Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: emo
Song Meaning of “Family Tradition” by Senses Fail
Senses Fail’s ‘Family Tradition’ is an emotionally-driven, hard-hitting punk rock song with complex lyrics that demand interpretation. It touches on heavy themes of familial dysfunction, mental health, and the passing of traditions between generations.
The song opens with a buzzing electric guitar lick, setting the tone of defiant rebellion against the status quo in the face of oppression. The lyrics of the chorus paint a vivid picture of a broken family, trying to hold on to whatever traditions they can, even as dysfunction and instability threaten to tear them further apart. The lead singer cries out, “And here I stand with all I am, trying to keep a family tradition, so I do what no one can see, love is a family tradition, and it will stay here forever with me.” His words convey a desperate longing for connection, a need for something to cling to that is stronger than the power of the outside world.
In the second verse, Senses Fail explore the impact of this family tradition on mental health. They sing, “It’s a vicious circle we are all bound in, we sing the blues and never lie again.” The lyrics hint at the potential for the family tradition to manifest itself as a form of emotional pain, continuing through generations until it is broken.
By the time we reach the bridge portion of the song, the dichotomy between the solidness of the family tradition and its volatility has been made clear. The lyrics state, “I thought I’d be strong enough, I thought one day I’d be strong enough, it’s a family tradition, it’s the only thing that lasts, but it’s got a war inside itself that will never pass.”
At the end of the song, Senses Fail offer a subtle glimmer of hope. The singer declares, “And no matter what, it will forever stay with me.” He recognizes that the tradition is always part of him, and he must learn to accept it with all of its flaws in order to thrive.
Overall, ‘Family Tradition’ is a powerful and heartfelt examination of family and tradition, and its resonance lies in its complexity and subtlety.