Part of a demo recorded in 2002 in preparation for one of Zao's farewell tours that would also be our biggest as we joined Zao, Unearth, Underoath and Dead Poetic that summer. This demo was recorded at one of Matt's neighbors' houses.

One thing of note about this song is that it was almost rerecorded and used on Bleed Me Blue in place of the acoustic title track. For some reason, the title Bleed Me Blue was stuck in my head for the ep but there was no song with those lyrics. So one night I wrote a song using this title and recorded it the next day at Jesse Smith's house. The rest is history.

As it Rises

Part of a demo recorded in 2002 in preparation for one of Zao's farewell tours that would also be our biggest as we joined Zao, Unearth, Underoath and Dead Poetic that summer. This demo was recorded at one of Matt's neighbors' houses.

Rain Soaks Dry

The Depths

This Train

One of three songs recorded in early 2003 after the Bleed Me Blue sessions for its' European release on Lifeforce Records.

A surprisingly popular song on the local scene- in large part for its' sing-along introduction. Written in a rare moment of optimism which was probably fueled by how well things were going for the band at that time.
_________________________
My future's brighter than than the sun
I'm open and I'm young
The spiritual sky
Has opened my eyes
And I'm counting on you now

Like it's the first time
It's the last time 
I'll take "no" for an answer
This is the day
This is the hour 
That I'll turn it all around

There's magic in the air I breathe
It's electric energy
I've painted the night
As bright as the day
And the world is ours to take

The World is Ours

One of three songs recorded in early 2003 after the Bleed Me Blue sessions for its' European release on Lifeforce Records.

A melodramatic song I wrote after meeting up with friends after graduating from college. Pretty self-explanatory.
_____________________
Conversation centers only on the memories we've shared
And so I'm left to question why we bother If we're not heading anywhere

You were someone that I could have shared with for a lifetime
But it seems you've buried us in what we've been
You were so close to me- I would have died for you in a heartbeat
Never would have traded you for anything

There's something beautiful in leaving things they way they are
But in these moments we could find another spring past our winter

You took it all away
And you don't care

A Heartbeat

One of three songs recorded in early 2003 after the Bleed Me Blue sessions for its' European release on Lifeforce Records.

This song is fairly self-explanatory. It deals with finding the one you are destined to be with and have no choice but to love.
______________________________
Your love, like rain, is pouring over me and I'm drowning
I gasp for breath
I take it inside and you fill me

All my life, I feel, has been with you

We're caught in the rain
We're lost in the storm
I've waiting for so long
You're burning my heart
By holding me close
And I've been branded

I walked these streets and saw the faces of the masses
To look back now 
I don't see how I ever lasted

'Cause the images I see are all of you

To find you was to
Find my everything
And to hold you is to
hold a part of me

Branded

Recorded with Marshall Deasy in June 2005 along with other tracks that went on to inclusion in the Lungs and Forces records including Red, White & Blind.

One of the few songs in which I've ever resorted to swearing but I thought it aptly suited the song's lyrical concept. 
_______________________
I've got a problem with your tongue
Found out about your dissension
Dumping your garbage in my streets
I'm onto you shit-talking me

Whisper my name beneath your breath
Running your mouth into our death
A well-dressed wound, a Judas kiss amount to this

Now when you call me I'm not there
You need to talk but I don't care
You say you want to work this out
Let's start with you closing your mouth

Can't say I know where we went wrong
Were you pretending all along?
Smile to my face then- just like that
My trust- your bullets through my back

And I'd give anything for a soul that I could trust
And I'd give anything for an everlasting love

Your Mouth

One of three songs recorded for our Hollywood Records demo with famed producer David Bendeth in 2004. This was one of the few songs we had written that he felt was worth reworking. His goal was to make us sound more like Nickelback but you be the judge. Fallen One was the only song of the three that went on to be released. I didn't enjoy dumbing down the song but I liked channeling Chris Cornell at the end.

Silver (Bendeth version)

One of three songs recorded for our Hollywood Records demo with famed producer David Bendeth in 2004. This was one of the few songs we had written that he felt was worth reworking. His goal was to make us sound more like Nickelback but you be the judge. Fallen One was the only song of the three that went on to be released. 

Everyone (Bendeth version)

Recorded in 2004 with Marshall Deasy as a demo for Atlantic Records. This was mostly a reflection on my experiences studying the Bible's origins and meeting people of other faiths. This journey would eventually lead me to agnosticism and beyond.
______________________________________
Spend half our lives
sorting out our deaths
With one million ways
we could repent

God's been away for a long time

I can't find any light to save me
Everyone's condemning 
Everyone is saving everyone

Our holy scriptures erode to dust
when one million sages
read them for us

Voices of angels and the dead

We're on the run now
With nothing but doubt to show
Belief in the patrons
Whose faith we may never know

Everyone

One of five songs recorded in the Spring of 2006 at a friend's house near Atlanta with the help of Adriel Garcia. This recording session is somewhat documented here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOxWZeJdMA8

Lyrics are self explanatory. This song always reminded me of the intro to the Beverly Hills 90210 theme for some reason.
_________________________________
She always walks away from me
She always walks away 
When we both know she's dying to stay

And I just want to be a part of you
I don't want to be an echo

I'm not the type to waste my time
And I'm not the type
To waste a good thing when I know that it's mine

And I just want to be a part of you
I don't want to be an echo
I know there's only room inside for two
But I don't want to be an echo

So pack your bags
And leave tonight
And don't look back
'Cause it's not right
I don't want 
To live this way
This is no place
For playing games

Echo

One of five songs recorded in the Spring of 2006 at a friend's house near Atlanta with the help of Adriel Garcia. Render was the only track that went on to release. This recording session is somewhat documented here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOxWZeJdMA8

Growing up in a religious home, I struggled a lot with faith. As in other songs, this was written about me in the third person. I wanted to convince myself that I could be a man of faith because I was losing someone close to me who saw my agnosticism as the reason why our relationship would never work out. A tragic failure on all ends, but a decent song resulted nonetheless. One of the aspects I really liked about this track was the vocal harmonies in the chorus creating tension while giving it what I considered to be a "middle eastern" feel.
_____________________________
He's reaching for something that he can't see
Believing in what some find obsolete
He's dreaming of a place to rest his head
He's searching for a life among the dead

Every road
Leads to nowhere
Search the skies
Find your way

The cynical can always find you doubt
But the truth eventually finds you out
He's dreaming of a place to rest his head
A place where his cold blood will turn to red

Don't let them tell you they are stronger
There is no strength in disbelief

Every Road

One of five songs recorded in the Spring of 2006 at a friend's house near Atlanta with the help of Adriel Garcia. Render was the only track that went on to release. This recording session is somewhat documented here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOxWZeJdMA8

This song is about my personal belief that the masses will always have power over authority and institutions should they choose to claim that power. All it takes is a spark.
_______________________________

A single spark
Could set the world on fire
From one thing to the next
'Til Earth expires

Once contagious flame
Could burn it all away
No survivors
Nothing to reclaim

I want to be that spark
I want to ignite the dark

Never underestimate
The power of defiance
There's strength in our numbers
There are voices in the silence

A single voice
Could amplify a notion
'Til it becomes
A beacon of devotion

One unifying cause
Could take back what is ours
And set right 
All the things that they've done wrong

Defiance

One of five songs recorded in the Spring of 2006 at a friend's house near Atlanta with the help of Adriel Garcia. Render was the only track that went on to release. This recording session is somewhat documented here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOxWZeJdMA8

Inspired by a friend I had a crush on who was in a relationship. I wanted her to know that I had not gotten my hopes up.
_________________________

She fears I love her
So what if I do
You don't have to own a sunrise
To appreciate the view

She fears she'll hurt me
When I'm left alone
But I'm used to chasing rainbows
So the rain is all I know

Everything is grey
From my future to my faith
To the sun that lights my days
From my cradle to my grave

I'm the masterpiece 
Of the incomplete
Just a picture with no frame
I'm the masterpiece
Of the incomplete
Just a fragment on display

I remember hope
When it first found me
I was anxious and alive
Sacrificing everything

As colors faded
A cold crept inside
So forgive me for assuming 
You would leave when you arrived

Coveting the simple
longing for the absolute
Black flames upon white candles
never leading me to truth
She is like a sunbeam
piercing through a clouding sky
And I would never dream 
of believing she would be mine

Incomplete

Recorded at Derek Euston's Green Room circa 2007

Incomplete (acoustic version featuring Darcie Miner)

Recorded in 2004 with Marshall Deasy as a demo for Atlantic Records who said it sounded too much like Silver. We didn't necessarily agree but the song was discarded for all intents and purposes.

I was dating a girl who was very guarded with her feelings and reckless in her behavior. This song was a plead for her to let me in. Lyrically, one of my favorite aspects of this song was the incorporation of all four seasons into the lyrics of the bridge.
---------------------------------------------------
It's ten feet to your porch 
then it's just ten feet more
I climb to your window
to see what only shows
behind closed doors

You're not alone as long as you don't let me go
I just wanna be the sunlight helping you to grow

And I can tell I could live inside your skin
but you won't let me in
but I could help

And when I kiss your face
your lonely tears I taste
The one's you've tried to hide
the pain you hold inside
below your pores

Your heart is safe and sound
I will not let you down

January winter leads into the April spring
I'll love you like summer falling farther through your skin

Safe & Sound

Rare and unreleased tracks that span the life of York, PA's The Underwater. This site is being put up for posterity and the protection of these tracks which may well have disappeared otherwise. The quality of these tracks reflect the conditions and the years in which they were recorded.  I've done my best with dating them but it's hard to be precise as we tended to record in clumps of 4 or 5 songs and it has been several years. Also included with most of these tracks are lyrics and some notes on the songs themselves. This page is dedicated to everyone who played with us, worked with us, and the fans who supported us over the years. Enjoy!
- Dan

The Underwater B-sides

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