Music is, and always has been, what brings humanity together. A universal language that bridges together people from all walks of life. Music has always been a constant for me, something that keeps me going when times are tough and reminds me that I’m not alone. What I want, this school year, is to share that feeling with others. My mission is to share my personal story with music, using the bands and artists that changed my life, in hopes of changing someone else’s.
To start, we have Pierce the Veil. PTV is a post-hardcore progressive rock band that changed the music scene in the early 2000’s, having started in 1998 with brothers Mike and Vic Fuentes. But their history matters little, in the grand scheme of things, it’s their music that changed lives.
One of the first songs of theirs that I would like to share is Stained Glass Eyes and Colorful Tears, from their album Collide with the Sky. According to the lead singer, Vic, himself, “This song is about hoping for a better life for the one that you love. Standing by that person even if they are at their lowest point. It’s also about wanting to repay someone who has done so much for you, but never being able to.”
Stained Glass Eyes and Colorful Tears resonated with me so much when I first heard it (tears of my own may or may not have been involved), and it’s what really made me want to get into Pierce the Veil past just their more mainstream songs.
The next song I want to share is A Match Into Water. At first glance, the lyrics may seem to be about self harm or suicide, but it’s about losing someone you love to something even out of their control. Vic Fuentes shares it’s about his ex-girlfriends battle with breast cancer, which I feel is appropriate because it’s breast cancer awareness month. My favorite lyric is during the bridge, “We will bring the tidal wave / and nothing will remain / She’s mine / you stay away from her, it’s not her time.”
Lastly, you can’t talk about Pierce the Veil without talking about King for a Day! Oh wait, I can, and I will. That song’s great, but it’s Bulls in the Bronx’s time to shine. Bulls in the Bronx is written about a fan’s best friend who committed suicide at age 16. Vic was sent the link to the girl’s, Olivia Jane Penpraze, Tumblr account, which was, self-admittedly, “one of the most haunting things [he’s] ever seen.” According to SongFacts, “The song is written from the perspective of a nameless narrator and describes her efforts to find love and beauty in a world that seems intent on denying her both.”
In all, Pierce the Veil writes songs about loss, overcoming pain, and the hidden beauty in the world that you just have to try to find. They help show that you aren’t alone, even when it seems the opposite. Sometimes listening to music that puts things into words that you never could is what you need to get through dark times, and PTV was that for me. I hope it can be for you too.
