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Mumford & Sons – The Cave Lyrics 14 years ago
I think the great thing about this song is that it can be interpreted in SO many different ways, and is very easily related to. For me, it reminded me of the emotions someone close to me went through when trying to move on from their drug addiction...like:

It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind
*They're finally beginning to leave behind that dark life of drugs, and moving towards a new beginning, with the sun coming up.

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat
*Here he related to the person's shame in relapse, and the harvest reference "left no food for you to eat" means they hit rock bottom, unable to go anywhere from there.

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
*Here he is saying he will not allow the addiction to overcome the person/kill them. He is not giving up on himself/that person to get through this. Support.

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
*I think the "I'll know my name as it's called again" is a biblical reference, but basically he's getting at the fact that the person will be able to make it through, and become themselves once again, rather than an unrecognizable addict.

Because I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind
*Here it seems like he's addressing the addiction directly, saying that he has better things to do than drugs.

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears
*He was using drugs to numb the pain, but now he is seeing the pain in the world around him and attempting to deal with it.

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's land
*Here, he is telling the person to come out of their reverie from the addiction "walking on your hands" and "seeing the world hanging upside down" to see the mess they have created of their lives. Also, the direct reference to "dependence"; you can only fully understand a dependence when you know how much you depend on God, another source of strength; even stronger than a drug dependence; also when addicted, you don't notice the world around you. so it's coming out of that "cave" that brings all these realizations

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
*Here he is saying that no matter what the temptation is, he will not give into the addiction, the siren's call. He is moving on now.

Because I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be
*He needs freedom from being a prisoner to his addiction, and to live without that chaining him down.

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

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