How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
And with the early dawn moving right along
Couldn't buy an eyeful of sleep
And in the aching night under satellites
I was not received
Built with stolen parts, a telephone in my heart
Someone get me a priest
To put my mind to bed, this ringing in my head
Is this a cure or is this a disease?
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
And in the afterbirth, on the quiet earth
Let the stains remind you
You thought you made a man, you better think again
Before my role defines you
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
And in your waiting hands, I will land
And roll out of my skin
And in your final hours, I will stand
Ready to begin
Ready to begin
Ready to begin
Ready to begin
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Show me how to live
Show me how to live
Show me how to live
Show me how to live
Couldn't buy an eyeful of sleep
And in the aching night under satellites
I was not received
Built with stolen parts, a telephone in my heart
Someone get me a priest
To put my mind to bed, this ringing in my head
Is this a cure or is this a disease?
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
And in the afterbirth, on the quiet earth
Let the stains remind you
You thought you made a man, you better think again
Before my role defines you
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
And in your waiting hands, I will land
And roll out of my skin
And in your final hours, I will stand
Ready to begin
Ready to begin
Ready to begin
Ready to begin
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Nail in my hand from my creator
You gave me life, now show me how to live
Show me how to live
Show me how to live
Show me how to live
Show me how to live
Lyrics submitted by ruben, edited by Razgreez, Snowdog2112Rob, Grim_Poet
Show Me How to Live Lyrics as written by Chris Cornell Brad Wilk
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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More Featured Meanings
Magical
Ed Sheeran
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Blue
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“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
American Town
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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.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
It has nothing to do with god or religion. Seriously guys? No one caught on that this entire song is a giant reference to Mary Shelly's Frankenstein?
'I was not received - but with stolen parts' is a reference to Frankenstein's "monster" not being created by traditional means ('received' is a colloquialism for childbirth), but instead being created from various body parts stolen from dead bodies. Hence "but with stolen parts".
'Nail in my head from my creator' is a reference to the procedure by which Victor Frankenstein's "monster" was created.
'You gave me a life, now show me how to live' is a reference to what the "monster" tells Frankenstein. The monster resents Frankenstein for creating and then immediately abandoning him. Never showing him what to do with his life or how to deal with the people that fear him.
'Is this a cure, or is this a disease' is a reference to Frankenstein's motives. He created the "monster" in hopes of finding a 'cure' for death. But instead all it brought was unimaginable horrors and grief. For the monster, Frankenstein, and the town's people it turned out to be more 'disease' than cure.
'You thought you made a man - You better think again' is a reference again to Frankenstein's initial expectations for what he was creating. And then subsequent fear and horror. 'before my role defines you' is a reference to the way Frankenstein's life, once normal and wholesome, becomes defined by the existence of the "monster", to whom, after losing everything he loves, he follows all the way to the north pole.
'Somebody get me a priest' is a reference to the "monster's" struggle with whether or not he has a soul. Whether he is worthy of happiness and life, or if he should be doomed to torment.
'And in your final hours - I will stand - Ready to begin' is a reference to the "monster's" reaction upon finding his creator dead. Because he thinks of Frankenstein - his creator - as his father, he immolates himself with his father's burning body on a pyre, now sorrowful and angry at himself for all the grief he selfishly caused his father. He dies with him, ironically ready to begin his life as it should be. Which is to say, finally dead.
@rufsketch1 Nice attempt, but if you look in the pamphlet distributed with the cd, the lyrics clearly say "Nail in my hand" not "Nail in my head". <br /> <br /> I like your interpretation, but I wouldn't make the claim that it for sure was about that. <br /> <br /> Here is the link to the pamphlet. <br /> coverlib.com/Download/1439621/Audioslave-Audioslave_Canada-Booklet.JPG
@rufsketch1 the link may seem broke, but you have to add a colon after the http, just a heads up
@rufsketch1. I know in the lyrics its say Hans but if you listen closely or ever seen a video, he says head and in one video of a concert he points at his head when he says it
@rufsketch1 hands*
@rufsketch1<br /> <br /> Someone get me a priest says that Chris was a Catholic most likely in his childhood.<br /> Frankenstein played God and the monster never asked for a priest. Also, the monster did not have afterbirth to remind him of being created. Built with stolen parts may refer to his mother being raped. (From a comment on "Songfacts") <br /> Satellites above are the stars and/or angels as mentioned in "Like a Stone", pray to the gods and the angels...<br /> Message not received. Prayer not answered. <br /> Cure or disease. Drug addiction. His friends were dying, possible by the nail/needle in the hand. Blaming God for being born. Job cursed the day he was born and it was not counted as sin.<br /> You gave me life now show me how to live. <br /> <br /> (If you don't accept Jesus as the Way the Truth and the Life. Then, which gods are you praying to?)<br /> <br /> May our God and Father have mercy on Chris Cornell's soul in the name of His Son Jesus my Lord and Christ. Amen.
P.S. I am not the Reality Unicorn. I don't know how that happened. You can comment on my email. arnoldj777@gmail.com
@rufsketch1 this song has nothing to do with Frankenstein's monster, Chris says before some of his live concerts that this song is a "Religious Testimony", when the man who wrote it himself clear states that it is religious, how arrogant is it of you to claim that this song has nothing to do with god or religion?
Just because Chris Cornell wouldn't define himself as a Catholic or a Christian doesn't mean he can't sing a song with strong Christ-related references in it to question why he is on earth and why God created him. I know next to nothing about him or the bands he's been in, but I do know that seeking purpose in life is pretty much universal and if you've been immersed in a religious setting as a child that stuff stays with you in some way, even if you rebel.
"Show me how to live" is a great thing to say to God, actually.
@jenbebe The song is about Frankenstein's monster. Nail in my head. Not hand.
@jenbebe Exactly.
Classic song,like most Audioslave songs it is a deep as you want it to be,but it sure is a great song.
Read Frankenstein, please. It's all there. The Modern Prometheus and the responsibility that comes when we try to play the role of god, using science or any other means.
This is probably my favorite Audioslave song... Doesnt this song just make you wanna run wild? Or is that just me
I was born with birth defects and was sent home the day I was born on the condition I would die quickly. 9 days later I turned blue, but instead of letting me die my mother demanded that they save me. What a mistake, I had to live with a colostomy as a child and had numerous invasive procedures done to me. I relate to this song a lot, especially the built with stolen parts part. This song came on today and word for word I relate to it. I always felt like a monster in a way, even though they removed my colostomy, the memories of the horror of it remain. Darkest comment I ever posted, luckily nobody knows who I am here.
@brokentelephone78 I'm so sorry u went through that
@chrismattgard Thanks for your kind words. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you resilient. I was pretty shook up when Chris ended his life though. Still can't believe it, he was one of the best. Cheers.
to me this song has always been associated with the fact that we as humans have no idea what our true purpose in life is. A lot of these lines refer to our creator, so i think he's kind of directly asking to be told what our purpose is. I dunno, that's just what i've always thought about this song. great song.
Ohhhh! Scratch that! I just remembered my olllld thoughts on this song. Its about Jesus! I think its about a human view of Jesus as a man with human thoughts and emotions.
1) Jesus is a drifter...a vagabond who moves with the early dawn
2) In the most difficult trials of Jesus (temptation by the devil, crucifixion), his prayers (satellites) are not answered by God (he is not recieved)
3) The telephone in the heart and ringing in the head signify Jesus' sort of 'direct line' to God and to man...something he can't turn off even when he wants to (wouldn't that drive you crazy?)
4) The chorus is Jesus begging God for direction in life (Jesus was sort of plopped on earth without a manual)
5) The bit about the afterbirth represents all time after the crucifixion on earth when Christianity is born (as a big scary force). God's creation of Jesus as a man is changed by the religion and instead of the mouthpiece of the New Covenant, Jesus becomes the Deity Himself.
6) The "final hours bit is like above, but about the death of Jesus. Then its about all time after the crucifixion (in heaven) when at armageddon, Jesus is ready to begin the new kingdom.
Just my take...
@forthelove LOL The sone is about Frankenstein's monster and his angst! Jesus was built with stolen parts..telephone in is heart..and the son of God needed a priest?? Ringing in his head?? You thought you made a man..you better think again. These are the monsters thoughts..And btw it's nail in my head. Not hand.
It seemingly has something to do with stigmata with the line "Nail in my hand"
like previous posters had mentioned imdb.com/title/tt0067927/