| Brandon Flowers – Crossfire Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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In my opinion this song is about a romantic relationship between a man and a woman (the homosexual interpretation can be disproved, which I'll go onto later). They are both having hard time in their lives right now, problems at work, financial difficulties etc... As we know Flowers likes to write about the plight of the common working person, so this certainly fits. In essence, the "Crossfire" is the world's problems taking a toll on their relationship, but at the end of the day they can always find shelter and protection in the love they have for one another. "There's a still in the street outside your window And you're keeping secrets on your pillow Let me inside, no cause for alarm I promise tonight not to do no harm I promise you babe, I won't do you no harm" Here we see the man trying to comfort his wife or girlfriend after she's had a rough day or is feeling troubled by financial or other problems, the "still" outside is the calming of the metaphorical storm of life's problems and hardships, as she is now inside their home with him, she is protected. He wants her to open up, to tell her what's upsetting her, "You're keeping secrets...". "Let me inside no cause for alarm", he wants her to 'let him in' emotionally so that he can share her problems and comfort her. The part about doing "no harm" is him reassuring her she's safe with him, and also perhaps telling her he won't get angry as perhaps they argue often due to the problems in both their lives putting a strain on their relationship. And we're caught up in the crossfire Of heaven and hell And we're searching for shelter Lay your body down Lay your body down Lay your body down I think the chorus is pretty straightforward, their love is fraught with obstacles, the problems they face daily wear away at them and sometimes they forget the most important thing in their lives is each other and therefore they might argue a lot, which puts pressure on their relationship.They're always looking for shelter from the hardships they face every day, and they find it in each other. "Lay your body down", is him comforting her and making her feel safe, I don't agree with the sexual interpretation of this verse, I think they're simply lying together as lovers do, offer each other a sanctuary, and being happy in each other's arms. "Watching your dress as you turn down the light I forget all about the storm outside Dark clouds roll their way over town Heartache and pain came a-pouring down like Hail, sleet and rain, yeah They're handing it out" The "watching your dress" as she "turns down the light" part certainly has sexual connotations, again they're taking shelter in the love they have for each other, as they forget about all their troubles and make love. For me this dispels the homosexual interpretations as he watches "your dress" (it's definitely your, not you) although I guess it could still be about lesbians but I doubt it. basically their love shelters them from the storm of life raging on outside their home, their sanctuary of love (I'm sorry this is getting mushy but it is a very romantic song). Sometimes it feels like there's a never-ending stream of crap coming their way but they'll always be there for each other. I think the effect of Flowers singing "lay your body down" three more times on the second and third choruses reinforces the idea of just letting go and forgetting their problems for the night at least, and lose themselves in each other. "Tell the devil that he can go back from where he came His fiery arrows drew their bead in vain. And when the hardest part is over we'll be here And our dreams will break the boundaries of our fear The boundaries of our fear" This stanza shows us the resilience of the lovers, with the man telling her not to let their work, financial problems ruin their relationship, not to let the devil win. He encourages her to stick with him, to trust in him as there's light at the end of the tunnel, when all these problems are finally over, they can start to truly build a life together, a family perhaps. Their dreams for the future will outweigh their fears over the present and will help them get through this difficult time. And finally "next to mine" reinforces the imagery of him offering her temporary sanctuary from the storm, in his loving arms, comforting her. |
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