Sometimes life seems to quiet
Into paralyzing silence
Like the moonless dark
Meant to make me strong

Familiar breath of my old lies
Changed the color in my eyes
Soon he will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by

Sorrow lasts through this night
I'll take this piece of you
And hold for all eternity
For just one second I felt whole
As you flew right through me

Left alone with only reflections of the memory
To face the ugly girl that's smothering me
Sitting closer than my pain
He knew each tear before it came
Soon He will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by

Sorrow lasts through this night
I'll take this piece of you
And hold for all eternity
For just one second I felt whole
As you flew right through me

And we kiss each other one more time
And sing this lie that's halfway mine
The sword is slicing through the question
So I won't be fooled by his angel light

Sorrow lasts through this night
I'll take this piece of you
And hold for all eternity
For just one second I felt whole
As you flew right through me

And up into the stars
Joy will come


Lyrics submitted by thesimpleways

Sorrow Lyrics as written by Sameer Bhattacharya Howard Benson

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Sorrow song meanings
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  • +4
    General Comment

    Okay, this is my (long-winded) breakdown of the song. And yes, I view Flyleaf as a Christian Rock band, and I am deciphering this song like a Christian song, though I agree that there are so many interpretations of it! :)

    “Sometimes life seems to quiet into paralyzing silence Like the moonless dark, meant to make me strong Familiar breath of my old lies change the color in my eyes Soon he will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by”

    It is a widely held belief in the Christian faith that God tests us all to make our faith stronger. “Like the moonless dark, meant to make me strong. Next, she speaks of remembering her old mistakes and sins. “Change the color in my eyes” could be speaking of her guilt and sadness at her past mistakes (here I’m going to use the term of being under conviction). Y’know, how people’s eyes are often described as “darkening” with tears? I’m judging that the last line deals with her personal salvation. Although salvation is a wonderful thing, if you were living a life of sin, it will change what you do in your day-to-day life. But this line is tricky and can refer to many, many different things.

    ”Sorrow lasts through this night I'll take this piece of you and hold for all eternity For just one second I felt whole As you flew right through me”

    I think the first line says that maybe she’s just started her faith, but she’s not saved yet, so “sorrow lasts”. Yet, she takes a piece of God (possibly something physical like a Bible or necklace, but most likely just the changes of her philosophies and beliefs) and swears to hold onto it forever. She does feel whole for a second though, when the Spirit was nearby, maybe she witnessed someone else being saved or someone “in the Spirit” but she herself was not saved. “Flew right through me.”

    ”Left alone with only reflections of the memory To face the ugly girl that's smothering me Sitting closer than my pain, he knew each tear before it came Soon he will perforate the fabric of the peaceful by and by”

    I think this deals with her memories of drug use (or any bad memory, really) and her decision that her outward self, her sins and mistakes, are ugly and smothering the real her. “Sitting closer than my pain” refers to God, and how even though she was hurting and confused, God was closer to her than her own pain, and he knew every tear she would cry before she ever did. The repetition of the last line reinforces my view that it refers to her impending salvation.

    "And we kiss each other one more time And sing this lie that's half way mine The sword is slicing through the question so I won't be fooled By his angel light"

    Maybe here she falters a little, and doesn’t really know if she wants to commit to a religion. “And we kiss each other one more time and sing this lie that’s half-way mine,” I feel means that she either went back to an old junkie boyfriend, OR it could be read more metaphorically and mean that she went back to drugs, even though she knows it’s wrong because she’s simply frightened of giving herself up to God. However, the knowledge that whatever she’s doing is wrong finally gets the best of her, and she realizes that even if the boy/drugs make her feel good momentarily (“angel light”) they are still wrong.

    ”Sorrow lasts through this night I'll take this piece of you and hold for all eternity For just one second I felt whole As you flew right through me And up into the stars

    Joy will come”

    The last two lines end with the hope of salvation. She knows she’s under conviction, and she’s ready to accept Christ and has faith that “Joy will come” even if it’s not right then and there.

    Coronaeon February 05, 2007   Link

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