Fleet Foxes – Quiet Houses

"Quiet Houses" as written by and Robin Pecknold....
Lay me down [Repeat x4]

Don't give in [Repeat x8]

Come to me [Repeat x4]

Lay me down [Repeat x8]


Lyrics submitted by chickenflicker, edited by broadpath, Zhn597, mehjg

"Quiet Houses" as written by Robin Pecknold

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

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Quiet Houses song meanings
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15 Comments

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  • +6
    General CommentIt's actually "darkening", not "don't give in". Skye confirmed it after their Cambridge gig in November. Is this going to blow peoples' minds regarding their translation, or just make it easier to decide on said translation?
    meminemon December 29, 2008   Link
  • +3
    General CommentAm I the only one hearing 'Donkey man'?
    cdn42on April 01, 2009   Link
    • 5 Replies
  • +3
    General CommentI am not sure anyone could exactly say what this song means, since so much of the meaning is left to the listener. However, what I picture when I hear the song (with "darkening" in place of "don't give in") is someone calling out to another, most likely a lover. To me, this song is about a person who, as the night starts to fall, laments not having his/her lover with him/her.
    The first stanza of "lay me down" is the narrator thinking of the lover, the second stanza is the narrator noticing the darkness, and the third stanza reinforces the importance of the darkness to the narrator. The fourth stanza signifies the narrator wishing/asking for the lover to come back and be with him/her. The fifth stanza is the narrator realizing what he lost when he lost his/her lover, and the sixth stanza reinforces the importance of this to the narrator with repetition.
    The music supports this somewhat as well. The fast pace of the guitar-plucking seems almost frantic, and the bass drum sounds almost like a heartbeat. The narrator is scared. Some of the percussion elements drop out for the first to lines of "come to me," almost as if the narrator is holding his/her breath as he/she thinks about it (the guitar symbolizing racing thoughts). Then the elements such as tambourine rejoin the sound, as if he/she is feeling the momentary hope of the lover coming back recede.
    This is just what I hear, but with the vagueness of the lyrics, it is up to anyone's interpretation. That is part of the beauty in this song, and indeed the beauty in many of the songs produced by Fleet Foxes.
    benjaminkon October 26, 2012   Link
  • +2
    General CommentI don't know what this song means, but the harmonies just slay me every time! So beautiful! They sound like an angel choir! Does anyone else think the musical break at the end sounds like something from the Beach Boys (maybe Pet Sounds era)?
    NorthWriteron November 13, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General CommentMy favorite song by them - absolutely beautiful. Amazingly simple lyrics but still very powerful. There's not much to work with as of meaning, but I can imagine it has something to do with someone special. "Lay me down" could be that he wants her to give him up, yet he still wants her by saying come to me, secretly wanting her to follow her own path ("Don't give in") despite what he wants. He is struggling with the sacrifice of letting her go. At least that's what I get out of these three lines.
    battery64121on June 03, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General CommentHaha cdn42, it was actually someone questioning if "donkey man" was the lyric that prompted Skye to confirm it was "darkening". So nope - not the only one! :)
    meminemon April 26, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General CommentPerhaps this song is about intimacy in abstinence? 'Lay me down' vs. 'Don't give in'? I don't know.
    rootvalueon September 15, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI thought it said Darken air. Ha i was off.
    Anyways beautiful song even if it is
    just a few words being said over and
    over.

    I love it. Always will. <3
    pecknoldbanharton March 16, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General CommentI kept hearing "Donkey Land", that's what brought me here. "Darkening" is much cooler. *lol*
    LacyNicoleon August 16, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General CommentHehe! Donkey Land? Well, that would be strange, for sure! I hear "darkening" with headphones on.
    Hippybuggsgirlon January 04, 2010   Link

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