This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Maybe we were together in another life
Maybe we are together in a parallel universe
Maybe our paths are not supposed to cross twice
Maybe your arms are not supposed to go around me
I hear about you now and then
I wonder where you are and how you feel
Sometimes I walk by and I look up to your balcony
Just to make sure that you were real
Just to make sure that I can still feel you
When I see you again, as I always do
It appears to me that destiny rules
And the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
Six weeks in a foreign country, how the time flew
I didn't speak the language, but somehow I knew
That that would be the only time that we could be alone and foolish
We said we'd never come home
When I see you again, as I always do
It appears to me that destiny rules
That the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
I like the coastal cities, I like the lights
I like the way the city blends into the ocean at night
It's like living on a working river, the coastline is glittering
Like a diamond snake in a black sky
When I see you again, as I always do
It appears to me that destiny rules
That the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
They're just following the rules, no one's a fool
They're just following the rules, no one's a fool
They're just following the rules, no one's a fool
No one's a fool, no one's a fool
Maybe we are together in a parallel universe
Maybe our paths are not supposed to cross twice
Maybe your arms are not supposed to go around me
I hear about you now and then
I wonder where you are and how you feel
Sometimes I walk by and I look up to your balcony
Just to make sure that you were real
Just to make sure that I can still feel you
When I see you again, as I always do
It appears to me that destiny rules
And the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
Six weeks in a foreign country, how the time flew
I didn't speak the language, but somehow I knew
That that would be the only time that we could be alone and foolish
We said we'd never come home
When I see you again, as I always do
It appears to me that destiny rules
That the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
I like the coastal cities, I like the lights
I like the way the city blends into the ocean at night
It's like living on a working river, the coastline is glittering
Like a diamond snake in a black sky
When I see you again, as I always do
It appears to me that destiny rules
That the spirits are ruthless with the paths they choose
It's not being together
It's just following the rules
No one's a fool
They're just following the rules, no one's a fool
They're just following the rules, no one's a fool
They're just following the rules, no one's a fool
No one's a fool, no one's a fool
Lyrics submitted by Concertina
Destiny Rules Lyrics as written by Stephanie Nicks
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
Hayalperest
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
To me, this song is all about Stevie Nicks and her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham. She harkens to the past with the first line, "maybe we were together in another life," suggesting that her and Lindsey's heady early days in Fleetwood Mac were almost a lifetime ago. She also acknowledges the thought some people have that she and Lindsey are still together with, "maybe we are together in a parallel universe."
She realizes that she can't have Lindsey and she also realizes that he'll always play an important role in her life: "I hear about you now and then/I wonder where you are and how you feel." She wonders how real her connection is with Lindsey and she wants that connection to remain -- somehow: "Sometimes I walk by and I look up to your balcony/Just to make sure that you were real/Just to make sure that I can still feel you."
In the chorus, she once again tries to make peace with the fact she can never have Lindsey and she realizes that destiny doesn't allow them to be a couple. However, destiny also doesn't allow them to stay separated from each other for very long.
In the second verse, she could be referring to how crazy life with Fleetwood Mac is by referring to being in a foreign country and "how the time flew." The line, "I didn't speak the language, but somehow I knew" is loaded with meaning -- perhaps she realizes that some things are better left unsaid, or that some things just didn't need to be spoken, they're just understood.
Her reference to "Illume (9/11)" is one of the intriguing elements of "Destiny Rules." This time, she's not referring in some way to the calamity at the World Trade Center. This time, it's more of a self-examination of the near-calamities in her life, a way of trying to restore some normalcy to a woman used to the crazy rock 'n' roll lifestyle.