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.
He won't tell her what is going on
He won't tell her what is going on
Well try, oh, try, oh
Lie, oh, lie, oh
He won't tell her what is going on
You may think that he's a demolition expert
When he's finished with your self-esteem
It may be true, we all need knocking down a few
Oh, come find shelter, oh your shelter with me
With me
Breakaway
She don't like to disturb the peace
Became attached to the weak at least
She's got diamonds to show for it
That tree of gold for it
Well, she don't like to disturb the peace
You may think that he's a master of disguise
You lost your dignity, you compromised
It may be true, we all need knocking down a few
Come find shelter, oh your shelter with me, with me
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
You (breakaway, oh)
You may think that he's a demolition expert (breakaway, oh)
When he's finished with your self-esteem (breakaway, oh)
It may be true, we all need knocking down a few (breakaway, oh)
Come find shelter oh your shelter with me, with me (breakaway, oh)
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway
He won't tell her what is going on
Well try, oh, try, oh
Lie, oh, lie, oh
He won't tell her what is going on
You may think that he's a demolition expert
When he's finished with your self-esteem
It may be true, we all need knocking down a few
Oh, come find shelter, oh your shelter with me
With me
Breakaway
She don't like to disturb the peace
Became attached to the weak at least
She's got diamonds to show for it
That tree of gold for it
Well, she don't like to disturb the peace
You may think that he's a master of disguise
You lost your dignity, you compromised
It may be true, we all need knocking down a few
Come find shelter, oh your shelter with me, with me
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway, oh
You (breakaway, oh)
You may think that he's a demolition expert (breakaway, oh)
When he's finished with your self-esteem (breakaway, oh)
It may be true, we all need knocking down a few (breakaway, oh)
Come find shelter oh your shelter with me, with me (breakaway, oh)
Breakaway, oh
Breakaway
Lyrics submitted by TheScullin98
Breakaway Lyrics as written by Joel Laslett Pott George Barnett
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
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
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.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
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.
To me, this song could be interpreted in a couple of ways. In my mind, I see George writing this from his perspective of seeing someone's relationship gone wrong. It sounds like this girl is in a relationship with a man who's hiding things from her often (I'm interpreting as him cheating on her). He keeps hiding the truth and making up lies so this girl won't find out but all he's doing is destroying her and demolishing her self-esteem. This girl is a truly amazing girl with a lot of potential, thus explaining the line "She's got diamonds to show for it that tree of gold for it". But, as much as she is an amazing girl that does't deserve to be put in a dilemma like this one, she is emotionally weak and doesn't want to disturb the peace, or in other words she doesn't want to start conflict. "You may think that he's a master of disguise - you lost your dignity you compromised." This excerpt from the chorus talks about how she has now lost her dignity, again I'm making my own interpretation that she has now found out about him cheating and she has found out about all his lies. When Ezra chants "breakaway" throughout the song he is stating for her to get out of the foul relationship she is in and to breakaway from this guy who is backstabbing her, then he says "Come find shelter oh your shelter with me, with me" basically telling her to find a situation that comforts her and makes her feel alright, specifically a "situation" with him because he can help make her feel better. Again this is only the way I interpreted it but yea :)