The band was formed in Lowell, Massachusetts, in 2012 under the name Operation Guillotine.They were originally a metalcore band, consisting of five members, with Kyle Anthony performing unclean vocals. Their line-up soon changed to vocalist/guitarist Lynn Gunn (born Lyndsey Gunnulfsen), guitarist Alex Babinski, bassist Brian Macdonald, and drummer Brad Griffin. Griffin would leave the band prior to the release of the band's first album, 2014's White Noise. The trio of Gunn, Babinski, and MacDonald would release one more album, All We Know of Heaven, All We Need of Hell, in 2017, and an EP, Hallucinations, in 2019. Prior to the release of 2020's Use Me, Babinski was removed from the band. The band's current lineup is Gunnulfsen, with Macdonald and drummer Danny Agosto playing with her live.
January Rain
PVRIS Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm stuck in a moment
There's things on my bed
You made permanent
An unspoken omen
Fell from the high
Cried through the nights
But you didn't know it
Lost in emotion
Always knew you would leave me dry, I
Wasn't ready to say goodbye
January rain
It never really goes away
Still remember how you taste
Somewhere in the bitter and the sweet, a dream
Do you think of me?
Standin' in a summer haze
When we were gonna be okay
It'll wash out in the January rain
My eyes are red, the roses are dead
You know I still hold them
You're chasin' me down on my side of town
And now it feels stolen
Always knew you would leave me dry, I
Wasn't ready to say goodbye
January rain
It never really goes away
Still remember how you taste
Somewhere in the bitter and the sweet, a dream
Do you think of me?
Standin' in a summer haze
When we were gonna okay
It'll wash out in the January rain
Always wished we had one more night, so I'd
Think of you in a better light, I'd
Always knew you would leave me dry
Now I'm ready to say goodbye, my
January rain
It never really goes away (goes away, goes away, goes away)
January rain
It never really goes away
Still remember how you taste
Somewhere in the bitter and the sweet, a dream
Do you think of me?
Standin' in a summer haze
When we were gonna okay
It'll wash out in the January rain
The lyrics of PVRIS's song "January Rain" convey the turmoil and lingering pain that follow a breakup. The singer struggles to overcome a past relationship, where they always forgave but couldn't forget the permanent damage inflicted by their partner's actions. The lyrics allude to alcoholism and other forms of addiction ("my eyes are red, the roses are dead"), which could have contributed to the relationship's downfall. Despite trying to move on, the singer is haunted by the memories of their ex-lover, and the January rain serves as a metaphor for the never-ending cycle of pain and regret. The singer questions whether their ex still thinks of them and longs for the time when "we were gonna okay," but ultimately realizes that they must say goodbye, and the rain will eventually wash away the pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Always forgive, but I can't forget
I always try to forgive, but I can't forget despite my efforts.
I'm stuck in a moment
I feel trapped or unable to move on from a certain point in time.
There's things on my bed
There are physical or emotional reminders of you on my bed.
You made permanent
You left a significant and lasting impression on me.
An unspoken omen
There's a feeling of foreboding or bad news that is present but not acknowledged.
Fell from the high
I experienced a sudden drop or crash from a place of happiness or success.
Cried through the nights
I cried excessively during the night or when alone.
But you didn't know it
You were unaware of the extent of my pain or sadness.
The psychic was right, a beautiful lie
A psychic's prediction of our future together came true, despite it being a lie I wanted to believe.
Lost in emotion
I'm overwhelmed by my feelings and unable to think clearly.
January rain
The rain in January serves as a metaphor for the persistent and enduring nature of pain or sadness.
It never really goes away
The pain or sadness stays with me for a long time, even after things have supposedly moved on.
Still remember how you taste
I have vivid and lingering memories of our time together.
Somewhere in the bitter and the sweet, a dream
Despite the good and bad memories, there's a part of me that still holds onto the fantasy of our relationship.
Do you think of me?
I wonder if you still remember me or think of me at all.
Standin' in a summer haze
I remember a moment when everything seemed perfect and hopeful, but it was just a fleeting illusion.
When we were gonna be okay
There was a time when we thought everything would work out for the better, but it didn't.
It'll wash out in the January rain
I hope that the pain and memories associated with you will eventually fade away with time.
My eyes are red, the roses are dead
I am physically and emotionally drained, and the roses that were once a symbol of love are now dead and wilted.
You know I still hold them
Even though they are dead, I still hold onto the things that symbolize our relationship.
You're chasin' me down on my side of town
I feel like you're still pursuing me and trying to make contact when I'm trying to move on.
And now it feels stolen
The memories and symbols of our relationship now feel like they were taken from me, rather than given.
Always wished we had one more night, so I'd
I often think about how one more night together might have changed things for the better.
Think of you in a better light, I'd
Given another chance, I might have a more positive and forgiving view of our time together.
Now I'm ready to say goodbye, my
After much pain and reflection, I am finally willing and able to let go of our relationship.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Justin Thomas Daly, Lyndsey Gerd Gunnulfsen, Sean Van Fleet
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OfficialFunnyCream
Meaning Behind the Lyrics
[Verse 1]
Always forgive, but I can't forget
I'm stuck in a moment
There's things on my bed
You made permanent
An unspoken omen
Fell from the high
Cut through the lines
But you didn't know it
The psychic was right, a beautiful lie
Lost in emotion
( In an interview, Lynn talked about the time she went for a reading. The psychic told her that her relationship won't last long. She tried to prove her wrong, but as we all know they broke up. Deep inside she knew that relationship was doomed. In another interview with iTunes, she stated that she wrote this song by looking back at that relationship one year later by reflecting on what it all felt like).
[Pre-Chorus]
Always knew you would leave me dry, I
Wasn't ready to say goodbye
(Cristal won't shower her with emotions, so she basically left her dry. Lynn tried to save their relationship, but unfortunately, Cristal didn't want to due to the circumstances.)
[Chorus[
January rain
It never really goes away
Still remember how you taste
Somewhere in the bitter and the sweet, a dream
Do you think of me?
Standin' in the somber haze
When we were gonna be okay
You know I shout in the January rain
(At first I thought that they broke up in January, but after finding out that Lynn made a remix of their song back in April 2019, I scratched that out. So this is my interpretation: December is the month that it usually starts to snow, so if it rains in January, you won't be able to find any trace of the snow. So according to Lynn, her relationship felt like January rain. The time in which they spent with each other to build the relationship (snow) is now all gone. This wasn't the first time that Lynn lost a relationship, so it never really goes away, it keeps recurring. As I stated before, Lynn tried to reach out (When we were gonna be okay, you know I shout in the January rain) especially during the rocky period of the relationship. But it didn't work out.)
[Verse 2]
My eyes are red, the roses are dead
You know I still hold them
You're chasin' me down on my side of town
And now it feels stolen
(She cried a lot (eyes are red). As a reference to the beginning of the song that she left her dry (the roses are dead) so Cristal is no longer there to water their relationship. Lynn is still hurt that's why she still holds the roses. Cristal and her sister moved to LA where Lynn lives (chasing me down my side of town) The Aces have released a song called Lost Angeles where Cristal sings about moving to LA but the city reminds her of her past relationship.)
[Bridge]
Always wished we had one more night, for I'd
Think of you in a better light
Always knew you would leave me dry
Now I'm ready to say goodbye, my
January rain
It never really goes away
( if only she could've talked to Lynn to try to work things out, she would have kept things cool between them. In an interview with iTunes, she said that there was a week in January that kept pouring rain that's when she felt the feeling (doomed relationship) the heaviest.)
@aleyasihana4183
Did anyone else notice how in Wish You Well there's a line saying "psychic told me something in september" and in this song she sings "the psychic was right/a beautiful lie, lost in emotion"? so cool, I love it when there's little coherent parts in songs like that
@RealBloom
Wish You Well and Stay Gold have same similiraties at amber parts
@samidaliphoto
Yess
@dielikearockstar
PVRIS has meant so much to me for so long and that isn’t bound to change anytime soon. I love this album so much.
@MysticalGalaxy23
Me too I didn't know what to expect and it's really different from the older stuff but damn I am digging it. Every song just hits a different mood 💚
@nickp0834
This album is a masterpiece of music
@madeleinep.828
I just love how unique Lynn’s voice is.
@Nomzi
Unreal. For them to maintain the same chill, hauntingly atmospheric sound that felt distinctly PVRIS, and yet somehow meld a new, fresh approach this effortlessly... They're my forever-muse. ♡
@SamAdvenMedia
It's like, every band eventually gets to a point where they change their sound regardless what their fans say.. (linkin park, green day, paramore, AFI, Metallica, etc...) but PVRIS still has this vibe going since their first acoustic EP back in like 2014. I hope they never change!
@jasonlovesmusicreacting882
The beat though. Probably my favorite on the album.