One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
Got my brother down cause it's nothing to me
(Yeah, it's nothing to me)

Everyone saying that it's wrong to cheat
But there's no other way to get my life on easy street
(Get your life on easy street)

Someone else telling you what you're living for
Been knocking you down, now you're looking for more

And the only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they're bringing you war

Rich man cryin' cause his money's time
And poor man's smilin' 'cause he knows he ain't blind
(Knows he ain't blind)

And there's a man over there, he says he's tougher than me
But I got eyes that can see through fantasy
(I can see through fantasy)

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Take it all back 'cause it don't mean nothing
If you give it away then you're looking for something back
(Looking for something back)

You wake up every morning and there's nothing there
No reason to die but no reason to care

Someone else telling you what you're living for
Been knocking you down, now you're looking for more

Now the only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace but they're bringing you war

We got one life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
Got my brother down 'cause it's nothing to me
(It's nothing to me)

And there's a rich man cryin' 'cause his money is time
A poor man smilin' 'cause he knows he ain't blind
(He knows he ain't blind)

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
One life to live but we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong
Yeah we're doing it wrong you see
I said we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong you see
Yeah, we're doing it wrong you see
I said, we're doing it wrong you see
You know we're doing it wrong
I said we're doing it wrong


Lyrics submitted by Humbert_Humbert

Brother Down Lyrics as written by Sam Lewis Roberts

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Brother Down song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

11 Comments

sort form View by:
  • 0
    General Comment

    sweet. i like. check out ogulate

    ryboon August 20, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i can't even express how much i love this song.

    luscious_lesleeon August 21, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Oh shit. I think everyone feels this way sometimes. After I read the lyrics I thought to myself, "god, life can be shitty." The part, "I think my life is passing me by" is so true. This song is great. Other Sam Roberts music songs are awesome too, download them.

    TinkyTigeron August 22, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    This IS an awesome song, thanks for posting lyrics, Humbert!!! But, I think it's "poor man smiling 'cause he knows he ain't blind".... I'm not sure, the captioning said "blind" and it sorta looks like he's saying it. Oh well, not that important. Anyway, I love the video for this song, it reflects the lyrics really well. I think Sam Roberts wrote this when he was thinking about how you can work so hard to get no where, and it doesn't matter if you cheat or do the wrong thing because even if you do the right thing life will just pass you by. The people in society who are on the top (the rich, the tough) always seem so much better off, but the rest of the world can see through it. And all the while, nothing means anything, there's nothing there, no reason for anything. "Someone else telling you what you're living for, been knocking you down, now you're looking for more." That line really pumps me up, and makes me motivated to prove to everyone who's judged me wrong. But then it goes on to say "All sudden you hear is a closing door, been looking for peace but they're bringing you war." And the door just closed in my face and I'm right back where I began. Life is a hopeless case. Why bother trying? (That is just my take.)

    carmson August 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    One thing, yes, it's blind, not lying. Just a minor correction (check the CD booklet one)

    Okay, my basic view on this song, I found it to be rather refreshing and very calm for me and I agree with the lyrics, because I feel like everything's moving ahead of me, but I'm still behind, watching the mayhem and carnage caused by the uprooting of their home and mobility of their legs.

    Rockwellon September 14, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Ah, christ. I also forgot,

    It's not cap my brother down, it's 'got my brother down'

    Why I know this? I'm a lipreader. ¬_¬

    Rockwellon September 14, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    There's a man over there says he's tougher than me, but I've got eyes that can see through fantasy

    ...spoken by one of the shortest guys you'll ever meet.

    i love sam- he is amazing- we were born in a flame is an awesome album - keep em comin.

    mle_loveon January 03, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    first of all don't download his songs, if you like the music go out and buy the cd, this is a canadian band that's had a fairly difficult time getting started (I'm refering to Northstar and what Sam has told me) second just a little info on the song, Sam wrote it while on the train or the bus from montreal to pembroke to record the album, it was in the middle of winter when it was written but many people consider it a summer song

    nerd_rockon March 19, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    "and the only sound you hear is a closing door"

    yellowinmymindon November 09, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Man this song is good. It's very spiritual to me. I love closing my eyes and flowing with the acoustic guitar and the bass...

    DeepSouthernon June 03, 2007   Link

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

Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Punchline
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.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Album art
Plastic Bag
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.