Once upon a time, we had a lot to fight for
We had a dream, we had a plan
Sparks in the air, we spread a lot of envy
Didn't have to care, once upon a time

Remember when I swore
That love was never ending
That you and I would never die
Remember when I swore
We had it all
We had it all

Sail away, it's time to leave
Rainy days are yours to keep
Fade away, the night is calling my name
You will stay, I'll sail away

Once upon a time, we used to burn candles
We had a place to call a home
The dream that we lived was better than divine
Every day was like a gift, once upon a time

Remember when you swore
Your love was never ending
That you and I will never die
Remember when you swore
We had it all
We'd never fall

Sail away, it's time to leave
Rainy days are yours to keep
Fade away, the night is calling my name
You will stay, I'll sail away

No reason to lie
No need to pretend
I'm grateful to die
To live once again
I'm fearless to fly
And reach for the end
And reach for the end

Sail away...

Sail away, it's time to leave
Rainy days are yours to keep
Fade away, the night is calling my name
You will stay, I'll sail away

Sail away...
The night is calling my name
Sail away...


Lyrics submitted by makemybedd

Sail Away Lyrics as written by Eero Heinonen Aki Hakala

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Fintage House Publishing

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Sail Away song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

12 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    btw why hasn't anybody else said anything !? hello???this song is just awsome(or am I the only 1 who thinks this way) O.O

    LoVe_MeTaL_ChIlDon March 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    very pretty song, about leaving something that is no good anymore, finding joy again and leaving the misery.

    titania098on December 06, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I just love this song .it really is pretty and about letting go and moving forward and letting go of the past.... I just love the part when he says "You will stay, I'll sail away "!!!I it's like he's saying" I'm going with or without u"......

    LoVe_MeTaL_ChIlDon March 16, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    LoVe MeTal Ch

    Great song, I agree that the song is bout leaving something or probably a relationship behind and moving forward. But i'm not sure if the relationship or he himself is dying, and if the rainy days are those in the relationship or in life itself.

    whitecrowon March 30, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    for me it's like he died and he's remembering stuff that he used to do and all and left his girlfriend or whatever because he's dead

    or, i'm most convinced by meaning the he is leaving someone and although is like dying, he is living again like a new beggining start again

    also i love this song

    linxon December 21, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This song is gorgeous! I belieeeve it is about what you guys have previously said. False promises and hopes being left behind and moving on with life. x

    Miss-holly-Jon March 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    nostalgic, blue, sad, gorgeous... many adjectives to this song

    love it

    crow_hearton October 28, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Makes me happy bout my recent break up =] time to move on

    ur-dream_my-miseryon February 05, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I don't really see it as moving on, at least not in a good way.

    How grateful to die To live once again Im fearless to fly And reach for the end

    The fact that he says he's reaching for the end makes me think he is actually going to die. He's fearless to fly because he feels that after death, he will be free.

    xLadYofSorrowZxon March 14, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning

    Well, I think it's not about a love story ending, but dead instead; they lived all their lives together loving each other and now he's gonna die, so he reminds her all the moments they shared. Lastly, he says he's not afraid to "sail away", and urges her to keep on living her life also without him. About the line in which he says "How grateful to die - To live once again", I think it may refers to an afterlife in heaven or some.

    By the way, in lyrics I see "greatfull" instead of "grateful", someone should change it.

    LOFO1993on December 10, 2009   Link

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

Album art
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him. There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
No Surprises
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Album art
Head > Heels
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.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.