Cover art for Ancestry by August Burns Red
Nov. 3, 20221 viewer

Ancestry Lyrics

[Intro]
Left behind

[Verse 1]
You chose to leave
Now it looks like you're leaving your family
There's a cavern in your ribs
Where your heart used to be
I've been picking up what's left of you
Connecting your pieces to my memories
Hoping they would ignite some sentiment
But they won't inspire sympathy

[Verse 2]
The hollow point may have ripped you apart
You disregard the damage you'd impart
Rest in peace to our ancestry
That you maimed and left scarred
My judgement is clouded by the blood we share

[Chorus: Jesse Leach & Jake Luhrs]
We built our truth (Our truth)
On top of all these lies
I still see the good in life
It's not the end
(It's not the end)
Although you see the light
I'll see you on the other side

[Post-Chorus: Jesse Leach]
Maybe one day you'll care
But it's not my cross to bear

[Verse 3: Jake Luhrs]
I didn't skip a beat
When I heard the news that you
You couldn't make it to your feet
All I have is apathy
Just another day
Of not knowing what to believe
Another tale, another story
A lifetime of perjury
I wish I had the words to say I love you
I'm not sure I understand what those mean
When I'm thinking of you
I have no words for you

[Verse 4]
When I needed you, you wouldn't even hear it
You made your choices
You'll live with them even if we're gone

[Verse 5]
It's impossible to find what's real in all these fables
Unable to see through the resentment you've enabled
The hurt that you inflicted on yourself
Won't amount to the pain of everyone else
I always wanted things to be different
Although you see the light
I'll see you on the other side
[Chorus: Jesse Leach & Jake Luhrs]
We built our truth (Our truth)
On top of all these lies
I still see the good in life (The good in life)
It's not the end
(It's not the end)
Although you see the light
I'll see you on the other side (The other side)

Although you see the light
I'll see you on the other side

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Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What did August Burns Red say about "Ancestry"?
Genius Answer

JB Brubaker:

I had no expectation of this being the lead single when it was written, but then Jesse from Killswitch came in and did this guest vocal with a pretty big chorus, which is something August Burns Red doesn’t do very often. He took this song from a technical, pretty long metal track into more of an anthem. We love what he did and felt it was really catchy, so we made it the first single. The song talks about one of our band members who had a close loved one attempt suicide, and the struggle that life event was for him.

via Apple Music

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