When all of your flaws and all of my flaws
Are laid out one by one
The wonderful part of the mess that we made
We pick ourselves undone

All of your flaws and all of my flaws
They lie there hand in hand
Ones we've inherited, ones that we learned
They pass from man to man

There's a hole in my soul
I can't fill it, I can't fill it
There's a hole in my soul
Can you fill it? Can you fill it?

You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve
And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground
Dig them up; let's finish what we've started
Dig them up, so nothing's left untouched

All of your flaws and all of my flaws,
When they have been exhumed
We'll see that we need them to be who we are
Without them we'd be doomed

There's a hole in my soul
I can't fill it, I can't fill it
There's a hole in my soul
Can you fill it? Can you fill it?

You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve
And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground
Dig them up; let's finish what we've started
Dig them up, so nothing's left untouched

Ooh
Ooh

When all of your flaws
And all of my flaws are counted
When all of your flaws
And all of my flaws are counted

You have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve
And I have always buried them deep beneath the ground
Dig them up. Let's finish what we've started
Dig them up. So nothing's left untouched

Ooh
Ooh

All of your flaws and all of my flaws
Are laid out one by one
Look at the wonderful mess that we made
We pick ourselves undone


Lyrics submitted by mmmusicj13

Flaws Lyrics as written by Daniel Smith

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Flaws song meanings
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17 Comments

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  • +10
    My Interpretation

    I think that it means that he (the singer) has been ridiculed or insulted because of his flaws, so he tries to hide them (and I have always buried them deep beneath the ground). He meets someone (the person he is addressing) who accepts their flaws and doesn't care about them (you have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve) and they don't want him to be perfect, convincing him to accept himself (Dig them up. Let's finish what we've started, Dig them up. So nothings left untouched) . So they start to help him accept himself and his flaws (there's a hole in my soul I can't fill it I cant fill it, there's a hole in my soul can you fill it can you fill it) And the song shows how we all pick ourselves apart and try to be perfect when we should just accept ourselves.( look at the wonderful mess that we made, we pick ourselves undone)

    Jaybird1217on November 30, 2013   Link
  • +4
    My Interpretation

    I think the song's actually pretty straight forward. The lyrics talk about the flaws of both parties being "laid out one by one" and "[lying] there hand in hand". I feel that its simply the writer of the lyrics expressing that they feel comfortable taking the flaws that they "buried deep beneath the ground" and putting them out in the open and being okay with the other person seeing them. The other person is already comfortable with how they, themselves, are. Tl;dr, the song is about finding someone that you can be honest and yourself with, flaws and all, and the other gives that right back, and you both are comfortable with the transaction.

    freckledjesusofficialon January 10, 2014   Link
  • +3
    Song Meaning

    Dan (writer/singer) said in an interview that it is a song about two people having a conversation about their flaws; one person is self-conscious and the other isn't. He said its frustrating when people interpret their [Bastille's] songs as love songs :) this is the interview (if the link copied properly) bcove.me/bodk8db5

    tazza261on June 20, 2014   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    If you haven't heard this song on Piano then you really should... it's absolutely beautiful.

    youtube.com/watch

    mmmusicj13on November 26, 2011   Link
  • +2
    Song Meaning

    I personally think that this song is about a man who has many personal flaws, flaws that he has learned and flaws he has inherited. Meaning that he has been through tragic or unfortunate events that he has witness or been involved with. He feels that he has a "hole" inside of him, and it's because he has repressed feelings that he doesn't want to deal with.

    An example could be thinking you have a strong relationship with a loved one but then finding out they are cheating or lying to you, causing you to now suffer from the "flaw" of not being able to easily trust.

    But then he meets this special person who also has flaws, but they "wear them on their sleeve" and aren't afraid of them. That person is fully aware of their own personal problems, but isn't afraid to admit it. This person encourages the singer that it's good to face your internal struggles and bring the surface so you can finally deal with hidden emotions or thoughts.

    courtneyjoriemon January 14, 2014   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    It's basically saying that perfection is overrated and that flaws make life interesting.

    seeingon January 04, 2015   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    This is a pretty simple meaning, but a good one. The narrator isn't perfect, but he wants to be, he wants to fit in. So he hides all his flaws. As a result, he isn't someone, he's a blank face in the crowd. And with some inspiration, he decides that it's time to show his true colors, release the burden of hiding his flaws

    codfpon February 21, 2015   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I think the song is written buy someone who has many flaws am he 'burys them ' so he doesn't need I see them

    But hen he meets someone who ' wears their flaws on their sleeve ( self harm ) so he decides it's enough!!!

    They both confront their flaws ' dig them up ' and they become at peace with who they are ' we need them to be who we are '

    Charlotte sullivanon June 06, 2015   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    I think the song is all about the perspective of the singer with regard to his and his partner's flaws.

    Let's start with the line, "you have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve and I have always buried them deep beneath the ground." To bury something means to hide something where nobody has to see it, and only you can find it. The singer has always pushed his flaws out of the foreground, out of his perspective. On the other hand, he notices that his partner (romantic or not, called only by "you") allows their flaws to be seen—they are up for conversation, everybody can access them.

    But the song itself presents an abrupt change in perspective. The singer now wants to lay out all of his flaws, analyze them, and figure out how to fill the hole in his soul. But it seems like by taking this first step toward becoming aware and up front about his own flaws, leaving nothing undone, the singer starts to take his self improvement and self awareness seriously, beginning a journey on which he never could have embarked without the grace of the other person, who, by wearing their flaws on their sleeve, brought the singer to want to uncover his own.

    Finally, and this is more of a question, there's a strong motif of holes in the song. First with the idea of burying flaws, digging them up, and then the hole in the soul of the singer which must be "filled." Does anybody have an idea of what to make of this?

    redsoxfan3189on November 18, 2015   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    I always thought that it was about a couple, the girl was always talking about her flaws and things she didn't like about herself like many girls do (you have always worn your flaws upon your sleeve) and he would always deny them and acted like she was flawless (and I have always buried them deep beneath the ground). Then he came to realize that nobody is flawless (they pass from man to man) without our flaws we wouldn't be ourselves. (We need them to be who we are). So he decides to longer hide her flaws away but make her accept them. Her flaws make her who she is and he wouldn't want to change that about her.

    NaomiLarissaon May 14, 2014   Link

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