I can feel the walls closing in
And I don't want to talk anymore
Wish I could quietly slip away
And leave you here with no void
The only reason I stay is to care for you
Everything else in me has atrophied
And I am cold and painless now
I want to live but I feel nothing
When can I die, when can I go
When will I be free, when will I know
When can I run, my legs are bound
When can I go, when can I go
Was born a blackened seed in the wild
And I never was a child
I was pulled right out of the sea
And the salt, it never left my body
Someone opened me up while I was sleeping
And filled my body right up with sand
I carry a heaviness like a mountain
It forces me to remain
Alive and ugly, alive and ugly
Alive and ugly, alive and ugly
When can I die, when can I go
When will I be free, when will I know
When can I run, my legs are bound
Can I leave here, knowing you'll be strong without me
They'll clap when you die
They'll love you when you're dead
And they'll understand
And you'll be forgiven then


Lyrics submitted by Joshjoss, edited by deadanw

They'll Clap When You're Gone Lyrics as written by

Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING

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They'll Clap When You're Gone song meanings
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  • 0
    My Opinion

    a song about alienation.

    malebirthon March 13, 2014   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    "I can feel the walls closing in and I don’t want to talk anymore" Here she sings of shutting down.

    "Wish I could quietly slip away and leave you here with no void. The only reason I stay is to care for you" She wants to liberate and free herself from her suffering by committing suicide, but she avoids doing so since she feels compelled to nurture those close to her. She realizes that killing herself and leaving her loved ones who need her behind would only serve to worsen their state.

    "Everything else in me has atrophied and I am cold and painless now I want to live but i feel nothing when can I die, when can I go" Again, she's so numb and depressed that she wants to kill herself.

    tl;dr: The song is about wanting to off yourself, but not attempting since you feel bound to care for your loved ones and know that killing yourself will break their hearts and aggravate their issues.

    mobsteroidon February 25, 2018   Link

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