So far from me stands a man known as disease
He's shaking all the hands
Of the people that he meets
And now you just don't see me anymore
Now I've been losing everything
You just don't see me anymore
I'll say goodbye

Since you left she's a mess
She regrets all the things
That she could have said but
We fall asleep, never think about anything
We wake to the sound of a phone
As it hits the ground and oh
You just don't see me anymore
Now I've been losing everything
You just don't see me anymore
I'll say goodbye

And oh at the wake, at the wake
I will turn to see a face
Just a face, just a face
That's surrounded by a name
What a name, what a name
And you never want to change
What you gave, what you gave
Never want to let go

So surround me
I need anything and you you're everything
I want to live like I did before all this hit
To sleep in your arms to think
We'll never fall apart and oh
You know it's, you know it's such a drag
To live your life for a heart attack
To never get a second chance to say goodbye
To say goodbye I'll never get to try
You just don't see me anymore
Oh I've been losing everything
You just don't see me anymore
I'll say goodbye


Lyrics submitted by Staywhatyouare, edited by Paperflowers12

At the Wake Lyrics as written by Nathaniel Thomas Wilson

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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At the Wake song meanings
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  • 0
    General Comment

    this is my favorite format song the piano is amazng rock on local bands from az

    Staywhatyouareon March 08, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I'm going to do a little "Song-Dissection" for this one, because theres so many good parts to it.

    "So far from me stands a man known as disease, he's shaking all the hands of the people that he meets." This to me means that the girl thinks theres something wrong with this guy, the "disease", but since he's obviously shaking everybodys hand theres nothing truely wrong with him.

    "Now you just don't see me anymore, Now I've been losing everything, You just don't see me anymore, I'll say goodbye." This to me is the girl saying how the guy kind of sees how shes treating him and he doesn't watn to be with her anymore, and she's now seeing what shes missing and she's losing everything now, and that she'll have to say goodbye.

    "Since you left she's a mess, she regrets all the things that seh could have said but...we fall asleep never think about anything, we wake to the sound of a phone as it hits the ground." This to me is her explaining whats wrong, that shes a mess now because he broke up with her and she regrets everything she said to him or wanted to, but she remember how they fell asleep and they kind of took what they had for granted because they never "think about anything", and the "We wake to the sound of the phone as it hits the ground" is kind of a metaphor for kind of a sudden rude awakening, as we all know that is, that they weren't together anymore and things fell apart.

    "And oh at the wake, at the wake I will turn to see your face, just a face just a face so surrounded by a name, what a name, what a name and you never want to change what you gave, what you gave, never want to let go." This is the girls emotions. the "wake" kind of symbolic for the uncomfortable, sad, depressing feelings when she sees him around, and she looks and sees him, and she says how its just a face, but that face is surrounded by a "name", and what a name that is, because of what she had felt for him, and then she says how she never wants to let him go.

    "So surround me, I need anything and you, you're everything. I watn to live like I did before all this hit, to sleep in your arms, to think we'll never fall apart." This to me is her plea for him to come back to her, because she needs someone and to her, he's her world. She wants to live in ignorance again like it was before the whole messy breakup happened.

    "You know its such a drag to live your life for a heart attack, to never get a second chance to say goodbye" This shows that shes saying how much it hurts. I don't interpret this song as an actual heart attack, I see it as more of a heart break, and she says how she'll never get a second chance to say goodbye and make ammends. Sorry this became so long, but I hope its a good, thorough and accurate!

    opivy7898on May 01, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Well done opivy7898!

    duritanon May 14, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    So far from me stands a man known as disease, he's shaking all the hands of the people that he meets." If disease is shaking hands, that means he's spreading. get it?

    fall out taraon October 17, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it's about someone's father dying. Hence the term "wake". Also, a girlfriend is lost.

    "so far from me stands a man known as disease. he's shaking all the hands of the people that he meets"

    • ah, yes. The first part of the song - yet it means a lot and sets the mood. the setting's at a funeral and the 'man' is the preacher-minister-dude. he is known as 'disease' because he's always around when there's death. He tries to comfort by shaking hands but it doesn't shake off the fact that there's death around them.

    "since you left she's a mess. she regrets all the things that she could have said but... we fall asleep, never think about anything. we wake to the sound of a phone as it hits the ground"

    • his father dead, the mum's a grieving mess. The sound of the phone dropping is probably from the hospital saying that his father had died and the shock of it.

    "and oh at the wake, at the wake, i will turn to see a face. just a face, just a face, so surrounded by a name. what a name, what a name, and you never want to change. what you gave, what you gave, never want to let go"

    • is the sole simplicity of the pain of someone very close to you dying and the deadness in you at the funeral - looking at everyone's face and thinking it's just a face that corresponds with a name.

    "i want to live like i did before all this hit. to sleep in your arms, to think, we'll never fall apart"

    • now this part is about a girl that he also lost about the same time. It's like two heartbreaks in one, ya'know?

    "know its such a drag to live your life for a heart attack. to never get a second chance to say goodbye, so say goodbye ill never get to try"

    • heart attack = death. Maybe it was unexpected, 'cause he never got a second chance to say goodbye [to the girl and his father]

    "now ive been losing everything. you just dont see me anymore. ill say goodbye"

    • he's been losing everything that he thought would be there for him. he feels since they're gone, that no one will be there anymore. He wants to say goodbye to them so the pain of losing them will go away.

    Okay, yeah. Just wanted to put my own two-cent analysis in.

    btw, I love this song to bits.

    xx

    SheenaIsAPunkRockeron October 23, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    this song is about the death of a father, sort of like on your porch

    also about a break-up, where, the girl left the guy for someone else, the guy realizing he lost everything(his mom went bonkers,dad died, girl left him), is considering moving away and letting the girl be happy, but the girl, after realizing what she lost, pleads for him back, but its too late

    Wakeupitsoveron March 31, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    newer version of the "piano song"

    Muzikboion June 30, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I see this song as being about him losing his father and then feeling like because of his mourning he's grown distant from his girlfriend and doesn't think that she understands what's happening to him and she wants to leave because he's not really there anymore. But, he's saying, "You don't get it. I've lost so much." And then there's the verse about, "I want to live like we did before all this hit: to sleep in your arms, to think we'll never fall apart." Basically, the death of his father also triggered the deterioration of his relationship with this girl.

    brokenrecordson September 11, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it's obvious his father was an influence for this song but I'm all for personal interpretations, makes songs more special.

    mashwon January 14, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Couldnt this person put the lyrics vertically instead of in one big paragraph? It would be much easier to read. But nonetheless, this song is amazing.

    greencoloredpencilon July 19, 2006   Link

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