I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done
And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
To think I might not see those eyes
It makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbyes
I nearly do
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
Slower, slower
We don't have time for that
All I want's to find an easier way
To get out of our little heads
Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done
And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
To think I might not see those eyes
It makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbyes
I nearly do
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
Louder, louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say
Slower, slower
We don't have time for that
All I want's to find an easier way
To get out of our little heads
Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess
Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you, dear
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!
Damn...what a catchy song. There can't be one person out there that doesn't enjoy it. Anyways, I thought I'd put in my two cents. I think everyone can have their own interpretation of the lyrics regardless of what Snowpatrol truly intended; that's the beauty of expressing yourself artistically. You try to find a connection to the song.
Now, it could be about drugs, family, suicide, or a long-distance relationship. After countless hours of analysis (I've got it playing on repeat on my Winamp right now -- what can I say, I'm addicted!) I would have to agree with the long distance opinion. I think that when he says "Light up, light up" it might allude to his girl crying profusely to the fact that they will soon be apart for a long time, possibly forever. I believe the song is him trying to convince her that they should run away. "I know we'll make it anywhere/Away from here." I picture them sitting on a bed, spending their last moments together. During his whole attempt to convince her, she knows that she can't go away with him, for whatever reason. When he says "Louder, louder," he's talking about the man in the song getting excited about running away as he tells her all about what their future lives could be like together. He asks her "Why you can't raise your voice to say" -- he is wondering why she isn't speaking up and agreeing with him. Finally, when the lyrics are "Slower, slower" (which do not appear in the lyrics above!), the guy in the song slows down his excited speech and comes to terms with the fact that they will never be together again. Sometimes love can't win.
That seems like the most plausible explanation to me. I deduced this after reading all of the above posts, so thanks to you guys for sparking my creative fire.