This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Am I loud and clear, or am I breaking up?
Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck?
Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost?
I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words
We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
I've been here so long, I think that it's time to move
The winter's so cold, summer's over too soon
Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow
I've got some friends, some that I hardly know
But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand until you hold my hand
Until you hold my hand
I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Am I still your charm, or am I just bad luck?
Are we getting closer, or are we just getting more lost?
I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words
We live on front porches and swing life away,
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end,
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
I've been here so long, I think that it's time to move
The winter's so cold, summer's over too soon
Let's pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow
I've got some friends, some that I hardly know
But we've had some times, I wouldn't trade for the world
We chase these days down with talks of the places that we will go
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand until you hold my hand
Until you hold my hand
I'll show you mine if you show me yours first
Let's compare scars, I'll tell you whose is worse
Let's unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words
We live on front porches and swing life away
We get by just fine here on minimum wage
If love is a labor I'll slave till the end
I won't cross these streets until you hold my hand
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Swing life away
Lyrics submitted by rjbucs28, edited by Skoobasteve24, accountkiller000
Swing Life Away Lyrics as written by Timothy Mcilrath Joseph Principe
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
This song is just about owning life. The song is about living and not really worrying about anything but love and living. "we live on front porches and swing life away, we get by just fine here on minimum wage." they're saying, we live on minimum wage and we are still happy. Its about swinging life away, we all gotta swing life away
I don't know if I agree with you... Rise Against always had this critical look of society. This could be a critic too. Then it would mean that we should't agree to just be slaves to love, or to just let life goes by, that we should search and ask for more
THIS SONG KICKS ASS.
this song is about a guy that is really into his relationship and that his girl is his rock. "i wont cross the street until you hold my hand" means that he needs her in his life, and no matter what life brings them, they will be ok. They will swing life away together carefree.... what a lovely song....awww....a different side of rise against, but fucking brilliant.
This songs so amazing... i cant stop listening to it.. rise against is the best band! I saw these guys perform and it was absolutely nuts
I love it.
This song means alot to me I also grew up in arlington heights and went to high school with Tim McIlrath and had the chance to hang out with him a little bit i to me it means exatcly what it says Swing life away stop worrying who is better or who had more money we lived fine on minimum wage happy and free
its about living life to the fullest and cherishing what you've been blessed with. "we get by just fine here on minimum wage".
its just happiness.
amazing song.
"am i loud and clear or am i breaking up?" do you still listen to me like you did?
"am i still your charm or am i just bad luck?" do you still think of me in the same way?
"are we getting closer or are we just getting more lost?" are we drifting apart?
"ill show you mine if you show me yours first lets compare scars ill tell you whose is worse" scars meaning emotional, love&friendship, using humor saying my past will be worse than yours.
"lets unwrite these pages and replace them with our own words" change the past, write over it with our lives together
"we live on front porches and swing life away we get by just fine here on minimum wage if love is a labor ill slave til the end i wont cross these streets until you hold my hand" can live happily without millions of pounds, swing life away, live carefree love, has it ups and downs, labor, slave till the end, keep going. wont cross this street until you hold my hand; need you to keep me safe.
"i been here so long i think that its time to move the winters so cold summers over too soon" times gone by fast
"lets pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow" lets do what we've always said that we would one day
"and ive got some friends some that i hardly know weve had some times i wouldn't trade for the world" so many good times, even with the people i didn't stay with for long
well that is what i think there is so much more i want to write about this song, but i simply can't put it in words! beautiful song, that means quite a bit to me.
wow that was long!
i think he just wants to be able to just chill and not worry about anything. he wants to reminisce with his old friends and just get through life without all the stress of the world. it really helps one's perspective on life.
i think that this song has something to do with homeless youth for some odd reason... if you think of this song coming from the eyes of a homeless youth, it kind of makes sense.
"ill show you mine if you show me yours first lets compare scars ill tell you whose is worse" this sounds like teenagers talking with teenagers telling each other their stories and comparing within themselves... trying to find out who has the worst story/life.
"i been here so long i think that its time to move the winters so cold summers over too soon lets pack our bags and settle down where palm trees grow and ive got some friends some that i hardly know" if you have what i talked about in mind then this makes a lot of sense!!! they move around a lot and they dont really know their friends. they move place to place where the weather isnt that bad so they can survive... im not sure just an oppinion :P
I like it better than the typical "about a relationship" answer. You're thinking outside the box and that's good because Rise Against is more than just a band with nothing to say.