Ghosts That We Knew

I'm fairly sure that this song is about dealing with depression. The singer's significant other is someone who "saw [his] pain" yet she loves him anyway. Despite his mental issues, she doesn't see him as a broken person - she sees "no fault, no crack in [his] heart." Instead, she stays by his his side and "give[s him] hope in the darkness."

The most poignant and telling parts of the song are, "I will hold on as long as you like," and "we'll live a long life." If he's reassuring her that they'll live a long life, his life must logically have been in danger - which suggests that he's been suicidal at times. So when he says "I will hold on as long as you like," he's promising to fight his demons and keep on living for her.

It's a very bittersweet song, in that his depression isn't resolved or even managed - he's just coping. While it's certainly a good sign that he's feeling optimistic enough to imagine a long life and children, he still needs her to reassure him that they'll be all right, and then he can, in turn, reassure her and himself that he's holding on. It's a song about the coexistence of pain and hope.

I think this song is beautiful..I personally think that is about a relationship where one of them is battling with depression. The other person has seen this person in their worst and still loves them no matter what and wants to "save" them from themselves. The guy wants to be lead out of the darkness and into the light, but can only do that with her help and love. He wants how they used to be to flicker from her view and they will be together when all is said and done....

I was thinking this has a bit to do with his relationship with Laura Marling.

Probably Laura's most famous song is called "Ghost", which is a great song. "These are just ghosts that broke my heart before I met you" --Laura Marling's Ghost

One of her other songs is called "Flicker and Fail"

Tie this with the lyric in this song: "But the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view"

And I immediately thought of her songs where he played with her on her second album I believe before they broke up. Or maybe that is just thinking too much as the long triangle between Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling, and Mumford and Sons feels like a movie in the making.

All three bands new each other and started together in London. Noah and Whale lead singer Charlie Fink dating Laura. First album of theirs is all about love and hope. They break up and Fink's second album is all about heartbreak and getting over her. Laura's first solo album then sings about Fink in a few and she starts dating Marcus Mumford. Marcus cheats on Laura and Laura's third album has a great song called Sophia which feels like it is directed right at Marcus.

"I'm a good woman and I never did say whatever it was that you did that day I'm not a woman to go and place blame but you said that it was coming on judgement day" --Laura Marling's Sophia

All great bands and great music. Should check it out.

I think the song is about someone dealing with depression and, "And broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins" is a reference to self harm. In the end they don't get past their depression but they still have hope that they will get better, with they help from a friend, family member, or significant other as shown in the line that says,"So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light" and "But I will hold as long as you like Just promise me we'll be alright". The ending of the song, "But the ghosts that we knew Made us black and all blue But we'll live a long life And the ghosts that we knew Will flicker from view And we'll live a long life." is saying that threw all the pain (made us black and all blue) they still have hope to live a long life of happiness. And the line "And the ghosts that we knew Will flicker from view" is saying that all their demons will soon be gone and that one day they'll be just memories. Were doing an English project at my school and we needed to pick a song that you have a connection to. This explains my current situation perfectly.

True story...

"You saw my pain, washed out in the rain Broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins But you saw no fault no crack in my heart"

After dating for a few months, he broken up with me because I never let him see who I really was. I kept my guard up, and did not let him near my heart. But after a car accident left me near-dead, bloodied, broken, and with glass broken into my face, I had no mask to hide behind ... so he saw my heart.

"And you kneel beside my hope torn apart But the ghosts that we knew will flicker from view And we'll live a long life"

He came to see me at the hospital for weeks and weeks, staying by my side each day. I had such big dreams before the accident, many of them I never realized. I felt hopeless, I was hurt (in all senses of the word). Even then, we had a ghost in our past already, and I was scared to let him love me, any time I got a flicker of the past and he had to tell me what the ghost was (I kept forgetting, due to a brain injury).

"So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light Cause oh that gave me such a fright But I will hold as long as you like Just promise me we'll be alright"

I was so broken and frightened after the accident, and after our break up. But each time I told him how scared I was, he would hold me, and tell me it would be alright. I would tell him to leave, if he was going to again, and get it over with. He kept responding with "I am not going anywhere, and I will prove it, marry me."

"So lead me back Turn south from that place And close my eyes from my recent disgrace"

In the last five years, we have seen our share of fights. It usually comes down to ghosts from the accident, and my fear of loosing him. I usually act out on emotion, and he leads be back from my disgrace.

"Cause you know my call We'll share my all"

This is very weird.. he actually wrote me a poem with a line in it that sounds so similar. He said,"All I am and all I tend, Share with me until The End"

"Now children come and they will hear me roar"

Yes, children will come. We hope to have children soon, and I am sure we will share this story with them too. My husband is sure to roar at them, once in a while!

I don't this is what the writer of this song had in mind, but since I am looking for them, I see parallels in my own life, of course.

I think the song is about a suicidal person, and their friend.

"You saw my pain, washed out in the rain And broken glass, saw the blood run from my veins."

I see this as the suicidal person's struggles with cutting.

"But you saw no fault, no cracks in my heart And you knelt beside my hope torn apart."

The friend doesn't judge the suicidal person for their actions, and wants to help them cope with whatever they're dealing with.

"But the ghosts that we knew Will flicker from view And we'll live a long life."

The friend helps the suicidal person cope with their ghosts - their struggles - until they are mere flickers, and their is no threat of suicide.

"So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light Cos oh they gave me such a fright."

The friend was scared that the suicidal person would die, that they would lose them. The struggles got so big to the point of suicide.

"But I will hold as long as you like Just promise me we'll be alright."

The friend promises to be there for the suicidal person for "as long as they like", but wants a promise that the suicidal person won't attempt suicide again.

"So lead me back, turn south from that place And close my eyes to my recent disgrace."

The suicidal person wants to stop, and start over, and "get back on the right track".

I went to a funeral last week. It was for a 31 year old beautiful girl with a husband and three gorgeous children. For years she battled with depression and eventually after giving birth to her third child late last year, post natal depression was too much for her.

This song was played at her funeral as it had a lot of meaning and significance to her and her husband. It was something they would listen to as she battled her illness. So I think Chubbs123 may be right.

I hope she rests in peace and that her husband finds the strength to face each day.

When I listen to this song i see a couple kneeling down in self reflection and prayer. The singer starts off his reflection with his significant other. She sees him for who he is even the darkness. She is kneeling down beside him in prayer. They acknowledge how hard things have been but they push on and the ghosts flicker from view. Then he starts his prayer to God. The direction of the thought/prayer swaps back and forth from self reflection with his significant other back to God. Beautiful and honest love song!

All I know is when I herd it I thought of my best friend instantly :)

Unbelievable song, I can relate to it so well.