, 
I just can't be tied down
Nothing comes between me and my plans
So now I never know the things to say to you
That help me prove that I'm still on your side
I never show just what you do to me
Guess I'm what's always wrong

I hate this town, it's so washed up
And all my friends don't give a fuck
They'll tell me that it's just bad luck
When will I find where I fit in

And don't believe a word they're telling to you
Don't believe a word they're telling to you
They let me down
When will I find where I fit in
I hate this town

Won't let a world gone mad ever bring me down
Gave everything I had to turn it back around
Cause our time's worth something 
Bigger than both you and me
I can't live my life always backing down
I gotta do this right so they can't make a sound
Cause I'm not here for nothing
Least I can say I stand for something

You and me we stand for something

I hate this town, it's so washed up
And all my friends don't give a fuck
They'll tell me that it's just bad luck
When will I find where I fit in

And don't believe a word they're telling to you
Don't believe a word they're telling to you
They let me down
When will I find where I fit in
I hate this town...

All Signs Point to Lauderdale is A Day to Remember's anthem about not fitting into society, yet being willing to do your own thing instead of bending to their will. The song begins with "I hate this town, it's so washed up / And all my friends don't give a fuck", saying that the singer lives in a place that is boring and behind the times. His friends also don't care about what they're doing with their lives. The second verse states "Cause no one can understand / I just can't be tied down / Nothing comes between me and my plans!" The singer is saying here that he can't be stuck in this washed up town. He believes that if the town holds him back or "ties him down", it'll intervene with his plans for his future. My favorite part of this song has to be the entire third verse, in which the singer sings "Won't let a world gone mad ever bring me down / Gave everything I had to turn it back around /  Cause our time's worth something / Bigger than both you and me / I can't live my life always backing down / I gotta do this right so they can't make a sound / Cause I'm not here for nothing / Least I can say I stand for something". This is the most emotional part of the song, in my opinion. Here he restates that he won't let the world keep him from doing what he wants. He also says that he's given it his all to make his life how he wants it, because his time is worth something to him. He then sort of repeats himself, just strengthening his point that he will not give up. Finally he says "'Least I can say I stand for something", meaning that he feels that he has a higher purpose in life, that he believes he shouldn't be held back. I believe that this song is very easy to relate to for anyone (especially high school seniors) who feel like they need to get out in the world and accomplish something.

My Heroine

Silverstein

The drugs begin to peak
A smile of joy arrives in me
But sedation changes to panic and nausea
And breath starts to shorten
And heartbeats pound softer
You won't try to save me!
You just want to hurt me and leave me desperate!

You taught my heart, a sense I never knew I had.
I can't forget, the times that I was
Lost and depressed from the awful truth
How do you do it?
You're my heroine!

You won't leave me alone!
Chisel my heart out of stone, I give in every time.

You taught my heart, a sense I never knew I had
I can't forget, the times that I was
Lost and depressed from the awful truth
How do you do it?
You're my heroine!

I bet you laugh, at the thought of me thinking for myself (myself).
I bet you believe, that I'm better off with you than someone else.

Your face arrives again, all hope I had becomes surreal.
But under your covers more torture than pleasure
And just past your lips there's more anger than laughter
Not now or forever will I ever change you
I know that to go on, I'll break you, my habit!

You taught my heart, a sense I never knew I had.
I can forget, the times that I was
Lost and depressed from the awful truth
How do you do it?
You're my heroine!

I will save myself!

"My Heroine" is one of my favorite songs by Silverstein, especially the acoustic version (shown above) because I feel like it conveys more emotion. The song uses a play on words, with heroine being a female hero and heroin being a drug. The singer is singing about what he's going through with his heroine, which relates to the withdrawal symptoms of heroin. "The drugs begin to peak / A smile of joy arrives in me" describes how someone first feels when they shoot up heroin, as well as how the singer feels around his heroine, who we can presume is a girlfriend or ex-girlfriend. They get the high and become happy, however next we see "But sedation changes to panic and nausea / And breath starts to shorten / And heartbeats pound softer", showing how the high doesn't last, quickly changing into a freak out state and feeling sick. Next we hear "You won't try to save me / you just want to hurt me, and leave me desperate", which relates the girl and heroin again, showing that neither of them is good for the singer, as they only bring hurt. "You won't leave me alone / chisel my heart out of stone, I give in every time" shows the singer's addiction. When he says the heroine won't leave him alone, it's proof that she's always on his mind, while the part about giving in every time tells us that he succumbs to what she wants him to do every time he's around her. After the chorus is repeated, we hear "I bet you laugh, at the thought of me thinking for myself / I bet you believe, that I'm better off with you than someone else", which is the singer saying that the heroine thinks that he can't live without her. The chorus is then repeated, followed by another verse which has the singer realizing how badly he needs to give up on his heroine. First, he thinks he finally has her but is then treated the same way he always has been, as seen in the line "Your face arrives again, all hope I had becomes surreal / But under your covers more torture than pleasure / And just past your lips there's more anger than laughter". He then realizes that it is a vicious cycle and that he must give up on her, saying "Not now or forever will I ever change you / I know that to go on, I'll break you, my habit!" Then he restates the chorus, finishing off with a rather intense "I will save myself" that once again shows that he's decided to give up on the girl. This is a very powerful song, that I believe anyone who's been a complete fool for someone can relate to. It proves that wanting someone who treats you poorly can be just as destructive as an addiction to a dangerous drug, such as heroin.

Mr. Highway is Thinking About the End

A Day to Remember

Wake up!

Oh how the times have changed
You're not the person I knew back then
Let's get this straight
This is a calling
When will they stop falling for this?
You lack all inspiration

We're not the same
I'll do whatever it takes
To get it through to you
We'll call this a day
We're not the same
You are worthless
Stay in your place

It's like speaking in tongues
To all of you now
When will we ever (when will we ever) get what we deserve?
How long until the tables turn?
When will we ever (when will we ever) get what we deserve?

I've created a monster
You bring out a side of me that no one should see
So quit stalling, pack your bags
Keep walking away
Your life leads to destruction

We are not the same
I've struggled too long to sit back
And let you take this from me
We are not the same
I have given everything

It's like speaking in tongues
To all of you now
When will we ever (when will we ever) get what we deserve?
How long until the tables turn?
When will we ever (when will we ever) get what we deserve?
(Get what we deserve) Get what we deserve
Get what we deserve

Disrespect your surroundings

You won't make it out alive
You won't make it out alive
You won't make it out alive
You won't make it out alive

It's like speaking in tongues
To all of you now
When will we ever (when will we ever) get what we deserve?
How long until the tables turn?
When will we ever (when will we ever) get what we deserve?

When will we ever get what we deserve?
When will we ever get what we deserve?

To me, the song "Mr. Highway's Thinking About the End" by A Day to Remember, is about the singer losing someone who was once dear to them. In the first verse we see "Oh, how the times have changed / you're not the person I knew back then." This makes it very clear he is speaking to someone who has changed who they are. Next, we see "We are not the same /  I'll do whatever it takes / To get it through to you", this is the singer saying that he is not going to change like the person he is singing about. In the chorus, we see "It's like speaking in tongues / to all of you now", meaning that when the speaker says something to the person who is singing about, it is like he is speaking gibberish to the person, and that they don't understand him. Also in the chorus we see "When will we ever get what we deserve?", a question asked by the singer to say "Hey, I'm working hard over here, when will you change back (get what he deserves)?" In the next verse, we hear the line "I've created a monster / you bring out a side of me that no one should see", is the singer saying that he doesn't want anyone to see how he acts around the person he is singing about. "We are not the same / I've struggled too long to sit back / and let you take this from me / we are not the same / I have given everything" is the singer coming to the realization that he can't change the person and that he's not going to stress over it. It's him deciding to let go, because the person will obviously not change back, no matter how much the singer tries. Near the end of the song, the heavy instrumentals fade to a softer tone, and the chorus is sung quietly. I believe that this is the singer reflecting sadly on everything that has happened. The song ends after that, because the singer has poured his heart out and has finally given up.

Contraband

The movie Contraband is the story of Chris Farraday (Mark Wahlberg), an ex-smuggler who is forced to do one last job to save his family. Cliched plot aside, the movie is actually well executed and entertaining. Chris was once an expert in the field of smuggling but eventually "became legit", starting his own business and raising a family. While on a smuggling job, his brother-in-law has to ditch a stash of cocaine, because the ship is being boarded and searched by customs. Due to this, the people he was working for kill his partner and badly injure him, threatening his life if he doesn't find a way to pay them back. Chris decides to get back into the business to protect him, as well as the rest of his family. I appreciated the fact that Chris isn't the "John McClane" action hero, thinking of himself as a bad-ass, spewing off one liners and lighting a cigarette every five minutes. He's intelligent and knows what to do to get the job done. He always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else, as he's able to out think the customs officers and ensure the safety of his family. The movie was able to put me on the edge of my seat at times, which is the trademark of a good action movie.  The acting was solid, from the ways I mentioned Chris behaving, to the secondary characters, who sometimes aren't potrayed very well in action movies. In all honesty, I was expecting the movie to be explosions and cheesy acting, but I was pleasantly surprised with an engaging story, decent acting, and an ending that left me wanting more. Contraband is definitely worth seeing for anyone who enjoys a good action movie.


Rating: 8/10


- Rob