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Fallen Lyrics

Heaven bent to take my hand and lead me through the fire
Be the long awaited answer to a long and painful fight
Truth be told I tried my best
But somewhere along the way, I got caught up in all there was to offer
But the cost was so much more than I could bear

Though I've tried,

(Chorus)
I've fallen
I have sunk so low
I messed up
Better I should know
So don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so

We all begin with good intent
When love was raw and young
We believe that we could change ourselves
The past can be undone
But we carry on our back the burdens time always reveals
In the lonely light of morning
In the wound that would not heal
It's the bitter taste of losing everything
I've held so dear

[Chorus]

Oh,

Heaven bent to take my hand
I've nowhere left to turn
I'm lost to those I thought were friends
To everyone I know
Oh they turn their heads, embarrassed
Pretend that they don't see
That it's one miss step, one slip, before you know it
And there doesn't seem a way to be redeemed

Though I've tried,

[Chorus]

Oh,
I've messed up
Better I should know
Don't come 'round here and
Tell me I told you so
Song Info
Submitted by
thewhitepony33 On Apr 10, 2004
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Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

I think this song is mostly about giving up on life, after so many attempts to lead a "perfect" life, the person just says, "I'm through", "I tired of caring", "I'm done with life."

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

This is the perfect song for giving up. Its realizing youve lost everything about yourself.

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

To me it's about trying for something you really wanted and failing miserably and dealing with that failure...

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

"The lonely light of morning The wound that would not heal It's the bitter taste of losing everything That I have held so dear..."

these are some of the most beautifully sung lyrics i've ever heard

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

I think it's a song about screwing up royally.

A lot of us (well, since most of you are teenagers you really haven't had much experience in meaningful relationships) have been in a situation where we try and do the right thing and just completely fuck it up.

Or what we thought was right at the time, and we end up just alienating every one of our friends because we end up being the shit-head in the relationship.

"I'm lost to those I thought were friends To everyone I know Oh they turned their heads embarassed Pretend that they don't see"

It's a cascading failure of always saying the wrong thing, but never really meaning too.

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

I think the beauty of this song is the fact so many people with so many different situations can relate to the lyrics. Personally I have a VERY different meaning than other people have mentioned here... Before I share my interpretation of the song I would just like to comment on myztikalspyril, you say that she doesn't believe in heaven/hell - If you are refering to the song 'Dear God' please do your research...she didn't write that song! She wrote this one.

The opeing lines are the most powerfull..'heaven bent to take my hand'... it is not only God or angels taking her hand, but the ENTIRE heaven...she has found heaven to be her only refuge...in ANY situation.

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

Personally, I think this song is about getting out of a long-term abusive relationship and trying to start over. In an abusive relationship, you end up distancing yourselves from friends and family, and keep making the same mistakes repeatedly until you finally have enough and move on. I think this is about looking back on it and realizing all the mistakes that have been made and realizing there's nobody left now that she's moved on.

Song Meaning
Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

I know a lot of you are young and not that experienced in life, but this is a song about coping with addiction (probably alcoholism). A lot of the consequences of addiction and themes of 12 step recovery are present directly in the lyrics. First is an acknowledgment that a "higher power" is required for recovery (read the first verse). Addicts/alcoholics try everything but usually fail many times in their search to break the addiction. The allure of the drug, drink, food, sex, gamble, or whatever the problem is overwhelming (second verse). Their addiction is the wound that would not heal, the burden carried on their backs, that, in time, is revealed the next time an opportunity to drink or use presents itself. Addicts/alcoholics engage in regrettable behavior and often lose family, friends, jobs, everything they "held so dear". Lastly, there's the use of the words "missed step" (i.e. of the 12 steps, can't skip any of them) and "you'll slip". A "slip" is exactly how addicts/alcoholics refer to prohibited behavior (i.e. taking a drink).

Nice interpretations everyone. But to a recovering addict, there's no mistaking what this song is about.

@bonodog really?? As an alcoholic, I've found every other interpretation, for this.. profound and refreshing (so far). Minimizing others and using your (our) addiction, in a condensing/shameful/obtuse way is far from okay.

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

this song is about looking at your life and suddenly realizing that everything you once held dear is now completely gone-especially the people you thought were your friends- and blaming yourself for messing up somewhere along the way to end up the way you are now...beautiful song.

Cover art for Fallen lyrics by Sarah McLachlan

My interpretation of this song is that it is about a woman in a relationship gone sour. Something happened in a past relationship which she is not proud of. By starting a new, innocent relationship she thought that it was all behind her and she could start anew, but her past came flying back (maybe she had an affair) leading to the destruction of her new relationship, leading to her hitting rock bottom. She's lost all of her friends, her relationship and she feels like it is all her fault and she has lost everything that mattered in her life.

My Interpretation