In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
Dawn comes and you're up
You drink a fast cup
Don't keep them waiting
All systems are go
Far down below
Morning is breaking
And you're ready
You know the routine
You suit up and you board your machine
As all over the world
Eyes are glued to the video screens
There's a hole in the clouds
When you look up tonight
A window that beckons you
Toward the moonlight
The tower counts down
And the moment is right
You take a deep breath
But your chest still goes tight
Alone at the top of the world
Day turns into night
Turns back to day
Twice on the hour
You're far from it now
Light years away
Thin streams of power
Rumbling under your feet
Eagle leaps from the concrete
And the lines fly away
As the pad crumbles under the heat
There's a hole in the clouds...
Armageddon
There's and edge to the wind
Cutting into my skin
And the air's like an icicle
As the night starts to fall
And there's no one around
My ears strain for a sound
As I search through these canyons
So cold and so tall
Armageddon
Oh, no
Armageddon
Came too soon
In this city so proud
Full of noises and crowds
This once was a monument
Now it's a grave
And they warned us about
When reason gave out
Now it's too late for miracles
There's nothing to save
Armageddon
Armageddon
Came too soon
You drink a fast cup
Don't keep them waiting
All systems are go
Far down below
Morning is breaking
And you're ready
You know the routine
You suit up and you board your machine
As all over the world
Eyes are glued to the video screens
There's a hole in the clouds
When you look up tonight
A window that beckons you
Toward the moonlight
The tower counts down
And the moment is right
You take a deep breath
But your chest still goes tight
Alone at the top of the world
Day turns into night
Turns back to day
Twice on the hour
You're far from it now
Light years away
Thin streams of power
Rumbling under your feet
Eagle leaps from the concrete
And the lines fly away
As the pad crumbles under the heat
There's a hole in the clouds...
Armageddon
There's and edge to the wind
Cutting into my skin
And the air's like an icicle
As the night starts to fall
And there's no one around
My ears strain for a sound
As I search through these canyons
So cold and so tall
Armageddon
Oh, no
Armageddon
Came too soon
In this city so proud
Full of noises and crowds
This once was a monument
Now it's a grave
And they warned us about
When reason gave out
Now it's too late for miracles
There's nothing to save
Armageddon
Armageddon
Came too soon
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Top of the World Lyrics as written by Tony Carey
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
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”
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.