Did I mention we were dreaming
When the devil came to town
I was awoken by the screaming
But nobody heard a sound

And the lies we told at breakfast
Will match the lies we had for lunch
And the lies we said for dinner, yeah for dinner
They're the tallest of the bunch

Did you notice he was cold
When he finally lost control long ago
And the [?]
Was he likely to console
And I'm still not understanding
The things he did before he left
And the one thing that will haunt me
It will haunt me
Right before his final breath, he said

And they broke him down, yeah they broke him down
He said I'll never be your saint you see cause I won't be hanging around
So they broke him down, yeah they broke him down
So I stood there and I held my breath cause I know that it wouldn't be long
Till they broke me down

Did I mention we were flailing?
When the angels came around
And they just sat there they we were waiting
For the first of us to drown
And I started going under
But I didn't hold my breath
Cause the last thing that I needed
Oh I needed
Was the hold of holy dead [?]
Oh no

And no one holds a grudge dear
Like I do, I see it through
And you may not remember
It was nothing much at the time
But I kept it bottled inside

Oh and we all know how that goes
Yeah I've given up on letting go
So here we are, with nothing left here
And now you left me here
And I was last to know

[Chorus]

And they broke him down, yeah they broke him down
So I can't be your saint you see cause I won't be hanging around
And they broke him down, yeah they broke him down
So I stood there and I held my breath cause I knew that it wouldn't be long

Holy smokes [?]
Some say we've given up the ghost
But I think he's in the background (somewhere in the background)
Hiding in his favorite photographs
And he's leaving as a beggar
Horribly undead [?]
But the one thing that I'm sure of
I am sure of
Is he found some comfort there

[Chorus x2]
Till they broke me down


Lyrics submitted by Scepvyle, edited by decibeldiscord, janeaparis1

They Broke Him Down Lyrics as written by

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They Broke Him Down song meanings
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    My Interpretation

    I think, to simplify, this song is about the "big bad cooperation" or even more specifically the record company chipping away at this man until he either gave in (sold out) and became a millionaire, or told them to fuck off (quit) and got all of his possessions and money taken away. And of course my favorite line "but the one thing that I'm sure of, I am sure of, is that he found some comfort there" So he either sold out and said at least I became successful, or "I may be begging for money but at least I didn't sell out my principles." Even if I'm completely off base, fantastic song, fantastic album, fantastic band.

    TomatoBombon September 14, 2013   Link

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