This life starts, with a heartbeat,
Is it beat-, beat-, beat-, beat-, beating me down?
I could lose who I am!
I can't help, but to see, this assistance living shit outta me,
I could lose who I am!

Every time I walk away,
Every word I never say!

Restless, chasing shadows
Choices, facing gallows' pole.
Are you hanging by a thread,
Or swinging from the rope?
Don't think we don't see your scars,
Are you afraid of who you are?
Are you afraid of who you are?!

Denial, my soul will burn,
Is it burn-, burn-, burn-, burn-, burning me out?
You're feeding the flames!
Spread out the ash,
Pretend to see,
That you can still fight some day with me.
I just feed the flames.

Every time I walk away,
Every word I'd ever say!

Restless, chasing shadows,
Choices, facing gallows' pole.
Are you hanging by a thread,
Or swinging from the rope?
Don't think we don't see your scars,
Are you afraid of who you are?

Oh my god, what am I afraid of?
This success scares the living shit out of me.
Oh my god, are you afraid of me,
And everything that breathes?

Restless, chasing shadows,
Choices, facing gallows' pole.
Are you hanging by a thread,
Or swinging from the rope?
Don't think we don't see your scars,
Are you afraid of who you are?
Afraid of who you are?


Lyrics submitted by aristuma21

Gallows Lyrics as written by Brandon Saller Porter Marc Mcknight

Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Gallows song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

7 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    Agreed. It's about fear of being successful, or fear of failing trying to achieve success.

    I read an interview somewhere where Alex seems to get across that he feels their last album was something of a copout, and that they maybe didn't try hard enough or get the musical style right on that record and went off-track. This song seems to speculate on why he feels like that about Lead Sails Paper Anchor.

    Elective Amnesiaon December 29, 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
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
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"
Album art
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Album art
Holiday
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday". I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Album art
Mountain Song
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."
Album art
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version. Great version of a great song,